Thinking About Buying A Rav 4

[Matt N]

Hi all. I have a honda civic type R at the moment and I'm looking to trade it in for something more fuel economical. At the moment I'm getting about 280 miles to a full tank (£50 of petrol) and I do quite high miles. I've always wanted to get a 4x4 like a hilux but I know they're very thirsty and the 2007 Rav 4 diesel is quite appealing to me.

My questions are:

- What sort of mpg do you get? are they good on fuel?

- I want one with leather seats and cruise control and air con etc, is there a certain spec with all these accesories?

- Are there any common faults with newer Rav4's?

Thanks,

Matt

[jwis0812]

Gas mileage varies, here in Colorado summer 18, winter 15 due to the use of 4wd. I don't believe their are leather options I thought the Sport or Limited were the highest that they went. (This is my wife's car, I have never owned another Toyota so not sure), and one common problem we have run into with the V6 Sport is the replacement of ignition coils, and at 100 bucks a pop and three being located under the intake, it can get pricey. We have had the car 3 years and this is the third time it's happened. Other than that it's been great.

[local hero]

Hi all. I have a honda civic type R at the moment and I'm looking to trade it in for something more fuel economical. At the moment I'm getting about 280 miles to a full tank (£50 of petrol) and I do quite high miles. I've always wanted to get a 4x4 like a hilux but I know they're very thirsty and the 2007 Rav 4 diesel is quite appealing to me.

My questions are:

- What sort of mpg do you get? are they good on fuel?

- I want one with leather seats and cruise control and air con etc, is there a certain spec with all these accesories?

- Are there any common faults with newer Rav4's?

Thanks,

Matt

Hi Matt + welcome, Firstly I think you may miss your type Rs performance, however the Rav T180 does 124mph + 0-62 in 9.2 secs + the torque will put your petrol Honda to shame, there are no real known issues although the runflat tyres (only on T180) are expensive to replace + deserves a bit of a search on here as there are numerous posts on that subject, The xt4 + xt5 have leather + climate control I think the xt5 has cruise, The std 140 bhp rav will return 35 to 45 mpg depending on how its driven + the T180 (180bhp) 30 to 40 mpg, I think you will enjoy the Rav experience, my neighbour changed her Audi TT for a Rav and she absolutely loves it.. I am a big Honda fan having had the Civic VTI myself and a mate with a NSX the Rav is a very different type of vehicle but once you have one particularly in this weather you will be smitten, If I were you i would have a good read through this forum before making a decision on a specific model (petrol,diesel, XT3-4-5, XTR,T180) and of course feel free to ask any questions your not sure of, hope this helps Stew

[bluevortex]

Hi all. I have a honda civic type R at the moment and I'm looking to trade it in for something more fuel economical. At the moment I'm getting about 280 miles to a full tank (£50 of petrol) and I do quite high miles. I've always wanted to get a 4x4 like a hilux but I know they're very thirsty and the 2007 Rav 4 diesel is quite appealing to me.

My questions are:

- What sort of mpg do you get? are they good on fuel?

- I want one with leather seats and cruise control and air con etc, is there a certain spec with all these accesories?

- Are there any common faults with newer Rav4's?

Thanks,

Matt

Similar to you I had a focus ST, but it was fat too heavy on fuel but the main reason I changed was the winter weather and needed the space with a new family! I bought a T180, all the trimmings, absolutely cracking car. Very quick car, satnav, cruise, leather, sunroof the list goes on... I am very happy with it and my wife loves it too! I get around 35mpg, travel 70 miles a day, 5 days per week and normally costs me about a full tank £60-70, for a 4x4 with with a 180bhp engine I think this is great! If fuel is a major deal breaker then an XT5 is your friend plus has a spare wheel on the boot, IMO not as good looking (sorry XT4/5 owners) as T180, smaller wheels, no flared arches or window tints but I suppose you would get slightly more mpgs and more or less the same toys plus no RFT's...

Personally, I doubt you will miss the Honda - ocassionally I think about the grunt from my ST but the thought of 15-20mpg soon kicks in and I remember why I love my Rav4 soo much ha ha. . the T180 has more than enough power and if you feel it lacks punch it can easily be chipped, althought I havent felt the need... yet!

Blue

Blue

[wharfstaff]

Hi Matt, I have just got a Nov 2007 2.2 d-4d xtr and am getting 45 mpg on a 25 mile commute on A roads with a bit of overtaking and a bit of traffic.

