Compact SUV: 2021 Toyota RAV4
The category that represents the sweet spot for so many consumers, offering a just-right combination of space, comfort, practicality, power, fuel economy and pricing, is thus naturally the most tightly-contested of all vehicle segments in North America. And the king of the castle, according to KBB, is the Toyota RAV4, which actually retakes the crown from the Honda CR-V, which had ruled in recent years in Kelley Blue Book’s opinion.
There’s a reason this SUV has such a sales stranglehold on the segment in both the U.S. and Canada, and KBB is only following logic in handing its trophy to it for 2021, especially since this model-year sees the addition of the plug-in hybrid Prime variant.
What KBB liked:
- Reasonably priced
- Decent amount of standard equipment from the base model on
- Wide range of trims and options
- Top-end trims are either very refined or very hardy
- A hybrid variant for greater efficiency, which is topped only by the…
- Prime variant, new for 2021 and an extremely hot item at dealerships
- Very comfortable for longer road trips and daily commuting
- Generous cargo space
- Lots of safety features
- Resale value
See also: Top 10 Compact SUVs in Canada in 2020-2021 (Based on Sales)