Miss Lola the Toyota Influencer

"Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, provided me with compensation and use of a RAV4. The opinions I have shared about this vehicle are my own.”

Miss Lola, friend Kaya and I set out on an adventure in the new 2018 Toyota RAV4 a few weekends ago by teaming up with Southeast Toyota. Skeptics beware – this thing was amazing!

This is weird, but the first thing I noticed getting in was how high the RAV4 actually sits for a mid-size SUV. While Miss Lola and Kaya enjoyed hanging out the window, The RAV4 handled Downtown Atlanta streets with ease. We ventured north towards Helen, GA, and the RAV4 only got more comfortable; road noise was minimal, acceleration was smooth, and the spacious interior had Lola sprawled out for a nap at one point! The dash was simple and sleek, and the buttons were easily accessible with apps designed for different controls.

I love that the RAV4 infotainment center uses apps! My first question at the dealership was how to sync our phones to Bluetooth. Aaron, from the dealership, couldn’t finish saying, “It’s super easy” before he had my phone paired. While we were fortunate to have the RAV4 Limited model with all the bells and whistles, what stood out was how well the technology did what it’s supposed to do. From SiriusXM Radio to Navigation, everything was intuitive and user friendly! The infotainment center was definitely Andy’s favorite part of the RAV4. He pushed every button and went through every menu, even looking up at one point what we thought was a heated cup holder. Turns out the RAV4 actually gets to know the driver, alerting them with a coffee cup symbol when it thinks they could use a break!

As a photographer constantly on the go, often times with Lola, I need a car with lots of trunk space, great fuel economy, and safety features galore. From the blind spot monitoring to the lane departure and pre-collision detection systems, the RAV4 checked all those boxes and more. Oh, and the push button to close the tailgate? SOLD!