• Pros

• Practical, versatile, fuel efficient, and fun to drive, the redesigned RAV4 is a good alternative to the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forrester.  
• Toyota reliability is excellent, and we’d expect the RAV4 to be highly reliable.  
• Smooth engine/transmission combination. 
• Four-cylinder engine and six-speed transmission provide very respectable fuel economy, 22/29 with an EPA rate 25 mpg overall. Note, a hybrid version will be available soon. 
• Sporty handling, for a tall vehicle.  
• Good all-wheel-drive system makes RAV4 a great option in the snow belt.  
• It’s quiet on the road at lower speeds, though there’s noticeable engine noise with the four-cylinder engine when passing, and road noise at highway speed. 
• Great visibility all around. 
• Plenty of storage room inside the cabin.
 
• Lift gate now, instead of side-opening design, which is a big improvement.  
• Standard backup camera. 
Simple, straight-forward volume and tuning knobs. 
• The optional navigation can’t be programmed while driving, keeping RAV owners alive.
 

• Cons

• Ride is firm, and may not appeal to those who like their butts softly coddled. 
• Infotainment system is very slow to respond to inputs. 
• Wide turning circle for a small-ish vehicle. 
• While the RAV is rated “Good” in a number of crash test categories by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it got a “Poor” rating in the important front overlap test. Toyota immediately addressed this result in the 2015 model, by the way, which landed them in the IIHS’ “Top Safety Pick” category. 

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