Overview & Reviews

The 2012 Toyota RAV4 carries over unchanged save for a newly available touchscreen audio interface and Toyota's Entune suite of Internet-streaming technologies.

• Strong power and fuel economy from optional V6
• Comfortable ride
• Responsive handling.
• Huge cargo space with flat load floor and low load height

• Disappointing four-cylinder.
• Taller drivers are a tight fit
• Interior has a budget feel
• Right-side hinge for tailgate impedes curbside loading

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 41.00

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  Quick, agile & fast! - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By Scott Livingston - December 6 - 5:33 am

  Weve owned this car for 3 years now. Its been a very reliable and sporty SUV. Really love to drive it!! When you need to get up and go, this SUV gets you there fast, and safely, my I add. Its got airbags all over, with traction control and anti-lock brakes that keep you safely on the road. Very fun and exiting vehicle to drive. I would recommend this SUV to anyone!

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  If you want the V-6, buy now! - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By frogee - June 10 - 4:48 am

  Currently have 7,000 miles on my RAV. I particularly appreciate the power and smoothness of the V-6. As one reviewer noted, the accelerator pedal is a bit sensitive, but you readily adjust to that. I consider fuel economy to be pretty good--23MPG in daily driving, 30 on the highway, at least if youre not trying to pass everybody on the road. I would think the V-6 would be a must for anyone towing or carrying heavy loads. And its going away on the 2013 model. (Of course, there is always the Highlander, if you want something much bigger and more pricey.)

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  Very poor mileage - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By ledaebel - March 29 - 11:20 pm

  I have had a problem with poor gas mileage since I first bought the car. I am not happy having to get out of a warm car to put gas in the tank so frequently. I have brought this problem to the dealer, the service dept, the regioal rep, (BTY was very difficult to locate) and finally to phone "caseworker." The best mileage I got was 18.2 MG on the toll road. Now, in the middle of winter 14.2. Toyota says there is nothing wrong with the car. Their reasoning is that I must use bad gas, its winter, its a 6 cyl, the EPA ratings are done under ultimate conditions and I should not expect that yype of mileage Im dumping this gas guzzler. I had better mileage with my2007 6cyl Camry.

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  So soon ? - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By Ernest Bottomer - August 17 - 10:49 pm

  Recently purchased a pre-owned 6cyl.2012 rav4 with 22,000. Noticed a low level droning starting at 40 mph. It would go away with foot off the gas. Took it back to Toyota and they said the Transmission had a bad bearing . Will put in a re-manufactured Trans. Hope that does it.

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  Does Everything Without a Fuss - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By Central Maryland Dad - November 13 - 11:42 pm

