The basics:

Base price: $24,990 + taxes
As tested: $34,620 + taxes
Highway fuel economy: 7.6-8.1 (FWD/AWD)
City fuel economy: 10-10.6 (FWD/AWD)
Competition: Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue

The review:

Toyota has refreshed its long-time small-sized SUV for 2016 with a
few new features and a new hybrid option but this vehicle remains
largely the same since its last redesign in 2013. This is the fourth
generation RAV4 for the North American audience and it’s been a steady,
reliable favourite. But since its launch in 1995, the swimming pool in
this vehicle class has become significantly more crowded… so can the
RAV4 continue to wow buyers after all these years? Read on.

From the outside, I find the newest RAV4 to look a little too
car-like and would rather a more aggressive SUV-like look. New for 2016
is the sportier SE trim (this is how our tester was fitted-out), and
while it’s not the most expensive trim, it gives you things like faux
leather seats (Toyota’s very comfortable, environmentally friendly and
convincing SofTex material), LED headlights, bigger wheels and a
sportier looking body kit. Even still, I don’t find the exterior
anything to really write home about. But once I stepped inside, that’s
where the RAV4 really started to impress.

Compared
to its competition, the RAV4 feels premium, spacious and well laid-out.
With soft touch surfaces galore, an easy to use infotainment system and
a really generous dose of legroom for front and rear passengers, I was
keen to get driving on a 1,000 km ski road trip! The skis and gear were
gobbled up without issue and I hit the road.

But while the relatively economical $25,000 base price might seem
like a great deal, take note that the base trim does not include all
wheel drive and you’ll have to spend nearly $3,000 for that piece of
mind on snowy highways like those I was driving on. Base models do,
however, include front and rear parking sonar, blue tooth connectivity,
cruise and air conditioning. Then, looking to the top of the line
Limited trim, there are all kinds of high end safety features. Things
like adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation technology and lane
departure warning systems.

Our
SE tester was a great middle ground with nothing I was wishing I had
throughout my week in this car. But through the windy, mountain roads of
British Columbia, the 2.5-litre non-turbo engine (the only choice
regardless of trim), did seem to struggle at times resulting in lots of
gear changes through the 6-speed automatic gearbox. Power on less
mountainous highways or through the city would be more than adequate,
though. I also found the steering to feel a little too light. But for
the most part, this is a quiet, refined and capable car… even when the
highways got quite slippery and snowy.

So this car has a lot going for it. But the one big thing to consider
is the price tag. Comparably kitted-out Honda CRVs or Nissan Rogues or
Mazda CX5s will come in at around $2,500 to $3,000 less. And they’re all
great choices to consider. So is the Toyota name and reliability and
resale value enough to have you fork out the extra dough? That’s a
question only you can answer. But from a space, comfort and build
quality perspective, the RAV4 is as good as ever, 20 years after it was
first released.