Comparsion review: eight compact SUVs (first place)

With class-leading refinement, interior space, and gas mileage, the 2009 Toyota RAV4 is worth paying a bit extra for.

When I pulled up to 355 Toyota to test-drive the RAV4, I had already driven the other seven vehicles in this comparison, and they had left me wondering if I had set my standards too high. For while many of those SUVs did meet my lofty expectations for interior space, comfort, and versatility, I had expected more refinement for $20,000 and better handling from a compact vehicle.  

The RAV4 confirmed that I was not demanding too much. While it’s no luxury car and no sports car, its comfortable and quiet ride and decent agility with more steering weight and feedback than most of the its competitors give it the sort of feel that I had expected its competitors to come closer to matching.

That’s not to say that the RAV4 is perfect. Its side-hinged cargo door is less convenient than a swing-up type in tight quarters. A glovebox lid feels very clunky. The Subaru Forester did slightly better in crash-testing and has better rear visibility. And the RAV4 costs slightly more than some of its competitors. 

But for its best-in-class comfort, refinement, fuel economy, and cargo space, many people should consider paying a little bit extra for it.

Inside, the RAV4’s accommodations and quality are pleasant if unremarkable, a level that’s as good as anything else in this class. The seats are mounted high and pleasantly padded and offer plenty of space, though they’re flat. Three adults will have enough space across the rear bench, but the center armrest is less than ideal as a backrest.

Like in the Honda CR-V, there are relatively few soft-touch surfaces on the RAV4’s dash and door panels – though it does boast cloth trim on the doors – but as in the Honda, the hard plastics avoid feeling cheap and they fit together well. One flaw that mars the sense of quality is the RAV4’s smaller storage bin above the main glovebox, which opens and closes only at the press of a button and does not operate smoothly or easily. Some reviewers have criticized the styling of the dashboard, but it’s functionally sound. 

Like the Mitsubishi Outlander, the RAV4 squeezes in a tiny third row seat that’s essentially unusable even for children. The RAV4’s seat is slightly more comfortable than the Outlander’s, but only the Mitsubishi has any usable cargo space behind that seat when it’s in use. Save your money skip that optional feature.

Without the third row, the RAV4 has plenty of cargo room behind its rear seat; at 36.2 cubic feet, it has more than any of the others in this comparison. The cargo hold’s boxy shape also would also do very well at accommodating bulky items. Some may prefer extra floor space, however. Fold the rear seat down and the total cargo volume of 73 cubic feet also leads the class, though the center armrest serves as part of the cargo floor without a protective covering. 

But it’s the drive that really separates the RAV4 from its competitors. The Suzuki Grand Vitara is just as quiet and the Nissan Rogue rides even more comfortably, but neither offers both a smooth and a quiet ride.

Neither of those handles as well as the RAV4 either. Despite its comfortable ride and lack of obvious sporting pretensions, its agility is on par with the Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda CR-V, and its responsive steering offers more heft and more feedback than the others, unusual for a Toyota.

The RAV4’s 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine – new for 2009 – is smooth, quiet, and acceptably peppy, and returns the best gas mileage of these eight, estimated at 21 miles per gallon in the city and 27 on the highway. (A powerful V6 is also offered.)

The gas mileage may help offset the RAV4’s out-the-door purchase price of $21,220, which is about $1,000 more than the Forester. The Forester also has a slightly better projected resale value, however.

However, if you are looking for refinement in your compact SUV, you can’t beat the RAV4’s comfortable and quiet ride in this price range, and its excellent interior space, reasonably agile handling, and class-leading fuel economy keep it from being a one-trick pony.

There’s still room for a competitor to come in and offer this level of refinement and more, possibly even while undercutting the RAV4’s price. But for the now, it’s the winner. 

Overall grade: A-