2021 Toyota RAV4: Great Choice in the Small SUV Category

 

Small SUVs are one of the most popular vehicle categories these days. And the 2021 Toyota RAV4 is a shining example of why. 

With seating for five, it has a surprisingly comfortable interior. It offers a maximum cargo capacity of 69.8 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down.

The RAV4 comes in six trim levels: LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure, Limited and TRD Off Road.

Under the hood, you'll find a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 203 horsepower and is linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive being offered as an option. 

The RAV4's fuel economy is rated at 27 mpg city, 35 highway.

Pricing for the RAV4 starts at $27,000 and ranges to around $37,000.

If you're looking for an attractive, reliable small SUV, the RAV4 might make an ideal choice. 

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site: A Look Back at History of Heroes

 AAE recently visited Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama. The site is the former airbase where the famed Tuskegee Airmen trained as combat pilots before heading off to World War II. The base was built in 1941. 

Civil and human rights activists pressed for the U.S. military to include African Americans in the Army Air Corps program to fight in the war. This pressure resulted in creation of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Airmen would overcome segregation and racism to become one of the most highly regarded fighting units of the wartime.

The sign above has information about the history of the base and its original buildings and what they were used for. 

This overlook view of the base shows the main hangar. Pilots were trained, planes were maintained and other activities helped create a well-prepared combat force that made its mark in the war effort. 

Pictured is a bust of Robert Moton, for whom the airfield is named. He was the second president of Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University. 

The "ghost building" shown here is a frame outline of one of the original buildings on the base that is no longer standing. It is designed to show the dimensions and location of the building to give modern-day visitors a sense of what the base looked like when it was fully operational. 

Officers from the Army Air Corps were assigned to lead training at Tuskegee Institute/Moton Field. They provided cadets with textbooks, flying clothes, parachutes and mechanic suits. Tuskegee Institute served as a civilian contractor, and supplied facilities for the aircraft and personnel, including quarters and a dining hall for cadets, hangars, maintenance shops and more. 

Georgia Resuming Vehicle Emissions Tests after Suspension

Vehicle emissions tests in Georgia will resume Thursday, April 8, after a week-long system outage.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division halted the inspections last week after the vendor for multiple states identified and stopped a malware attack.

The problem prevented the transmission of information to and from inspection stations in eight states.

On Thursday, vehicle owners can obtain emissions tests.

The outage meant that anyone who registered or renewed a vehicle between March 31 and April 8 did not need to get an emissions test until next year's renewal period.

But emissions tests will be required for motorists registering or renewing a vehicle starting Friday.

Georgia EPD Temporarily Suspends Emissions Tests

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division recently discovered a widespread system outage that affected the transmission of information to and from vehicle emissions inspection stations in Georgia. As a result, most vehicle emissions inspection stations are not able to conduct emissions inspections.

 In response to this incident, EPD has temporarily waived the emissions inspection requirement for any vehicle that is registered or for which a registration is renewed on or after March 30, until further notice. This waiver applies only to the emissions inspection component of vehicle registration. EPD will terminate this waiver as soon as the system has been restored.

 

Please review information available regarding vehicle registration.