I've done 2 test drives with a base and Sport version (both 4wd) and it seemed like the Sport drive (the last one I did) that I could feel bumps and swaying more. Can anyone confirm this with their experience? I know the suspension is different but I didn't think it would be that bad. I keep thinking that maybe the bounce or sway was there the first drive but I didn't notice it because I was checking out everything else.
If you look closer, you'll see that the 23, 24 notes are next to "Dark Charcoal", which is a sport only interior. All 3 trims of Rav4 are available in silver.
If you go to the bottome of the page where the "post" button is you see one of several buttons is "img". I think if you hit this you can then tell it where the picture is on your computer (drive, folder, etc) and insert and send it. If you put your mouse cursor over the img button and look below to Format Help it shows you how the entery should look. I never tried so i am guessing.">
I have driven one base and 3 diffent Sports. I did feel pot holes and big ruts or rough patches more than in the base. Absolutly no swaying. I made hard swerves and fast lane changes at 60-70 and was very impressed with the Sport handling. Like most "sporty" supensions you will get a little more roughness on tar strips etc. On the smooth pavement the Sport was quiet and smooth. I found that the base was softer and had a little more body lean in sharp turns and quick manuvers. Both are pretty good handling I thought. Much better that Highlander, Pilot and Ford Freestyle which are softer and more truck like.
I met a person who had just picked up his new RAV4 base in red with not too much stuff but roof rack, nicer wheels, and side bags I think. I asked about price and he said he paid $1050 off MSRP. He said the dealers are playing games and trying you on for size at MSRP. He said he went back to the same dealer 3 times since the truck was sitting for 2+ weeks. On the last try he offered $1200 off MSRP and after some discusion got it for $1050 off price.
Sorry to hear that about your 4Runner, but I hope you enjoy your new RAV4 now... I used to have a 1999 4Runner and now I am on the market for a beastly 2006 4WD V8 4Runner Limited... did you have any issues with your 2004 4Runner besides the tree disaster?
I just got the 2006 rav4 and I noticed when I opened the wall panels in the cargo area that holds the car jack/tools, I see the wires that I assume go to the backlights/back door. It just seems to be a bad place to store things among those wires.
I recall my '03 Rav4 had an enclosed storage space behind the wall panel.
Does everyone elses '06 Rav have the wires exposed when they open the wall panel?
If you can wait until next week, I'll have an answer for you when I pick my Sport 4X2 up and install my twins' seats. We have two Britax Marathon seats and they're pretty wide. I'm sure it's going to be a tight squeeze when I have out of town guests next month.
I really liked my 2004 4Runner, but not as much as the 2001 that I had previously. I think most of it was size - the 2004 was just a bit bigger than I wanted for the type of driving that I mostly do. Most of my driving is local around town and short trips on local highways. When I went on a long road trip I really appreciated the truck - it had a smooth ride, we could fit all of our junk AND our big collie in the back, and I felt very safe. But for around town it was overkill.
By the way, it is amazing how well the 4runner looked after the tree incident. The roof and windshield were collapsed, and the door on the passenger side was completely bent out. However, my insurance company will do well with the parts as everything else was intact - engine, complete back of the car, all lights, even the radio! Not too bad...
Are you getting a piece of the action from Toyota for each RAV sold? If you are good for you, if you are not then I don't understand why the excitement and the in your face comments to people in the forum. It is a brand new model from an already popular model....of course sales will be up from the same time last year, one might even argue that it should have been even better if supplies were not "limited" and the dealerships were not holding to the sticker price so tightly. I, as well as others, would not buy one if it was at sticker....too much profit.
Good Morning Flyingn! What is the latest MPG story with your RAV? I looked at two red ones yesterday. It if funny how the red looks different to me in different light. One was in the parking lot at night with lights and it looked dark red and more metallic than one in the showroom which looked brighter just like your pictures. Anyway I think red is for me but if they would just get the darn V6 here. Also did you see the guys comments about the jack storage and exposed wires?
