Nick Comstock
Nick Comstock MegaDork
11/27/22 1:51 p.m.

Well last year I found and bought the truck I had been looking for. It was a 2021 GMC Sierra with a 5.3, 6speed and 4WD single cab with an 8'bed.  I had plans to outfit it in a kinda mild overlander-ish style.  But time away from work has been hard to come by. So it mainly got used for my 60 mile round trip commute with monthly or bi-monthly three hour round trips to Jacksonville.  Not the right tool for that job.  

So two days ago I traded it in on a 2022 Toyota rav 4 LE. I hate the color but the price was right. It's comfortable,  quite and I'm getting more than double the MPGs of the truck.  It's really growing on me.  And this adaptive radar cruise is amazing technology.  Plus my payments went down,  my insurance went down and my fuel costs are gonna be way down.  

I feel like this is the right tool for the job. 

Here it is sitting at work. 

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
11/27/22 3:00 p.m.

For 2021, the best selling vehicle that wasn't a pick up truck was the Rav4.  They are pretty hard to not like generally being a pleasant vehicle! 

Congrats! 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
11/27/22 6:09 p.m.

The only person you should ever have to answer to is you.

Nick Comstock
Nick Comstock MegaDork
11/27/22 6:48 p.m.

In reply to John Welsh :

I can see why they sell so well.  

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
11/27/22 7:02 p.m.

The most wicked-awesome screwdriver isn't much good when facing a 10mm bolt.

Congrats on finding the right tool for the job. 

Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/27/22 7:25 p.m.

I really liked my Silverado. I really hated the 12 mpg and the repairs. 

Congrats on the new tool. 

 

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
11/27/22 9:07 p.m.

The current, most popular taxi cab in NYC is the Rav4 Hybrid.  Picture from this summer...

nlevine
nlevine GRM+ Memberand Reader
11/27/22 11:30 p.m.

I bought a Rav4 Adventure as a daily in 2019, trading in my Dodge Durango Citadel Hemi. Realized that I didn't really need a vehicle the size of the Durango, I hadn't towed anything in years (so I was looking to downsize), and the dog and beach weekends were doing a number on the tan leather interior. In its class, the Rav4 has one of the best cargo capacities (which was important) and the roof rails on the Adventure trim were compatible with the rack set-up I already had (a minor point, but it meant it could carry my kayaks without me having to buy anything new). I also liked the heated and cooled seats and the heated steering wheel. 30 MPG on the highway didn't hurt either, especially compared to the Durango. I also live on the top of a steep hill that is often the last to get plowed in town, so the hill-descent mode is useful, too.  My first real "appliance" car purchase, and like the OP, it grew on me pretty quickly (and I understand why they sell so well).

The only real issue I have with the thing is the brakes. I've replaced two sets of rear pads and one set of front pads in time that I've owned it. I feel that  maybe they're a tad-bit undersized for my driving style. Another minor it is the lack of recovery points/tow points on the 2019 (I had to move a non-running car out of the driveway once, and I had nowhere to hook a tow strap to).

After 3 years and 45K miles, I am starting to feel the automotive ADD kicking in, but I don't know what I'd get in this size class with the same cargo capacity and similar fuel economy.

Nick Comstock
Nick Comstock MegaDork
11/29/22 11:58 p.m.

Well I decided to see what I could squeeze out of it on the trip home tonight.  This was not hypermiling, just driving intentionally economical. 

I gotta say I'm pretty damn impressed.  

Nick Comstock
Nick Comstock MegaDork
12/3/22 8:18 p.m.

So I got my tints done. Bought toyota all weather mats all around. Wired up my little powered sub and replaced the factory dash speakers with some Kenwood Excelon KFC-X3C 3.5" speakers. 

Have a tow hitch and wiring harness for that on the way. 

I'm liking this thing more and more every time I drive it. 

Nick Comstock
Nick Comstock MegaDork
12/3/22 8:20 p.m.

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
12/4/22 10:31 a.m.

In reply to Nick Comstock :

Great mpg!  I just went to fueleconomy.gov and compared the truck Vs Rav4. It estimates you'll save $1200 per year at today's gas price over 15k miles. That's $100 per month!  If your payment is less too... Winning! 

Nick Comstock
Nick Comstock MegaDork
12/5/22 6:34 p.m.

In reply to John Welsh :

I had 18K on the truck in nine months so the savings are gonna be even greater!

Cooper_Tired
Cooper_Tired HalfDork
12/5/22 7:13 p.m.

Definitely understand the benefit of the right tool for the job. 

I felt that way about my change from 2020 Mustang GT to 2022 F150. 

 

Also your comment on the radar cruise is spot on; I despise cruise control, but the adaptive cruise is amazing and had me not hating it. 

 

 

OHSCrifle
OHSCrifle GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
1/4/23 7:50 p.m.

Picked one of these up as a rental. AWD XLE trim from enterprise. It has about 53,000 (likely hard) miles and it's pretty nice. I'll have it for a couple weeks but so far the CarPlay integration seems a lot more stable than my wife's new Outback.. and the little engine seems pretty lively (but loud). So far so good. I think it's a 21 model because it has CVT. 22 has 8-speed auto and 25 more HP. 

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