  This 2012 RAV4 Base is my first SUV and Im pleased with my choice. I needed a fuel efficient, roomy, do-it-all car for my daily commute, driving the kids, and something my partially disabled wife could drive, too. I put about 9,000 miles on the SUV since I bought it used in January, including a couple days of central Maryland snow. So far, this RAV4 does everything well enough and nothing spectacularly. Performance is adequate. The 2.5 liter four-banger has enough power for my commute and in-town driving. Highway merges arent a problem as long as Im willing to gun it hard. The power is barely adequate with three passengers and highway merging is dicey. My overall fuel economy is a pretty good 27 MPG. Braking is effective. The long pedal travel was disconcerting enough that I had the dealer re-check the brakes. The brakes work well under all conditions once I got the feel of them. The car holds the road suprisingly well, much better than I expected from an SUV. The steering is predictable and solid. The four-speed automatic transmission shifts quickly and the gear changes are merely noticeable, even under hard acceleration. I hardly notice them any more. Front seat comfort is okay. Im 64" and weigh about 310 pounds. Leg room is sufficient and I have plenty of headroom, about three inches. I wish the seat had better thigh support. The seat cushions are very firm, almost hard. The side bolsters hold me in place nicely, even during hard curves and corners. All of my drive times have been shorter than an hour. I have no information about longer trips. The rear seat is surprisingly roomy. Teenagers (up to 58") can sit behind me and still have enough room to be comfortable. I could sit behind me and have enough room! The rear seat cushions are as firm as the front seat cushions. However, my teenaged rear seat passengers ride for short trips and havent complained. My main interior complaint is the frikkin noise! A lot of engine and tire noise penetrate the cabin. Road noise is so bad that I cant listen to the radio. I stopped playing the radio during my commute lest my ears ring painfully at the end of the trip. Cargo and storage is cavernous. I love it! Im glad the first owner did not get the optional third row seat. There are plenty of pockets, cubbies, and other cavities for small things. The cavernous cargo space is a boom box, though. I think half of the road noise is amplified back there. Safety seems fine. If I dont notice, then its probably good, right? The headlights are nice and bright. The all-wheel drive, anti-skid control, and anti-lock brakes worked unobtrusively or as expected in the snow. Win! This RAV4 is my first car to have Bluetooth. I dont know how I lived without it! I have one USB port and one 3.5mm headphone jack in the Base trim. The radio sounds okay for playing speech but lousy for music. Its the cheap base model radio and it sucks. I dont know if I would notice a better radio over the aforementioned interior noise, though. Reliability? Maintenance costs? Its a Toyota! It gets top reviews and recommendations everywhere. This is the fifth Toyota in my family and all previous Toyotas have been rock solid. I expect my RAV4 to be just as reliable. Ive been driving the snot out of this car ever since I got it and Ive been satisfied with it.

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  Rav4 vs Rogue - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By cigsmh - June 30 - 4:21 am

  The biggest disappointment with the RAV4 driver position is that I can’t adjust for normal driving. I don’t even want to feel comfortable at least safe. My right leg and foot is so uncomfortable, it numb, the knee is pressed and hurts. The muscles are tense. The RAV4 seat has a lot of adjustment but nothing works. They had the acceleration pedal got stack problem once, and they put it so high from the bottom and also made the bottom incline, and cut the bottom half of the pedal making it so small; the feet is in terrible position , the position is breaking the feet. If I knew this issue I would take Rogue or may be CRV.

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  Great comfort - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By gglenno - March 7 - 9:27 am

  I cant for the life of me figure out why others are finding the seating comfort of their Rav4s unbearable. My wife and I recently traveled over 2000 miles to Colorado and back in our nearly new 2012 model... this Rav4 is one of the most comfortable vehicles we have owned. Seating positions are great! Ride comfort is very good. Little to no fatigue for either of us. Gas mileage in the heavy winds of South Dakota suffered, but the trip home found much better mpgs. This is a very nice vehicle.

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  4x4 V6 Base - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By randy432 - December 18 - 5:03 am

  The V6 is as quick as my V6 Altima but without the drama. The 4x4 and traction control means I just point and go, no tire spinning. Mileage is so so, 16-20 in town depending on how hard you push it. At 80 on the highway 22MPG. At 60 26MPG. The seats are OK, nothing great. Noise level is OK, a little louder than my Altima. The base stereo does everything I need, I just load up a flash drive and set it to random play. I have had the car 4 months.

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  2012 Toyota RAV4 Sport is best car I ever owned - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By Bigjonlsmo - November 24 - 7:01 pm

  Five years and its still a winner. Good ride and handling. Outstanding acceleration and braking. Came with run-flat tires and I replaced them at 50,000 miles. Never had any problems or dealer issues. Would buy again except V6 is not available any longer. Only complaints are lower-than-expected gas mileage and too-small fuel tank.

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  Great little SUV - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By tnboy - August 11 - 5:12 am

  We wanted a smaller SUV with a V-6, maximum room for the class, and a moderate price for the class, and this fit the bill perfectly. We compared others, and none had the combination of our four main wants. We also considered the Lexus RX350 and the Volvo XC60 but didnt see $15-$20K worth of quality differences ("prestige" in a vehicle was not one of our needs).