RAV4 -- 4x4 vs 4x2

FWD may be an advantage when driven in mud or unplowed snow but the advantage of AWD over FWD, is the torque is biased to the rear. One is less likely to lose steering control, the down side of FWD cars, on deceleration or down grades with RWD and AWD than with FWD when driving on wet, plowed or icy roads.

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter
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:-)

I'll take another look .. didn't seem to have enough ground clearance I think .. (I sometimes drive into fields with my telescope to get away from the light pollution, so a bit off-the-ground clearance is handy)

Esmail

Reply to
Esmail Bonakdarian

Is that because all of the other traffic is passing you? ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

FWD can get very spooky on glare ice. This is where anti-skid breaking helps. Airplanes have had it for decades.

They who seen my plight were cheering as I swirved side to side trying desperately to gain control as the light turned red and I was out of control. I didn't hit anything and I skidded thru the intersection on a red, I was all arms and elbows trying to keep it going straight. I did make it ok. Scarry. Thankyou to those who seen fit to wait even though the light changed. There are some good thoughtful drivers out there.

BTW, they tell you to apply power in a skid with FWD, but it is very difficult in my mind to do that as i was approaching a busy intersection with glare ice beneath.

Reply to
dbu,

Corolla wagon would be nice if they still made it. The Corolla sedans are very nice (we had a 2000 with 176,000 miles that we just sold and replaced with a 2007). The RAV4 is bigger and gets less mpg than the Corolla but has a LOT of space for being an entry-level sized SUV. If you need more cargo space than a compact sedan can offer, either a RAV4 or CRV (if you can get past the CRV's new body style - yuck- or get a 2006 CRV) is a great choice IMO. This class of vehicle is not a good choice for someone who wants a 3rd row seat though. While this available for the newer (06-07) RAV4s, it's tiny and uncomfortable and hard to get to. Before we bought the Corolla, my DH wanted to test drive the Matrix even though I had before we bought the RAV4. He preferred the Corolla to the Matrix for several reasons. I like driving the Corolla except for the lackof telescoping steering wheel which I have in the RAV4. It makes the comfort in reaching the steering wheel somewhat iffy for me. I'm tall so I have to keep the seat a bit back. I much prefer driving the RAV4. The ride isn't quite as smooth as a luxury sedan would be -it's an SUV albeit a car-based one. You have to keep that in mind. And I'm an odd bird in that the rear-mounted spare doesn't bother me. I like the extra cargo room in the floor and don't want to have to get under my vehicle to get to the spare. Of course tastes differ but that's my 5 cents worth such as it is...

Reply to
tanukiki

And theres not a better car to base it on :)

Incidentally they have changed the awd mechanics now i hear, and run a totally different engine. I was hoping the V6 engine would drop right into my gt4 as a possible future upgrade but i believe the change to the transmission makes that impossible.

The RAV4 is a kiddies 4wd car IMO, kinda pointless. About all it gives you is improved visibility over a normal car. 4wd is obviously much better than 2wd if you use it. The celica uses it because it gets thrown around corners fast and balances beautifully, but you wont be using a rav4 like that so its down to weather factors. IF you cope with a Fwd you will be fine with that. Though once you go 4wd you wont go back :)

Reply to
Coyoteboy

Yup, agreed!

I'm still trying to decide between the RAV4 and the Subaru Legacy Wagon (perhaps Outback) .. there isn't much difference in terms of mpg and AWD is standard, but I think electronic stability control is optional on the Subarus ... I want that, and a moon/sun roof too :-)

Never had an SUV, so not sure how much differently this one will handle from a regular car/wagon .. even if it's based on a car frame.

Wow .. lots of miles. I just passed 100,000 this weekend (I think it's 100,064 now) and this is a 1991. But then again I am a big fan of walking and cycling (heck, I've cycled twice across the US, that's 4000 miles each time I saved on wear and tear on the car ;-)

It seems to me the CRV doesn't come with some of the things that are standard on the Toyota if I recall correctly.

I'm basically a single guy who need some space for all the outdoors'y stuff I do, and when I move (which still happens more often than I would like, but such is the life of a VAP). So, 3rd row seats don't matter. The RAV4 while classified as a small SUV still seems rather big to me compared to my current car.

Right now I guess I will wait and see where the next job will be for me next year. If I get a job in the mountains, and decide on the RAV4 I'll get the 4WD for sure. I think the 4 cyl provides enough umph for the RAV4. (Though, if I move to Colorado, it almost seems to be a requirement that I have an Outback .. that seems to be the state car .. dark green, and preferably with a cracked windshield for added authenticity :-)

By the way, it's odd how the rear door opens in the "wrong" direction on the RAV4. You'd think it would swing the other way. Does traffic in Japan use opposite lanes? That would explain it, though I wonder why no changes in production would be made for cars sold overseas. Don't some car companies do this for steering wheels? That would seem much more complex than some hinges on a rear door.

