These Are the Crossovers You Secretly Don't Hate

I’m so tired of this old trope that enthusiasts should hate CUV’s. They are the new “car” and people need to deal with that. Some are more “car” than fun and that’s okay. A Camry isn’t a fun car, but it is a good car. I would take a RAV4 over a Camry any day of the week because it is more of an enthusiasts car than the Camry for my particular set of needs and wants.

Some quick facts:

1. The RAV4 is physically smaller on the road, but has nearly identical to the Camry for passenger volume. It’s footprint to interior volume ratio is better than the camry.

2. The RAV4 AWD 2.5 get 29 MPG combined compared to the Camry AWD 2.5’s 28 mpg combined.

3. The weight difference is negligible. (about 70 lbs for similar configurations)

4. The RAV4 has more than double the cargo volume with all seats up and 4 times more with the seats down.

5. The rav4 can tow 3500 lbs – which is a useful amount for utility and play.

For me, a car enthusiast, cargo versatility and utility are more important than an extra .04g on the skidpad.

The comparison here doesn’t apply to all cars obviously, and I’m certainly not trying to make a case for the RAV4, PER SE. I just think we need to realize that “crossovers” are far more car than they ever have been, and bring a lot of hatch and wagon traits with them.Instead of shunning them, we should be celebrating “the wagoning” of the of the SUV. Now, they are wagons and hatches, but they are getting pretty darn close while bringing with them tangible benefits.