Toyota buyers love the previous Toyota RAV4 model, but the crossover was unable to take over the market because of some noticeable shortcomings. Most of these shortcomings have been addressed in the 2013 Toyota RAV4. For the fourth-generation Toyota RAV4, the powertrain was changed and some key additions were made to make the car a more modern spec. Again, Honda is not known for building exciting cars but one of its products, the Honda CR-V has always been one of the highest-selling and most fuel efficient Crossover Utility Vehicles on the market. Last year Honda surprised us with a styling overhaul on the CR-V, but its aesthetic shortcomings were still obvious for all to see. This has changed; the 2013 Honda CR-V looks more appealing than the previous models. The boxy and banal styling of the old CR-Vs was dropped for a sexier exterior design. Both Japanese car models, 2013 Toyota RAV4 and 2013 Honda CR-V will compete for buyers in the crossover market. Just like it is with direct competitors, the competition between them will be pretty intense.
The Toyota RAV4 2013 come with many buyer-friendly standard features such as an integrated back-up camera, power-operated cargo hatch, colour-keyed door handles and a 6.1-inch display audio unit. The CRV has always been an excellent car for families, but the Honda CR-V 2013 model is even a better car. It has a large interior and cargo space. It boasts of some of the best safety features in the segment and also come with some easy-to-use niceties such as navigation unit, Multi-Angle Rear-view Camera and touchscreen LCD display.
The 2013 RAV4 is built with a direct-injected 2.5-litre inline-4 which delivers 176 horsepower (3 horsepower lower than the previous model) and 172 lb-ft of torque. Both front- and all-wheel-drive models will be offered. The Toyota RAV4 gets a six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy was also reduced by 5 to 10 per cent to, 24/31 for FWD models and 22/29 for all-wheel-drivers.
The interior and convenience features of the 2013 CRV put it at the top end of the CUV list but its stand out feature is the powertrain. Incredible fuel efficiency is guaranteed by a 2.4-litre i-VTEC inline four-cylinder engine which delivers 185 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed automatic transmission and FWD are standard; all-wheel-drive is optional. Fuel economy of the AWD remains the same but the front-wheel-drive was reduced to 21/31/26 mpg city/highway/combined-making the car the most fuel efficient vehicle in this class.
The new Toyota RAV4 is more expensive than the Honda CR-V. The 2013 Toyota RAV4 is priced at around $24,145, $520 more expensive than the 2013 Honda CR-V LX (2WD) which has a starting price of $23,625.
The 2013 CR-V might not be as stylishly designed as the 2013 RAV4, but with a more spacious interior, better fuel economy and a lower starting price, it virtually nullifies any complaints one may have against it and it has an edge over the Toyota in this 2013 Toyota RAV4 vs 2013 Honda CR-V contest.
Recent Comments