Toyota Rav4 thoughts?
 

My Mom is ready to get a new vehicle. She wants a smaller SUV. I told her about the Rav4 and was curious if anyone here have family members that own one or know about them? I told her to get a Toyota for reliability, but didn't know if the Rav4 were as good as the 4runners.

I'm old, I like "luxurious full loaded" vehicles. The Limited RAV4 is worth a look. I like the panoramic roof, heated steering wheel, etc etc. It is a great car and WILL last you forever. No turbos/CVTs crap, it uses proven technology which is very nice. Similar to the 4Runner? Not really, in terms of reliability, yes, but no doubt issues will pop up as they age. Most of us know what to look for in a 4Runner as they age, the RAV4 has other issues (realize ALL CARS have some sort of issue, no such thing as a perfect car). My brother had a 2009 Limited RAV4. Boring as watching paint dry, but it was very reliable. My biggest thing with them (present one included) is that the engine is "buzzy" and sounds unrefined. It will last forever, but this is just a characteristic of these motors, I just never liked that. When my DD (Civic that currently has 289K miles) dies, this gen RAV4 will be a #1 or #2 for my consideration as a replacement.

Even if you get an "XLE" (most folks do), you really can't go wrong. It's solid. Period.

Good luck.

Wow, I think you fully answered everything I wanted to know! Thanks!

Its hard to compare against a 4Runner, not from a quality standpoint, but from construction. One is quite literally a truck, and the other is a unibody car. That said, I think it’s safe to say the overall reliability and build quality would be about the same, typical Toyota.

I am not really into the RAV4 for myself, but I did check out the newest model at the dealer and they do look pretty good when looking at the Limited or Adventure AWD models. I can see why people like them and if I was in the market for something in that class I don’t think I would have any hesitation buying.

Just to throw out another option for your mom, you should have her look at a Tesla Model 3. I test drove one last year just out of curiosity and I was really blown away by it. If I was in the market for a commuter right now, I would get that without second guessing the decision.

Yeah, I was just curious of the build quality. Not trying to compare it to the 4runner, just curious of the reliability. As far as a Tesla goes, she would never get one of those. She repels technology, haha.

If she repels technology, then a Toyota is perfect lol.

They are very reliable.

I had a 2008 with the V6. It was a lot of engine for the vehicle size. The only thing I hated was the seats. I had leather and even then they were very uncomfortable on a long ride.

My wife has a 2014 and even the 4 cylinder engine is pretty zippy. My wife would not want to drive anything larger. She has never driven my 4Runner. The seats in it are much better.

Cheap, reliable with good gas mileage.

Ditto here. My wife drives a 2013 XLE that we bought used with 125k miles on it. It's solid and drives very much like a new car.The engine has plenty of guts and isn't buzzy at all. The only problem it had when we bought it was an occasional slight rumble when shifting into 4th gear (automatic trans). Toyota diagnosed and replaced the torque converter under an extended warranty that covered it up to 150k miles. I would get a 2020 without hesitation.

Thanks everyone! I'll definitely recommend one to her.

We're buying my wife a Rav 4 limited hybrid. I wish we could wait for the Rav4 Prime but it wont be out in time for us to take advantage of the settlement on the class action lawsuit for Hyundai's horrid Tucson.

Oh man...what happened with the Tucson? My wife drives a 2014 Santa Fe.

The 2019 Rav4s are built in Japan.

Rav4's are fine but I suggest checking out a Subaru Outback.

Have fun!

I looked at the trim levels of the Rav4, and the lower ones are super spartan. When I found a trim level with options that I liked, it was a few thousand dollars off from a 4Runner SR5, so I just went with the 4Runner.

Also, front wheel drive. Bleh.

The 4Runner is a huge step up from the RAV4 but some people like my wife would never want to drive a vehicle that large.