New Rav4's

[Winstanley]

In April 2008 I bought my first RAV4. I had wanted one for years and finally decided to take the plunge. It was an 08 model. XT-R 2.0 Petrol.

I must admit I was a little disappointed with it in that I seemed to have to rev it quite hard when moving off otherwise it would cut out.

Changing gears I would find that it wouldn't be a smooth transition when taking my foot off the clutch.

Also when reversing, especially up a slight inclineit would cut out easily.

I have thought that this could just be me not having had a Rav4 or even driven and 4x4 before.

However over the last couple of weeks I have noticed that when changing gear and moving off from the start, the car seems a lot smoother.

Like any other car I have driven.

Could this be me just finally getting used to it or do Rav4's take time to bed in?

Thanks

David

[Dippy]

Can't help directly, but I can say that when I bought my T180 from Spain, the dealer told me to try not to take it over 3000rpm for the first 3000km. Not sure if it was official dealer policy or just a quiet word of advice. Surprised me a little.

[Davrav]

A flippant reply might be that they certainly wear out in time, especially after reading some recent posts! :(

However, all machines will 'wear in' to some extent after a while.

You will almost certainly have got more atuned to driving your RAV too - have you ever got straight out of one vehicle to drive another, either bigger or smaller or with a more or less powerful engine? It usually takes a while to get used to the change.

Even though the RAV is quite car like to drive it is higher and heavier than most cars and has a different transmission system to what you have been used to. I suspect that you might have been driving more carefully of late too -if you have been in a snow affected area ;)

[anchorman]

My gearbox has gone smoother with time but I also think you find the right method with time. At first I used to pull mine through the gears like the any other car but then I got used to just taking my time through the lower gears. You do it instictively after a while.

When I first got mine I had an issue with a mechanincal "ratcheting" noise which you could hear in the background especially in the lower gears on overrun. That seems to have all but disappeared now.

In summary - a bit of both but you can hopefully expect it to get better still with time.

[NMaria]

I found with my 4.3 D4D that both the clutch and the gearbox did become smoother over time.

As for stalling, my previous RAV was a 2.0 petrol and I soon discovered that I got nowhere unless I kept the revs well up. I think all Toyota engines are fairly high-revving, even the diesels, but the lack of low-down torque on the petrol model was striking. I got into the habit of keeping to high-ish engine speeds and then it performed fine. As anchorman says, you do adapt your driving style to the vehicle characteristics, sometimes without really noticing it yourself - until you climb into a totally different car!

[vivianM]

Can't help directly, but I can say that when I bought my T180 from Spain, the dealer told me to try not to take it over 3000rpm for the first 3000km. Not sure if it was official dealer policy or just a quiet word of advice. Surprised me a little.

Certainly my T180 handbook says, for the first 1200 miles - avoid full throttle, do not drive slowly in a high gear, vary your speed, do not tow for 500 miles.

I have always found that 'running in' new engines has always paid off in terms of low oil consumption and engine life - my 4x4 2.9 Sierra did over 500,000 miles without the cylinder head coming off and still used very little oil when it was finally sold, before that it was passed down to my son for many years.

Guy

[Winstanley]

Thanks for all your replies.

I do think I have adjusted my driving a little to suit the car but I am sure the gearbox has become easier too.

[bothwell_buyer]

The 4.3s are a good bit heavier than many cars.

With the 4.1, I had number 1 on the rolling road 2 weeks ago. The torque peaked at 3500rpm.

However, my hybrid number1 was at Crail racetrack today and we got 0-60' times of 2 seconds which is pretty fast so I'm told.

The more recent Ravs probably aren't geared the same as the early ones though.

[Tom 2009]

My problem was not stalling, but taking off too fast.

For about the first month or two, the accelerator seemed excessively sensitive. I am waiting to make a turn, I see an opening. I step on the accelerator and I take off like a rocket.

After about a 1000 miles, the ECU must have learned my driving habits as I can take off nice and smooth.

[anchorman]

My problem was not stalling, but taking off too fast.

For about the first month or two, the accelerator seemed excessively sensitive. I am waiting to make a turn, I see an opening. I step on the accelerator and I take off like a rocket.

After about a 1000 miles, the ECU must have learned my driving habits as I can take off nice and smooth.

I found that with the US rental car I had. I had to make a very conscious effort in starting from rest or it would almost spin the wheels. It went VERY well with the V6 engine in it.

[bothwell_buyer]

My problem was not stalling, but taking off too fast.

For about the first month or two, the accelerator seemed excessively sensitive. I am waiting to make a turn, I see an opening. I step on the accelerator and I take off like a rocket.

After about a 1000 miles, the ECU must have learned my driving habits as I can take off nice and smooth.

I found that with the US rental car I had. I had to make a very conscious effort in starting from rest or it would almost spin the wheels. It went VERY well with the V6 engine in it.

STOP IT ! I'm getting jealous !