2013 Toyota RAV4 XLE – That’s so RAV

2013 Toyota RAV4 XLE – That’s so RAV

Toyota’s Compact ute has all sorts of takers.

There’s a wide swath of the American automobile-buying public that defies categorization by any ethnographic, age or socioeconomic means. Its profile is rather of a psychographic nature, a group unified in its pursuit of a drama-free vehicle requiring little hassle. The shorthand: They are appliance buyers, not enthusiasts. It's no surprise, then, that this group makes up a majority of buyers and overwhelmingly favors Toyotas.

Color-keyed heated power outside mirrors
with turn signal indicators and folding feature

Of course, all of this is hackneyed tripe. While owners of the RAV4 from whom we heard certainly varied in age, sex, location and occupation, each expressed definite opinions on what they wanted in a vehicle. They cross-hopped competitive models and have concrete views both positive and negative about their trucklet.

"I decided on the RAV4 XLE primarily because of its comfortable seating, handling, cargo capacity, standard equipment for the price and previous Toyota owner reliability experience," wrote one owner. Said another, "I liked its styling from the first and all the improvements from the previous RAV4.1 really like the spacious interior and the great seats front and back, and the fact that the rear seats will recline."

Happily accommodates people and cargo

Around town, the RAV4 feels good, exhibiting decent body control and a ride that never gets too float or too stiff. Most owners cited the vehicle's comfortable ride as a high point, a quality they said distinguished the RAV4 from, say, the Honda CR-V or Ford Escape. But a handful cited the RAV's tendency to feel a bit crash over bigger bumps.

Unfortunately, the Toyota is also hamstrung by cheap tires that took their toll on every Autofile exercise we ran. In our tight 490-foot slalom course, for example, the RAV4 struggled to average 41.68 mph, the tires constantly fighting for purchase. We were doubly disappointed by the RAV's poor slalom performance because its steering is fairly direct and responsive for a Toyota; the tires can't keep up. Likewise, around our 200-foot skid pad, the Toyota was hard-pressed to achieve 0.67 g lateral acceleration. That's dam near real-truck territory. Consider: The Escape pulled 0.74 g, the F-150 0.62 g.

Despite the generally positive owner feedback, many did gripe about the interior materials, calling them "not up to Toyota standards." We're also a bit disappointed Toyota opted for an all-four-banger lineup for this latest RAV generation. We genuinely enjoyed the previous model's peppy V6. Still, we understand most RAV4 shoppers champion efficiency over speed. That said, the competitive landscape is rife with engines that easily eclipse the Toyota's mediocre 176 hp while delivering similar mpg: The Honda AWD CR-V's 2.4-liter puts out 185 hp while returning an EPA-combined 25 mpg, and Ford's 2.0-liter EcoBoost turns out a comparatively huge 240 hp and an EPA-combined 24 mpg.

Interior design of RAV4

We do appreciate Toyota moving the spare tire from the rear door to undercarriage, a change giving the RAV a much more modern, cleaned-up look that pairs well with the stylish front fascia. We just wish Toyota would put some better factory tires on this otherwise solid ride.