AS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL crossovers, the RAV4 has had time
to embrace several identities, from ’90s two-door convertible
to mid-2000s V-6 sleeper hot rod. And now we have the latest R AV4
going all tough-truck on us. This RAV4 wants to get out of the burbs
and hit the woods. There’s even a TRD off-road model with all-terrain
tires and recalibrated suspension. The RAV4 has been hanging with
the 4Runner.
As Toyota’s best-selling vehicle—in fact, the best-selling non-
pickup truck in America—we’re fortunate that Toyota is brave
enough to make the R AV4 interesting. The non-hybrid
has a 203-hp four-cylinder, and a Land Rover–style
system tailors the vehicle’s electronics to the ter-
rain. The four-cylinder is mated to an eight-speed
automatic and it’s punchy but loud—like a sports-
car engine got assigned family-hauler duty but
nobody told it to tone down the ruckus. The
hybrid model should be quieter (and is more
powerful and efficient, to boot). There’s an XSE
street-performance version, too, with
firmer suspension. One benefit of the
crossover replacing the sedan as default
mainstream family transportation: At
least these tall wagons offer a wide pal-
ette for expression. We never had an
off-road Camry.
ALANIS MORISSETTE’S SONG
“Ironic” famously references lots of
things that aren’t ironic—rain on your wed-
ding day; a traffic jam when you’re already
late. But you know what is ironic? The name
“Rogue” on Nissan’s most popular, most
obsessively mainstream vehicle. It’s 10,000
spoons when all you need is a knife, it’s a
car called Rogue that you see every day of
your life. Because, you know, they sell
400,000 of them per year. It’s really a very
normal vehicle.
Since the Rogue courts the broadest
possible audience, let me try to assess this
vehicle in terms that its buyers actually care
about. For instance, quickness: The heated
seats are designed to get warm really quickly.
And Rogue customers care about handling—
SV and SL models have a motion-activated
hands-free liftgate, for when you’re handling
Most Likely to Succeed
America’s most popular non-pickup, the
Toyota RAV4, gets an outdoorsy redesign.
a live alligator under each arm. (Look, I’m
not presuming that Rogue buyers would
carry anything so anodyne as groceries.)
How about braking? Well, the Rogue has
automatic emergency braking, both for-
ward and reverse. And models with ProPilot
Assist can handle speed control in stop-and-
go traffic, even adding steering assist to stay
in your lane. It seems like the Rogue makessome assumptions about your dedication to
this whole “driving” thing. And they’re prob-
ably accurate.
I get it. Franchises are out there to
cast a wide net and make money, and the
Rogue has become a franchise. Personally,
I like to patronize a little neighborhood
lunch joint. But if you want to go to Panera,
I understand.Base price: $25,795
The Rogue is so popular:
It’s built in the U.S., Japan,
and Korea.
Nissan’s Easy-Fill Tire Alert:
Honks the horn when you
reach the correct air pressure.Base price: $26,545
The hybrid XSE is the
quickest RAV4: With a
7.8-second zero to 60.
AWD gas RAV4s: Have
side-to-side torque
vectoring at the rear.