Topic: 2011 Toyota RAV4

[Shnak]

I would carry things on a roof rack instead of have the hatch open

Good luck carrying 12ft lumber on a roof rack. Most roof racks are limited to like 75 pounds, and besides, strapping lumber so that it doesn't fall off would be a pain. Much rather just leave the flip-up window opened! 

I kept the Thule T Bar that attached to the trailer hitch. In conjunction with the load bars long loads are pie.

So instead of just opening the flip-up window, I now have to install a trailer hitch and buy this Thule T Bar thingy? How is that simpler and less expensive?

Just curious, how much 12ft lumber, in kilograms, would you feel comfortable supporting on the edge of the hatch opening on your own car?

Well, I've carried maybe 10-12 pieces of 2x4x12"... not sure how much that weighs. Same thing with a 24ft (collapsible, obviously) ladder, not sure how much that weigh either. I do see the plastic surrounding the window bending a little bit when loading it with many pieces of 2x4", but never to the point of damaging the plastic, at least visually.

[Jaeger]

Wow - a lot of hate for the current RAV - can't say I really get it.  We rented one for a week while on vacation and I thought it performed impressively well.  With the V6, it was surprisingly quick - even when fully loaded, which it was most of the time - and it returned decent fuel economy.  Plenty of cargo space and people space inside - more so than the fairly compact looking exterior suggests.  And whatever there was to "hate" about the interior managed to escape my attention over the course of that week.  I think a traditional hatch is preferable to a swinging tail gate, but it wasn't even a slight issue in my time with the vehicle.

The new one looks sharp.

Jaeger