This vehicle accelerates as could be expected for a 4-cylinder engine. I'm going to put my foot in my mouth and say it: If you want more acceleration, you didn't know what you were buying. No one buys a 4-cylinder engine for acceleration! What I was looking for was something with the surprising space of a Civic hatchback with the same reliability and better ground clearance. And we got it!

Styling is nice, features as expected. I believe the panels along the underside of the driver/passenger doors are plastic, which means in the rust belt, they won't rust. This not only makes the vehicle last longer, it will look good longer, too. The view is very good; for a car driver, the rear view took some getting used to, but nothing that lasts long. It features a dash single-CD player, AC, console heat/vent controls, clear, easy-to use knobs and dials, a small open pocket for sunglasses or loose items. There is also a fold-out cupholder and a covered compartment for change or small-item storage. The doors also feature long, narrow pockets, best for maps.

The RAV4's seemed to me to ride better than other SUV's in its class (Forester or CRV), but still not as good as the average sedan. Why do I say this? Because it corners like a "tall" car, rather than a big huge vehicle on stilts. It is easy to back, and has a miniscule 37-foot turning circle. This means parking and finding spaces in crowded parking lots is easy. To satisfy the curiosity of Forester or CRV owners I cannot tangibly say why I prefer the RAV4. It just seemed to be tighter and quicker, rather than softer and slower in everything it did.

The leather seats are slippery and rather boxy. I normally do not complain about seats; I am not huge, tiny, or picky, but I always feel like I am about to be tossed out of the the RAV4's seats. There is little friction between you and the leather, so you slide a bit when cornering. This detracts slightly from the vehicles great handling characteristics. There is plenty of foot-leg room and ample adjustment in the seats themselves. The head restraints are rounded squares with interior cutouts. My wife mentions that when she wears barrettes or hair-clips, they bang the back of her head. ("So don't wear them," I say like a stupid guy.)

The RAV4 offers a nice view of the surrounding road and area; you are as high as a mid-sized pickup truck. No one is looking down on you or your cargo space except large trucks or semis. While height to me is not a dominance thing, it is very much a safety thing--especially for my wife, who hated sitting in a '91 Civic trying to see over and around everything else. Now we can see what is going on 2-3 cars up, even if they are trucks.

The RAV4 is reliable. We have encountered zero, not one, single reliability problem, ever. This RAV4 was bought used with about 37,000 miles on it, and it still hums, starts, and performs like new with over 57,000 miles on it. Every last component works perfectly, with the exception of squeaky doors--this is a maintenance issue, not a performance issue.

Ride is rather jiggly, due to the height of the vehicle and suspension design, but you can't expect a tall, narrow vehicle to drive like a low, soft-suspension sedan. I'll repeat, it still rides in my opinion better than any other SUV on the market. Tight on the corners, whips around at will, very inspiring even in the snow. Short stops, no tail-wagging or rain problems.

The RAV4 is still not big enough for a lot of cargo. You can get almost as much into a Honda Accord with the seats folded down as you can in the RAV 4 with the seats folded down. On the other hand, access to the cargo areas is much better than a sedan, and you can get bigger and bulkier items into the RAV4 that no sedan will swallow. I should point out that some of the bigger SUV's on the market don't hold that much cargo either (ever check out a Pathfinder's cubic footage?), but I guess the SUV title had me thinking of an old 1979 Suburban (my fault!).

I can happily say that the dealership service has been polite, honest, and outstanding. Rare for a Japanese dealership, and points me to Toyota when I go to buy a newer car (Honda and Nissan have not performed well at all in my area). I only hope to continue this experience, because a competent, reliable and polite import dealer service area seems to be as rare as free snowcones in Hades.

Hate? What is there to hate? I hate that my wife drives it full time, and I drive the older car! I guess I wish it were a manual transmission, but that's a decision factor, not the fault of the vehicle. We purchased a vehicle with a sunroof, and I would rather have a solid roof with a rack (again--not the vehicle's fault, but a purchasing decision). Okay, I'll find one thing I dislike, other than the slippery seats: I don't like how the doors shut "hard." The doors are light and lack much spring or balance to assist in closing them, so you really have to give them a swat to close the door. If I ride the RAV4 for a while and then go back to my Accord, I find myself slamming the Accord's doors with a crushing "crack!" that scares animals and small children two blocks away.
Amount Paid (US$): 18000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1999
Model and Options: RAV4 LX front wheel drive