I have to admit that the very loaded 3.3L AWD GLS is really nice, but quite surprise to see that nearly no one has mentioned about the 2.7L FWD GL in MANUAL tranny that's costs almost 30% less. Similar to Capt. Canuck, I've compared virtually every single brand and available model before decided to go for the very basic SF. Here's the pros and cons of it so far:
Pros:
1. Very friendly after sales service.
2. more than enough power for daily 401 driving.
3. Very very quiet cabin (both idle and on-road) and comfy ride (after whole day of work, I just wanted a smooth and soft ride home).
4. Has ALL the NEEDED features even in the very base trim (abs, ebd, side curtain, esc...etc etc)
5. Exceptionally stable on ice and snow with just the original tires (I purposely tried many times to throw myself a 180 on ice/snow in empty parking lot and failed). Makes the car drives like my old accord with Nokian winter tires!!
6. Solid doors and parts.
Cons:
1. 1st gear is very short.... a bit too short IMO for a car like this. If I wanted a snappy car, I'd go for the civic si....
2. 5th gear also short for highway....3000rpm@109km/h !! not exactly my idea of economical highway driving.... funny thing is that I found the HMA (USA) tech manual indicated the manual tranny was originally designed with 6th gear in place.... why not put an O/D in there for better fuel economy?!?! if I need to accelerate, I can always down shift!!!
3. The engine takes forever to warm up....
4. Slow engine/throttle response.... I literally had to wait for the rev to come down when up-shifting.... especially frustrated from 1st to 2nd gear.
I could go on and on but I just wanted to emphasize on the driving on it. I think the car is just right for its purpose - CUV in city driving with few outings in the summer and some rough driving around the unplowed suburb in the winter. If you're looking for good towing and off-road capability, go for the Toyota FJ. If you wanted a sporty car, why bother with an SUV/CUV?!? get yourself a real sporty car!!! I feel funny when people are talking about how the RAV4 can do 0-100 under 6.5sec.... my 91 Kawasaki Ninja can do it under 4.5sec..... manufacturer built cars according to categories because...well... there ARE different categories.... sporty car for sporty driver, SUV for off-road, VAN for the large family..... isn't it weird to ask for a SUV to behave like a sporty coupe?? for me, it fairly simple: I wanted a bigger car with good cargo room, 4 doors, easy access to the storage area, good safety features, adequate power, fair fuel comsumption, occasional camping trip in the summer, comfy and quiet ride after work, and easy monthly payments.
It all comes down to the 2.7L FWD 5SPD basic SF !!