RAV4 V6 same as Avalon's?

[joewildlife]

Hey,
I've owned a first and second generation Honda CRV and my main complaint was that Honda didn't offer a V6. I would've bought a 2006 RAV4 with the V6 but needed a Tundra to pull my fishing boat around.

Long story short I'm driving an Avalon around today with the 3.5L V6 with 260-something hp. DANG! You RAV4 folks have it ALL OVER them little baby CRVs now if this is your motor!!! Is it the same or similar motor in the Avalon and the RAV4?

[el_madmaster]

Originally Posted by joewildlife

Hey,
I've owned a first and second generation Honda CRV and my main complaint was that Honda didn't offer a V6. I would've bought a 2006 RAV4 with the V6 but needed a Tundra to pull my fishing boat around.

Long story short I'm driving an Avalon around today with the 3.5L V6 with 260-something hp. DANG! You RAV4 folks have it ALL OVER them little baby CRVs now if this is your motor!!! Is it the same or similar motor in the Avalon and the RAV4?

Yes it is. If I had to buy any compact SUV, the Rav would without a doubt be top of the list, simply because of that fine motor.

[MMitsock]

I have an '06 Avalon with the 268 HP V-6. 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds. Great motor, smooth, quiet, powerful. I imagine it performs well in the RAV also. I have been averaging 25-26 MPG mixed driving 31 all highway. Hard to find any other engine with that HP and MPG combination.

[Quickdtoo]

Yes, it's the same engine, rated at 269hp, 0-60= 6.3 seconds and rated to tow 3500lbs w/tow prep, and does it fine!!

Tim

Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD V-6 - - Car and Driver - January 2006

[joewildlife]

Ah, that 3500 pound tow figure on the RAV4 had me real close to getting one. I had an Isuzu V6 Rodeo rated at 4500 pounds and I did not like how it handled my boat in the wind and braking performance was questionable. I had considered buying surge brakes for the boat trailer.

I opted for the Tundra knowing that overkill is good when it comes to towing. The longer wheelbase, body on frame construction, and true rear/four wheel drive made it attractive to me.

MY boat is a heavy 17' and wide bass boat with a 60 hp motor and 10hp kicker. With a full load of fuel, 3 batteries, livewell, coolers, and gear, it is a long and heavy package with significant tongue weight. Tips the scales over 2200 pounds wet. The RAV4 would pull it I'm sure, but the boat package would be wider, pretty tall, and quite a bit longer than the SUV and it would be a bit of the tail wagging the dog.

Your combo looks just right though.

Joe

[Quickdtoo]

Mine weighs just a bit more loaded, dry weight is 1800lbs, plus 18 gallons of fuel and all my gear and my fishin partner's, with 4 batteries, anchor and all. I do wish it had brakes though for the few times I tow in wet weather during spring salmon fishing, just have to be careful. Other than that it handles it beautifully, almost like it's not back there! With the hitch so close to the rear axle, it helps control a lot. The only issue I've had was the ball mount movement in the receiver, I curbed that with a Valley hitch silencer.

Tim

[joewildlife]

Tim,
after reading your posts here and on RAV4world....I uh, maybe coulda shoulda bought a RAV4! I really like the SUVs, it started with a Bronco 2, then a Bronco, then a 2000 CRV, then a 2002 CRV, then a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo. I haven't owned a pickup for 15 years until I bought the Tundra. Most of the time the bed is empty. I bought it to tow my boat. I'll have to load up the boat sometime and get an accurate weight on it wet, I'm guessing what it weighs to some degree. All I know is that last spring when I had the boat "wet", when I added the 10 hp kicker to it, it was the last straw with the Isuzu. It started wagging around when a truck passed and there was no way to increase tongue weight on the trailer to help alleviate that problem. I only have the kicker on there in April and May but a wagging boat one time is enough. I bought the Tundra a week later. The Isuzu did have weak brakes too.

I think I'll buy a used RAV4 in a year or two for a daily driver for myself, to pass along to my daughter in 6 short years. If I do I'll try it with the boat to see if it can replace the Tundra. I'm just not too sure.

