Storage areas are plentiful. Beyond the glove box, the doors have fixed plastic map pockets, the backs of the front seatbacks wear net pouches, a total of 10 cup/bottle holders are situated about the cabin and when the third-row seats aren't ordered, a deep cargo area awaits beneath a water-repellant, foldable deck board.

Driving Impressions

For anyone who has driven an older (pre-2006) RAV4, the most noticeable changes for the current model are increased stability from its wider track and a smoother ride from its extended wheelbase. In the Sport model, the suspension is tuned toward stability over smoothness. Steering response is confident, although understeer (where the car wants to go straight while the driver wants it to turn) is the dominant response during aggressive turns. There's moderate body lean in corners, but dive under braking and squat when accelerating are well controlled.

The brake pedal feels firm, and depending on the engine, response to the gas pedal is prompt or borderline overwhelming, even though this RAV4 weighs 500 pounds more than the previous generation. The four-cylinder delivers plenty of grunt, in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, with brisk, linear acceleration. Torque steer, that front-wheel-drive syndrome that tugs on the steering wheel, is minimal. The accompanying mechanical and exhaust sounds, although not intrusive, clearly identify the engine as a Toyota four-cylinder.

The V6, with its head-of-the-class 269 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque, is a different story. Acceleration is impressive. With this comes torque steer, particularly with front-wheel drive: Hang onto the steering wheel, because when you floor the gas pedal the engine feels like it wants to pull the wheel from your hands. You'll get used to it, and the V6 sounds much better than the four. Mechanical noise is more effectively masked, and the exhaust note is more soothingly tuned than in the four.

In general, the RAV4 is quieter inside than many small sport-utility vehicles, though perhaps not as quiet as the Honda CR-V. Some wind whistle crept into the RAV4's cabin around the side windows.

Summary

Fresh from a complete redesign, the 2007 Toyota RAV4 adds more standard safety features. It has more power, more room and more seats than models built before 2006. The presentation is seamless, the driving pleasurable and the packaging delivered with the usual Toyota aplomb. The RAV4 and the Honda CR-V essentially created this class. With the availability of a V6 engine, three rows of seating and the virtues mentioned above, Toyota has now climbed back into the lead.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Irving, Texas.

Model Line Overview

Model lineup:Toyota RAV4 ($20,850); RAV4 Sport ($22,425); RAV4 Limited ($23,150)

Engines:166-hp, 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve inline four with variable valve timing; 269-hp, 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 with variable valve timing

Transmissions:4-speed automatic; 5-speed automatic

Safety equipment (standard):front airbags, front passenger side-impact airbags, side-curtain head-protection airbags with rollover sensor, front seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, electronic stability control (VSC), ABS with brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution, traction control, tire pressure monitor

Safety equipment (optional):none

Basic warranty:3 years/36,000 miles

Assembled in:Tahara, Japan