Toyota RAV4 Wins Edmunds' Inside Line Compact Crossover Comparison Test

Business Wire, Sept 23, 2008

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Inside Line, Edmunds.com's high-speed online car magazine, announced that the 2008 Toyota RAV4 won its latest comparison test of compact crossovers, which is described in full at The SUV Is Dead; Long Live the SUV

(http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=13 1851)

The Inside Line editorial team compared three competitive compact crossovers:

* 2008 Toyota RAV4 4x4 Limited (MSRP of $33,858 and Edmunds.com True Market Value([R]) (TMV([R])) of $30,801), equipped with a six-cylinder, 269-horsepower engine and five-speed automatic transmission;

* 2008 Honda CR-V EX-L AWD w/Navigation (MSRP of $29,070 and TMV([R]) of $28,798), equipped with a four-cylinder, 166-horsepower engine and five-speed automatic transmission;

* 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4Motion (MSRP of $37,270 and TMV([R]) of $37,021), equipped with a four-cylinder, 200-horsepower engine and six-speed shiftable automatic transmission.

"The RAV4, CR-V and Tiguan are all excellent alternatives to the traditional SUV," said Jason Kavanagh, Edmunds' Inside Line Engineering Editor. "But the RAV4 has the best combination of utility and power in the group."

The 2008 Honda CR-V and 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan tied for second place. The Volkswagen impressed the editors with its class-leading ride quality, and the Honda was praised for value. However, the editors also noted the Tiguan's high price tag and the Honda's underpowered engine.

Vehicle Rankings from The SUV Is Dead; Long Live the SUV

1. 2008 Toyota RAV 4

2. 2008 Honda CR-V (tie)

2. 2008 Volkswagen Tiguan (tie)

To read the test and to get more information on the editors' evaluations and rankings, visit The SUV Is Dead; Long Live the SUV

(http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=13 1851)

Lively discussions about this comparison are currently underway in the 2009 VW Tiguan vs. 2008 Honda CR-V vs. 2008 Toyota RAV4 (http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1aff60.f1aff55) message board in Edmunds.com's CarSpace Forums (http://www.carspace.com/csGroups).

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About Edmunds Inc. (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/)

Edmunds Inc. publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive consumer information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its most popular feature, the Edmunds.com True Market Value([R]), is relied upon by millions of people seeking current transaction prices for new and used vehicles. Edmunds.com was named "Best Car Research Site" by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "Most Useful Web Site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM), was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites by The Wall Street Journal and was rated "#1" in Keynote's study of third-party automotive Web sites. Inside Line launched in 2005 and is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. CarSpace launched in 2006 and is an automotive social networking Web site and home to the oldest and most established automotive community. AutoObserver.com launched in 2007 and provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds Inc. is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.