RAV's

The RAV's what? What thing owned by the RAV?

My SO has a 2007 4 cylinder front wheel driver RAV4. I've driven it quite a bit.

Likes - good size, very good engine power for a four cylinder, interior space, good transmission, expect it to be reliable, easy oil change, good brakes, seats are easy to fold, good stereo with an easy to use auxiliary input (she did pay for the upgraded stereo)

Dislikes - wind noise on the highway, harsh engine when pushed, poor seats, bizarre controls (weird and poorly laid out), swing open rear door with no window access, mediocre fuel economy (about the same as the Chrysler mini-van the RAV4 replaced), over priced, mediocre ride quality (but that is a common complaint these days), cheap looking plastic interior (again, this is a base model), headlights are a little weak (not bad, just not as strong as some other cars I've driven lately), distributor installed "Park Pilot" is inferior to factory installed rear parking aides available from other manufacturers, no battery saver on the interior map lights (on her old cars, these would eventually go out if you turned them on manually and forgot to turn them off when you parked the car for the night - not so for the RAV4).

These are my opinions, not hers. She is delighted with the car. The controls are weird, but if you drive the car a lot you will get used to them. Hers is a base model. I am assuming the seats in the higher level models are better. Consumer Reports says the V-6 only gets about

1 mpg less than the four cylinder, so I think I would go for the V-6, even though there is no lack of power for the four. I just expect the V-6 to be smoother and quieter. You should probably drive one to make sure the wind noise is not a problem. Around town it is fine. It only becomes objectionable above 70 (which is the speed I drove it at).

Ed

2002 RAV4

Pros: flexibility, 4 wheel drive

Cons: mileage, twitchy steering (backing up), power

1st generation RAV4 4cyl AWD Cons - There was a speeding alarm, you will hear the "door open-key in ignition" alarm when you reach 70 mph. (Asian model) - Some do refer to it as a girly car, but didn't mind driving it. - At 3 years old I got rear ended and even Toyota couldn't put humpty dumpty together again, well the rear doors never closed smoothly the way it should be. And 4 years after my tire cover fell of while I was driving and didn't notice until I got home.

Pros - Fold down rear seats for larger cargo space. - AWD excellent handling - Moss Green which I don't remember seeing on another Toyota - RESALE VALUE

I have an 07 Limited with the V6.

Pro's - very good acceleration, roomy interior, comfortable seats, 6 CD changer plays MP3 data disks

Con's - interior lighting sucks, Geolander tires are not that great in the snow, heat/ac controls confusing

Hope this helps!

-chasfs

A visit to

will answer your questions.... JennL (06 RAV4 I4 4WD owner)