Defenestrating Thoughts from the Bivouac

I got a nice, shiny blue RAV4 for as my rental car. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it’s really grown on me. There are, though, a few quirks that give me an uneasy feeling. They are the sort of things that make you think, “Did anyone at Toyota actually use this before they started selling them?”

The first thing is the trunk. On a compact SUV, I would have expected the trunk to flip up to open, like on a hatchback car or larger SUV. Instead it’s on a side hinge and opens 90 degrees to the right. This means if you have a grocery cart, you need to stop it on the left of the car and then open the truck.

That’s not so bad though. The worst I found so far is the auxiliary input for the car stereo. The auxiliary input is great because it will let to you input your iPod into your car system and speakers, without any quality loss. All you need is a $2 wire, instead of the usual FM transmitter accessory (which lowers the audio quality). The aux input is located inside the center console on the right hand side of the driver.

This seemed logical; I could plug in an iPod and then run the wire out and set the player in one of the cup holders. Then it would be easy to get to if I wanted to change the song. The only problem is that there is no way to run a wire out and close the center console. I would have expected a small hole or something for this. Also, there’s a cigarette lighter type power outlet in there. It would be great to run a wire out to charge my phone. But again, same problem. The center console lifts up to open, so if it’s open there’s no arm rest. And there is no way to keep it open; it will swing back down randomly

Also, the dash layout could use some work. Knobs that I use more often should be closer. Why’s the “Wheel Lock” button more accessible then the volume? And the cruise control sticks out down and to the right from the steering wheel. My right knee keeps hitting it and adjusting the speed I’m trying to go.

Otherwise, I’m getting to like sitting higher up on the road when compared to a sedan. The car is a good size and heft; I think it could keep it’s own in a collision. There’s a lots of room in the trunk too (it passes the hockey bag test!). Normally car size wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but Crissy and I realized that whatever car I brought would be used to bring home babies in a few years. And, since my first choice for protecting my future family on a road, the M1 Abrams tank, gets 4 gallons/mile, perhaps a compact SUV is the right balance for me.

Plus, I ain’t driving no minivan. :-)