If you have a Toyota RAV4...

[pam95]

What do you like about it? Anything you don't like about it? TIA!!

 

[tapplebapple]

I have a 2007 RAV4 and I love everything about it except one thing. I think the lack of lumbar support in my drivers seat is uncomfortable for long drives (1 hour plus). Maybe this is something they have addressed since 2007, but other than that, I LOVE my car and there is absolutely nothing I would change - well maybe I could get the dent fixed that the grocery cart made as it blew across the parking lot

But seriously, I love that I have lots of room to carry things in the back, the rear seats fold down soooooo easily and I can fit both my bike and my DD10's bike in the back. I can easily fit 3 kids in the back seat and there is great visibility as the driver.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We have a 2007 RAV4 too and LOVE it!!

The only thing I would change and it's minor is our Camry turns on it's lights automatically - the RAV I have to turn the lights on when it's dark or rainy. It does have running lights that are on all the time and I like that but the Camry is so cool because I don't even have to think about the lights. Told you it was a minor thing!

 

[pam95]

Thanks! We are looking for a new family car. DH likes the Equinox, but I really loved the storage space in the RAV. The RAV also felt roomier with the adjustable seats in the back, etc. Plus, I'm kind of short and when I sat behind the wheel of the RAV, I was more comfortable. I felt like I had more visibility, and I didn't feel like I was "climbing" into the vehicle. I also liked that you could lock in 4WD for speeds under 25 miles an hour when driving in bad weather. We don't often get really bad snowstorms here, but we do get hit with a really nasty one every couple of years or so, so I'd like something that can handle it.

DH didn't really like that the lights don't automatically come on either. He's used to that feature on our Tracker, which we'd be trading for the RAV. But, the lights don't come on automatically in my Cavalier either, so to me, it's not a huge issue.

Anyway, I had read some great views on the RAV online, and just wanted some confirmation from my fellow DIS'ers that it lives up to its reputation.

 

[Swimalie]

Have you test driven the CRV?

 

[Goofyzgurl]

We test drove the CRV and Rav when we were looking. We picked the Rav bc it drives smoother and it had more space to haul stuff around. It's so much fun to drive and gas mileage is great. Dh really likes the visibility and I like I can just haul the dogs and the kids nicely. We bought ours new in 2008and it's definitely something I'd buy again.

 

[jamiesmom07]

OP, I know you asked about the Rav 4 but you also mentioned the Equinox. I drove the Rav, GMC Terrain, CRV and the Equinox. I bought the 2011 Equinox last September, and I LOVE IT! I have the adjustable drivers seat that you can move up or down, front or back, adjust the lumbar support, etc.. Didn't mean to hijack the thread.

GOOD LUCK CAR SHOPPING!

 

[evildiva]

I have a 2008 RAV 4 Sport and love it! However, I will probably be buying an Equinox or GMC Terrain for my next car for a couple of reasons. The first the the GM cars get better gas mileage (of course because they are 4 vs 6 cylinder), the next because I really like the on-board navigation features in the GM cars. Other than that, I really do love my RAV 4.

 

[puffkin]

I have a 2011 Rav4 Limited. Bought it the end of January when I traded in my 2003 Ford Escape (which I loved).

I looked at several cars in this class (RAV4, Escape, Sportage, CRV, Rogue) etc. I have a 40 mile commute each way so some features that may be important to me may not to you.

Pros:
-Handling. It drives so nice, just like our Corolla. Huge difference from our Escape. I believe it shares the same base as a Corolla.
-Price. Several other brands would not negotiate price. There is a lot of RAV4 inventory out there, so you should be able to negotiate a fair price.
-Size. It is HUGE inside. Tons and tons of room in the back seat and truck. I think it is definitely bigger than my Escape.
-Visibility. It has great visibility for the size.
-The Toyota Cares maintenance for the first 2 years/25,000 miles is a nice perk

Cons:
-Spare tire. I still hate the look of it.
-Rear door. I hate that it swings out. Didn't realize how much I would hate this, especially when loading groceries in the rain.
-Trunk space kind of slants backwards. Stuff really slides around back there.
-Options. I had to bump all the way up to the Limited model to get the options I really wanted (Sat radio, blue tooth, power drivers seat, etc which I found to be necessary on my long commutes). There wasn't much ala-carte pricing. To be fair though, I had this problem on all the makes except the Ford and Kia.

