2013 Toyota RAV4 joins the lift-hatch crowd

There's little stopping the sales juggernaut that is the Honda CR-V, which moved over 20,000 units last month. And although the new Ford Escape is nipping at the heels of the top-selling compact SUV from second place, sales of the aging Toyota RAV4 have stagnated over the years, selling about half as many units. Toyota hopes to make a comeback in 2013 with the all-new RAV4, unveiled at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Most shocking—at least for the diehard RAV4 fans—is the rear gate no longer swings sideways, but lifts up like its import counterparts; the spare tire gets tucked underneath the rear cargo area. That also means no third-row seating, but it also has 73.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats stowed, the most in its class.