Edmunds has comparison of 4 SUVs and Outlander rated 4. I'll have to disagree on a few things, but one of the major one is best bang for your buck. I don't see how Rav4 is cheaper then Outlander with all the options and even with all the options it's no match to Outlander. They said Outlander prices went over 30k ($30,615.) Most of us who got fully loadedXLS got at pretty much invoice price (28k or so)

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=122496?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1 .*.

 

The performance numbers are debatable - just compare them with the very own Edmunds Full-Test numbers and you'll see the difference. They don't get thevalue/features evaluation right either. Adjusted for features, the RAV4 V6 4WD LTD is about 2K MSRP more expensive than the Outlander.
The rear leg room and cargo room numbers are twisted as well.
I was expecting to see the Outlander rated behind the RAV4 and CRV (Edmunds loves H&T after all), but I was surprised to see the Rogue in front of the CRV. I cannot see how the Rogue could score higher than the Outlander, but with Edmunds everything is possible.

 

It's a pity that sites like Edmunds (whose editors/testerspossibly sleep with Honda & Toyota execs to get cars for free) give wrong info for potential buyers. I also don't get why they ignore CX-7 which was my #2 choice in terms of style and features and I think the best looking crossover out of all3 (minusgas mileage)

I bought Outlander based on looks, gas mileage, warrantyand options. "Busy rear" for Outlander? That's the best part! No mention of warranty? How about 5 years of this and 10 years of that! It hasNavigation! Take that Rav4 & Rogue! Edmunds reviewers sometimes need to be slapped a few times. Well despite their comparison I would still have bought one.

 

This is why you need to do your own research and not trust everything people say without looking at the facts yourself.

I just priced a Rav 4 for about 29,244. This does NOT include the FAST key, HID's, Navigation, and a 650 watt sound system, all unavailable on a Rav 4.
A CR-V is 30,119. This does NOT include the FAST key, HID's, 650 watt sound system (theirs is 270), but the CR-V does include the "very powerful" 166 hp 4 cylinder engine. On a 30,000 car yes.

The outlander is a very good value when compared to those cars, and that is a major selling point in my opinion.

 

I think you forgot the leather, which you don't get in the RAV4 LTD for that price.

A 2008 RAV4 LTD V6 4WD with leather (no 3rd row), but still none of the above, costs $30,585. So much to talk about value.

IMO, the only advantages the RAV4 has over the Outlander is the more powerful yet economical V6, slightly better fit and finish and better resale value, but when you put everything in the balance, the Outlander comes ahead in my books.

 

I've been meaning to upgrade my car for over a year before I decided on the Outlander. Here is my story if anyone is interested:

My last car was a Toyota MR2 Turbo (for the last 7 years), and before that I had a Mitsubishi 3000GT for 2 years that I got when I was 16 and in HS (yeah my parents had a lot of trust lol). Doing the math on that means yes, I'm 25 years old.

My MR2 was a great enthusiast car but as I got older so did my needs. I graduated from college last year and have since been commuting a 150 mile roundtrip to and from work. I also used to be a snowboard instructor and snowboarding is pretty much my life in the winter. This was always a problem with a car that I could barely fit a snowboard in with no passenger, and obviously no 4WD. I have however gotten by with rides from friends and borrowing cars. Also I'm an IT guy so I guess you could say I'm kinda geeky. I like technology improvements, techie things, and snowboarding. Weird combination I know.

About a year ago I decided I needed to get rid of my MR2 due to it having some issues that ended up costing the same as a car payment would every month. I had been looking at a wide range of cars and SUV's. I was interested in the Lexus IS250 AWD and the Infiniti G35 AWD. These cars would fulfill the sporty side of me, and be very minimal in terms of carrying a snowboard and getting me to the mountain with AWD. I knew I would still end up having to borrow cars though during the winter for any sort of storm weather. I always wanted an SUV in the back of my mind but there weren't any SUV's that had a nice looking styling, 4 wheel drive, and tech features like nav, bluetooth, dvd, etc....

I looked at the new RAV4's (my brother has one) but no nav was a dealbreaker. My dad had a highlander so I looked at those but they had terrible gas mileage (and I commute to work a lot) and were very expensive for nav options. I was never sold on the RAV though which is why I never made the purchase. I kept hoping in 2008 they'd offer nav or something. Well last week my radiator on my MR2 broke and I decided I was going to buy a car that weekend, just get it over with. I researched on consumer reports and saw this gem of a car and bought it the next day. I looked at all my options: RAV4, Highlander, CRV, Forester, Santa Fe, Xterra, Escape, RDX and Outlander.

RAV4 - No Nav/techie features; average styling; rear is ugly as sin, side opening rear.
Highlander - Expensive, bad gas mileage, average styling
CRV - I hate the looks, pretty much enough said, not going to buy a car I don't like the looks of.
Santa Fe - Hyundai, reliability was an issue.
Escape - Ford, same as above. Low consumer satisfaction.
Xterra - Like the styling and my gf has one, but again no nav.
Forester - No Nav, Dislike the styling/looks.

