Review: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport strikes an agreeable balance

Review: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport strikes an agreeable balance

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, Toyota

2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

The small crossover segment, where the neo-sorta-trucks live, is one of the hottest battlegrounds for consumer dollars. Small skirmishes go on in the border regions; confused vehicles don't know whether to be mud-slingers with brash attitudes or optioned-up urban sophisticates. Toyota's RAV4 certainly brings sophistication, and though it can venture off road a bit, it's not a jumbled, mixed-up mess. The RAV's classification-straddling lets it serve the whims of a broad array of potential buyers.

Wanting to cover all the bases, the RAV4 can be had in a variety of configurations, from a basic front-driver with four-cylinder power up to a leather-lined, four-wheel-drive Limited with a silly-powerful V6. A Sport version seeds right in between the base and Limited, carrying a satisfying level of equipment. There's an allure to the big horsepower delivered by the six - especially when it costs as little on EPA ratings as the RAV's 3.5-liter - but these days, "adequate" is riding a wave of newfound popularity as Americans struggle to pinch more pennies. In keeping with that spirit, when it came time to test a RAV4, we decided to try life with a four-cylinder 4WD Sport.


Gallery: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport



Photos Copyright (C)2009 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading Review: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport strikes an agreeable balance

Review: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport strikes an agreeable balance originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 May 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



Permalink | Email this | Comments

More...