CRV, RAV4, Santa Fe, or Escape????

I have a 2006 RAV4. 4 cyl, sport edition. Excellent car. Not too big but big enough, handles and rides smoothly, feels solid, great gas mileage (27 combined). No complaints from me.

Unlike that other joker with his "4 car thread", mine is a serious post.

why do you want or need a SUV?

lindy lohore wrote:

why do you want or need a SUV?

That's not the question. The question is asking for experiences with those four cars.

Go start your own thread.

BTW, I second the vote for the RAV4. AND for "lindy lohore's" edification, it gets great gas mileage. I'm assuming that was the reasoning behind that baiting post.

bump. Anyone??

I can't remember specifics, but I browsed a Consumer Reports while sitting in the Toyota shop the other day, and I believe they gave the Escape a bad blurb.

had a RAV for a while last year, we beat it up (20,000 miles in about 2 months) it was fantastic...get the V6 version...its so light..hauls ass..

the escape is good, reasonable gas mileage.

RAV4 with 4 cyl. Grat on gas and great car.

why do you want or need a SUV?

I have a 1999 RAV4 with just over 170K miles on it.

I love this car! I've really had to do very little

repair...

I would definitely get another one when this one dies.

So, the Santa Fe, in my opinion, is not in the same class as the other three.

That leaves you with Escape, CR-V and Rav4. The Toyota is ok, but my friend's 2006 Rav blew a tranny at 3,000 miles. Not very Toyota-like. I would assume quality is better now, but just be careful.

As far as driving dynamics, I would say they are all about on par with each other. The Rav is by far the fastest from the light. The 0-60 on that thing is pretty impressive. As far as suspension, there is probably a little more vibration in the ride of the Escape, but none of them are luxurious. They are all quiet at highway speeds and pleasant to drive if not completely pleasing. You won't mistake any of them for a sports car.

My friend's Rav averages about 20 with the V6 AWD. That's about the same as the Escape V6 AWD I rented for two weeks when my car got smashed. The CRV doesn't have a V6, but the 4-cylinder is quite potent and gets pretty good mileage, probably a little better than the other two.

Everyone will tell you that the Escape, but in truth it won't. My parents bought a 2005 Escape that's around 30k with zero problems. My friend's Rav lost its transmission at 3k. I've owned a Corolla that went to 190k and an Escort that went to 180k. If you do your research, you'll realize that Detroit has gotten drastically better.

Style is completely subjective. I love the looks of the new Escape. The Rav is not bad. The CRV is ugly. However, your opinion may vary. Inside they all had good fit and finish when I test drove them. The Escape probably had the best finish and overall layout in my opinion, although the materials felt the best on the CRV. The Rav was in the middle in both areas, but none of them were clear winners.

Price. There was no dealing on the CRV. There is some dealing on the Rav. There was no official dealing at the time on the Escape, but the dealers seemed willing. The quote I got for the 6-cylinder auto FWD Escape came in $1,500 less than the similar CRV and $1,800 less than the similar Rav.

After all of that, what did I buy?

The Escape Hybrid FWD. Ditched the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder everythings. I'm getting over 30 mpgs on every tank - my last tank was 35 thanks to a good bout of stop and go traffic - and loving every second of it. It was about $3,000 more than the V6 Escape, but it has been so worth it, and I'll get a tax deduction.

If the Escape hybrid hadn't been there, I probably would have gone for the 6-cylinder Rav or a 6-cylinder Escape - not really sure though. The CR-V is just too ugly in my opinion for me. However, looks aside, I would say it is a better SUV than either the Escape or Rav. Is it worth $1,500 more than the Escape? Maybe not, but that's up to your pocketbook.

Good luck!

I have a '97 RAV4 4 banger with 160k. Good car, cheap to maintain great on gas and easy on the wheels, also good on road trips from SoCal - Eugene.

Forester.

I'v been looking at the same vehicles also.

After my research, no doubt the CR-V. Based on cost, milage, reliablity, cargo space. Rav- 4 is close but the CR-V gives you amenities that none others give. Ride is way better than the Toyota Highlander (which milage claims appear to be inflated). Sante Fe has less cargo space than even many sedans. Escape is well... American, Ive owned a ford focus, not reliable/cheap parts).

Only knocks against CR-V does not concern me at all.

1. Styling= Too feminine (what ever)

2. Not powerful enough to pass trucks on 2 lane road or when merging. ( I doubt it, it still has 165hp and its more about timing. Where I live there aren't many two lane roads in opposite directions where trucks are anyhow.)

3. Cup Holder between front seats is unneccessary = So what

The 2007 RAV4 has a third row seat that the others don't offer.

The Escape is a fantastic vehicle, I have had several , and loved them all. Good fuel economy, nice warranty, no real problems with any of them, and I didnt pay extra for the privalege of owning a Toyota.

Thanks to all you guys/gals who posted. Greatly appreciate your time and input.

RAV4, 2007 Limited. I have one and its fantastic. Good handling for an SUV, tons of cargo room. If you are in a hilly/mountainous area, the V6 is a necessity, and the gas mileage is not bad at all at 22/23 MPG. Ford is garbage, but the Escape hybrid can appease a guilty enviromentalist.

The small SUV is not an environmental problem. The problems were those stupid school-bus sized Excursions and Suburbans- I never understood the appeal of driving a fancy large truck, and spending hundreds more a year for gas.