In another thread I was looking for opinions on the Mazda3 Sport... well, we drove it, and it was great, but we quickly realized that the hatch is just too small for our dog + stroller. So somewhat begrudgingly (on my part), we started to look at small SUV's. First, the Kia Sportage. It was nice and for the stripper model, you get quite a few features, but the wife didn't like the styling and I didn't really like the fit/finish or the overall feel of the vehicle. Next up, Honda CRV. The CRV was a close second to the Rav4. We both really like how the seats fold and flip up, but I wasn't in love with the exterior styling. Then we tried the 2011 Rav4 4WD Base with the Touring package. It's a bit pricier than the CRV LX, but it comes with more options (sunroof, 17" alloys, roof rails, steering wheel audio controls..) and we both prefer the look of it. We just picked it up yesterday with 4km on the odometer and so far really enjoy it. Our 45# dog fits nicely behind the rear seats, and so does the stroller, with some room for other stuff.
Attached is a pic. Any questions or another pic wanted let me know.
She's parked next to my '02 Protege that I've had essentially problem-free since '04. I hope the Rav proves as reliable as the Protege!