Then I saw the Outlander. One of the last cars I looked at. It was like a miracle. It has gas mileage that is acceptable (20/26, I'll go by advertised for easy comparison). It has a sporty look and I love the styling. It drives very well in the turns which will be nice driving up the mountain. It gets good gas mileage while having an average power V6. It has a 6 speed transmission that *NONE* of the other cars offer (to my knowledge), and paddle shifters at that which will help in snow driving, downhill driving, and twisting through the turns. Also the option for 2WD, AWD, and 4WD Lock is great. I drive 2WD to work for my 150 mile commute. AWD when I'm just driving in the mountains and you might hit some sand or something, and I have 4WD Lock for blizzard conditions...On top of that it has a great warranty. And thats just the mechanical side of the car...

As for the features: One thing to note is I love rocking out in my car, and the Outlander simply has the best stereo out of all the options. This was a major selling point for me. It isn't a full pimped out stereo but it is a good enough stock system that I'm not going to be tearing my car apart and spending 2k in stereo equipment anytime soon (if ever). It has Navigation, 6GB Music server , Sirius Radio, bluetooth - Features over half the other SUV's didn't even offer and nav was pretty much a dealbreaker for me (Not necessarily for the nav, but for the interior look and central hub for maintenance, information, etc). Then I saw the tailgate that none of the other SUV's offer. While this is a "whatever" feature for most people, I'm a snowboarder....and I can't wait to pop down my tailgate to put on my gear and boots when I hit up the slopes this year. Keyless Entry is a nice feature as well. I also got the rear dvd entertainment package too (I didn't necessarily want it as I don't have kids or anything, just a single dude with friends, but this late in the year it was pretty much the only way to get the graphite gray color I wanted with XLS/Nav, so whatever.. Plus it is pretty cool when people get in the car and they're like wtf you have a dvd player in the back lol). Lastly, I don't plan on wrecking my car, but having side/curtain airbags does make me feel better when I'm in my car.

This car has the features of a car $10,000 more expensive. Most people seem uninterested in these things, but every single one of the features in this car were perfect for me. If you don't want any of the features and you want to spend the same price, sure, get the RAV4, realistically it probably is more reliable. But it was a no brainer for me to get the Outlander. I think that is probably what it all comes down to. If you want nav, a rocking stereo, a music server, V6, Sunroof, 6 speed transmission, 4WD/AWD/2WD, bluetooth, sirius, impressive handling and great styling....Then get the Outlander.

One last thought: I didn't do any night testdriving of the other vehicles, but when I drove my outlander at night for the first time I was amazed at how much visibility I had. I come from driving a little sports car and this thing just lit up the road in comparison. Again maybe the other SUV's do that as well, but it was definitely nice to take it out for the first nightdrive and be WOW'd by the lighting, then worried about it.

OK back to work!

 

I know we shouldn't care about the undeserved 4th place on a popular website, but it bugs hell out of me for the sake of other car shoppers.

 

I think these guys need a head-check. If they were dumb enough (or smart) to pay MSRP for the XLS with all those options then their data is skewed (the dealer I got my ES from offered me a loaded XLS for 27,500). I guess when you can write-off the cost of a vehicle for your "tests" you introduce a bias into your testing method. Also, look at the warranty numbers, Mistu offers the best in terms of time and features. As a consumer I looked at the warranty and what I got for my money, as well as the other items. I test drove the RAV-4 and was not impressed (the 4cyl), and the interior room is less than the Outie (I'm 6'4").
I'm happy with the choice I made.

Rob

 

Thanks for your review and looks like your preferences were almost identical to mine. In any case, you did not mention CX7, it was on a 2nd place for me, but I wanted more of "industrial" look then flashy ride. Also, I will have to disagree with you on Hyundai reliability, they've changed a lot in recent years and they do offer 10 year warranty. As far as styling goes I would say it's all subjective, but I agree on one thing Rav4 rear is ugly!


On a side note, I just sent email to Chris (editor of that article) about price discrepancy telling them they should look at the actual prices and comparable features. Rav4 did not have a nav! If you guys do the same maybe they'll update it.

Email: editorsIL@edmunds.com
Name: Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor
RE: Comparison Test: 2007-2008 Compact Crossovers
Link: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...hotopanel..1#1

 

Theres alot I dont agree with. Its rated 4th but I looked at all of them and theres a reason I bought the outlander. Just for starters the honda is ugly. Bottom line for that. The toyota looks like a girls car, plus I stood next to it and the thing was tiny. No wonder its the fastest one. Anyone else curious on how hard they drove the outlander to only manage I think they said something like 19 miles per gallon? I dont drive mine easy and I get over 24 mpg. They must of been stomping the gas pedal every chance they had.