2010 TOYOTA RAV4
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VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS
The 2010 Toyota RAV4 is largely unchanged. This compact SUV comes in Base, Sport, and Limited trims. Each is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive with a locking center differential. RAV4 seats five, but an optional 3rd-row bench on Base and Limited increases capacity to seven. A 179-hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder is available along with a 269-hp 3.5-liter V6. A 4-speed automatic transmission is standard with the 4-cylinder, and the V6 has a 5-speed automatic. Maximum towing capacity is 1500 lb with the 4-cylinder, 3500 lb with the V6. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain side airbags, and front side airbags. Hill ascent/descent control is standard on V6 RAV4s and included on 4-cylinder models equipped with the 3rd-row seat. All have a side-hinged cargo door. Sport models have a sport suspension. Leather upholstery and a navigation system are optional on the Sport and Limited.
COMPETITION
Consumer Guide Automotive places each vehicle into one of 18 classes based on size, price, and market position. Among utility vehicles, Compact SUVs are typically the least costly and offer the best fuel economy. Most utilize a car-type chassis and are not designed for heavy-duty, off-road use. Nearly all are five-passenger vehicles; some offer seating for seven.
Our Best Buys are the Honda CR-V and Volkswagen Tiguan. Our Recommended picks are the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Mercury Mariner, Subaru Forester, Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Toyota RAV4.
New or significantly redesigned models include the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Mitsubishi Outlander.
The 2010 Toyota RAV4 is largely unchanged. This compact SUV comes in Base, Sport, and Limited trims. Each is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive with a locking center differential. RAV4 seats five, but an optional 3rd-row bench on Base and Limited increases capacity to seven. A 179-hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder is available along with a 269-hp 3.5-liter V6. A 4-speed automatic transmission is standard with the 4-cylinder, and the V6 has a 5-speed automatic. Maximum towing capacity is 1500 lb with the 4-cylinder, 3500 lb with the V6. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain side airbags, and front side airbags. Hill ascent/descent control is standard on V6 RAV4s and included on 4-cylinder models equipped with the 3rd-row seat. All have a side-hinged cargo door. Sport models have a sport suspension. Leather upholstery and a navigation system are optional on the Sport and Limited.
COMPETITION
Consumer Guide Automotive places each vehicle into one of 18 classes based on size, price, and market position. Among utility vehicles, Compact SUVs are typically the least costly and offer the best fuel economy. Most utilize a car-type chassis and are not designed for heavy-duty, off-road use. Nearly all are five-passenger vehicles; some offer seating for seven.
Our Best Buys are the Honda CR-V and Volkswagen Tiguan. Our Recommended picks are the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Mercury Mariner, Subaru Forester, Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Toyota RAV4.
New or significantly redesigned models include the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Mitsubishi Outlander.
2010 Toyota Highlander
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The 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid ranks 14 out of 31 Affordable Midsize SUVs. This ranking is based on our analysis of 63 published reviews and test drives of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.
The Highlander Hybrid offers a spacious interior, smooth ride, and refined hybrid powertrain. However, even with excellent fuel economy, many reviewers say its steep price as compared to the conventional Highlander isn't justified in fuel savings.
The Highlander Hybrid is an excellent family vehicle because of its great fuel economy and spacious third-row seat -- but that utility comes with a steep price. With a base price of nearly $35,000, the Highlander Hybrid is the most expensive non-luxury hybrid vehicle on the market. Further detracting from its value is the fact that the conventional Highlander costs nearly $9,000 less.
The hybrid's 27/25 mpg fuel economy leads the affordable midsize SUV class and is definitely an improvement over the conventional Highlander's 18/24 mpg rating. However, it would still take many years (probably even more than most people would keep the car) to make up for the cost of that $9,000 premium in gas savings -- prompting many reviewers to say the Highlander Hybrid isn't worth it unless you're a die-hard environmentalist. Several other hybrid SUVs offer even better fuel economy at lower prices.
2010 Toyota Prius
A better body means more comfortable surroundings for the 2010 Prius' five passengers. There is less front knee room, side to side, thanks to the new center console, but the driver's seat is now height-adjustable. Backseaters get the knee room left behind by slimmer front seatbacks and better headroom from the rejiggered roofline. The cargo area expands even more, with a redesigned battery housing and 2.2 inches of extra room creating a few more cubic feet of storage. In general, the Prius' plastics are upgraded and greened up, too—Toyota says they're all carbon-neutral now—and they do look and feel better than in the second-generation car. Fit and finish on pre-production cars is good.
The 2010 Toyota Prius likely will improve on the high safety rating of the most recent version. Seven airbags are standard, including a driver knee bag. So are anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control, and tire pressure monitors. Safety options include radar cruise control, a lane-departure warning system, a rearview camera, a "Safety Connect" system that alerts emergency crews after a crash, and the stunt technology of the day—Intelligent Parking Assist, which helps you parallel-park the Prius via the car's cameras, albeit with your foot on the brake to control speed.
The 2010 Toyota Prius likely will improve on the high safety rating of the most recent version. Seven airbags are standard, including a driver knee bag. So are anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control, and tire pressure monitors. Safety options include radar cruise control, a lane-departure warning system, a rearview camera, a "Safety Connect" system that alerts emergency crews after a crash, and the stunt technology of the day—Intelligent Parking Assist, which helps you parallel-park the Prius via the car's cameras, albeit with your foot on the brake to control speed.
2010 Toyota 4Runner
The 2010 Toyota 4Runner has just made its debut at the Texas State Fair, and as expected, in many ways it's a throwback to the original 4Runner, bucking the trend of increasingly civilized paved-road crossovers for a rough-and-ready all-terrain feature set.
That's not to say it's not still as friendly on the road as any Toyota; ever since the original hit the roads in 1984, the 4Runner has been as much about comfort as it is about capability. But unlike some of the mid-sized SUV competition, Toyota has adhered to the 4Runner's off-road roots as well, sharing the same body-on-frame platform as the FJ Cruiser and growing both longer and wider than the current 4Runner.
That's not to say it's not still as friendly on the road as any Toyota; ever since the original hit the roads in 1984, the 4Runner has been as much about comfort as it is about capability. But unlike some of the mid-sized SUV competition, Toyota has adhered to the 4Runner's off-road roots as well, sharing the same body-on-frame platform as the FJ Cruiser and growing both longer and wider than the current 4Runner.
