Overview & Reviews

The Toyota RAV4 carries over unchanged for 2008.

• Superb power and fuel economy for optional V6, balanced ride and handling, roomy second row, low cargo floor, solid construction.

• Interior has a budget feel, side-hinged rear gate impedes curbside loading, driver seat a tight fit for tall drivers.

User Reviews:

Showing 21 through 30 of 133.00

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  Love My New Rav 4 - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Branden - March 1 - 10:20 pm

  Theres a lot to like about this vehicle, and a few minor annoyances. The pick up is amazing with the V6 engine (I previously had a 4 cylinder). Lots of room compared to older models. Plenty of legroom for passengers in back, and plenty of cargo space.

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  So far, so good - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By John C - September 3 - 5:06 pm

  Its our first Toyota (past is mostly Hondas & Fords), and has been a good purchase so far. It replaced our Ford Explorer, and the ride and handling are great. 3rd row seat is good, but tight for the kids on short rides. Good ride / handling, and the 4 cyl engine has good acceleration (better than the CRV and V6 Escape we tested). Easy to get in and out for my wife (only 5 tall), and has good seating position. She drives it mostly around town, so we are only averaging 21 mpg, but hope to get better results on highway trips. Interior is well constructed, controls are easy to use with good layout. Looking forward to mileage on longer trips, and to see how good AWD drive is in the snow

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  Problems with brakes and rattles - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Unhappy Owner - July 4 - 1:00 pm

  This is the first Toyota I have ever owned and will probably be the last. I have only had it for 2 months and I have lots of complaints. There are a lot of rattles coming from the dash and when I took it in of course they said they were not out of the ordinary. But, a bigger more serious problem is that the car has shut down on me twice while waiting at a red light. I have had to take the car in 4 times and they have put it on the computer and have not been able to duplicate the problem. They told me its the traction sensor and that I am putting extreme pressure on the brakes which is causing the computer to think I am stopping suddenly and shutting down the engine. Is that nuts?

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  The RAV is cool - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By mike - May 2 - 11:30 pm

  My wife wanted a new vehicle after driving minivans for the last fifteen years. Gas mileage was a big factor as was the fact she wanted a small suv and something sporty. All those factors took us to the RAV. Nice ride, looks cool, good gas mileage so far (about 23 mpg), cant wait to take a trip with it this summer.

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  Amazing gas mileage - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By panpan - April 9 - 6:30 pm

  I purchased my RAV4 Limited 4 cyl 4x4 3 days ago, and drove it Saturday and Sunday to Bear Mountain State Park NY. It was of course full tank of gas. After driving 180 miles over the weekend, and I refuel on Sunday night, it pumps only 5.6 gallons of gas. It turns out to be 32 miles / gallon. Unbelievable. It gives my family very smooth ride, reasonable wind noise and road noise. Interior room is spacious, near mid- side SUV interior space, with compact SUV price. It is fun to drive, good handling. Overall, great value for that kind of price.

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  Upholstery problems - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By sewsue - January 11 - 7:56 am

  Purchased my base model 2008 RAV4 at the end of October. Love everything about it except the upholstery. At 3 months old and under 5500 miles, the fabric on the seats and on the door panels is starting to pill and fuzz. Toyota tells me this is "normal wear and tear". Thankfully my dealer disagrees. They are trying to find me matching fabric. Glad I no longer have kids and their gear to haul around. The interior would not survive. Wish now that I had chosen the Limited trim level with leather seats.

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  RAV4 - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Lene - September 27 - 12:40 am

  V6 is very peppy engine. CONS:Drivers seat does not go back very far. Im only 56" & I would like more leg room. Since getting the car I have always noticed a humming noise whenever Im accelerating & at all speeds, but especially between 40-45 mph. It has never impacted the performance of the car. I just took it into the dealer to address this sound. The dealer confirmed it IS a problem with the Rav4. They will be replacing the L side engine mount, rear engine mount & L side drive axle damper. They said IF that doesnt do the trick it will have to get a new transmission! What a surprise that was! Thank goodness I took it in before the warranty expired! So be aware...and listen.

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  Good family hauler - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By tireguy - May 11 - 4:53 am

  No surprises with the RAV4. I dove into this purchase with extensive research, and optioned it precisely to suit my familys needs (well, mostly my needs): Limited, V6, 4wd, leather, JBL, 3rd row, tow package. On paper, its exactly what a family of 5 needs to motor about the local area (with three kids in car seats) in a bit of style. What this vehicle lacks (unbeknownst to the spec-sheet analyst) is any serious personality. Its fast, but handles like a van. Its a suitable light-medium duty tow vehicle; I frequently tow a 2,000 lb enclosed trailer and barely know its there. The interior is laid out fine. Exteriorwise, the front is nice, but the back bumper is just plain ugly.

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  Fun Car - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Alf - February 27 - 11:46 pm

  just traded in 05 Escape. I thought that was good until I tried this. Big difference. Better gas mileage from the 3.5 v6, great handling, fully loaded, quieter but still road noise, front wheels getting brake dust,smoother ride, tighter turning radius. 2 trip meters, outside temp., Escape did not have, but needs mileage computer. Seats a little tight up front, too much room in rear. Must be for Japanese market, smaller people. Could easily move seat rails back 2 in. Center console box could have been bigger, higher. Like to have grab bar like Escape. Blue tooth cellphone echoes. Rear hatch should open up, not sideways. A problem unloading with parallel parking. Will buy again.

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  Decent Vehicle - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By RINNC - July 27 - 12:43 pm

  Drove this car for about 2 yrs. Fabric seats are comfortable on long distances,seat material started pilling shortly after purchased. Dealer replaced but same thing happened. Position of controls well placed. Radio sounds great and subwoofer in rear door does not rattle. Mp3 jack was stupidly placed in the cntr console below the power outlet. Lots of hard plastic but it does not look cheap. Handled well in the snow,only have front-wheel drv. The original tires wore out to fast. Cant see backlit orange temp and radio cntrl with sunglasses on. Back cargo net is cheap. Torque steer when accelerating.