April 19th, 2013 by Armaan Almeida
Toyota’s RAV4, the compact crossover that started it all in what has become one of the industry’s hottest segments, has been completely redesigned for the 2013 model year. Editors at Autoblog recently got to spend some time with the 2013 RAV4, and came away pleased if not blown away.
In a segment with several enticing new offerings, led by the new-for-2013 Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5 as well as the redesigned 2014 Subaru Forester, the RAV4 is the middle-of-the-road, ‘safe’ choice, one with no big downsides, but neither a class-leading experience.
Read the full Autoblog 2013 Toyota RAV4 review here.
Autoblog testers found the RAV4 does well in every area expected of a compact CUV, without distancing itself from the rest in any quantifiable way:
That said, the new Toyota is priced attractively compared with top competitors, especially in the better-equipped trim levels where the Ford and Honda can quickly crest $30,000.
In short, the RAV4 is middle of the pack, all the way around. It’s not the prettiest, strongest, biggest, smallest, most or least fuel efficient, cheapest or most expensive small crossover you can buy.
Among its chief virtues: a smooth powertrain combining Toyota’s excellent 2.5-liter four-cylinder with a 6-speed manual transmission and available AWD system to liven up the driving experience. Foibles included an interior with too much easily scratched hard plastic, made worse still through unattractive fake carbon fiber pattern.
The Mazda and Ford may be more fun to drive, the Subaru more-capable and the Honda more polished, but the RAV4 stays competitive by doing everything well, if nothing revolutionary.
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