It’s somewhere in the geographic middle of Wyoming — a state not known for topographical diversity in most places — when it finally dawns on me.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, is stopping a transcontinental gust from careening down the mountains (which I’m nowhere near) blowing across these acres of brown on their way to Chicago (is that why it’s called the windy city?) and further on to the Great Lakes. As a matter of fact, I might be the only thing standing in the way of that powerful gust making its unfettered way to Cleveland; me, and this little 2013 Toyota Rav4 Limited.
As you can clearly see, there’s no one within 300 miles for me to talk to, so these are the things I think of.
Thank goodness the new Toyota Rav4 can cut through the wind out here alone. That’s probably its biggest selling point at the moment. Redesigned for 2013, the Toyota Rav4 makes a big deal about looking very different than the outgoing model. For starters, the front bumper has been highly sculpted, with more aggressive lines and a front emblem that juts out like a finger in your eye. If that didn’t draw enough attention to the new Rav4, consider that the cladding underneath the front bumper looks like two bottom incisors on a Lhasa apso’s under-bite. Who said cute ‘utes had to be plain?
That’s only half the story. Around back, the Rav4 continues the sharpened edges — especially around the rear window — which now sports a shelf instead of a spare. About that: The Rav4’s spare tire that was mounted on the rear door has long been the utility’s signature to separate it from other small utes like the Ford Escape and Kia Sportage. Although the mounted rear tire was more for rugged effect than actual utility (were you really going to take a Rav4 into the Outback with a jerry can and shovel?) it’s gone now and replaced with an aerodynamic swept rear end that looked curious and curvaceous when it was unveiled first at the LA Auto Show last year, but now looks fairly contemporary. The rear tail lamps mold into the back “shelf” and round out the back to give it a traditional lift gate now, but I still miss the impractical spare tire and swinging rear gate. Someone get me to Australia.
Aside from aesthetics, the Rav4’s bigger change is its reduction in the number of powertrains. Gone is the V6 that tempted buyers from the bigger Highlander (same for the outgoing third-row option) and is now replaced with a universal 2.5-liter four cylinder that produces 176 horsepower and 172 lb.-ft. of torque. That may not sound like much for a compact utility vehicle that weighs over 3,600 lbs. like our Limited, but it’ll be enough to trudge up mountain passes to Grand Teton National Park so it passes muster in my book. (Although, the mill could use a little more might for making passes quicker.)
The Rav4 is offered in 2WD and AWD, same as last year, and mileage is slightly better over the outgoing model at 29 mpg in our AWD tester on the highway. That mileage is thanks to an incoming six-speed automatic transmission that replaces an outgoing four-speed that was originally engineered by Benjamin Franklin, I believe. The six-speed does best when you’re liberal with the throttle, because unlike the current trend of fuel-saving automatics, Toyota’s gearbox lets you hold higher revs for longer without immediately kicking up two gears to save mileage.
Inside, the Rav4 makes good with updated materials and center console. Cloth seats are available on both LE and XLE models, and the Limited trim like our long-range rider here gets synthetic leather that’s plenty accommodating for five adults seated in the cabin. The dash and touchable materials were updated as well with softer, cushier padding and the touchscreen unit with Entune is easy enough for my dad to operate. Entune, Toyota’s suite of apps that can be synced with a smartphone, is free now and is likely to introduce a whole new world of listeners to Pandora radio and inflated data charges from your cell phone carrier. (Entune uses your cellular connection to reach out to the Internet.)
Which brings me back to this lonely stretch of road in Wyoming. Between Casper and the moon, where I’m the only driver I’ve seen for miles on my way to Jackson Hole, I realize the Rav4’s appeal.
Despite being the only wind block between here and the Atlantic Ocean, the Rav4 is quiet, calm and returning my podcasts through my ears as if I were listening to a conversation in a soundproof room. Whereas the competition, namely Honda CR-V, Escape, Sportage and now Jeep Cherokee, all hone in on one aspect that makes their small SUV stand out, the Rav4’s appeal as a quiet commute still endures.
For all its mainstream appeal as a jack-of-all-trades, the Rav4 is still the master of the quiet, capable small utility that doesn’t pretend to take away the reason why you’re driving in the first place. For me, I’m driving the Rav4 to see the Tetons, and I don’t need the Rav4 to take away from those.
Aaron Cole is managing editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at acole@aurorasentinel.com