In the last 4 years I have had to make 5 separate moves. Two of these required cross country drives. Add in the vacations to other states and you could say I have driven my Toyota Rav 4 as much as possible in the years I've owned it. I love this car for short drives and long trips thanks to its comfortable seats, plenty of leg room (my boyfriend and I are both tall, so leg room when driving for many hours or days is so vital), and passenger space. I added a towing package when I bought the car so I would be able to bring my boat to the lake, haul a trailer, or simply be prepared for anything. The power my car has to pull is impressive; even on steep hills I have always been able to transport what I needed to without ever having to worry.

My car has been a workhorse for me over the past eight years. It has approximately 75,000 miles on it and has never had any type of mechanical or electrical problem. I have only had to invest money in it in the form of regular oil changes and tune ups. Performance wise, it is functional but nothing to write home about. This is my second Rav4, and it has a much more powerful engine than the 2001 version, but the engine can still feel underpowered when trying to accelerate quickly. Fuel economy is average for a car of this type, averaging about 20 mpg for my mix of suburban and highway driving. It is generally a comfortable car. My husband and I are both tall, and we can find a good configuration to fit our long legs quite easily, while the seat also can tip forward a bit to allow my shorter arms to reach comfortably. The back seat is a bit tight for three adults, but it can be managed. Legroom in the back seat, however, is excellent, even with the driver's seat pushed all the way back. One problem that I do have with this car is the overlapping seat belts in the back row. According to the car manual, the middle seat belt and driver's side seat belt should not be used at the same time, because they overlap. This effectively means that the car, while set up for three passengers in the back, is not safe to be used that way! This is particularly frustrating when considering putting children in the back, who would easily fit three across were it not for the silly seat belt attachment. It is especially frustrating because this otherwise would be an excellent family car - lots of space for car seats and lots of cargo space in the trunk.