Alloy wheels have five spokes on Sport, six on Limited. A wide track gives the RAV4 a solid stance visually, while resisting rollovers in emergency maneuvers.
The side view is oblong, a mix of boxy and oval, the better to accommodate that third-row seat. The fat, triangular C-pillar with the taillight at its base reminds us of the Subaru Tribeca, a larger, seven-passenger SUV priced a notch or two above the RAV4. An understated indent runs along the bottom of the RAV4's doors, softening the visual impression of bulk. Wheel arches blend smoothly into the fenders.
In back, a single-piece rear bumper cradles the swing-open tailgate, which, sadly, still opens from the left side, so you have to walk around it when unloading curbside here in America. The taillights are new for 2009, as is the bumper itself, but the changes here are more subtle than at the front. Taillights are positioned high on the rear fenders. The spare tire bolts into a recess offset to the right in the swing-gate, and doesn't dip below the bumper line. The rear license plate, sunk into the lower left side of the swing-gate below the handle, visually balances the spare. The Sport model's spoiler hangs conspicuously off the top edge of the roof.
The new Sport Appearance Package for 2009 eliminates the spare entirely, and centers the license plate up high beneath a bright metal strip that's just beneath another World-T badge that is just under the window. A bulge low down on the tailgate fills in the step in the standard bumper when the tailgate is closed. A handle on the left side still betrays the gate's swing-open design, but in spite of this the overall look with the Sport Appearance Package is remarkably more car-like, more station wagon than SUV. Next Page