Transportation

Car Review: 2015 Toyota RAV4

Published

11 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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Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

$96 Million Allocated So Far to Black-Owned Firms as High-Speed Rail Project Expands Jobs, Boost Local Economies

Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement, says the rail project “is exactly the kind of investment” California needs.

Published

4 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

San Joaquin River Viaduct, completed in February 2021, is a 4,700-foot structure in north Fresno spanning the San Joaquin River and Union Pacific tracks along SR 99. Featuring arches as Fresno’s northern gateway and a pergola that carries high-speed trains over the rail line, it stretches from the river to near Herndon Avenue.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌, California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

As of May 31, the most recent data from the California High-Speed Rail Authority shows that 47 African American-owned firms are participating in the project as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs).

A total of 936 Certified Small businesses are working on the high-speed rail program statewide, representatives of the high-speed rail project say.

The number of Black-owned DBE firms (5.2%) accounts for $96 million of the $1.136 billion allocated to minority firms thus far.

Smallwood-Cuevas, speaking in Aug. 25 at the State Capitol Swing Space Annex — along with a coalition of Democratic state legislators and union leaders — provided an update on the California High-Speed Rail project and its efforts to employ people from the Black community and businesses.

“It builds a cleaner, more connected California while creating thousands of union jobs,” said Smallwood-Cuevas. “And we must ensure workforce equity, with pathways that open doors for workers who too often have been left out of good-paying careers.”

The remaining DBE minority-owned firms received the following amounts:

Asian Subcontinent: 24 firms received approximately $65 million
Asian-Pacific Islander: 52 firms received approximately $86 million
Native American: 6 firms received approximately $39 million
Hispanic/Latino: an unspecified number of DBE businesses received approximately $848 million

There are currently 328 certified DBEs participating in the project, according to the California High Speed Authority. The multi-billion-dollar project is billed to be committed to small, disabled, disadvantaged, and diverse businesses playing a major role in building the statewide high-speed rail project.

“As a Central Valley native, I know firsthand how transformative high-speed rail will be for our communities,” stated Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) a member of the CLBC and Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee.

“Stable and sustained funding is essential to delivering this project and fulfilling the promise made to voters.”

The news conference was hosted by Senate Transportation Chair, Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), who was promoting Senate Bill (SB) 545. He and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) urged the Legislature to commit to a steady, annual investment from a cap-and-trade program to fund the high-speed rail project.

Dr. Melanie Okoro, the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Eco-Alpha, attended the briefing. Eco-Alpha is a Sacramento-headquartered small, women-owned, minority-certified firm.

The company, not classified as a DBE, earned its status as a certified small business and a certified women-minority small business through the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Department of General Services (DGS). The certification allowed Eco-Alpha to be featured by CHSRA as a small business working on the project.

The Black-owned firm provides engineering and environmental services to the California High-Speed Rail project, primarily focused on facilities operation and Maintenance.

Okoro said laborers are not the only workers benefiting from the project. Professionals of color in engineering, with specialized knowledge and problem-solving skills to design, build, and maintain a wide array of structures, systems, and products, are looking forward to these “great opportunities.”

Oakland Post

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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

1 year 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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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 year 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.