2009 Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 has long been a top pick among small SUVs, and it continues to improve. The 2009 model benefits from a few styling tweaks and a new four-cylinder base engine that increases power and fuel economy. The Toyota RAV4 normally seats five, but an optional third-row bench seat is available that allows seating up to seven passengers -- a true rarity among compact SUVs. The Mitsubishi Outlander (*est. $20,580 - $25,980) is the only other small SUV to offer this, but its third-row seat is limited to the top trim level, it can't accommodate individuals taller than 5 feet, 3 inches, and the headrests block the view rearward.) Although the Toyota RAV4 comes with front-wheel drive standard, its optional all-wheel-drive system includes a locking center differential that gives it some added off-road capability compared to rivals like the Honda CR-V, which doesn't offer this feature.  

The 2009 Toyota RAV4's standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is rated at 179 horsepower, making it the most powerful four-cylinder compact SUV. A four-speed automatic is the only transmission offered with the base motor; Honda, by contrast, gives the CR-V a five-speed automatic as standard equipment. Edmunds Inside Line reports that in one major consumer organization's most recent small SUV comparison, the updated four-cylinder RAV4 edges out the 2009 Subaru Forester, our best reviewed 2009 compact SUV, for first place. Examiner.com reviewer John Matras was pleasantly surprised by the new four-cylinder: "It has a torquey feel for a four -- though at 2.5 liters it's big for a four -- and accelerating and climbing hills is easier than one would expect." Matras goes on to report that with the new base engine, the 2009 Toyota RAV4 is very quiet and smooth at idle, but it becomes noisy under hard acceleration.

When equipped with its optional 3.5-liter, 269-horsepower V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, the RAV4 is the most powerful small SUV, period. The six-cylinder "has power aplenty and hurls the Toyota forward with ease," writes Edmunds Inside Line, which recorded a zero-to-60 time of 7.3 seconds for the V-6 in a comparison against the Volkswagen Tiguan (*est. $23,200 to $32,940) and Honda CR-V (*est. $21,245 to $27,245). Environmental Protection Agency fuel-economy estimates for the 2009 Toyota RAV4 range from a low of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for V-6 all-wheel-drive models to a high of 22 mpg city and 28 mpg highway for front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder models. Those V-6 numbers are good enough that Edmunds Inside Line says choosing the more powerful engine is "a guilt-free decision."