The year was 1996, and Toyota was the first manufacturer to create an SUV from car parts. Last year, that model, the RAV4, was refurbished in a slightly larger format without abandoning the original concept of a four-cylinder engine and full-time four-wheel drive propelling a compact unibody.

These mini-utes are perfect for small-boat or waterbike owners because they're more affordable and fun than real trucks. The combination of rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel independent suspension, and a tight turn circle (35.4') gives the RAV4 agility that medium-to-large trucks can only envy.

Toting over two tons of combined weight sounds like a lot for the RAV4's 148-hp two-liter four-cylinder engine. To see how well that micropowerhouse could handle the load, we hitched up a single-axle trailer and two waterbikes. We were a touch over the RAV4's towing capacity of 1,500 pounds, but given the lack of mountain grades and high temperatures we planned to encounter, we were confident.

Our test SUV was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission. Although an automatic offers more torque multiplication, which is useful for coaxing heavy loads up launch ramp grades, the RAV4's driveline shouldered its task without a whimper. The traction available from ordinary Toyo radials energized by the RAV4's always-engaged single-range four-wheel drive is quite phenomenal. The cold slippery ramp we used failed to elicit even a hint of wheel slippage. And although the RAV4 is no speed demon, it came close to cracking the 10-second barrier during unloaded 0-to-60 runs, and we clocked the burdened sprint at a reasonable 15.8 seconds.