Toyota Road Tests

October 10, 2008
2009 Toyota RAV4 First Impressions
by Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan , Auto123.com

Muskoka, Ontario - Timing, as they say, is everything and what better time is there to visit the wonderful Muskoka area of Ontario, but just when the leaves are bursting into color.

Perhaps Toyota cleverly planned this for its 2009 RAV4 launch, or maybe cottage country was simply chosen because its renowned SUV is such a popular mode of transportation for families traveling to their cottages nowadays?

Ever since SUV's were first created, they have been extremely popular with cottage owners.

That's something which is, or at least has been, a very popular pastime for Torontonians for decades. In fact, years ago, families often rode the train up to the lakes, and then continued onto their weekend retreat by water. Of course, over the years, the automobile replaced this style of travel. We then got to enjoy wonderful new experiences, like the famous Hwy 400 traffic jam!

Yes, ever since SUV's were first created, they have been extremely popular with cottage owners. After all, AWD/FWD makes a lot of sense in the countryside, and with everything one needs to pack for a fun filled family weekend at the lake, size matters, as does the occasional requirement to trailer boats etc. All in all, the SUV is the perfect cottager's vehicle, or at least it was until recently!

In case you've been out of the country, or perhaps had your head in a bucket for the past little while, you will no doubt have noticed the wildly escalating fuel costs of late. Toyota certainly has, and that is why they have been busying themselves to bring its SUV fuel economy figures down. Of course, if you're going to make changes to a vehicle like the hugely successful RAV4, why stop at better fuel mileage? Why not add a little extra power to that, and even throw in a few extra features and styling modifications?

Enter the 2009 Toyota RAV4
Yes, the company which basically invented the car-based SUV (The 1996 Rav4 was the first SUV to be built on a car platform) has reworked its trusty people-pleaser and now plans to give us more of, well, almost everything, or so it seems.

Toyota has always offered its customers plenty of choice. In 2006, an all-new, powerful V6 was introduced into the RAV4 lineup. Perhaps a wise decision if you truly did need to tow a boat. However, for most owners, the 2.4 L 4 cylinder model was plenty capable of meeting their requirements.

The company which basically invented the car-based SUV plans to give us more of almost everything, or so it seems.

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