impressions of 2006 RAV4 owners?

[jaderain]

Hello, picked up our 2006 4cyl Limited 4x4 Red little unit two weeks ago. Love it! Some background info (hey, this is just because I care man) I've had the dream of owning a 4Runner since the 2nd generation came out. I drove a 1987 SR5 4x4 pickup for 13 years, now I drive a 2002 4x4 Tundra, love that too. NOW, the two things that basically shot down my 4Runner were the lame gas mileage, and it would be a very tight fit in our garage with the Tundra. So, we were looking at the Highlander, which I really like, but it dosen't excite me like the 4Runner does. I always liked the RAV4, but it was just too small. Now enter in the new "super RAV", which is very close to the Highlander, especially in weight, and we were interested in it. Driving the RAV4 compared to the Highlander is a much better experience. This thing is terrific, (look up the Car and Driver issue with the review). It is a handsome vehicle, the ride is excellent, the 4 cyl engine seems just fine, seats are very comfortable, space is great (ironically, the RAV4 is very close to the dimensions of the 2nd and 3rd generation 4Runners). We just finished our first tank of gas, and it returned 25.6 MPG! I was ecstatic! We don't have a lot of long drives in our town, so I was hoping for 23 mpg (rating is 23-28), to see that 25.6 was awesome! If the car gets 25 mpg over its life when then I'm a total believer right there!! Another cool item is the 4x4 locker, at speeds under 25 mph, you can force the system to be in real 4 wheel drive, as opposed to the all wheel drive normal setup which is basically front wheel drive, tip the hat to Toyota for putting that in. OK, the problems (hey, I'm nitpicking here). The front seats seem just a little small to me, but I'm 6'3'', and they are very comfortable. We got the limited, with the side airbags and the better JBL stereo. It has many bells and whistles, but I thought since it was the Limited, it should have had the windshield wiper de-icer grid standard. We have two small children, and we wanted to wait and see what the crash-test results were, but we made the move anyways before finding out, I'm hoping this thing performs as well as the last RAV, which got top results all around (in its class of course, which was around 2900 lbs, new one is around 3600 lbs) Anyways, this looks to be a great vehicle. It is the replacement for my wifes 1995 Accord, we're hoping to get a good long life out of it! cheers, Jaderain

[grrrr13]

Jaderain, thank you for your post. It was informative and helpful. I am also looking at the Rav 2006 for my wife. Now that a little time has passed do you still like the 4 cyc. or do you wish you had the 6 cyc.?

I was just in Juneau last Sept. beautiful place, concider yourself lucky. I would do anything to live up there. Hope to hear back from you.

[jaderain]

Hello, yeah, really love it here, we all have someplace in the world that fits us, and the Rainforest of Southeast Alaska is it for me! No big news to add to our RAV4 except that gas mileage has dropped below 25 the last couple of tanks, however, it we went through a real cold spell (10 degrees F) that probably accounts for it. For where we live, the 4 cyl is just perfect. It has the pep, and with our gas hanging around $2.70 per gallon, I really appreciate getting the better mileage. I still can't believe that the V6 has 270 horses! I couldn't imagine what it would feel like with that much power! I guess if you are going to do a lot of highway cruising and merging with traffic, then you could consider the big engine (or I guess if you want to blow away sports cars and muscle cars with your little RAV!!). So, to sum up, we really like it, the back seat has fantastic room, AWD works great in snow, etc. Good luck. Jaderain

[in2ba8]

Hi,
I am new to this forum and would like to say Hi to all the fellow Toyota SUV/TRUCK enthusiasts.

I've been dring a Chevy 1993 K1500 for several years and I see it is time to move on and move up to a Toyota. The problem is, I have always liked the Tundra, but they are coming out with a completely revamped model early next year. On the other hand I saw the new RAV4 at the North American auto show and have since drove one. It is an awesome vehicle.

But, being used to trucks it would be a big change. But the gas mileage, you gotta love that. I drove the RAV V-6 and could not believe the torqe and power.

Third thing is I really like the Tacoma since the update recently, the reviews on it couldn't say enough good things.

So, its like trying to choose between Miss January, Miss june and Miss December.

Please reply with and help or ideas you may have. Thanks again

[Highlander3]

I owned a 2002 Tundra SR-5 4x4 4.7L V8 for a few years. Nice truck and it was much better than the F150's I've owned (including a new 2004 XLT). However, it wasn't perfect --- I really noticed cross winds on the interstate --- had all of the brakes replaced (under warranty) due to "shudder" issue --- MPG wasn't all that great --- overall though, an enjoyable truck.

Three weeks ago I purchased a 2006 Highlander. My wife and I test drove the RAV 4 (a 4 cyl LTD). Power was alright, but the noise and comfort levels were poor to us. It just didn't seem to have that Toyota quality build to us. The dealership was bargaining on HLs, but not the new RAV, so it was an easy choice for us. To each his own...

I also like the Tacoma, but feel that it should get more MPG for its mid-size class. We no longer need a truck, so I haven't checked them out. They're a good looking vehicle! I don't know if any of this helps you. I still recommend that you review past posting of ownership troubles. No vehicle is perfect, but go to any board and the Toyota posting are far fewer than other makes.

