RAV4: Smaller can be better

Toyota pioneered the small crossover way back in 1996 with a Lilliputian cutie called the RAV4. Little did anyone realize at the time that so many people would eventually decide that compact crossovers like the RAV4, and their even smaller, subcompact brethren, were good ideas.

Who would have thought that by 2015, these automotive bonsai would be registering redwood-sized sales?

The gathering popularity of these little guys is partly driven by qualities they share with larger SUVs, namely utility and the bad-weather security of optional all-wheel-drive. But they also have some advantages over the bigger boys, such as lower initial cost, superior fuel economy, and better maneuverability.

So, for a lot of folks who don't require the midsize and large SUVs' greater roominess, they can be a good solution.

One such solution is the current RAV4. The 2015 model I tested last week, a top-of-the-line Limited with all-wheel-drive, was a handsome, surprisingly roomy and comfortable compact with excellent fuel economy.

I do like the way this vehicle looks. It is more memorable than most Toyotas, with a stylish silhouette and a quite predatory nose. (The lower grille has two toothlike protuberances that can evoke the carnivore of your choice.)

The RAV4's fresh, clean interior design is equally appealing, at least in an aesthetic sense. Hard plastic on most of the dash and door panels is not appealing, and neither are the center stack controls whose use distracted me from the road for a tad too long.

Roominess is a big plus for the RAV4. The shoulder and leg room in the front and backseats are adult dimensions, and the 73.4 cubic feet of cargo space when you fold the rear seats is best in class.

Gas mileage isn't shabby, either. When fitted with front-drive, the base LE ($23,680) and the mid-priced XLE ($25,240) got EPA mileage ratings of 24 m.p.g. city and 31 highway, while the Limited ($28,450) obtained 23 city and 30 highway. When equipped with AWD (a $1,400 option), as my Limited tester was, the mileage dropped to 22 city and 29 highway.

The trade-off for getting that good mileage from a small, normally aspirated engine and an economy-biased, six-speed automatic transmission is rather predictable. Simply put, when you ask 176 horsepower to haul around 3,610 pounds, you won't have to tell your heart to be still when you floor it at a stoplight. (It took me more than eight seconds to get from 0 to 60 m.p.h.)

Although the RAV4 is selling comfort and utility and not a day at the track, Toyota does plan to up the performance ante when it puts the 2016 model in the showrooms sometime this winter. It will field a new hybrid version, which it says will be more powerful and accelerate better than the gas-engine model it will carry over from 2015. It also will field an SE model featuring a sport-tuned suspension. There also will be interior upgrades and some mild styling revisions.

While the tester achieved bare adequacy in the power department, and a middling level of handling competence, it remained a pleasant companion in everyday, real-world driving. Additional sound-deadening materials and an acoustic, laminated windshield aimed at wind noise made for a fair measure of quietude. The seats were comfortable and supportive, visibility was good, and the RAV4 rode well.

The upmarket Limited model I drove was well-equipped in base form. The goodies ranged from a power liftgate and moonroof to heated mirrors and front seats, a power driver's seat, a premium sound system, navigation, and a backup camera.

2015 Toyota RAV4 Limited AWD

Base price: $29,850.

As tested: $33,629.

Standard equipment: 2.5-liter engine, six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive.

Options: Ranged from a cornucopia of connectivity to safety electronics like blind-spot monitor, lane- departure alert.

Fuel economy:

22 m.p.g. city,

29 m.p.g. highway.

Engine performance: Passable.

Styling: Grabby.

Handling: Competent.

Ride quality: Good.

Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper

to bumper.

The Ben key: Four Bens, excellent; three Bens, good; two Bens, fair; one Ben, poor.

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