Rav4.4 M-Drive S

[wharfstaff]

Anyone had any experience of the petrol CVT RAV4.4?

Honest John seems to rate this model and it would suit me when I retire, having had a 4.3 D-4D before this Auris.

I will be doing fewer miles, I (try to) play golf and have a dog so look forwards to having extra capacity again, the petrol auto sounds appealing.

[IanXT4]

I was very interested in the Petrol version of the new 4.4 as I do lots of short trips. However the after some research into CVT technology it has put me off. It would appear that these transmissions are very new and may have some way to go before they are as reliable as the old auto's.

For many years engines and gear boxes were slowly refined to a point of exceptional reliability. Now modern fast changing emission standards is resulting in lots of new technology being introduced into cars that will take some time to make "long term reliable".

I guess if you keep the car for just the warranty period its not a problem. Personally due to my low mileages I like to keep them for many more.

[firemac]

I was very interested in the Petrol version of the new 4.4 as I do lots of short trips. However the after some research into CVT technology it has put me off. It would appear that these transmissions are very new and may have some way to go before they are as reliable as the old auto's.

For many years engines and gear boxes were slowly refined to a point of exceptional reliability. Now modern fast changing emission standards is resulting in lots of new technology being introduced into cars that will take some time to make "long term reliable".

I guess if you keep the car for just the warranty period its not a problem. Personally due to my low mileages I like to keep them for many more.

We've had petrol auto 4.2's in the past and were really impressed with them. I recently test drove a 4.3 CVT-equipped petrol and honestly couldn't tell any difference from our 4.2's autoboxes. It was quite impressive. I think you need to test drive one for yourself and judge accordingly. CVT's have been around for quite a while (DAF pioneered them, back in the 50's, I think) so the technology is well-proven and their performance is a matter of personal taste depending on what vehicle they are fitted to.

As Peter is contemplating a 4.4, it's likely that he will buy new or nearly so and will have the benefit of Mr.T's 5-year warranty, which should give piece of mind. In any event I'm not aware that Toyota have had any problems with their CVT's, which have been used in other models, as well as the RAV.

[dwilson]

Anyone had any experience of the petrol CVT RAV4.4?

Honest John seems to rate this model and it would suit me when I retire, having had a 4.3 D-4D before this Auris.

I will be doing fewer miles, I (try to) play golf and have a dog so look forwards to having extra capacity again, the petrol auto sounds appealing.

Hi, I now spend most of my time on another RAV4 forum but your post resonated with me. I asked a similar question in a previous post

http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/151801-does-anyone-have-a-rav-44-petrol/

Some good and helpful answers so I suggest you read through it. I will definitely be getting a CVT 4.4 at some point but our current manual 4.3 is low mileage and going well!

David

[wharfstaff]

Thanks for the feedback and the link David. Nothing too contentious with CVT vs DPF and EGR etc! A test drive will be the ultimate decider.

As an aside I popped into my local dealer on Saturday, just to look at the new style wheels on the 2014 model year Rav, nice. In conversation with the salesman he said that he hadn't sold a single petrol Rav4.4, but really rated the 2.0 D-4D!