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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  no problems, great for my wife - 2001 Toyota RAV4
  By Brianj - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Overall a good "cute SUV". Havent had any problems with it. Only getting 20mpg. Kind of weak accelerating, but its not supposed to be a sports car. The rear seats remove easily for hauling medium size stuff (bikes, etc.). Body design is a major improvement over previous models.

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  beef it up a bit - 2003 Toyota RAV4
  By neil - May 2 - 10:00 am

  the build quality on this vehicle seems excellent. i have owned toyota trucks prior to this one and i am happy to see that they have not diminished the quality of the product like some other manufacturers have. the ride is a bit stiff on bumpy roadways but feels very solid for a compact vehicle. the seats could be improved on a bit, and i would like to see larger tires available besides the 235x60x16 car like tires supplied.it is more car-like than suv..

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  beef it up a bit - 2003 Toyota RAV4
  By Neil - May 2 - 10:00 am

  the build quality on this vehicle seems excellent. i have owned toyota trucks prior to this one and i am happy to see that they have not diminished the quality of the product like some other manufacturers have. the ride is a bit stiff on bumpy roadways but feels very solid for a compact vehicle. the seats could be improved on a bit, and i would like to see larger tires available besides the 235x60x16 car like tires supplied.it is more car-like than suv..

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  Great Vehicle for most anything - 2005 Toyota RAV4
  By CoGrl - April 29 - 2:43 pm

  I love my Rav 4. Its practical for anything Ive done. I take it on camping trips, rock climbing day trips and cross country. The gas mileage is great for a car that can do so much. I highly reccommend this if you need ample cargo space. The seats are easily removeable, and did I mention my Husky loves it.

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  Re-Designed Rav4 - 2013 Toyota RAV4
  By lkalbfleisch - April 29 - 4:54 am

  I just got my new Rav4 yesterday but have completely fallen in love with it. I researched all the small SUVs and decided the Rav4 was the best value. I wish the blind spot monitor was an option for the XLE. Everyone that has seen it has commented on how it looks much more expensive than the $23,600 that we paid for it.

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  Safest Car Ive Ever Seen - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By whisper292 - April 28 - 8:04 pm

  Overall performance was great, but the car really pulled its weight during a recent accident. My 17-year-old flipped the car three times going about 70 mph and landed on the drivers side in a ditch. The car was totaled, but thanks to seatbelts and side airbags, she walked away with barely a scratch. I would recommend this car to anyone.

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  One Sweet Ride! - 2011 Toyota RAV4
  By nora64 - April 24 - 6:34 am

  OK, I am a Ford gal from way back but when I decided to trade my 2002 Escape (at 181,000 miles and still going strong) I thought I would test drive a couple other SUVs before buying. The moment I pulled onto the road in the RAV4 I knew I had found a new love! The interior is very modern and classy (though understated)and everything on the panels is well marked and easy to find. The seats sit high for a great view and feeling of "control". The cargo area has more room than the Escape for my 3 dogs or groceries and the rear cup holder is handier for my 8 yr old daughter to reach. It has tight, responsive steering, easy to park, and drives like an absolute dream!

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  Good SUV but missing A LOT of refinements - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Jason in Nebraska - April 22 - 8:54 pm

  Overall, the RAV4 XLE is a good vehicle but far from great. I have many good things to say about it, especially the comfort of the seats. Its easy to find the good things about it, so Ill focus on all the little annoying things I find with it. Ill start with the Entune system. The software that supports it is poor at best. Its full of little bugs that make Entune incredibly annoying to use. While in USB mode, I can set it to randomly play songs from the entire flash drive. Itll go from playing REO to playing Metallica next. But when I turn the car off, Entune forgets that I want to randomly play the entire drive. Instead, it only plays songs from the artist being played when I got out of the car. So every time I get in the car, I have to tell it to play the entire flash drive again. When using satellite, Ive yet to figure out how reliably scroll through all stations. It seems that after I select a station and then keep scrolling, it stays within the genre. I have to tell it again that I want to see all stations. I could go on, but I think you get the point. The instruments leave a bit to be desired as well. There is no digital display for the speed. Not a big thing, but something I was used to with my last car. Theres also no display to tell me what the current tire pressure is in each tire. Im told a warning light will appear if one tire is low, but it wont tell me which tire. If theres already a monitoring system for tire pressure in place, it shouldnt be too hard to give the driver just a little more information. I noticed that my speed readout is also off about 3-4% or so. I took it in to the dealer and said that on the interstate, its consistently showing me going 2-3 MPH faster than I actually am going. I checked with 2 different GPS units as well as using a stopwatch between known fixed points and manually calculating the speed. The dealer told me that 2-3 MPH off is normal and is within tolerances. I pointed out that that if the speed is off, the odometer is probably also off. The dealer told me the its also off but within tolerances. Of the 4 other cars (Chevy, Dodge, Mercury and Subaru) Ive driven within the last year, the Toyota is the only one which has a speedometer thats not dead on accurate. So that means, its shorting you roughly 1000 miles on warranty. I find the placement of the daytime running lights (DLR) switch odd. Its with the headlights. In order, the light settings are: off, DLR, parking, headlights. When I turn the headlights off at night, I naturally just move the switch down till it stops. Well, that means I just left DLR off too. It should be DLR, off, parking, headlights. What would be even nicer is automatic lights, but that doesnt come with XLE. I also noticed that for being a brand new car, it doesnt bead up water like it should. I used to have a job where I drove a different new car every day. This is the first new car Ive driven that the water doesnt just slide right off the windshield when it is raining out as I drive down the highway. The water on the hood also doesnt bead up. The A/C also needs a little help. For whatever reason, the RAV4 doesnt remember that I like to have fresh air coming into the car all the time. Every time I start the car with the A/C on, its set to recycle the air. Like the USB on Entune, I have change that each time I start the car. It also doesnt seem to cool as fast as other cars I drive or have recently driven. That may be more of a subjective thing though.

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  Gotta love it! - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Jimbo - April 21 - 11:16 am

  Have only had 1 week after trading in my 2003 Rav4. What a change! Love the V6 from the old sewing machine 2 Litre. Nice layout from the dash to seats. Bravo Toyota! Even the base stereo deserves a 10 compared to the 2003. Love the moonroof, with hopes of a suntan on the ole cueball.

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  Poor driver leg room - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Prizler - April 20 - 1:06 pm

  Excellent in all aspects particularly the spunky v6 engine which has more spunk than our 06 330 BMW! Leg room for everyone in the car is very spacious except for the driver! I am 511" and my knees have little room. If the seat would just move back another 1-2 inches it would be much more comfortable.