September 27, 2004 - OG had a Rav4 (Oh, OG stands for "old guy" and his real name is Andy Paztrizio ); it was black and had no ABS. Our DVD Editor has since traded the mini-ute for a Camry sedan. But does the fact that our very own critic owned a Rav4 make it uncool? No, not exactly.

The first-gen Rav quickly became popular with consumers looking for an SUV without the sticker price, truck-like ride-quality and rotten fuel-economy. The second-generation Rav4 hit the market in 2000 as a 2001 model-year vehicle. Although it came out just before the Calty-designed RSC, we see a whole lot of similarities between the two vehicles.

We heard everything from, "it looks like an egg" to "wow, it's like a shoe" with the first generation Rav4. The second generation really addressed the design issues that consumers and press felt with the initial offering. For such a compact sports utility vehicle the 4 doesn't look like the team cheaped out on design. The second-generation exterior saw a minor change for 2004 with updated exterior cues.

But appearance is always subjective. We agree that the exterior Rav4 package looks tidy and clean. It's unisex enough that you won't be called a woman for driving one--well, that is, unless you are a woman. Toyota designers kept the genderless appearance consistent with the interior. It features the almost-trademark Toyota tripe-gauge instrument panel. We dig the center-mounted tachometer, but why isn't it bigger? A largish, round center console occupies most of the dash along with a two-din Toyota-factory CD-changer. The analog climate control is within reach for both the driver and front passenger.

---

So how does it drive? Well, the Rav4 isn't SUV-slow. The big four-cylinder engine produces 161 hp @ 5,700 rpm, but more importantly the strokey powerplant has 165 lb-ft torque @ 4,000 rpm giving the 3,100 lb SUV good off-the-line acceleration. If that doesn't cut it you can always move up on the scale to the Highlander. Maximum towing capacity is a depressing 1,500 lbs--that's half a street car or maybe a few ATVs.

We don't anticipate many drivers choose this particular Toyota for its towing capacity. Built on a car-platform the Rav4 handles like a car, feels like a car and acts like a car, for the most part. It does have SUV tendencies like some body roll, but it's more wagon than ute. And that's totally fine, with car-like characteristics we get tight steering, good ABS-assisted braking and fuel economy that even tree-huggers can be happy with. Expect about 22-24 miles per gallon within the city and about 27 on the highway. Combined with a 14.7 fuel tank, expect cruising range of almost 400 miles on the highway and 80 less on the street. It's not a Prius by a long shot, but you don't have to feel guilty driving from Daytona to Palm Beach.

Pricing on the Rav4 starts at $18,450 (front-wheel drive, manual transmission). A slushbox on that same front-driver will send the sticker to $19,500. If all-wheel is what you need, that's $19,850 and another $1,050. Of course, this doesn't include price-hiking options. There are too many on the little Rav to list here. But the smallest Toyota ute seems more customizable than a Scion. If you're dying to get behind the wheel of the RSC-inspired Rav4 you might want to head over to your local dealership or check out the Toyota Website for more details on the compact SUV.