Good luck!

[Smellfunny2000]

I just traded my 05 Tundra DC in for a 06 RAV4. I have only had it for a few days but I really like it. I got somewhere around 28 MPG. That is a huge improvement over 16 MPG in the Tundra. I have the I-4 and it has enough power for me.

At that rate I should save about 150.00 per month in gas. I travel alot. The Tundra was a nicer ride, but I still like the RAV.

I liked the Highlander when I drove it. It came down to the price difference between the two and the difference in MPG. I also like smaller vehicles. (one of the reasons I traded the Tundra). Besides folks think the new RAV is a highlander anyway.

[Rav4man]

I am also new to this forum. We just bought an 06 Rav4 last month and love it.
We have only had it a month and have 5k miles on it, so we have really had a chance to check it out well. It is quiet, smooth and manuverable. Big and comfortable enough for 4 people to travel on a road trip, but small enough to tool around town in. Impressive turning radius!
The day we bought it, we took it for a 2800 mile road trip. The gas milage was good. We drove considerably over the speed limit (anywhere from 70 to 90mph) and still got on average 23 to 24 mpg. Overall, the 4cy has plenty of power.
I have a '98 Tacoma Prerunner and a '03 Honda Civic, but now I prefer the Rav4 handsdown! I travel alot and drive tons of different rental cars and none really compete with the new Rav4.
For the money, I havent really found anything that I dont like about the vehicle.

[Smellfunny2000]

The only thing that I have found that I would change is that the driver's seat is a little small to me. I feel like there could be more bottom seat. I am only 5'9" but my seat ends way before my knees. Not sure if that is clear.

I love the transmission. It is much smoother than my Tundra's transmission.

[RockyHeap]

Great ride, the 6 cylinder ROCKS for throw you back in the seat power during a down shift, yet you still get darn near the same milage as the little 4 sillynder that you have to rev hard to zip around. I4 is fine for putt putt, but with the 6 I'm still getting 25 mpg.

[starkky]

My story is almost identical to the original post. I had a 2003 Ford F-150 (Liked it)- now have a 2006 Tundra Stepside and LOVE IT). Wife had a 2001 4-Runner and we both loved it (awesome Vehicle) but hated the gas mileage. But no other complaints though. Had 88k miles with the original headlight bulbs and original brakes. The Ford needed new brakes every 30k miles and I went through at least 4 pairs of bulbs. My Wife saw a magazine ad about the new bigger Rav4 and told me to look into it, while I had the 4-Runner serviced. I said (on the inside) "No way in H*** am I going from a 4-Runner to a Rav4". But really said "OK I'll look at it if you want." After studying a Pearl White Limited 4wd 4-banger with 17" Enkei Wheels and Michelin Tires, I asked the salesman if we could take her for a spin. I could not believe what I was saying. I knew after driving it, I could tell my wife it was a piece of C*** and we should keep our precious 4-Runner (despite the gas mileage)....... We ended up buying the Rav4 that night. No regrets, by the way!! Well, maybe one. I sure would like to feel the power of that 6cyl!! Or maybe not!! I may do something stupid like trade her's for an identical 6-banger and try to pass it off.

[streakbreaker]

I'm glad to see the mileage you're getting out of your Rav4 but I must admit....we're not receiving that out of ours

We're getting around 22 if we're lucky! Is there something we've done wrong?

[jaderain]

I just filled up last night and we got 24.1 mpg (which I'm ecstatic over, I know that 24 isn't the greatest ever, however for a SUV, it is damn good, our 1995 Accord that we replaced with the RAV got around 28.5 over the course of its life) I live in a town where we have very limited roads, so we don't often get to do a long cruise. If we do get a longer drive or two in, then it goes up, the last few tanks were around 22 mpg. I'm hoping that we can always stay above 24, I'm curious what we would get on a real road trip. cheers Jaderain

[Smellfunny2000]

I have a little over 1000 miles on mine now and I have not hit below 25 with it. I-4. The best so far is 27.4. It is really nice driving up to the pump and "filling up" for under 30.00. (I was above a 1/4 tank).

[implicated]

I've gone through 3 full tanks of gas on my 2006 RAV4 LTD 4wd 4cyl and haven't cracked 17 mpg yet. Very disappointed, especially since every comment I read has people doing much better. I'm getting a consistent 16.5mpg.

This is with a 60/40 mix between city/highway. I'm definitely not a lead foot or stop light dragster.

Dealer's giving me the "still breaking engine in come back at 5K miles" line, but I don't buy that. I'd expect to see fluctuation if that were the case, with an improving trend. Service Manager at dealer also said he's had other reports of similar mileage and that my case was not unusual.

Anyone seeing similar mileage performance with their RAV4?

[jaderain]

Hello all, one issue I seem to be having with our new RAV is that there is a clunk when we first shift into D. When you start the car, obviously it is revving a bit higher because it is cold, then you shift into R to back out of the driveway, no problem, then we shift into D and it clunks in. This is the ONLY time it happens, if the car is warmed up, then when we shift from R to D it is smooth as silk. I'm just wondering here. cheers jaderain