What boat model do you have and what size motor? 4 batteries?? give your weight stats again if you don't mind.

thanks,
Joe

[Quickdtoo]

Motor is a 40hp 4 stroke EFI Merc, very fuel efficient btw, weighs 203lbs, batteries are group 27 deep cycle at 55lbs each, one for the engine, 2 for the bow mounted Minnekota Autopilot and one for electronics.. marine radio and 2 LCD graphs. Anchor is a 30lb custom made for the Columbia river with break-away, plus 115lbs of fuel. Comes to just shy of 2500lbs, not including any fishing tackle, fire extinguisher and other safety equipment.

Tim

[trd4jt]

Tim,

A friend of mine just purchased an 06 limited Rav4 V6, but the tow package wasn't available through his dealer without a considerable wait.

Is there a tranny cooler included with the package on the V6 similar to the Tundra, or is it just the receiver?

He wants to tow a 12' aluminium boat similar to yours, with outboard and light fishing tackle about 10 mi. each way. He has a cabin in Idyllwild CA., and plans to tow it from there to Lake Hemet for fishing outings.

Going a little off topic, but his boat has no trailer (got the boat for free through a friend) and I was wondering what a good resource would be to find a trailer?

Thanks in advance for the response,

John

[joewildlife]

For a boat as small as the one you mention, an inexpensive trailer can be bought from Harbor Freight, Northern Hydraulics, or even Cabelas. I'm thinking about $299. And there would be no need for a towing package or such for a stock RAV4 to tow what should amount to around 1000 pounds.

Joe

[trd4jt]

Originally Posted by joewildlife

For a boat as small as the one you mention, an inexpensive trailer can be bought from Harbor Freight, Northern Hydraulics, or even Cabelas. I'm thinking about $299. And there would be no need for a towing package or such for a stock RAV4 to tow what should amount to around 1000 pounds.

Joe

Joe,

Thanks for the reply. I will let him know the info..

John

[Quickdtoo]

The V6 Rav4 without tow package is rated for 2000lbs, the "tow prep" package does include a hvy duty radiator with tranny cooler, but it doesn't include any wiring from the instrument panel back or the receiver. The tow harness wiring has to be purchased separately from Toyota for about $115 or from aftermarket for even less, and for light duty towing, a Reese or one of the other aftermarket hitches that attaches with 4 bolts can be had for about $130. An OEM hitch will cost about $400, but attaches with over a dozen bolts and to way more surface area of the unibody frame and bumper extensions.

Tim

[chillerman]

I own a 21' Xpress aluminum boat w/150 yamaha and tandem trailer. The total weight of my rig is probably just over 3,000#. I have pulled it with my 2006 limited v-6, tow pkg. RAV-4 for short distances and here are my impressions: The RAV-4 has more than enough power but the tail does wag the dog somewhat in that on turns the "pull" of the boat on the car can definitely be felt, in braking the extra weight can be felt pushing the RAV even though the trailer has its own brakes on one axle. The tongue weight can also be felt pulling down on the rear. In contrast my 2006 Honda pilot which only has a 4,500# rating vs the 3,500 rating of the RAV handles the rig much better and gives me a much more secure feeling during the drive. I used to tow this boat as well as some previous heavier boats with my 95 Ford Club Wagon van and although the van had only 240 h/p vs 244(Pilot), 269 h/p(RAV-4) you would forget that the boat was back there. In summation...there is no substitute for mass in the tow vehicle. I pulled boats out of the water and up a ramp when pickups failed due to the extra weight on the rear tires of my van. That van weighed 6,500, Pilot 4,00, RAV-4 3,500.

[chillerman]

Has anyone with the standard stereo in their RAV-4 had ocassions where the radio display displays an H" followed by 12 unrecognizable figures in its display screen? Dealer failed to find reason as it did not do this while thay had it. Intermittent problems are difficult to diagnose.

[kavatski]

The radio display going wonky is a known problem with some RAV4s. Toyota released a TSB and will replace the radio with an updated unit. Tell your dealer to look up TSB AU001-07.