Mrs. Trooper has been mentioning getting a newish vehicle to replace her well worn '01 Corolla for a while now. With an 18 month old and planning on adding another sooner than later we decided small SUV crossover would make the most sense. Being she's indifferent to what she drives, she left the decision making up to me... Muhahahaha!

After a lot of research I narrowed it down to either a pre-owned Subaru Forester 2.5XT, Toyota Rav4 V6 4x4 or an Acura RDX 2.3 Turbo. Last night I came across a listing for an '09 Rav4 Sport V6 4x4. Went to check it out today, got a great price for the Rav4 and for the Corolla as a trade-in and the rest is history.

The 3.5L V6 is pulled straight from the Camry and is rated at 269hp/246tq. With 4 wheel drive and a decently light 3600lb curb weight it's reported to do 0 to 60 in 6.2 seconds and a 14.8 quarter mile, some reporting even faster. Not sure about that, but it definitely pulls nice for a small SUV. The Sport trim level gives a slightly stiffer suspension as well as 18" wheels, no rear mounted spare tire *biggest improvement by far*, painted wheel arches, door handles and a spoiler on the rear hatch. This particular one has the leather interior package as well as the chrome shift knob and brake pedal cover, brushed aluminum trim pieces and the running boards.

I'm exhausted so right now all I have is a few photos I took with my iPhone. Better photos to follow.

'Lil Trooper with the new Rav4



Saying goodbye to Ella Corolla



Asleep in the garage next to the MS6



Sleeper Status!

 

nice!

 

Nice addition

 

I was considering a v6 rav 4 before I got the g. Always liked them. Nice pickup

 

VERY cool! Congrats

 

Very nice pickup. Looks great. The sports package makes a big difference.

 

My sis traded in her 2002 Santa Fe with the 4 cyl engine for the exact same suv and because of the weight differences in the two and with the Rav pulling so nicely, she got a speeding ticket the very first day she got it. Its the best decision she's made so far concerning vehicles.

 

Great choice for small SUVs. Quicker than most ricers

 

You should be winning hella pink slips with that sleeper. Da Camry engine has MAD VVT-i'z.

 

Time for TRD parts!

 

Congrats, nice addition, looks good.

 

Nice, I always thought the older versions of the rav4 looked whimpy but that thing actually looks tough. Good choice.

 

^I agree on all points.

 

Thanks for the comments everyone.

We got a Rav4 I4 4x4 as a rental in November and we were both impressed with the amount of room it had and I was actually surprised at how peppy it felt for a 4 banger. It drove like a car as well, so I figured the V6 Sport would be that much better, and it is. I read about the vague steering with the Limited trim level, so when I took this one for a test drive I was very pleasantly surprised with how tight and responsive the steering is.

The only thing that sucks is there's basically zero aftermarket performance support for the 3.5L in the Rav4. People have to retrofit Camry parts on it.

 

Good call! I like those!

 

Nice addition....

 

Sub 7 seconds to 100. Gat damn!


Nice pickup.

 

Yeah I assume they meant sub 7 second 0 to 60 lol.

 

I'm guessing that article was from Canada

100kph = 60mph

 

Good family-mobile! Well done.

 

Here are some better quality photos I took today...







Blue struts - Possibly supplied by Tokico?







Love the rear seat reclining/sliding adjustments



So far she's loving it. The only complaints are forgetting to turn on the headlights (the Corolla had auto headlights) and the MPGs, although it hasn't even been a tank full yet and it's been mostly running around town today. She definitely won't be seeing the 35mpg + like in the Corolla lol.

 

I've always had a soft spot for those sport Rav4's. Beautiful addition!

 

Wow! We are in the market for a small(ish) SUV. The lady doesn't like many of them, but I might try to convince her into this. I had no idea that they came with a V6, that is definitely a plus.

Is the spare in the cargo area, or on the bottom of the car?

 

Yep I used all the key words like "safe" and "reliable" to convince my wife it was a good choice lol.

There is no spare tire. It comes equipped with run flat tires from the factory. This dealership replaced them with non run flats which I used as a bargining chip. Lucky for me the company I work for makes tire inflators and tire repair products, so she'll be well equipped to deal with a flat in a worst case senario, but most likely she'd just call me or our insurance road side assistance.

 

I really like the look of RAV-4. Great addition!

 

Looks sharp! I'm not usually a fan of silver automobiles but yours looks nice

 

The newer Rav4s look pretty good. Congrats.

 

Damn, Rav4's have come a really long way. Nice pickup!!

 

Wow...18 months and you still got the little dude's seat facing backwards...good on you!

We flipped them around somewhere after their first birthday I think...they get too tall, and it gets too hard to get them in.

Congrats on the new ride

 

Yeah, it's my wife's idea to follow the rules to the "T", "T" being Tennessee's recommendation to keep them backward facing until 2 y/o. If it was up to me I'd have him forward facing to give the extra room, but she's the boss when it comes to child safety so I just go along with it. She let me buy myself a Recaro seat for my car so I can't complain too much lol.

I forgot you guys got the Highlander. Pretty similar but obviously a bit bigger with the 3rd row. My mother-in-law has one and loves it. Does your's have the V6, I can't remember? What kind of MPGs are you guy seeing so far?

 

Yeah we have the V6 and AWD...According the computer we've been averaging 15-16.7mpg mixed driving...I've gotten it up 25mpg on the freeway during a road trip.

The engine is plenty peppy for a car its size..so I can only imagine what its like in your Rav.

I wanted to try and keep them rear facing until 2 as well...I was nervous as crap when we did it. But they needed the space and I needed to not kill my back. This was all when we still had the Prius. But especially now with the higher seating in the highlander they love it...they just want to see trucks and buses...and I never hear the end of it...

 

Nice. It looks a lot larger than the previous model.

 

Toyota Rav4 always a good choice! The color really looks sweet on this. Congrats!

 

That's what I figured MPG-wise. She's already dredding giving up the 35+ MPGs the Corolla got but it just won't happen with an SUV, not unless it's the way under powered Mazda CX-5.

Yeah I can't wait to turn him around, he's going to love being up higher and forward facing. He already bends forward so he can see trucks and cars go by, I can only image how fun it is with them able to see more. And of course the extra leg room will be nice, too.

 

Nice pickup Trooper. Never really a fan of the cute-ute's, but that is a nice looking vehicle.

 

Thank you, sir. Yeah, I've never been a fan of them before either, and I especially never thought I'd have a Rav4 sitting in our garage. I personally think the Sport trim level looks so much less cute-ute than the base or limited. I think it's the 18" wheels, no rear mounted spare and the optional TRD tube steps. To me it actually has a pretty tough, sporty look to it. And so far the performance has not disappointed.

 

Does it have a third row?

 

Those ravs are awesome.
The side steps look great on it too
Congrats

 

No it doesn't. There is an available 3rd row, but it's rare to find and it's tiny. It folds up from the trunk floor and is hard to access, so it wasn't on our priority list.

 

I actually bought my mother a cr-v not too long ago. I liked the rav4 mostly because of the v6, but with gas prices i4> v6 unless you can afford it. my moms been averaging about 23-24 mpg with suburban driving which is decent, i can only imagine what a v6 would've been.