From 2008 I believe cruise control and bluetooth was added to the spec, mine doesen't have them but has dual zone climate, sunroof, 4x elec windows, privacy glass.

I love it! I have owned gtis and sris but don't miss them at all, the Rav is a really good drive.

[bothwell_buyer]

Hi all. I have a honda civic type R at the moment and I'm looking to trade it in for something more fuel economical. At the moment I'm getting about 280 miles to a full tank (£50 of petrol) and I do quite high miles. I've always wanted to get a 4x4 like a hilux but I know they're very thirsty and the 2007 Rav 4 diesel is quite appealing to me.

My questions are:

- What sort of mpg do you get? are they good on fuel?

- I want one with leather seats and cruise control and air con etc, is there a certain spec with all these accesories?

- Are there any common faults with newer Rav4's?

Thanks,

Matt

Hi Matt + welcome, Firstly I think you may miss your type Rs performance, however the Rav T180 does 124mph + 0-62 in 9.2 secs + the torque will put your petrol Honda to shame, there are no real known issues although the runflat tyres (only on T180) are expensive to replace + deserves a bit of a search on here as there are numerous posts on that subject, The xt4 + xt5 have leather + climate control I think the xt5 has cruise, The std 140 bhp rav will return 35 to 45 mpg depending on how its driven + the T180 (180bhp) 30 to 40 mpg, I think you will enjoy the Rav experience, my neighbour changed her Audi TT for a Rav and she absolutely loves it.. I am a big Honda fan having had the Civic VTI myself and a mate with a NSX the Rav is a very different type of vehicle but once you have one particularly in this weather you will be smitten, If I were you i would have a good read through this forum before making a decision on a specific model (petrol,diesel, XT3-4-5, XTR,T180) and of course feel free to ask any questions your not sure of, hope this helps Stew

:lol: did you say all of that in one breath?? fantastic !!

[Matt N]

Thanks very much for all your replies, its been really helful :)

I've just read the post where it describes all the different Rav 4's and am going to definitely shop around.

One questions i forgot to ask is do they all have DMF's?

[Davrav]

Thanks very much for all your replies, its been really helful :)

I've just read the post where it describes all the different Rav 4's and am going to definitely shop around.

One questions i forgot to ask is do they all have DMF's?

Only 4.2 and 4.3 diesels as far as I know.

[Matt N]

do they have dual mass fly wheels though?

[Davrav]

do they have dual mass fly wheels though?

That's what a DMF is, so no, only the diesels

[Matt N]

soz read your first reply wrong lol. thanks

[Matt N]

Hi again all,

sorry to dig up and old thread but Im finally having a look at a Rav 4 this weekend (yes a year on from when i said i originally wanted one lol)

Ok so its a 06 Reg 2.2 Diesel, XT3, done 37k miles. Is up for £10,500k but I'm planning to knock them down to 9,500k straight away as I have cash waiting. It doenst have cruise control unfortuantely. Also can the radio be changed for a descent double din?

What are people opinions on these? I've been looking at others people threads and it looks like they can suffer from big time faults...

[CharlieFarlie]

10.5K is not overly expensive but its no bargain.. Even 9.5 is not the cheap. Having read You thread I thought You wanted all the toys ?

On the bright side You wont have the runflats ! and will still have the balance of the 7 year warranty on the engine..

Watch out for slight clicks from the steering when turning tight at slow speed say turning on to the drive as this is another common fault needing a circa £300 repair....

Wee Charlie.

[Bainite1964]

A week in and i have to say that my XT-R rav4 2.2 D4D is one of the best cars i have driven in a while. Honda FRV was good spec but being petrol mpg was between 20 - 25 and not good. The verso 2.2 diesel was good round town typically 36mpg according to the readout. The rav4 i have to say handles with more of a sport feel and is at present returning 38mpg round town.

I did get what i thought was a good deal on this through main dealer. An 08 plate XT-R with only 10400 miles on the clock for £14.5k and also got the £300 (6 months fuel) deal into the bargain. Would have liked leather seats but cant be too fussy as car looks like it just came out of showroom and still has a reasonable spec and no run flats. There are still a few low mileage Ravs out there you just need to find them.

[Matt N]

ok thats all good to know. What model is the one to look for that has all the toys on a '06 ish reg??

[Matt N]

I've just been doing some more research between the specs and seen that the XT5 is really the one I want. Is there actually much worth while difference XT4 & XTR though? The XT3 looks way too basic but they can be upgraded cant they?