Esmail

Reply to
Esmail Bonakdarian

Well, for SERIOUS off roading, I would look into something else (Can you say FJ?), but the RAV4 *IS* a pretty fun vehicle for going up 2-tracks or large motorcycle trails. As long as you don't encounter large rocks, it's a BLAST!

Could you imagine if they took the RAV4 body (the older, smaller one) and put a REAL AWD system under it! ;)

Reply to
Hachiroku

My brother owns a 3rd gen 4runner, regularly offroads it on the local military base with the landies, rangerovers and a few other makes/models - seem to keep up with the best of them, and walk all over the new "electronic brain" type traction controlled 4wds oddly. Could just be driver skill i suppose. Good old 'yota running gear seems to deal with the worst of the worst and come out smiling.

Reply to
Coyoteboy

Subarus are ok. I think the styling is a little bland. My s-i-l kept going on and on about her Subie wagon back in 2002 when I bought my CRV. She kept talking about the great gas mileage and how much better it was than an SUV. Come to find out that my CRV was getting better mpg than her Subie - she was a little out of the loop and heard SUV and thought big mofo vehicle I guess.

Both the CRV and the RAV4 drive really similarly to the cars I have driven just a bit higher and not quite as smooth. Although I have to say that the ride in my I4 AWD RAV4 is really good. It's very comfortable and more car-like than the CRV was. Some people on Rav4world have complained but they were driving cars like VW Passat and such before.

Yea, we drive the heck out of our cars. We live in the county and have a decently long drive to work. This freakin place (MD) is so expensive for real estate that you either have to commute a while or live in a townhouse on a postage stamp. I have two kids and we wanted them to actually have a yard so that's why we live in the semi-boonies. When I first had the CRV, it got about 33000 miles each year for the first 2 years but then it stayed home more so we *only* had 109000 on it when we sold it a month ago :-)

Yep, we paid for the 06 RAV4 about what we paid for my stripped down CRV LX in 04. This RAV4 has the following which the CRV didn't: auto trans, ABS, side and curtain airbags, tinted side and rear windows, variable intermittent wipers, roof rack, rear cargo area cover, DRLs, and probably some more that I am forgetting. Now to be fair, Honda has added some of that stuff into the LX models since we bought ours. Still for a base model, the RAV4 comes with a LOT of nice features and the few extras (curtain airbags and cargo cover) weren't too pricy...

VAP? Colorado is nice - we used to have relatives out there but they had the nerve to move away so we don't have anyone to visit there now! LOL. We used the CRV like crazy to move a couple of times and had a hitch installed so we could tow a small utility trailer. It took many many many trips to Lowes and Home Depot and IKEA. I'm sure the RAV4 will too in time. I know a lot of people complain about how the door swings open. I think traffic must work differently in Japan....I'm not sure. I've always wanted to visit but never made it so far. It's like the center-based instrument clusters...easier on the manufacturer but I detest them. Knocked a few cars out of the running when we bought the new Corolla as I just want it in front of me not off to the side. The way the door opens works for me though as I almost never park along a curb that I have to open my rear and when I am at home, the rear opens such that it's open to my front sidewalk. As for the engine, the I4 certainly does move the vehicle well although I did like the V6 LOL. Comes from driving a Mustang previously I guess LOL.

Reply to
tanukiki

Hmmm...don't you maen, "Surf"? ;)

Reply to
Hachiroku

Yup, it is indeed a JDM Surf.

Reply to
Coyoteboy

Hi Tanukiki,

he he .. it is somewhat surprising, you'd think the wagon would do better in terms of mpg, but it just doesn't. None of them of course beats my

37mpg/highway Corolla Wagon right now .. but then again, the newer cars offer much more than what I have now, esp in terms of safety. I have no airbags or ABS for instance.

good to know.

Oh, I know .. I used to live and work in DC and had colleagues who had super-long commutes so that they could afford a house of their own. I lived in a tiny efficiency in town, with a not-so-tiny rent :-(

Visiting Assistant Professor .. my current appointment will end at the end of this academic year, so I'm in the process of looking for a new job, hopefully a more permanent/tenure track sort of position. And in a nice place of course!

:-)

Just realized the that the base model doesn't come with a sun/moon roof .. .. hmm .. I was really looking forward to having one of those.