I do really like all the extra features on the limited model though (heated seats, dual auto temp control, premium sound, etc) and thought the price differential was worth it. Plus they don't sell as many Limiteds and they were really willing to negotiate price. I found that Toyato dealerships pretty much carry vehicles with the same options installed on all the lots so it was easy to find the exact vehicle I wanted at each dealership and do the internet quotes that way. All the Toyota dealerships (we have 6 within 45 minutes of us) got back to me right away with quotes and it was very stress free way to buy the car. Kia was awful by the way to deal with even though we really liked the Sportage.

 

[IndigoLove]

What kind of real world gas mileage does everyone get with the newer models.

 

[puffkin]

What kind of real world gas mileage does everyone get with the newer models.

I drive a lot (40 mile each way commute). I would say my driving is about 20% city and 80% highway. The highway driving is pretty much 65-75 MPH with very little stop and go traffic and fairly flat terrain. My model does an average gas calculation for me and I reset it every fill up. I average 25-26 MPG. (usually 25.4). Oh, and my 2011 RAV4 is the 4 cylinder 4WD model. Still better than the 18 MPG I was getting on my '03 Escape.

 

[IndigoLove]

Thanks for the info!

 

[theycallmered]

I love my 2009 RAV4 Sport V6. 2009 they introduced the Rear View camera that pops on when you put the car into reverse. I love having that other view.

I have daytime running lights on my model. Perhaps that was something that they added in more recent years.

I love how it handles in the mountains.
The gas mileage is okay for a car its size. I do a lot of city driving (stop and go) and average about 22 miles per gallon.

I suppose my only complaint would be the AC system. It seems in order for the car to get cool, and remain cool, I have to have the AC turned on level 3.

As a previous posted mentioned, I was experiencing some sliding of items when placed in the trunk. I found a cheap plastic trunk mat at Kohls which solved the problem in a jiffy. The mat even included a blanket that I keep in the car for emergencies.

Overall, my brother loves his RAV, my aunt loves her RAV, my friend Phil loves his RAV, and I love my RAV too.

 

[ckrum]

I love my 2009 Rav Ltd. 6 cyl. We bought it used in January. Just took it on our first big driving trip (to Florida) and it averaged 25 mpg. It was very comfortable. DD loves that her seat (in the rear) reclines. I love that there is plenty of leg room in the back seat and more than enough storage in the back.

It has taken me a while to get used to the spare tire and side opening back door. Because the spare is on the back door, there is a ton of "hidden" storage in the back under the floor.

We test drove every small & mid-sized SUV. The Rav handled the best and had the least amount of road noise. We went with the 6 cyl. because it is so peppy. It is fun to drive!

 

[Redwitch]

How about... I LOVE MY 1999 Rav4!!! It has over 100,000 miles and is going strong!

 

[Pembo]

I have a 2010 Rav 4 and I love it. I get 24 mpg. I drive 15 mi highway each day, the rest are city miles.

I thought I would hate the swinging back door but I actually like it and my 6'4" dh loves not having to worry about hitting his head. I like the storage room in the back especially the secret compartment. The radio/heat controls are a comfortable distance. It has a lot of compartments that I've found useful.

We have a very basic model. I only wish the doors automatically locked however our Kia doesn't either. I was raised a GM girl and now own a Kia and a Toyota and love them both.

 

[chris31997]

I like my RAV. The one thing I would change is the air filters(I think it is the air ones) the engine has 4 of those suckes and they are expensive to replace. Even the generic ones.

Other than, we have managed to pack quite alot into ours.

 

[nowellsl]

I've had my 2001 Rav4 for 2 years and love it! I've driven the 2010 Rav4 and it feels a lot bigger, so for that reason I like mine better

 

[pam95]

Wow, thank you all for the great responses!! We have decided to go ahead and purchase the RAV4. We're picking it up tomorrow. In addition to the Chevy Equinox and the RAV4, we also test drove the CR-V. We felt that the CR-V was similar to the RAV4, but we liked the extra storage space in the RAV4.

We are trading in our Chevy Tracker for the RAV4. The Tracker, like the RAV4, has the spare tire on the back, and the rear door that opens to the side. So, we're not bothered too much by those features as we're already used to them.

What finally sold us on the RAV4 was the space - love the hidden compartment in the back and all the other extra storage space. I think it will be a very comfortable car for our trip to WDW in August. I also got a chance to drive it today (DH had done the initial test drive), and I loved how it drove. It will primarily be DH's car and our family car, but I told him I might steal it from him b/c I loved driving it so much today!

 

[Cinderella94]

I was deciding between the CRV and the Rav4 too! I got a 2011 Rav4 about a month ago, basically because it seems a little bigger. I love it!!