[CharlieFarlie]

ok thats all good to know. What model is the one to look for that has all the toys on a '06 ish reg??

The one with the most toys on or around the 06 plate is the T180. It has such things as Electric tilt and slide Sunroof ,Full soft grain leather seats with Electric drivers seat with seat heating both sides, Sat nav, Keyless start and entry with a start button on the dash panel.Auto dimming interior mirror. bluetooth Phone preparation with controls on the leather steering wheel. Also has voice control. Dual zone climate control. 18 inch alloys Plus all the usual kit found on today's high spec cars.

I was lucky and got one with the additional Roof rails,Side steps, and the extra front bumper with a chrome insert....

All of the cars have very good equipment levels but the T180 is just a little plusher...Plus as mentioned before 180 BHP with very good torque HTH.

Wee Charlie.

[CharlieFarlie]

I've just been doing some more research between the specs and seen that the XT5 is really the one I want. Is there actually much worth while difference XT4 & XTR though? The XT3 looks way too basic but they can be upgraded cant they?

Any car can be upgraded to the next level or higher spec but the car is still that model come time to sell. Plus upgrading can cost a fair whack of money with little or no return. You are far better of to go for a high end car where someone else has shelled out for it ......

Wee Charlie.

[Matt N]

Yeah fair point. I'm gonna try my chances at getting a XT5 but if not I'll settle with a 4 or R. What mpg do you get from the 180?

[Paulus17]

Swmbo likes the XT4 that she has spotted,but we have decided to keep what we have for a while longer now,but would an higher spec car put the insureance up much??

[anchorman]

THe XT5 has all the toys of the T180 but without the 180 engine and D-CAT system. It also keeps you away from run flat tyres.

The most important feature that cannot be upgraded without huge complications on the XT3 is the VSC. That alone would stop me from buying one.

[CharlieFarlie]

THe XT5 has all the toys of the T180 but without the 180 engine and D-CAT system. It also keeps you away from run flat tyres.

The most important feature that cannot be upgraded without huge complications on the XT3 is the VSC. That alone would stop me from buying one.

Don. What exactly is the Dcat and what does it do ??

Wee Charlie.

[MarsKy]

THe XT5 has all the toys of the T180 but without the 180 engine and D-CAT system. It also keeps you away from run flat tyres.

The most important feature that cannot be upgraded without huge complications on the XT3 is the VSC. That alone would stop me from buying one.

Don. What exactly is the Dcat and what does it do ??

Wee Charlie.

Diesel Clean Advanced Technology. It lowers NOx emissions.

NOx emissions are supposed to be worse than CO2 emissions.

But you get taxed on CO2, and so don't get any tax advantages from having the D-CAT.

It's also what gives you EGR valves and DPFs which can get blocked!

[grangie]

Hi all,

Great forum. I'm moving from a prius to a T180 (just retired, so lifestyle changes) and found you guys really helpful in giving advice. Read a great deal on this forum about the run flat tyres issue and this was a potential deal breaker so phoned service department at my local dealer (benfield toyota in Wakefield W. Yorks) and the guy there said that fitting run flats is now free and they will match Quick Fit on price for the actual tyres. I queried this and he said that the dealership had dropped fitting charges some months ago. This gives me enough confidence to go forward and order an 08 t180 with 30K on clock and full service from a reputable independent dealer. Can't wait!

[MarsKy]

fitting run flats is now free and they will match Quick Fit on price for the actual tyres. I queried this and he said that the dealership had dropped fitting charges some months ago

I'd wait.

The run flat system is its support rings, not the tyres. I'd doubt Kwik Fit have "the machine" to fit the tyres (or support rings or tyre pressure sensors) without damaging alloy, tyre, ring, sensor. My Toyota dealer had to replace all 4 alloys under warranty, and they had "the machine" but still managed to damage sensors and split sidewalls.

So why have they dropped the charges? Probably because they have "the machine" which was expensive and they don't want T/S180 owners dumping the rings and Bridgestone Duellers and going elsewhere - they want some return on their investment and retain your business.

Which is a positive move for customers and they should be applauded for it.

But get anything in writing and get it to state that it will be for at least the lifetime of your ownership.

Things can change - any early T180 owners remember Mr T's exchange programme for their tyres? I bought my T180 with the dealer giving me confidence that that programme was in place. Toyota soon withdrew it.

Link: Give yourself an easy life in retirement and source a RAV with spare on the back door.