Riding With the Toyota Rav4

Despite the south's freakishly freezing temperatures last week, I got to spend a little time with a little red Toyota Rav4.   It's a nice mini SUV... a decent bang for the buck.

Now, you may think I sound a little less than enthused.
I'll admit, I got a tad bit spoiled by the Prius v so I know that's kinda clouding my judgement...
but the Rav4 has some decent qualities...

For instance, the "Normal," "Eco," and "Sport" driving modes to help the vehicle save fuel as well as adapt to the driving conditions.
Normal felt... well... normal.
Eco felt normal, too... until I switched to Sport...
Switching to Sport mode was like hitting the NOS button!
It was suggested that I go into Sport mode if I was going to be on open road with a lot of curves... and um... yeah... that was kinda dope!
Switching back to Eco or Normal from Sport was like... well... the best way to describe it is like "clenching your butt cheeks."

It is a clenched-butt-cheek drive... not a bad one... but definitely a noticeable difference.

You also notice the difference in the fuel economy when switching between the different modes.
Normal and Sport will siphon the gas like a kid with a juice box!
I highly recommend you keep your butt cheeks clenched on Eco or be prepared to spend a lot of time at the gas pump.

One of my favorite features of the Rav4 was the back up camera!
LOVED the guidelines for perfectly fitting the car into parking spaces.
I also liked how clear the camera is... especially at night... apparently it has night vision.
The wide angle was also great to make sure you can see everything behind you...even better than the rear-view mirror!

The Rav4 is a great vehicle for a small family who want the SUV without the ESSYOUVEEE, if you know what I mean.
The trunk was a little smaller than I expected, but for me, that could actually be a bonus...
Less space means I will have less junk in my car!
(if you have kids, you totally know what I mean)

So all in all, not a bad ride.
Again, anything that helps me shed the minivan and all the stigmas that go with it, I am all over it!

See you on my next Toyota adventure...