It's all wheel drive

Engine, seats, room, cargo space, stereo, etc, etc, etc.

My girlfriend bought this overpriced contraption for $26,000 CDN and I have never been so unimpressed by a Toyota product. I used to have a lot of respect for Toyota until I drove this. Engine has poor acceleration and sounds like a Sherman tank at anything more than 4500 RPM. It corners ok, but not great. It is an SUV after all. Excessive road noise at anything more than 100 kph. I am 5'10" and had a hard time sitting in the drivers seat (Is this as far back as it goes?), to say nothing of the stiffness and lack of comfort. No room in the backseat for a child older than 5. Cargo space is scarce in the back. Stereo is absolute garbage. I mean for $26,000 you can get a 2 year old Jeep Grand Cherokee, to which the RAV4 doesn't even compare.

If you are 5'2" and need a vehicle for winter driving, and don't mind spending lots of money, you've found your niche. Enjoy.

Similar Products Used:

Explorer, Cherokee

Good Gas mileage. Great for hauling the average large box...In dash Cd player has been very reliable.

Very noisy (tires), poor radio quality. Engine seems to get very hot and the paint bubbled up on the hood. Toyota did not want to replace it, but since I had 1000 miles left on the warranty they had no choice. New repaint has same problem..Also, the seatbelt sensor seems to have a problem because the seatbelt warning light keeps blinking randomly...pulling the shoulder strap with a sharp tug seems to correct the problem temporarily. W/O ABS BRAKES is VERY dangerous on WET ROADS!!

I paid 19,500 for a 5spd manual with CD,Tape keyless entry, alarm and pwr windows and locks.

Similar Products Used:

CRV

Handles like a car; attractive exterior

No power; no leg room in back seat; no cup holder

$25,000 - price includes many manufacturer add-ons that the average consumer doesn't want anyway. For someone who needs power under the hood, this is not the car for them.

Similar Products Used:

Jeep Grand Cherokee - no comparison

-reliability (not 1 problem in 52000km)
-distinctive styling (not like the volvoish CR-V), love it or hate it
-great fuel economy (400km/40L city)
-despite lack of certain external options, it is one of the more customizable vehicles due to european, austrailian and japanese after-market companies
-comfortable and roomy
-no problems throwing my hockey bag in the rear door :)
-good handling (easy to drive, car feel)
-clean dash and simple interior styling
-Toyota!

-stock tires (noisy)
-stock CD-player adequate
-only 1 cup holder
-slight sway in wind (on highway)..normal for taller vehicles

~$24900cdn
-after proper/recommending work in period, have had no "power" issues
-installed snows (had hard time finding snow tires for stock rims 215 70R16, finally found and settled on Yokahama Guardex), cuts through anything
-great off-road use, for getting to those hard to reach mountain bike trails
-double click of driver side door opens all doors (safety feature)
-no cold start problems, interior heats up quickly
-AC works great
-easy SUV to park in Toronto

Similar Products Used:

-lexus rx-300 (same tires!)
-landrover discovery
-honda cr-v
-Mazda MX-3

Good milage, Great handling in the snow. Qaulity is good. Lots of headroom. Looks nice. Very agile in traffic and light off roading (Corn fields & such.)

Factory radio and speakers are garbage. No room in the back seats. No towing capacity. Aftermarket products are pricey and scarce.

Paid around $20,000.00 to get it with most all the options.
I have been pretty happy with it for the most part. It makes a good field car for utility work. It tends to feel a little cramped on long trips. If interior space is a priority, Get a CRV. However I found the Rav works better off road and in the snow. It would be great if Honda and Toyota would make a combined vehicle using the spacious interior of a CRV and the outside looks and handling of a RAV4. That would be a great car.

Similar Products Used:

The Honda CRV is similar but I feel it lacks the driving performance of the RAV4.

Flexible use of space for an economical, small 4WD. Fun styling. Comfortable seats. Can fit 4 trash-cans upright -- try that in a Subura Outback!

The doors just don't want to click shut when you close them!! Shame on you Toyota -- our Volvo has so much better fit on this feature. Also, the electronic door lock feature is pretty useless -- only the passenger side door can open all doors.

Power is only adequate and the engine sounds tinny. I notice this alot when I switch back & forth between the RAV and our '95 Volvo 850 (5 cyclider, no turbo).

With just one kid, I feel like we are starting to out-grow the car on vacation trips. With 2 we will be sunk.

$18,300

I guess my strengths & weaknesses sum it up. We're happy with the car, but I keep thinking if we spent $8K more on the Dodge Durango I would have a more useful SUV for the long run.

On the other hand, it gets over 25 mpg and meets our needs 90+% of the time and is a fun design....

