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 1 through 10 of 41.00

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  Great All Around SUV, Best In its Class IMO - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By mtayub - December 24 - 4:27 am

  Very comfortable seats in this car even on long trips. The leg room and storage in the RAV4 is excellent. Lots of storage and room for luggage. The rear seats recline and move forward and backward. I have had the car in heavy winds and it handled the windy conditions well. Interior noise is low, compared to Honda CRV. Love 4wd button. Reliability of the Rav4 is the best. I looked at the reviews of the competing cars and read about the problems people have for their cars. The Rav4 had minor complaints compared to others having significant problems. after market platinum 0 deductable warranty for $950 upgrading it to a 7/100k had to shop around for the price. 12k miles owned, very happy

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  good choice for city driving - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By uncle_john - November 13 - 7:40 pm

  I took this suv in april 2012. this small suv is a good choice. I had a bad time deciding between this suv and the Honda crv. I dont regret buying a Toyota rav 4 sport 4 cylinder . but I regret spending this much and getting the expensive options . the car has its issues like the slow and weak motor. it was to weak to drive in san francisco . I had trouble climbing hills and thought the car was going to slide back down the hill. the brakes have been a problem. I had them changed in august 2015 and still they make a loud rubbing noise. the brakes dont work very good. but I have to admit the car looks cool . it has plenty of interior space for a small suv. im averaging 19.2 miles per gallon I do more city driving then highway. most driving conditions the car is fast enough even for the I 95 its good enough but needs big improvements in horse power. the radio sucks big time. the sound is low and terrible. the car is easy to drive in south florida and easy to park . baking out is not so good and has bad blind spots. I dont like the door opening from the side and lack of space problems in los angeles . I couldnt open the door all the way sometimes. the sunroof makes odd noises even when closed . the interior noise is bad and loud. it takes a while to get use to that much noise. not to comfortable on long drives because the seats are to hard. but still I recommend the rav4 because it has more pros then cons .

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  Great rig - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By Taylor Brewer - September 25 - 9:58 am

  The seats are slightly less comfy then I hoped and the windshield wipers clean in a wierd pattern. But overall I love my rig. Great mileage for the cargo space and a v6 4wd. I wanted a Tahoe/suburban for my hunting and fishing rig- price stopped me from getting one. Settled for a 2012 rav 4 and actually am glad i did. - 6 months later I am even more happy with the decision. Great rig!

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  my toyota rav 4 sport 4x2 . - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By john_ufo - September 19 - 3:16 pm

  i bought the car april 16 and its 3 and half months later. i waited to gather more info for my review. the car overall is good. it runs smooth on normall roads . but in pot holes and going over train tracks jesus christ i thought my teeth fillings were going to come out . the car is kinda slow even for a 4 cyclnder. they conned me into buying the rav 4 with no money down and my finance rate at 6.00 so they got my payments as high as $ 355.83 a month for 75 months. but i got smarter in my old age and refinanced the rav at 2.00 percent with a bank in new york. so now my payments are $ 305.25 a month .

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  Transmission, Brakes, power port location, and rear door - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By mary1958 - August 21 - 2:00 am

  I too think the transmission feels wrong. It seems to slip and jerk more than any car Ive owned before. Brakes sound as if they are dragging especially as I first drive down the driveway. The power port is inaccessible if drinks are in the drink holder. I like having a full sized tire and one which you neednt unload the storage space to access. Be sure to check the pressure in it if having low pressure readings. I dislike that you can not put longer items in to haul as I could with my old Ford that had a rear door that lifted up instead of to the side. I have yet to figure out how to put the baby anchor back in the roof compartment.

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  Outstanding condition, features & low, low mileage - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By t white - March 18 - 10:32 am

  Single driver, excellent condition, very low mileage, Kenwood entertainment center and rear view camera.

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  love my Rav4! - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By maryfranks - February 20 - 4:06 am

  I just got my Rav4 a week ago, and I LOVE it so far! I am moving off to school and so I needed an SUV that had a lot of space for hauling while getting good gas mileage. I easily get over 23mpg in the city and havent taken it on the highway yet. Its fun to drive, my friends and I love it! I can fit up to 7 people because I got the added 3rd row! I couldnt be happier with it!

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  So far so good... - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By SevanSins - December 4 - 3:10 am

  I purchased this 2012 Toyota Rav4 Sport 5 days ago and am quite pleased that I did. So far the ride has been smooth, telling how well the suspension handles rougher patches of road. The engine is quite capable, making it easy to merge onto the highway. The interior is slightly dated, but some aftermarket products such as nav and higher quality speakers will give the simple interior a good sprucing up. The cargo volume exceeds standards. Im an avid golfer as well as a hockey player, so space was a priority for me. I am quite pleased with the rugged exterior looks minus the tire of the Sport. Havent had any issues yet, and with the Toyota name, hoping to not have any period.

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  Mediocrity - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By peter - November 8 - 4:20 pm

  I have owned multiple RAV4s; and my family has purchased 6 Toyota cars/SUVS in the past nine years. Our feeling is that the management is profiting by diluting the quality of the brand. The 2012 RAV4 is a relatively competent vehicle, in that it handles all kinds of weather with little drama. It also has large and flexible capacities to move people and goods and very good visibility. The platform has not evolved over a decade of changing oil prices and it remains highly inefficient at 23 miles per gallon in combined driving over 36000 miles for the 4 cylinder model. The 4 speed transmission belongs in the stone age. The brand dilution is most notable in some of the interior materials and the quality of the electronic interfaces. The seat materials in the base and sport models are poor. The seats have relatively good padding but they will stain if water is poured on them inadvertently. Either the company did not test the materials or is profiting from the sale of Scotchguard. The arm rests on the doors are akin to sand paper in the summer; make sure when you test drive this car you do not have on heavy coats as this flaw will become apparent in the warmer months. Most of the interior is lower quality harder plastics, which scratch with ease. The stereo options are uninspired. In our case we experienced electrical problems just after the warranty expired and the dealership had little sympathy. As mediocre as the ownership experience was for this car, it appears the newer models are even less desirable. I look for Toyota to refocus on solid engineering platforms and the highest quality customer experience and to eschew their search for marketing gimmickry and the bottom line that keeps their cars in a constant state of recalls.

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  Love everything! (Except the gas mileage ...) - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By vogongirl - June 14 - 10:59 am

  I mean it - the MPG is the fly in the otherwise stellar ointment here. I drive conservatively but with a mix thats heavy on hwy miles vs. city, Im straining to get to 23 average. As the MPG rating was what initially drew me to the RAV4, Im disappointed, but I still love to get into it each day and drive. It practically drives itself, feels like a car, and doesnt lack power with the 4-cylinder. Youll want to go with the air deflector if you get a sunroof; I regret it and will be looking into after-market, since theres a lot of wind noise.