84Cressida

I'm aware of that, I'm comparing it to the Gen 3 with the V6.

Blackraven

Quite a nice vehicle.

Btw, they offer 2.0 ZR engine for Europe and Taiwan.....which is mated to a 7-speed CVT. Otherwise, the car gets a 2.5 liter AR engine with 6-speed auto.

However, the sad thing is the lack of a V6 version

Hence, I would personally place higher preference for a Subaru Forester 2.0XT Turbo over a RAV4.

mmarshall

The Turbo Forester, though, even with its extra power, now uses a CVT instead of a conventional automatic. While it's difficult to predict just how long the transmission will last with the turbo-boxer engine on the XT, Nissan had to extend the warranty on some its CVTs hooked to the more powerful V6s. CVT drive-belts sometimes have durability-problems with higher-torque engines.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

I know the article states it is the FWD XLE, but I thought Toyota was only offering FWD as option on the base? I think XLE and Limited only come in AWD trim. That's what it states on the Toyota website and what I was told at my dealer.

spwolf

both are mostly FWD anyway... difference between FWD and "AWD" is not big in these cars... 1-2 MPG at max.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

+1. no doubt a nice vehicle overall for those that like the look, but saw a couple on the road and my impression was "eww" and "cheap".

SteVTEC

Toyota.com shows FWD models for LE, XLE, and Limited for me. What Toyota shows on their website and what Toyota's regional distribution system "cartels" are actually stocking could be two different things though.

Which is the difference between the two cars!

LeX2K

The new RAV is actually really nice, but it has a show stopper issue for me. The curved lower portion of the dash hits my knee when I sit in the passengers seat. I'm 6 feel tall so nothing unusual, other people a bit shorter that sat in the car said the same thing. I don't see how Toyota let such an obvious ergonomic flaw get past the design phase, obviously they felt that the styling was important above all else.