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:

• 

  I love the RAV4!! - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Michele - March 7 - 6:26 pm

  Ive only had this car for less than a month and I have to say that I just love to drive it! For a 4 cyl. this car can move through traffic and has great acceleration onto the freeway ramps. It looks beautiful from the inside and out with lots of room in the cargo.

• 

  So far, so good... - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By Jwillis76 - March 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive only had the car a couple weeks, but Im enjoying it a lot. Its high enough off the ground and fast enough to keep up with the big boys. I hope it stays as smooth of a ride now as in 5 years when I can finally pay it off!

• 

  Worst 2015 Vehicle - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Frank Skelly - March 7 - 5:17 am

  My 2015 RAV4 is the 20th new car I have purchased and the worst one by far. The navigation screen is slanted so that for many hours in the morning, afternoon, and evening, it reflects sunlight directly into the drivers eyes blinding them. The center console arm rest moves forward when you brake and moves backward when you accelerate - I took it back to the dealer and they said it is working correctly - but I have never seen one move as freely as this one and I have probably driven over 100 autos with moveable console armrests. Also the armrest was leaking white grease down into the storage are below it and the dealer did nothing about it. I believe it was built with one or more of the stops that are supposed to be in the armrest to keep it from moving freely were left out during manufacture but the dealer - Fort Worth Toyota took no action to try to discover why it moves so freely. Also the speedometer reads about 4 mph high and when I took it back to Fort Worth Toyota, they overlaid a photo of a GPS speed over a laptop computer video of the speedometer and said it was accurate at 70 mph, but that is a bold faced lie. I have since talked to a number of other owners of RAV4s and they also have the inaccurate speedometers going all the way back to the 2008 RAV4. If the speedometer is reading high, it is probably also recording mileage driven as 4 miles high which probably helps them advertise that their vehicles get better gas mileage than the really do. The US justice department should look into this as this is another example of what Volkswagen did with their diesel engines. The width of the windshield supports on each side of the car and the way they are angled create very large blind spots making it hard to see coming vehicles when you are turning either right or left. The clock is angled up and is partially shielded from view by the navigation screen and is really small so it cant be seen most of the time. Also the display in the instrument panel where they show the temperature is extremely small and almost unusuable. To make a long story short, I will never buy another Toyota as this is the worst vehicle I have ever owned and I would encourage others to not buy Toyotas either as their maintenance department is terrible and will not attempt to try to fix problems with their cars.

• 

  Best Test Drive Ever - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By tcy079 - March 7 - 3:23 am

  One hour + test drive was the best after 3 months of looking. 07 Rav 4 Sport has good power and performance. Interior and cargo space great! Like being able to lock in 4WD in low speed. 18 inch wheels cool. Easy to get in and out of.

• 

  Big dog lover - 2015 Toyota RAV4
  By Bill Dorflinger - March 7 - 12:12 am

  We have three large dogs and needed more room in the back. Rear seats fold down flat and they have lots of head room. Took out lots of SUVs for test rides and the RAV4 was the most comfortable. Great pick up and handling.

• 

  Upholstery problems - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By sewsue - March 3 - 2:16 pm

  Purchased this 08 base RAV at the end of October. Its now 7 months old and this is an update to an earlier post. The front upholstery continues to pill and fuzz and just look really, really bad. The back seats are fine since they are hardly used. I have an 8 year old car that looks better inside than this one. It took a certified letter to Toyota for Toyota to tell my dealer they would help them solve the problem. Theyve offered custom seat covers, but that was over a month ago and Im still waiting to see if they match the rest of the interior. Wish I didnt like the handling and pep so much - it would be much easier to just get rid of the RAV.

• 

  First Birthday - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By Carol1460 - March 2 - 10:00 am

  My silver Auto 2WD 2002 RAV4 is celebrating its first birthday next week with 19K miles. About 3 weeks after I purchased this SUV, it developed the infamous rattle in the dash. Ive had it to the dealer twice, but it was never fixed. I was told to turn up the radio. After about six months, the rattle had become less annoying (perhaps Im getting used to turning up the radio) and intermittent - seems to be worse in the cooler weather, but disappears when its hot or when the heater is on in the winter. Other than this annoyance, Im happy with the RAV4.

• 

  Meh - should have upgraded to the Limited. - 2011 Toyota RAV4
  By Michael Hoffman - February 28 - 10:29 am

  Heres the thing with Toyota. Its ALWAYS been their thing. Unless you upgrade to "Limited" (or in the old days LE, etc) - you get the cheapest stuff around as far as fit and finish of the interior. Time was, under the hood all things were equal. Not anymore. Anyone who owns the BASE MODEL 4cyl 4WD MUST know how much of a lag there is if you need quick acceleration. This thing is THE slowest responding dog Ive ever driven. Off the line, its okay but if you need a passing gear, wow, its bad. This is directly the result of Toyota keeping selling costs down but it completely sacrifices the performance not having at least a 5 speed transmission. I had a 2008 Corolla S before this which had better acceleration. Thankfully, if you switch the shifter to sport it downshifts more rapidly. Traction control and safety features are great on this car. The standard headlights are pathetic. No fog lights standard either. Ive upgraded to better lights and also have installed foggers. Makes a major difference. The wheels are simply painted steel which I was fine with until three years in, they are already rusting. Again - irritating. OEM tires (Kumho) were also pure junk. Finally, the stereo. Now, I didnt expect a massive sound system but again - always with Toyota - its not a Limited so they install something you would have found in an American car from 15 years ago. Piece of absolute junk. There are component speakers in the front doors and ONE WAY speakers in the back. The sound in the rear is just terrible. Ive upgraded the rears and it made a good improvement. A compass on the rearview mirror also would have been handy. Dont get me wrong, I DO like this SUV. Overall, Im picky but those are the things for me that stick out. It rides smooth, its ultra reliable, its quiet, very good in poor driving conditions, love the swinging rear door, plenty of room, AC blows SO COLD, lots of storage. For those complaining of the cup holders, take the rubber insert out. Simple. Those were only there so one COULD use a can if you wanted to. Also, like that it came standard with electronic fuel economy readings. We have been driving Toyotas in my family since we owned a 1979 Supra. Amazingly reliable.

• 

  An excellent vehicle - 2003 Toyota RAV4
  By David Scott - February 26 - 9:41 am

  We owned this car for 12 years and it was as trouble-free as a vehicle could be. Basically, you never had to worry about something going wrong. Driver vision was excellent and seating was comfortable. We took it on four around-the-country trips and never had a problem other than a flat tire.

• 

  Not a vega - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By jack - February 24 - 5:46 pm

  Totally surprised with the snap that this 4 cylinder engine has. Wife feels very safe in this car; have been in pickups the past 10 yrs and ready to downsize. Toyota quality and reliability brought me to the car; retiring next year and this is the sensible solution to fuel economy for a non hybrid. Plenty of nooks and crannies to put things, net assembly and cargo cover have out of the way place for storing. This car gets there now, no problem getting up to and over speed limits; runs so quite and handles so well you can be up to 80 mph before you realize it. Im a big guy and the driver side is roomy and comfortable, selected the liqui-cell leather seats for my disabled lower back.