Faults:

The screen to operate the radio controls froze intermittently.

General Comments:

The Rav4 is a decent effort in what I view as the economy sector of the crossover/small SUV segment. It does everything in a generally acceptable fashion and comes across as a middle of the road, inoffensive to the the greatest number of people, mainstream offering that it is. I had this car as a rental in late November of 2020 when I had to take a trip to visit a relative.

Power is only adequate, but this vehicle competes generally with the Honda CR-V and I would also classify power as adequate there as well. I prefer V-6 power, so I am a bit biased here. The engine was a bit loud at higher speeds and on the freeway in my opinion, but again I'm biased. Braking was also adequate.

I understand the ways that the market has had to change and adapt over the years and that has affected all automakers to varying degrees. However, being a long term Toyota customer, it is hard to get used to the hard plastics they use on some of the lower end models. At one time, even Corollas had high quality soft touch surfaces on the doors. It's OK I guess, but I'm not a fan.

The upholstery is clearly not changed for the better either. I haven't been a fan of the kinds of upholstery Toyota has been using for about the last decade plus on certain models. It's not velour, which is actually very easy to clean. It's almost like a really cheap polyester blend thread that stains from even water spillage and is impossible to get it to look clean with quick spot touch ups the way one could with velour. The 2012-17 Camry has this upholstery, as do some other models. I'm not a fan.

Dash layout was nice, but the touchscreen in my rental had issues. Got tired of dealing with it.

The cargo capacity was really my favorite feature of the whole vehicle. Loads of room with the middle row folded down. Was able to take a piece of furniture back to CO with me without any issue and still had room for everything else I had on board. Just awesome. Could have been a bit more range of adjustment of the seat and steering wheel however. At 6'5" I did begin to feel just slightly cramped after a while.

The Rav4 is a decent effort, but I would not buy with the pretense of getting a whole lot of refinement and luxury. This model, even being the XLE, came across as being a base model kind of vehicle. Some buyers are fine with that. I just happen to be into the higher end models myself. Highlander may be more appealing to some. I'm sure though many will be happy with the RAv4 and they will provide many years of service. A decent effort, but not what I would call a refinement benchmark.