Sir those are blessings not addons!
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You have to protect that beast
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I had driven like a 2017 model, not the most current. But it was garbage with the interior being as cheap as possible, had absolutely zero power, drove very mediocrely.
Regardless, I’ve yet to see a GM where I say “wow” with the interior. Plastic, cheap, and most just have poor design. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a Chevy Equinox or a GMC 2500 Denali. Everything is very OK.
General Motors hasn’t had any passion for their cars since 1969. It really is an embarrassment to American industry. The boardroom filled with 62 year olds wearing business casual lost their souls decades ago. Watching Mary Barra speak during the Silverado EV keynote made me physically ill.
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I had a 4Runner for a rental. It’s TRD off road trim. It was a terrible vehicle. I only took it because it was snowing a lot in Chicago.
It does what it’s meant to do. Be reliable and a great off road car. But it’s beyond my comprehension how people pay ADMs to be use a 4Runner as a mall crawler. Because there are definitely better cars for that job
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just saw this article about it:
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Toyota-RAV4-Prime-double-MSRP-16649490.php
Stellantis is one of very few, of our own, who has actually stepped up to the plate. What is being done with the Jeep’s and the TRX, for example, deserves an applause.
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Honestly, it’s because Sergio Marchionne and Carlos Tavares were in the drivers seat (pun intended). Portuguese and Italian businessmen look at the world MUCH differently than American businessmen. Our cultures are different. They understand that passion and a little bit of insanity spices things up and makes them more money.
Americans think that instead of making a product more exciting and desirable, just make it cheaper to squeeze more profit. “People will probably buy it anyways.” mantra has gotten them to where they are now. Look at Chrysler corporation in 2008 vs Stellantis today.
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It’s funny in the article it says that when someone checked the rav4 was no longer listed. If someone paid that price I’m sure they considered getting a loaded Cayenne but decided to get the rav4 because of the better gas mileage.
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I agree, which is why Stellantis was mentioned and not FCA. FCA seemed to have a good thing going for quite some time, but they let things become stale. Has anyone looked at a '22 Challenger vs an MY08? That is just one of many examples.
We also have those consumers who are dead set on buying the latest and greatest, even if its not the actual case. I.e. Joe will purchase a MY22 sh*box, over a MY18, if it the '18 is a much better vehicle (and “deal”). This partly describes GM’s model to a T. They “refresh” vehicles about every year, save a penny whenever they can, and solely look at the dollar.
Fwiw - My wife cross shopped the rav4 and similar vehicles in this class in 2018, and Mazda’s CX-5 proved to be best value, driving dynamic, options, etc. - to us anyway.
Driving a RAV4 is the best way to tell the world that you’ve given up on all of your dreams.
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The honor previously being held by another Toy, the Prius.
To be fair, I believe the current rav4 went on sale in early 2019, so you were likely cross-comparing with the last gen. But I do agree that CX-5 leads the class in driving dynamics and interior comfort/design.
Good point. I should have added that prior to her lease ending (yes market was getting a little crazy but not as bad as now) we made the rounds and still couldn’t find what we felt was a better option in ‘21. Didn’t make sense to upgrade to a newer CX-5 either so we bought out the ‘18.
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We rented a 2021 Rav4 Adventure for our Yosemite trip around Dec., great A to B SUV.
Vary noisy on freeway indeed…
We also had a 2019 NX 300h(last gen platform), camera is almost the same. It rides a lot like a boat… very soft, but still got some wind noise after 65 mph, which is a bit annoying.
I don’t think Toyota prioritize the interiors design, most people get Toyota for functionality and reliability, and nothing else.
We always pick Toyota for our rental if available, since it’s the only brand that has a lot more safety features and ACC(adopted cruise control) standard on all their newer modals.
We rented 4Runner, Highlander too, all of them are 2021 modals and all of them feel the same, dated interior, especially the 4Runner, that thing feel like at least 15 years old.
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Revisit this when they come off warranty. 
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I think it depends on the customer base and what they value at the end of the, not what reviewers or spec chasers want.
The customer for a 4R wants to go off the beaten path, overland, and then come home. The competition like the Bronco or even higher end Defender can take you there for sure, and in style, comfort and luxury, but only the 4R can bring you back safely.
Same thing with the Rav4, its not going to bowl the owner with driving performance like the Mazda, or big screen like the Hyundai Tuscon but its going to make sure it works as a basic home appliance for as long as you own it. No recalls for fire risks or engine block replacements. And based off the sales numbers its a winning formula. Plus when you end the lease or decide to sell, the equity in these vehicles is probably going to be higher then the competition.
However life is too short, and its 4xe or nothing
