Thinking Of Getting A Rav

[gavin32]

HI EVERYBODY THINKING OF GETTING A 2007 RAV 4.WHAT SHOULD I BE LOOKING FOR ARE THEIR ANY COMMON FAULTS WITH IN THE ENGINE AND THE DIFFERENT MODELS THINKING MAYBE A DIESEL . HAVEN'T TEST DROVE ONE AS OF YET BUT DID HAVE A LEND OF A 2008 LANDCRUSIER FOR A WEEK AND LOVED THE FEELING OF BEEN UP HIGH HOW DOES THE RAV FEEL COMPARED TO A CAR MY CURRENT CAR IS A AVENSIS 2003 1.8 PETROL ESTATE..AND WHAT KIND OF MPGS SHOULD EXPECT MAINLY MOTOR WAY MILES .THANKS IN ADVANCED :help2:

[anchorman]

Hi Gavin

Welcome to the club

It would be wrong to say that the current RAV with the 2.2 diesel is trouble free but thankfully faults are not common - especially on a 2007 or newer model as they benefit from several modifications, mainly regarding the consumption of oil and subsequent build up of carbon. You may get some brake judder but this is fixed with new pads and discs under warranty. Notchiy gearchange is not unheard of either but this tends to be more of a "characteristic" than a fault and to some extent use as you will find if you take your time through the lower gears it doesn't do it.

You can expect in excess of 40 mpg on motorway driving and if you do 70ish then perhaps nearer 50mpg. A lot depends on what you drive like in town but it rarely drops much below 40 mpg. Models with the 180 engine go really well but don't do as well on fuel. If you do consider one of the latter then you really should flick through these RAV pages and read about run flat tyres because they are very expensive and rather controvertial.

Otherwise the RAV is pretty well a very good vehicle and you should enjoy owning one.

Regards

PS - PLEASE STOP SHOUTING!!! Lower case comes across as much friendlier and also allows you to LABOUR the odd point!

[NMaria]

My advice is to go and test drive one. I loved it from the day I first took one out for a test drive, and in terms of luxury and spaciousness I thought it was a great improvement on the 4.2. It carries anything you want in comfort, tows very well and is equally good at dragging a trailer up a forestry track and cruising on the motorway at a good speed. I can squeeze 50mpg out of it if I am very light-footed and cruise on flat A roads at up to 60mph. I like the slightly elevated driving position - especially good on country lanes with hedges etc. - and my husband never ceases to be amazed at how well you can push it around corners.

Sad to say, though, it has not been free from faults. I've had rattling door mirrors fixed, the injectors replaced and the brake discs skimmed under warranty. The brakes are already deteriorating again and don't perform particularly well. The car still hiccups when running under light loads and doesn't always drive smoothly. So far Toyota have not been able to diagnose the fault, and replacement of the fuel pump and MAF sensor have not cured it.

The 4.2 that I had before was completely reliable and never missed a beat. That was a petrol model, though.

Both my mother (who has an identical car) and I have experienced a sudden and mysterious disappearance of about a litre of engine oil. It has not happened again and we never got to the bottom of it.

In summary: the 4.3 is a super car when it's working well.

When you read the forum, the number of problems that are reported is quite frightening. However, as anchorman often says, there are also probably thousands of people out there who drive happily and without any problems, and they are unlikely to post on the forum to say so. The difficulty is in trying to establish how representative the forum contributors are of the general Toyota-driving public.

[Uncle Floyd]

Hi All,

I got my first Rav last month. It is a 2006 4.3 XT4 D4D. Previously I drove Fords and Avensis T180s.

The Rav 4 will feel more powerful and probably quieter at speed than a 1.8L Avensis. However, the brakes on my Rav 4 require a lot more effort than any Avensis I have driven!

I honestly didn't like the ride and handling of the 2003 Avensis, much preferred the 2006 facelift version. The 2.2L diesels are much, much better than the petrols!

I am very happy overall. Fuel consumption is around 42-43mpg

Some problems, though:

Door mirror rattles. Was it difficult / expensive to fix nmaria?

Steering pulls to LHS. I'll have to get the tracking done. Steering feel not as good as previous or new Avensis.

Gear change is a bit awkward from cold.

Despite the problems above, I recommend it!

[anchorman]

Hi All,

I got my first Rav last month. It is a 2006 4.3 XT4 D4D. Previously I drove Fords and Avensis T180S.

I am very happy overall. Fuel consumption is around 42-43mpg

Some problems, though:

Door mirror rattles. Was it difficult / expensive to fix nmaria?

Steering pulls to LHS. I'll have to get the tracking done. Steering feel not as good as previous or new Avensis.

Gear change is a bit awkward from cold.

I recommend it!

Welcome to the club.

I am very happy with my 2006 XT4 as well!

Not sure how often Maria looks in so sorry if I step on her toes! If your RAV is still under warranty just go back in and get them changed to a modified design FOC. If not, don't worry it is dead simple to fix, just follow these instructions;

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71928

TBH - blutac or anything similar would do it.

The steering is a different matter. 4.3s as we call them have notably good steering for a 4WD SUV so see how it is with the tracking done then keeps us up to date on that. On top form you will find it just as good as your Avensis and rather better than any Sierra!

As for the notchy gearbox, well it is actually the identical box to the T180 and notchyness when cold is well documented in these pages. You can improve things by taking your time through the lower gears and you need to be sure that the service history indicates that it had the proper 75W GL5 oil on the 2nd service. You can only get it from Toyota and if you are handy you can do it yourself. We have a Toyota spares man who will send you the oil at a discounted price.

Once your steering is sorted you should thoroughly enjoy your RAV and we look forward to your input when we are putting the world to rights or having a barmy moment (of which there are many!!!).

Cheers

[Uncle Floyd]

Wow,

Thanks for the welcome and good advice!

I'll give the mirror fix a go this weekend and let you know how I get on!

Thanks again!

[rambler]

hi gavin

i have the 4.2...2.0 d4d you see in pics below,apart from a few niggles,it has been as good as gold(never missed a beat),in 50'000 miles ive covered in it in almost 4 years.....its done 83'000 miles now, starts every morning,never uses a drop of oil or coolant. :D

i would say it drives like a car,slightly elevated,comfy and smooth & refined ( for a diesel).

im afraid i dont like the newer version (4.3),and it wasnt made in 3dr form. :(

i really like it,not as expensive as a land cruiser,but with four wheel drive to get you to those awkward places...if you want to.

rambler