Completely re-engineered a year ago, the RAV4 came with an increased length, width, height, wheelbase, and track. It's significant, in these times when buyers are growing wary of the higher center of gravity of SUVs, that the track has been widened by nearly two inches but the height increased by just half an inch-and it's lower, with about one inch less ground clearance. That sounds more stable to us.

Contributing more to improved stability, at least on paper, is the fact that the wheelbase was increased 3.1 inches while the overall length grew by just 1.3 inches to 165.1 inches, which is still 10.5 inches shorter than a Subaru Forester and 12.5 inches shorter than a Honda CR-V. The overall picture here is of an expanded cabin placed on a lower, wider platform.

The styling was dynamic, resulting from extensive sheetmetal reshaping. The old RAV4 might have been seen as either cute or cobbly, depending upon the eyes of the beholder, but the new one is striking and aggressive looking. In one overnight swoop, it's gone from endearing to sexy.

The lines suggest a vector or wedge shape, which is pretty hard to do with a basic tall, small box. This is mostly accomplished by a sloping hood and downward cant from the rear quarter panels forward, under the side windows. When the arched roofline ends with the optional spoiler, the result is cool looking.

The cladding and body molding became smoother, the fender flares around 16-inch wheels are beefy for a mini SUV, and styling scoops in the sides and hood show a big try at being eye-catching, maybe too much as the sheetmetal touches are pretty far beyond function. Combination taillights wrap nicely around the sides. At the nose, the headlights are shaped like wasp eyes, angling upward. Optional foglights are built into the airdam, which also contains a gaping grille with a few teeth. The gray body cladding looks good with some colors, but contrasts poorly with others.

The optional alloy wheels are a simple five-spoke star pattern, and the optional cover over the spare, hanging on the rear gate, serves its purpose in making the RAV4 look less rough, but therefore less rugged. The rear hatch swings horizontally, hinged at the right side (inconveniently against the curb), and the weight of the tire is noticeable; however the step up into the cargo compartment is made easy by the reduced ground clearance. Underneath, maybe to accomplish this, the gas tank has shrunk from 15.3 to 14.7 gallons.