Toyota Has Gone To the Dogs
2010 Toyota Rav4
By: Melanie Droz
Numerous trips to Petsmart, potty training, chewing, and appointments at the vet: there are numerous reasons why bringing home a new puppy is difficult. However, the 2010 Toyota Rav4 made the transition a great deal easier the first week we welcomed “Slim,” an English bulldog and our first child, to his new residence.
Picking up the new addition to our family required a 45-minute drive to Mesa, which was made easy with the Rav 4’s 2.5-liter, V6 engine and 22/28 MPG. We were welcomed by 4, 10-week-old English bulldogs begging for someone to take them home. Since we were driving the spacious Rav4, I suggested we pile them all in the compact SUV. Financially, however, we were limited to one, and I was drawn to Slim who was chewing on my watch, ring, shirt and shoe. Perfect!
Starting at $21,500, the 2010 Toyota Rav4, Toyota’s best selling SUV, is a terrific family car, which wasn’t an important feature to me one week ago. However, with our first child, Slim, I have a new appreciation for 10 cup holders and an optional 3rd row seat. Not only are cup holders beneficial for water bottles and soda cans, they sufficiently hold dog toys, puppy treats and leashes. The third row seat is also helpful for keeping the dog hair limited to one row so passengers don’t leave the car covered in fur balls.
Safety is even more important now with a young one traveling in the car. The 2010 Toyota Rav4 comes standard with traction control, antiskid system, hill start assist control and downhill assist control. Since Slim is a bit clumsy in his adolescence, control is crucial. It’s also
helpful to have curtain side airbags and front side airbags, which is another standard feature of the Rav 4.
Another aspect of the Toyota Rav 4 that made Slim’s presence unproblematic was the side-opening rear door with a hold-open feature. Despite what some critics have said, probably those without dogs, I believe its makes lifting a dog crate into the trunk much easier. You don’t have to worry about hitting your head. Another thing I don’t have to worry about with the Rav4 is listening to Slim bark in his crate when we go for a ride. The 6 speakers in the Toyota drown out his puppy yelps.
And, we definitely took Slim for several drives during his first week with his new family. Luckily, the Rav 4 has better fuel economy than its competitor, the Honda CR-V, so we didn’t feel like we were wasting gas showing off Slim to our friends and family. We went to visit his great grandma in Sun City, he went to Paradise Bakery with his grandma, and even tried to play sand volleyball with all of our friends. Overall, Slim had an eventful first week, and so did we. Fortunately, we had the 2010 Toyota Rav 4 to support us.
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