I've had the car for about 8 months now and believe that I've come to know it pretty well.

LIKES
I like the fact that there are a LOT of pockets everywhere. There are pockets on all four doors, the center console and dashboard. There are also plenty of pockets and compartments in the sides of he trunk - a real bonus.

The cupholders are the best I've seen on a car so far. It will pretty much adjust for any cup or mug size. It's very much unlike my 1999 BMW M3's cupholders which suck (see my review). There are also 2 real cupholders for the rear passengers.

The rear seats adjusts forwards/backwards and reclines as well. For more cargo space, you can tilt the seats forward, fold them flat, or take them out entirely to reveal a flat loading space. This is pretty convenient. Oh, there are removable, real headrests for the rear seats, too.

The middle seat has a shoulder seat belt and not just a lap belt. If there isn't a middle passenger, this seat belt neatly tucks into the roof.

The handling of the RAV4 was one of the best I've tested. It's certainly not a BMW X5 which is the best handling SUV I've ever driven, but I'd say it was a distant second. Automotive experts seem to agree that this is a very good handling SUV.

NITPICKS
The rear door should open to the curbside and not the driver's side for safety. I believe the new Jeep Liberties are the only ones in this mini SUV segment that does this.

The rear door only has one small "net" pocket. Couldn't they make a bigger pocket here? I noticed that the new Honda CRV has a nice, big pocket on the rear door. This is pretty convenient for holding tools, wash mits, papr towels, etc. However, unlike the RAV4, the Honda does not have as much pockets or compartments to the sides of the trunk space.

There are no backlights on the passenger window switches, sunroof and maplight switches. Toyota went real cheap on this one. Only the driver's side window switch has a backlight. You would have to fumble around for the other light switches in the dark. The sunroof switch doesn't have a backlight either. Aside from the fact that the maplight does not have any backlighting, there are no separate map light switches for the driver and passenger. You only get one big light. I ended up putting black duct tape to block the light going into the driver's side. It blinds me whenever my passenger is reading the map or looking for things.

The engine (what engine?) is in serious need of an extra 2 cylinders. At 140hp, this car feels like it's going to get runover on a highway onramp. OK, I'm used to the power of my M3, but still. If it weren't for the fact that I wanted a 5-speed manual, I would have gotten a different SUV.

The RAV4 didn't have heated seats as an option. They did, have leather seats as an option. I thought this was silly. I think it's fine not to have it as standard equipment, but I would have been more than willing to pay for heated seats as an option. In fact, since this SUV is really dedicated for winter use, it would have been a very welcome option.

WHAT ELSE DID I SHOP FOR?
I looked at the Mazda Tribute and Ford Escape combos. Although this mini-SUV had the most power in a 6 cylinder, I just thought they were plainly ugly. Also, the 5-speed manual was only available with the 4 cylinder engine. This engine is even rated with less horsepower than the RAV4's. And with the heavier car, the 4-cyl would have been a real dog with the Mazda/Ford. Lastly, in my epinion, the interior of these cars were pretty plain and lacked the design qualities of the RAV4.

The Jeep Liberty was too much of a truck. It had a lot of features I was looking for, but it was way too rugged for what I was going to use it for - the highway. How often do people really take an SUV off-roading?

At the time, the new Honda CRV wasn't out yet. In my opinion, the current one looked too dated, looked too girly, and was way overpriced for what I was looking for.

The Hyundai Santa Fe, yes Hyundai, was a great car - especially with the V6. You really can't go wrong with the 10 years, 100k mile warranty. This SUV had everything that I was looking for. If I were looking to get an automatic, this would have been my choice.

Amount Paid (US$): 24000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 4wd, L Package, SR and Rack, Spoiler, ABS, LSD, Side Step Tubes