The RAV4 has grown into a larger SUV than it was when it first hit the market, but will bigger mean better in a competitive Weekend Athlete world?
Once you fold the rear seats, the cargo area is flat, which is nice, but not one of the things I add or subtract a lot of points for.
What I do care about is how large the cargo area is and the size of the opening through which you must pass your gear.
The thing is, its Scion xB cousin carries stuff almost as well but is much, much cheaper.
The RAV4 is also not as easy to load things into as the Mercury Mariner Hybrid (despite the RAV4's large cargo opening), so it loses a spot to that one, as well.
RAV4 deserves some consideration as an athlete's car it's a lot more fun to drive than the PT Cruiser and it's not as dressy as the RDX, but consider how much space the door takes and test the seat mechanism before you buy.
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