Rav4 on my to-see list - 4x4 - what are the pros & cons?
monaro17,
Jun 24, 8:12am
What year?
msigg,
Jun 24, 8:45am
great vehicle, very reliable, good name, hold their price better than most other vehicles. easy to get in and out of. Early ones are looking dated.
bill1451,
Jun 24, 8:46am
Heavy on petrol as most 4wd petrols are
franc123,
Jun 24, 9:00am
Given RAV4 has been on the market for over 20 years you REALLY need to start with what year and version you are looking at.
mimik3,
Jun 24, 9:48am
Have a 2015 in the garage. Nice vehicle. So far no issues. Wife liked it because the rear seats gave a lot more legroom than any other medium SUV. Fuel economy so far sitting at 9.6l/100 km. the 2.5 is a good engine and it is reasonably nice to drive. Nothing spectacular but does everyone well.
tuttyclan,
Jun 24, 10:08am
We have a 1994 Rav.Paid 4k for it 6 years ago at 164,000 km.Is a great car,typical Toyota reliabilty,has a smoother auto transmission than my Honda Accord,bit more thirsty on fuel and a bit bumpy in the ride but the 1994's are still going for about what we paid for ours so virtually no depreciation on ours.Kilometers now up to 222,800 km.My Wife loves it!
mimik3,
Jun 24, 10:20am
And that is all that matters.
Happy wife, happy life.
tuttyclan,
Jun 24, 10:23am
Exactly!
gman35,
Jun 24, 10:33am
WHY do so few posters put model year and/or price range ? Do they think there is only ever one version of a model !?!?
robotnik,
Jun 24, 10:34am
Have a look at a Ford Kuga too. More power, nicer ride and better fuel economy.
kazbanz,
Jun 24, 8:33pm
Please give at least the year RANGE you are looking at. in essence the rav is divided into tthree groups 1994-2000 and 2000-2005/2006 then 2006 and newer Based on your answer to that question will give you the info you need. I must be getting old --I forgot theyear breaks for rav
minniecat,
Jun 25, 12:42am
1994-2000 - need a 4x4 for snowy paddocks in winter LOL!
kazbanz,
Jun 25, 1:32am
In that case it would be pretty close to ideal. mechanically they are a 2.0l caldina all wheel drive. All the reasons I don't like them do not apply for paddock bashing. I would still get a comprehensive PP inspection carried out in case that vehicle has mechanical issues.
archereon,
Jun 25, 1:57am
Used to have a 1994. I wanted to run it over with a tank. Sucked gas.
gman35,
Jun 25, 2:35am
I swapped my van for the weekend with a 95ish 3door model a couple of years back, I remember thinking "How uninterested in driving would I have to be to drive this thing daily ?". My Nissan van felt like it had a well-connected sports chassis and razor-sharp steering in comparison. I actually walked to my friends place on the Sunday afternoon as I feared falling asleep from loss of stimulation on the way there if I took the Rav. My friends 2005 Corolla wagon is exactly the same, there's something about the "lightswitch, but rubbery" gearshift and no-feel steering that rules out Toyota's for me. Are they still like that now? (I guess most will prob. be auto trans. only now of course) .
richardmayes,
Jun 25, 2:47am
We had a 2002 one (2nd generation) at work for a while. 2.4 litre manual, like a lot of 90s/2000s Toyotas it seemed quite grunty for a car of its size, but also got through a fair bit of petrol I recall.
Straight 5-speed manual, no hi/lo transfer gears, no selecting 2wd or 4wd.
Gearing was just like any normal road car, without any especially low first gear.
It was a good little car for getting out of town and parking on unsealed building sites without fear of getting stuck, but I don't know how it would go in REAL mud or on challenging terrain like somebody's top paddock. Maybe alright with off-road tyres. ?
pepper-nala,
Jun 25, 8:48am
Got a 2001 RAV love it and I don't find it thirsty, great vehicle.
franko171,
Jun 25, 9:02am
have a 1996 rav4 5dr dont think it is over thirsty for what it is been told 3dr are not very good on corners and bumpy roads as thy are shorter
tuttyclan,
Jun 26, 4:56am
Our 1994 3 door Rav is fine on corners,have driven far worse cars.It's a bit bumpy in the ride,been on unsealed roads and down the beach.Can't complain.Fuel use is a little high for a small car but reliability pays off.
missmoo4,
Aug 4, 10:12am
I'm looking at getting a 95 4dr, but a bit concerned that it is in the lowest band in these new acc ratings. I took it for a test drive, happy with the handling
kazbanz,
Aug 4, 8:24pm
It is a 20 year old vehicle so you do expect that
robbief,
Aug 4, 9:51pm
They are good and have one for sale low km hastings on auto trader
luxy,
Aug 5, 10:59pm
did 100000k in a 2003 model not problems but as a 4x4 its just a toy
inkapuka,
Aug 6, 9:17am
had a nice tidy 97 2 door awd rav4 probably the most thirsty for oil and petrol paid 5g for it sold it and got 1000 for it because motor had oil leak and all of the suspension was shot was good for gravel roads but just so expensive to run
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