Overview & Reviews

Originating in the latter half of the 1990s, the Toyota RAV4 was one of the first entries in the small crossover SUV market. Almost two decades later, today's RAV4 is considerably larger than that pint-sized original, but the core appeal of versatility, good fuel economy and favorable on-road manners are firmly intact.

The RAV4 has been very popular with consumers through the years, so there are going to be plenty to choose from if you're searching for a used model. The newest third- and fourth-generation RAV4s are the most family-friendly and come with the most features, but an older RAV4 should still appeal to young families and urban singles in search of a reliable compact crossover SUV.

Current Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 is offered in LE, XLE and Limited trim levels. All have a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that produces 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic is standard and buyers can choose either front- or all-wheel drive. With an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in combined driving, the RAV4 is as fuel-efficient as its competitors.

Base LE standard feature highlights include air-conditioning, reclining second-row seats, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a touchscreen interface and iPod/USB integration. The XLE adds alloy wheels, heated mirrors, a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control and sport front seats. The Limited features bigger wheels, a power liftgate, keyless ignition/entry, a power driver seat, heated front seats and faux leather upholstery.
Major options, depending on the trim level, include automatic high beams, blind-spot/lane-departure warning, Toyota's Entune smartphone integration system, a navigation system and premium audio.

In reviews, we've found that this RAV4 gets just about everything right. Its roomy cabin boasts more cargo room than most rivals and provides ample seating space for adults both front and rear. The overall interior design is modern looking, and the Entune system provides useful smartphone app integration, although the touchscreen's virtual buttons can sometimes be finicky to use. There's no engine upgrade available, but the RAV4's 2.5-liter four is refined and adequately powerful. Handling is secure, and the all-wheel-drive system adds further athleticism on curvy and slippery road surfaces. In the interest of comfort, we recommend the smaller wheel options, as the 18-inch wheels tend to have a rougher ride quality.

Used Toyota RAV4 Models
The current, fourth-generation RAV4 debuted for 2013. It maintained the typical RAV4 strengths of carlike driving manners, versatile cargo and passenger configurations and all-around comfort. It's about the same size as the previous generation, but has bolder styling, a more modern interior and some new features. It also has an easier-to-use, top-hinged liftgate instead of the previous swing-out gate, though the previously available third-row seat was discontinued. There have been no notable changes since its debut.

The previous Toyota RAV4 represented the third generation, which Toyota produced from 2006-'12. Compared to earlier models, these RAV4s were bigger and offered an available V6 engine and third-row seat.

In its inaugural third-generation year, two engine choices were offered. A 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine delivered 166 hp and 165 lb-ft of torque, while a 3.5-liter V6 produced 269 hp and 246 lb-ft of torque. Automatic transmissions were standard, with the four-cylinder paired with a four-speed, while the V6 received a five-speed unit.

Three trim levels were also offered: base, Sport and Limited. Base feature highlights included air-conditioning, cruise control, a height-adjustable driver seat and full power accessories. The Sport added 18-inch alloy wheels, a sport-tuned suspension and a roof rack, while the Limited topped it off with 17-inch wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power driver seat and an upgraded audio system. A third-row seat, a moonroof, leather upholstery and a DVD-based rear entertainment system were options on upper level trims.

We praised these models for their pleasant driving manners and convenient cargo space, but deducted points for the side-hinged rear gate and noticeable road noise. We also preferred the powerful V6 over the base four-cylinder engine that suffered with its outdated transmission and mediocre fuel economy.

Changes since its debut were minimal but included additional standard airbags in 2007, a slight styling update in 2009 (with an external spare-tire delete option) and a power increase for the four-cylinder engine (from 166 hp to 179 hp). A newly available touchscreen audio interface and Toyota's Entune smartphone apps were introduced for 2012.

The second-generation Toyota RAV4 (2001-'05) was larger than the original RAV4, with more expressive styling and innovative removable second-row seats that gave it truly impressive cargo-carrying capabilities. Early models had a 148-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that came up short versus the larger four- and six-cylinder engines offered by competitors. Toyota addressed this to some extent in 2004 by replacing the 2.0-liter with a larger 2.4-liter four-cylinder good for 160 hp. Acceleration was markedly improved, and buyers could still choose a manual or automatic transmission. Overall, we found this RAV4 to be a fun-to-drive urban runabout thanks to its precise suspension tuning and high fuel economy ratings.

The first-generation Toyota RAV4 (1996-2000) was offered in two-door and four-door body styles, with a convertible version for a brief period. The first-gen RAV4 was appealing to young singles, but due to its narrow width and tight rear legroom, this cute ute was ultimately no substitute for a traditional family vehicle. Advantages included carlike handling, a low cargo floor and a large rear door that made loading cargo a breeze.

User Reviews:

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  My 2nd Rav - 2005 Toyota RAV4
  By Laurie Bellucci - August 5 - 3:06 am

  I must tell you...I have had a Rav now for 4 years...Our first one was bought in 2002 after renting one in Las Vegas for a week we fell in love...My husband and I came home and purchased our first Rav 4...Since then he has passed on and I just purchased my 2nd Rav...I love it and hope to purchase another one in several more years to come...We checked other SUVs before purchasing a Rav only to find that most were too high off the ground for me to get into...so that was the main reason we purchased our Rav...

