Which Rav 4

[Michelin]

I have £11,500 to buy a Rav4 and I have two models in mind but am not sure which one to get so i thought I'd ask here to see what you guys think is the better model.The two I have in mind are the T180 or 2.2XT5 134 bhp both 2006 models.Now I really like the T180 but am just wondering is it worth paying a bit more for one of these,is it a lot quicker than the 134 bhp model would i notice a big difference in them or is there not that much in it and is the mpg a lot different.As far as I can tell inside both are identical just the T180 has bigger wheels a different grille and wider arches.So please any help would be much appreciated as this is going to be my first Rav and I'm really torn between the two as my knowledge on them is very limited

cheers

[bothwell_buyer]

Morning and welcome to the club!

A nice dilemna. I'm a fan of the early RAVs, with each running well in excess of 200bhp, so I'm not the best person to reply! But I'm sure that some of the others will awaken soon!

[bluevortex]

Hiya,

Difficult - my head says if you want a spare wheel and economy is important go for the XT5 but my heart says go for big wheels, flared arches, tinted windows and of course the bigger engine go for the T180. My personal opinion (and in now way biased :!Removed!: ) go for the T180. Cosmetics are important and the T180 has it all. I didn't have the choice when I bought my T180 but I do not regret purchasing it for one minute. I commute 70-80 miles a day and don't find the fuel consumption bad, however, I can see the advantage of having a spare wheel on the back door, but thats where it ends...

Blue

[bothwell_buyer]

I see yer in North wales - try contacting Parts-King cos he works for a dealer there - I say that loosely. He eats pies and shifts car parts via his staff but maybe has an unwanted car in his 'driveway'. Need to wait till Monday unless he's working this morning tho. :lol:

[Davrav]

I have £11,500 to buy a Rav4 and I have two models in mind but am not sure which one to get so i thought I'd ask here to see what you guys think is the better model.The two I have in mind are the T180 or 2.2XT5 134 bhp both 2006 models.Now I really like the T180 but am just wondering is it worth paying a bit more for one of these,is it a lot quicker than the 134 bhp model would i notice a big difference in them or is there not that much in it and is the mpg a lot different.As far as I can tell inside both are identical just the T180 has bigger wheels a different grille and wider arches.So please any help would be much appreciated as this is going to be my first Rav and I'm really torn between the two as my knowledge on them is very limited

cheers

If economy is your main concern I would advise the XT5. More fuel efficient and, as has been mentioned by others, the advantage of a spare wheel. You wouldn't have the dilema that T180 owners face with the 'run flat wheel system either [just do a search for run flats on the forum]

If you want the extra bit of Oooomph and a bit more style, then go for the T180 but do bear in mind that folk generally go for the extra power so they can dash around faster or tow stuff. Both have a 2.2 engine but the T180 is tuned to give more horses which, in turn uses more fuel.

From my 2008 brochure the Manufacturers figures are:

-----------------------------------------D4D 180 Diesel------------D4D 140 Diesel

combined driving mpg -----------------------40.4-----------------------42.8

Extra Urban driving mpg --------------------46.3-----------------------50.4

Urban driving mpg----------------------------33.6-----------------------34.9

Not a great deal of difference you may think but I suspect most T180 owners struggle to match those figures [i stand to be contradicted] whilst I know for certain that my 140 is on the nail after 2.5 years of record keeping

Whichever you go for, as it's an early model, make sure it has had all the updates it should have had under warranty and check for signs of oil or water leaks which may manifest but should have been dealt with.

Both great cars, lovely to drive and 'versatile as an egg'

[MarsKy]

[i stand to be contradicted]

Please stand.

2006 T180s had some problems which were ironed out in late 2007 models.

Unless you need the torque and power, the XT5 will probably be easier to live with (and I own a T180).

Edit: can you get a T180 for £11500? All Approved Cars has 26, but none lower than £12420.

Whatever you do, check the tread on the tyres of your 4 year old car - could be a surprise cost come changing them.

[Michelin]

I'm really worried now hearing all these problems with the T180's I've seen a nice 2006 (July 06) Grey T180 with 69000 miles on it and a 2006 (56 Sept 2006) Silver 2.2 XT5 with 52000 miles both around the same money I prefer the T180 but am very unsure what to do.This will be my first Toyota moving over from a very nice and very reliable VW Golf TDI 150 but need a 4x4 for my job,and everyone keeps telling me about how reliable a Toyota is but its just which one do I get,is there anyone here thats driven both that can tell me what the difference in power between the two is I know your probably thinking just go and try them both but its not that easy as the cars are a long way away from me and each other so I'd haveto travel the length of the country to try both so thats why I'm trying to narrow it down to one

[MarsKy]

This is hypochondriacs' corner - you'll get moans and whinges even from owners who haven't had anything go wrong, but are anticipating it going wrong because a few from many thousands of owners have reported it on the forum.

The plus side is that when you go to inspect and test run any of the cars, you'll know what to look out for, and what questions to press the sellers on:

* Tyres - wear and the likelihood of having to replace them soon. Costly, more-so on the T180 because of Toyota/ Bridgestone cartel (see recent posts).

* Dual mass flywheel - seem to fail around 5 years/ 60k miles on the 4.2 models. We don't seem to have any 4.3's reported to have gone.

* Gaskets and coolant on early T180s. See if they were modified.

* If you can, take a scan tool to see if there are any fault codes stored.

* But the RAV was reported in 2010 as being the most reliable SUV.

I'm sure others will add to the list - but it's because we have experience of things reportedly going wrong that you can check that any future purchase won't bring any surprises.