its a decent little SUV for the money, good engine economic, quick, good handling, breaking could be a little better

I owned a RAV4 back in 01-03 and it proved to be a great car in Boston: fits easily in tiny parking spaces, has 4wd, can carry plenty of crap and fit my bike fully assembled with one seat removed.  Plus, it's fun to drive with the manual transmission (shame! Toyota for messing this up) and returns decent MPG.

On the outside, the RAV4 has a sporty look, and my L version has painted over-fenders, a spoiler, tinted windows and a hard spare tire shell.  Over the look is clean and uniform.  The L also has fog lights standard, a nice feature.

Under the hood is a 4-cylinder, efficient engine.  I return between 19 and 26 MPG, the lower number in all city driving.  4WD is permanently engaged, surely keeping MPGs lower than if it was defeatable.  The manual transmission has 5 gears, and clutch engagement is decent.  The shifter is not rubbery, either, however the 1-2 shift is somewhat finicky and can cause discomfort to passengers.  My Accord did not suffer this fate.  

In 2004, Toyota made their Star Safety system standard, which includes Anti-Lock Brakes, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Traction Control, Vehicle Skid Control and Brake Assist.  All of these features were not on my 2001 RAV4.  My particular vehicle also has side impact airbags.  Overall I feel very safe in this car.

On the inside, all of the controls are well laid-out and are of high-quality materials.  The dashboard has high-quality appearance hard plastic.  The seats fold down, recline, slide forward and backwards, and remove completely.  As I mentioned I can completely fit my bike inside with just one seat removed...even placed on top of the other rear seat as they are split 50/50.  The front seats are comfortable, and the driving position is great for my 6'3" frame.  The steering wheel is smaller diameter than many I've seen, and is leather wrapped creating a sporty feel.  

Driving dynamics are pretty good, but definitely not BMW-quality.  The ride can be somewhat harsh, especially with engine buzzing at high speeds.  A sixth gear would be a godsend.  The steering is not overly tight, but not Toyota-loose.  

Overall, it's a great compromise of ability and performance, in addition to utility and 4wd.  Aside from my dream car, an IS (no AWD with manual - SHAME!), the RAV4 does well.  It's really a shame that Toyota bloated up the 06+ RAV4's and removed the manual transmission option.  They removed me from the RAV market by doing so.

This car will never have a problem ... ever!

I love this car.  I get almost 30 MPG (it's 2WD, not 4; standard transmission).  It's a perfect size, easy to handle, cute.  I get oil changes on time - other than that I have 50,000+ miles and have yet to do even ONE automotive fix.

(Oh, one thing.  Whenever I brake suddenly, the "check engine" light pops on.  The first couple times I worried, but now I know it's just a cute little quirk.)

I can't believe Toyota changed RAV4s to make them bigger.  What are they thinking??  Now I know that mine has to go forever, 'cause I can't imagine driving something other than a RAV4, and I don't want bigger.  Bummer.

Or maybe I should buy another '04 one now and put it in storage until my current one wears out.