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  My RAV 4 - 2005 Toyota RAV4
  By Pat McGuiter - August 3 - 10:50 am

  This truck is great. I had to rate this SUV a "10" in every category. I traded my 4 runner in for this car and I am so happy with it. Especially now that fuel costs are through the roof, its great on the highway. Best car I ever owned.

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  Teenage Driver - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By Teenage Driver - July 29 - 10:43 pm

  For a 19 year old I needed a smaller suv to hold both of my dogs. Compared to any other smaller suv this toyota RAV4 had the most room, great gas mileage, and was the most reliable. I got the RAV4 Sport 4x4 V6 I have only had the car for a few days and I love it. It had a lot of get up and go, I feel safe in it, the sunroof is great, and the upgraded sound system is very very nice. I would recommend this car to everyone.

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  Fun car. - 2009 Toyota RAV4
  By lr_smith - July 28 - 3:13 am

  My first SUV and it feels great, drives like a small sports car. We had a small Toyota Yaris, and it was totaled in an accident, so we needed something bigger even though I loved the Yaris. We only had this car for a couple of weeks but we absolutely love it. It is very ergonomic, all controls are easy to reach, everything is very intuitive.

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  V-6 Sport is a fun car. - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Rob M - July 26 - 9:13 pm

  Great car. 30 mpg on highway. Fast when you want it. Sturdy, excellent handling. JBL stereo not too bad. Lots of space. Electronics are solid

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  Upgraded to Rav4 from 2005 Nissan Altima - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By Rav4_Lover - July 25 - 10:00 am

  Being upgraded from 2005 Nissan Altima (Sedan). This is my first ever new car in my life. I love my Rav4 for the roominess, comfort & great performance. Fun & Steady driving. My family loves it. I4cyl has great power in it compared to CR-V. Had to return the Sport model, as the sport tuned suspension did not give a comfortable ride for the rear seated passengers.

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  Wonderful!!! - 2004 Toyota RAV4
  By Abbey - July 21 - 2:00 am

  It is the best car that you could ever ask for!!! Its just so great. Everything you could want in a car is in a Rav4!!!

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  Love this vehicle! - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By Marilyn - July 20 - 3:50 pm

  This is my 5th Toyota and probably the most fun and most economical one Ive owned so far. I bought it off the lot with the options that came with it and I was very pleased that it came with more than just basic options. It is great on gas, handles very well, easy to maneuver, surprisingly great pep for a 4 cylinder, tons of cargo space and storage, very user friendly with all dash controls and love the design and the Pacific Blue metallic is a beautiful color. I love that the rear door opens to the side rather than raise like a hatch-back, it makes loading and unloading so much easier. The only complaint I have would be that it didnt come with the rearview camera.

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  2016 Rav4 XLE AWD - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By ebeall05@gmail.com - July 18 - 4:13 am

  I have owned my RAV4 XLE a little over a week now and I really dont have any complaints. There was one day where the driving was a little funky, but it seems to have corrected itself now that the vehicle is adjusted to my driving style. Since that one day I have had no awkwardness while driving and find it drives very smoothly. I have no issues with accelerating, braking, etc. I have also found passengers feel it drives smoothly as well. I test drove the Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, and Subaru Forester. I preferred the driving style of the RAV4 the best. The one area for critique would be the sound system. I think the music sounds fine, but it definitely does not stand out as an amazing sound system. Sirius will also go in and out at times around areas with lots of trees. There also seems to be a sound differential when changing from Sirius to a normal FM radio station. Overall I still think the sound system is good, but I also am not a sound buff. A crisp, amazing sounding radio was not an essential factor to me. The RAV4s is more than sufficient for me. I love the looks of this vehicle. The outside looks great with the redesigned front, and I am in love with the interior. The dash is made up of a lot of soft materials, it looks very sporty and sharp. I got the Entune package with Nav on my XLE and feel it was definitely worth it. The upgraded 7in touchscreen looks perfectly fitted in the dash. I also have tinkered with the Nav system and find it more than adequate. It has not given me false directions and is easy to use. It seems to work as well as an older Garmin GPS I own. However, it will not allow you to input an address while driving unless you use voice commands. I have not tried inputting an address via voice command so I dont know how well that works. The bluetooth in the RAV4 has also worked great for me thus far. I can clearly hear the person on the other end, and have not had anyone complain about not being able to hear me clearly either. This vehicle also has great cargo capacity and tons of room. I have driven passengers in the backseat and heard no complaints about it being a tight fit. I find the seats comfortable. I did have to adjust my seat a few times after buying to get it into just the right position, but I think I finally got it there. Overall, I would definitely recommend the RAV4. For me, it was an immediate standout when I first viewed and test drove it. This was actually the last compact SUV I looked at because I was hooked from the first test drive. The RAV4 was not even on my list of potential SUVs, but the dealership was next to Honda and I decided to take a look and am really glad I did. If you are shopping for a car, Id say you should at least check the RAV4 out. I am super happy with my car purchasing experience!

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  So far so good - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Eric - July 15 - 11:56 pm

  I have owned the Rav4 for about 6 weeks and have almost 1800 miles. I have a 4WD limited, 4cyl. It runs smooth and quiet. When it switches gears, mine doesnt "clink" as a previous reviewer said. The 4cyl has more than enough oomph for basic driving. Im not one for towing/hauling, so I didnt need the 6cyl. I like how the CD player reads MP3s. My previous car did not. I can get about 180 songs on a CD. However, the random function seems to play about the same 25 songs... not sure why. All in all happy with my purchase. If I could go back, I would still buy it again.