Welcome to drive the debate

Excellent on long journeys and can shift a healthy load. Diesel engine pulls well through all the gears and can I get 44mpg on motorway trips. Lots and lots of storage. Trim level is good, leather as standard on XT4. Interior design is pleasing on the eyes and easy to use.

Drive is not very engaging. Side opening tailgate can be annoying. A decent size estate car would do the job better.

I am currently 8 months into a 12 month lease on a RAV 4 D4D XT4. This car was chosen simply because the wife has always fancied a 4x4 and a short lease seemed a good way of trying it out. Initial impressions were good, even though the car came with no added extras, base spec is generous, leather,6Cd's and Air Conditioning all included. As this is a 2006 model I would like to see an i-pod connection as standard, also parking sensors wouldn't go amiss, especially with the spare wheel hung on the outside of the tailgate. This drive is nothing special but is comfortable enough, and the cabin is very well set out and has a high quality feel. The engine pulls well and is frugal enough for a large car. As per usual with Japanese cars you do get a lot for your money but as of today if I had £22k to spend on a large family car I would go for the new Ford Mondeo Estate every time.