Its hard to compare against a 4Runner, not from a quality standpoint, but from construction. One is quite literally a truck, and the other is a unibody car. That said, I think it’s safe to say the overall reliability and build quality would be about the same, typical Toyota.

I am not really into the RAV4 for myself, but I did check out the newest model at the dealer and they do look pretty good when looking at the Limited or Adventure AWD models. I can see why people like them and if I was in the market for something in that class I don’t think I would have any hesitation buying.

Just to throw out another option for your mom, you should have her look at a Tesla Model 3. I test drove one last year just out of curiosity and I was really blown away by it. If I was in the market for a commuter right now, I would get that without second guessing the decision.