Comments by "Stephen Hendricks" (@stephenhendricks103) on "" video.
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Looks to be a good effort by Toyota. And it needs to be considering the importance of the RAV4 among Toyota's stable. The baby 4Runner looks are attractive. Have to wonder though how well all the angles and creases will age in terms of looks. In general rounded designs tend to age better than sharp creases. (See '80's vehicles that looked old in a few years.)
As far as the competition is concerned the CRV is the biggest threat in terms of sales. And in terms of cargo capacity, the CRV is cavernous compared to the RAV4, at least in the way that Honda apparently measures interior space. Otherwise, the naturally aspirated and somewhat larger RAV4 engine, the traditional geared transmission, and Toyota's legendary reliability should be enough to protect Toyota's significant sales lead.
Mazda fans will tout the CX-5 but at 59.6 cubic feet of overall cargo space the CX-5 is seriously cramped compared to virtually every other competitor. The CR-V offers 25% more overall cargo space at one inch longer than the CX-5. The Mazda fares better against the RAV4 but it still has over 10 cubic feet less cargo space in a vehicle only an inch shorter. In fact, the CX-5 has only about six cubic feet more cargo space than a VW Golf, a vehicle that's about a foot shorter!
As far as the versatility provided in terms of cargo space, the Subaru Forester is the champ in this segment. At up to 76 cubic feet of total cargo space behind the first row, it's larger than the humungous Mazda CX-9 and it's 17" shorter. Some will like Subaru's full-time AWD in every Forester but the CVT and what I suspect is lower MPG's in the real world will turn off some. And Subaru isn't known for its top notch interiors. That will hurt to some degree. But Subar-ites are a very loyal "cult." The Forester won't seriously threaten the sales of the RAV4 but it will do well.
Finally, the Hyundai Santa Fe is an intriguing alternative. But at 188 inches long, it's really in the "tweener" rather than the "compact" size category. It's about 7 inches longer than the RAV4 and 10 inches more than the CX-5. And that extra length buys both more passenger room and cargo space. The Santa Fe has a turbo engine--good for performance but not for mileage. At the top trim level it's considerably more premium than a comparable RAV4. And though it's MSRP at that trim level is higher, it's likely to be about the same price in "real world" dealer prices.
All in all Toyota will continue to crush everything else in terms of sales. But depending on one's priorities there are some compelling alternatives.
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