Similar Products Used:

I've test driven almost every SUV below $30K before buying the RAV4

Absolutely gorgeous to look at. Very good gas mileage 27/31. Fun to drive. Easy to park and manuever. Radio w/6 speakers is very nice to listen to. Seats comfy.

ABS brakes should be standard on a Limited don't you think? Also WHY can't you add a rear spoiler? The only cheesy part of the dash are the heat/cold dials. Radio antenna is old-fashioned and I will replace this also. AND, unfortunately, I had to immediately get a security system installed; hence the Vogue Tyres and security system added another $1,000 which is not reflected in the price above.

I absolutely LOVE my new 2001 RAV4 ... almost bought a Suzuki Grand Vitara Limited ... but ONE LOOK at the new RAV4 changed my mind. It is a joy to drive. I was not pleased with the tires that came with the vehicle (as the road noise was high); therefore, I put a set of Vogue Custom Tyres on and they are GORGEOUS as well as road noise is practically nil. Great mileage 27/31 and with gas only going UP, this was a wise decision on my part. This RAV4 is absolutely the BEST looking small SUV on the market at this price. Otherwise, you will pay $15-20000 more for a Mercedes or a Lexus. Everywhere I go, people ask me about this vehicle. I have the "L" package but no moonroof or leather, which is exactly what I wanted! I purchased this vehicle in April, 2001 and now just turned 2,000 miles and I plan on keeping this car! IN the past, I have usually purchased a new vehicle every 3 years.

Similar Products Used:

I have owned a Suzuki Grand Vitara and a Chevrolet Tracker ... the RAV4 is far superior to BOTH of these. I also looked at the CRV and it is "old fashioned" looking compared to my RAV. I also considered the Forester but it was too low to the ground and had a very bumpy ride. The Tribute/Escape look nice but they are brand new and the Mazda shifter gear is like a YARD LONG ... YUCK!! Can't spend so much money on a brandnew never established a reputation vehicle like the Tribute and/or Escape. SanteFe ... I didn't even test drive ... because by then I was in love with my RAV4!! I am STILL GRINNING! Think before you get the Grand Vitara folks ... because I had to replace the brakes at 5,000 miles on my 1999 and my 1996 ... and I noticed that Consumers Report says the brakes are repaired often and believe me ... they were for me!

Excellent handling; Plenty of room; Impeccable quality - no problems whatsoever. Available with manual transmission (Honda - get a clue) 4WD with limited slip (torsen) differential is terrific

Lacks some of the bells and whistles such as foglights, leather option(at least for 97) and (dare I say it) cupholders; Price could be lower Could use more power

(1997 Model) - This SUV is the perfect size for my needs. The 4dr swallows a lot of stuff especially with the rear seats folded. It handles much better than anything in it's class and has a better ride than most everything too. If you get the 4wd with the lmited slip (Torsen) differential and the ABS package, you have a go anywhere, anytime package. I am NOT talking off-road (be serious) I am talking ANY weather condition. It does have excellent ground clearance while not being a chore (or embarrassment) to get in and out of. It is noisier than the American offerings but less than any of the other Asian offerings. Although a little down on power it is far better than the Honda and better than all but the Jeep. The manual transmission helps a lot in this dept. It is lacking some of the bells and whistles and at this price I don't think it is asking too much to expect them. If buying new, the option packages leave a lot to be desired - they pack in stuff you may not want in order to get something you do want and make you pay exorbitant prices for them.

Interior size compared to over all size. All wheel drive. Lots of compartments. Best ride of compact suvs. Highest rating from Consumer Reports for its class of vehicles.

The 2.0 liter engines' 148 horse power are at 6000 rpms. There should be more hp and lower in the usable rpm range. V6 or supercharger option would be nice.

At first I was skeptical because of the ugly 1st generation but when I saw the new body, I loved it. After doing a ton of research on all the compact suv's, my wife and I settled on this one. Best purchase we have made for the money. I feel comfortable knowing that she is driving a great quality vehicle.

Similar Products Used:

It is the best in safety and value in all the compact suvs which include, Honda CRV, Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi Montero, Chevy Tracker, etc.

Maneuverability
Comfort
reliability
Fuel economy
Looks

Weak engine
No rear bumper
Not much space in the back

The car was purchased for commute to work and local highway driving. It is perfect for this purpose, comfortable, economical and reliable; had to take it to the dealer (Lexington Toyota)once because decorative metal shield on the exhaust pipe started rattling. The dealer was very helpful and provided service and did additional checkup immediately.I was told that the repair rate on this model is the same as on other Toyotas. The car has 9200 miles now; handling is easy though not as a small car; OK on the highways, maintains easily 70-80 mph on level ground but is sluggish uphill. Acceleration could be faster. Does about 25-27 mpg on highways but approx. 20 mpg with air conditioning/fan on.

Similar Products Used:

Honda CR-V: Toyota engine seems better