Esmail

Reply to
Esmail Bonakdarian

IMHO, given your level of experience, the AWD option isn't much use to you unless you live in the mountains during winter. FWD, with the proper tires, provides adequate traction unless you're hill climbing on a snowy road. If you look into how the new RAV4 AWD system works, you'll find that a maximum 45% of the torque can be transfered to the rear axle. In no-slip situations the vehicle is 100% FWD to maximize mpg. You can lock in the 55/45 split at speeds less than 25 mph.

I kinda favor manual transmissions except for heavy traffic situations. Otherwise, a 4 cylinder FWD RAV4 makes a nice general purpose station wagon except for that theft-inviting spare tire hanging outside the back door. Gotta say, I'd take a hard look at the new Honda CRV for city driving. I prefer the convenience of the hatch over the side opening rear door. The CRV AWD system is similar to the RAV4 in that it operates 100% FWD until slip is detected but I don't think the CRV allows lock-in of AWD at low speeds.

Reply to
ACAR

Hi Esmail :-)

It's interesting about different vehicles and mpg..what are you willing to give up for more mpg? Before we bought the Corolla, we took a hard look at the "new" VW Rabbit which is of course a rebranded Golf. Really liked a lot of the features that came standard. Some were essential (side and side curtain airbags) and some were fun (cooled center console compartment). We needed 4 doors due to the kiddos. OK, the 4 dr comes with more standard features (and of course +2K base price from the 2 dr). But it's a relatively heavy auto and even though it has 150 hp (vs the 126 of the 'rolla), the mpg were rated 23/30 vs 30/38 for the automatic versions and a mile or 2 more for the manuals. Given the overall better reliability of Toyota vs VW, the slightly lower price even adding the side/sc airbags and a sunroof on the Corolla, and the significantly higher mpg on the Corolla, the decision was fairly easy (although it was hard for my DH to give up owning another Rabbit after having about 4 older ones from HS through college - he loved those old piles o junk :-)

Have single friend who does the same as what you did.

Ah! Good luck with that! What field are you? I was in academia for a while until I decided I missed clinical work too much.

No it doesn't have one. You'll find it on a Sport or Limited. I'm not sure a moonroof is an option on the base. I'm pretty sure I didn't run into any around here. I didn't think I wanted one until we got the Corolla which is a sport model. In this area, most of the dealers have a package with the moonroof/side airbags/side curtain airbags so we ended up with a moonroof so we could get the airbags without having to wait forever to try to fnd one w/o the moonroof. I really like that stinkin thing now so much so that I wish the RAV4 had it. I just wish the Corolla had a telescoping as well as tilt steering wheel and variable intermittent wipers - for some reason the var int wipers are only on the LE :-/ Oh well. Toyota is kind of weird about how some vehicles like the RAV4 have things standard (like ABS and var int wipers and cruise control) on all trim lines and some like the Corolla have

18,000 options with important things like ABS being options...

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure you;ll make the correct one :-)

Reply to
tanukiki

I teach CS at Oberlin College. Love my profession, just haven't found the right location. Need a larger town with a bit more "multi-kulti" (as Germans would say). I like a bit more of an ethnic mix in the population.

Doesn't look like it. If it was, I'd just get a base I4, but now I am looking hard at the other 2 trim levels. I still think 2WD will probably a better choice for me unless I get a job somewhere in the mountains with snow :-)

Not sure how much extra $$ I'll have pony up for getting a model with moon-roof, I may end up not being able to afford/justify it, but it really seems like a cool thing to have. It's really the only frilly thing I want on a car .. otherwise my requirements are rather basic and sensible (like the safety features). Fog lamps would be cool too of course. Leather, super stereo etc, couldn't care less. V6 not needed either I think, coming from my 91 Corolla Wagon, the new I4 engine will probably be a thrill to drive.

I've been reading the RAV4World.com board, the mpgs seems to be all over the place. It's a very informative place though.

agreed, it's a bit puzzling, and frustrating.

Sure hope so .. thanks!

Esmail

Reply to
Esmail Bonakdarian

Hi,

I have to agree with you, these are my sentiments exactly.

Yes, me too ... I do very little rush hour driving so there's no problem. I guess I could live with automatic, but manual just seems like more fun to me. I have been impressed how much improved the mpg on auto vs manual has come along ..

Never thought about theft issue of the tire in the back, is that really something that is a problem?

Esmail

Reply to
Esmail Bonakdarian

What's your take on the reliability of VW? Just curious at this point. As much as I dislike car buying, it's hard to get out of buying mode now :-)

Well our first tank put us at 24 mpg. Second was 26.5. The last tank was

26.75. This is approx 50/50 city/hwy driving. She's got about 1300 miles on her this first month.

Reply to
tanukiki

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