Transportation

Car Review: 2015 Toyota RAV4

Published

10 years ago

May 4, 2015

By Frank S. Washington
NNPA Columnist

DETROIT (NNPA) – Toyota’s RAV4 for 2015 is a stalwart. The small crossover is one of the earliest entrants in the field that has turned into one of the largest segments in the automotive industry. The current rendition that we test drove is in its third year and our 2015 Toyota RAV4 XLE had some characteristics that were worth noting.

When we opened the door we were struck with the quality of the interior. It wasn’t leather, it was cloth. Still, it was clean, had contrasting stitching and the area was spacious. Because it was front-wheel-drive, the floor of the second row was almost flat and the seats could hold three people abreast. And there was plenty of headroom; nothing was cramped about the second row of the 2015 Toyota RAV4. What’s more, the rear doors were really wide for easy access.

Behind the second row seats was a cavernous 38.4 cu. ft. of storage space; fold down the second row seats and that created a massive 73.4 cu. ft. of cargo space. The RAV4 had the toting capability for all sorts of stuff save the most bulky.

The XLE was in the middle of the RAV4 trim line: there is an LE and a Limited. But the XLE had a sort of no-nonsense, straightforward appeal. The dash was clean and it had the horizontal scheme that Toyota has shifted to in most of its interiors.

There was a silver satin band across the top of the dash. This is not our favorite polymer but it was at least dull, thus it wasn’t distracting. The audio information navigation screen was flanked by several buttons on each side. The climate controls were embedded on a shelf beneath the information screen and surrounded by a soft touch surface that spanned across the bottom of dash. It was a nice look.

Another nice touch to the interior was a textured polymer template over the gear selector in the center console; it had a carbon fiber pattern. The same sort of template was on the four doors that covered the power door locks and power window switches all round.

It was as though Toyota created a very comfortable interior for people who were going to spend a lot of time in the RAV4 picking up kids from school, waiting for soccer practice to end or for traffic to move another three feet on the way to and from work. Obviously, a lot of thought went into the vehicle’s very comfortable seats.

The RAV4 was easy to handle. Because our tester was front-wheel-drive, we thought it felt a little light but it didn’t feel flimsy. It was very maneuverable. It had a high seating position and the suspension was soft without feeling spongy.

A 2.5-liter direct injection four-cylinder engine was under the hood; it was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It made a respectable 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. Our front-wheel-drive RAV4 had an EPA rating of 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Real-world conditions had us driving about 150 miles for the week, averaging about 24 mpg; once done we still had a half a tank of fuel left. That’s very good.

The tester’s equipment was more than adequate. It had satellite radio, an Entune premium audio system that included Toyota’s suite of Wi-Fi apps that can be linked through a smartphone, a navigation system, of course Bluetooth, USB and auxiliary jacks, dual automatic climate controls and power heated side view mirrors.

We were really impressed with its sunroof, rearview camera and split screen display in this price range. Our test vehicle had a base price of $25,240. Add options and an $885 freight charge and the total came to $26,935.

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.

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Bay Area

Former Mayor Willie L. Brown Endorses Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown has announced his endorsement support for Dana Lang for BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes voters from both sides of the Bay, and in San Francisco includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

“When I met with Dana Lang I asked many questions, then I asked others about her contributions. Getting to know her I realized that she truly understood transportation. At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is more than ready for this job, she is ready to meet the moment!”

Over the past 24 years Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto, CA, and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting transit riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs.

With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as a transportation grants specialist.

During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality — and bringing riders back to BART. She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, Alameda County supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island, a large portion of Oakland, the cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley.

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Bay Area

Alameda County Supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley Endorse Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat. These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

1 month ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat.

These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Supervisor Nate Miley acknowledges that, “At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is the person for the job. As a transportation leader, Dana Lang is exactly ready to meet this moment.”

Over the past 24 years, Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Dana Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs. With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from Cal Berkeley Haas School of Business.

She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality and bringing riders back to BART.

She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Oakland Councilperson Janani Ramachandran, Alameda Councilperson Tracy Jensen, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which covers most of the East Bay, including Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley. The district also includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island in San Francisco.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Congresswoman Lee Celebrates Federal Green Transportation Investments for California

Published

2 months ago

September 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

OAKLAND, CA — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) today celebrated the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement of two grants for California to expand clean transportation infrastructure. The DOT announced that Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will receive over $14 million to install Level 2 EV charging ports at all BART-managed parking facilities for use by customers and community members. The DOT also announced that the California Department of Transportation will receive $102 million for the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project to deploy charging and hydrogen fueling stations for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along 2,500 miles of key freight corridors in California, Oregon, and Washington.

The transportation sector is the largest source of U.S. carbon emissions. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 50 percent reduction in carbon must be achieved by 2050—and as much as a 91 percent decrease by 2100—to stay within the globally accepted goal of limiting the planet’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Today, I am excited to announce that BART has been selected to receive this critical federal funding to help expand mobility and end fossil fuel dependence,” said Congresswoman Lee. “It is especially important the first phase of the project will prioritize deployment at stations in or near disadvantaged communities. BART is an essential part of our public transit system, and these funds will improve transit for its riders in throughout the Bay Area.”

By installing chargers at BART stations that are close to multifamily housing, workplaces, medical facilities, schools, and retail, the project will support robust EV adoption across a wide range of socioeconomic groups and road users.

Furthermore, because of discriminatory policies, highways were built near and through Black and brown communities, making these communities much more vulnerable to chronic illnesses associated with disproportionate exposure to air pollution. A reduction in gas-powered cars will be especially beneficial to communities of color and low-income communities who have been disproportionately harmed by infrastructural and environmental injustices.

The West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project will enable the emissions-free movement of goods connecting major ports, freight centers, and agricultural regions between the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada.

On this funding, Congresswoman Lee said: “This funding will go a long way toward not only combatting the climate crisis, but it will create good-paying jobs as well. I thank the Department of Transportation and the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment.”

Last year, alongside the California delegation, Congresswoman Lee sent a letter to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging support for the grant application of the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program.