While RAV4 sales are way up, I saw in the news today that Honda was reducing production of the Pilot slightly in the USA to help with the high inventory at dealers. I am sure the size and gas milage of the Pilot is not helping sales with the recent run up in gas prices in 2005.
hey!! The gas mileage has not been so good as of late. My wife drives it to work under the worst possible conditins to achieve good gas mileage. 3 miles on way in city traffic. Last 1/2 tank fill netted about 19 mpg.
Yes I seen his comments on th estorage compartments. I have to check mine again. I did nto se any wires th eone time I peeked inside both sides..
V6, Limited, Red, loaded (all options, including leather). Bought it last week, here in Seattle. If I didn't want to wait a few months, it was take it or leave it. They discounted the MSRP, but then discounted my trade-in, so actually paid about MSRP.
Ok so since you seem to be the only living human we can find that actually touched a V6 RAV4, you have to keep us all posted on performance, MPG, noise etc. And run a rough 0-60 test for us. I am skeptical of the 6.3 seconds in C&D mag. Enjoy!
I have been following this board for some time. I had narrowed the choice for our next car down to the Mazda CX-7 and the Toyota Highlander. However, the more I read about the new Rav4 the more I am considering the V6 option. We currently own a Lexus RX330 but my wife has taken over that car, I love the nav system on it. Does anyone know if the Rav4 can be fitted with a nav by the dealer. I know its not a factory option but do Toyota dealers have nav systems that will fit the Rav4?
I priced the CX-7 and it comes to just under 33K loaded. The Rav4 according to Toyota's ebrochure would be just under 30K with option combo F. I am assuming that adding the nav would not cost more than 3K so if this is possible then the V6 Rav4 might just move to the top of the list.
Well I was talking about the build and price section which only works for I4 versions. Also the options are not the same as the e-brochure and for example there is no I4, 4x2 Sport button etc. (Not that I would want that version) I would think that 90% of the people who come to the site would end up at the build and price section and not see the V6. The cars seem to work better than the web site which is good I guess.
Well for $300-$500 you can buy a nice Garmin GPS that will work perfectly in you RAV and save $2500 for gas over the next several years. And when new maps and street info comes out you can update it without having to wait for 5 years for Toyota to make an update CD.
No--it didn't have the back seat, but everything else. My wife (it will be her car) also had them add the auto-dim rearview mirror for about $450 (dealer option-ripoff-paid for it but won't be installed until next week). The total cost was about $29,400 with the mirror, then received at least $1000 less for the trade-in than I should have--so say $30,400. I didn't end up with the paper work that showed the MSRP, but the $30,400 was close. So far, we haven't taken it out of the ciy, and I haven't driven it yet. The ride home from the dealer last night was all the time that I've been in it. Seems nice, but not in the same league as my Lexus GS 300. Will keep you posted.
Congrats on the new purchase! I can't seem to open the ebrochure at the moment but was wondering how big the rear seat entertainment screen is and whether it intrudes on the rear view mirror visibility. Did you get the trailer package as well?
I 2nd that suggestion, we're quite happy with our Garmin c320 NAV.
See if you can find a cubbie that is big enough to house the whole unit, the screen is 4" across IIRC. You could make a face plate and flush-mount it. Then get a remote antennae, and hard-wire the charger into the back of the cigarette lighter.
Voila, it's built-in. It even turns on and off with the ignition.
A guy in the CR-V threads did this. One Forester owner did as well, even sells the face plates that he makes. I'm sure a crafty person could do the same for the RAV4.
I have a Garmin Etrex Ledgend C in my car. I have a little clip on mount and plugs into the lighter or uses batteries. It works perfectly in the car with no external antenna. The screen is small but adequate since most of the time your just looking for turn directions and time, distance to go. Maps are loaded from my laptop. I bought this small portable unit as it can go to Europe in my pocket. I can then use it in the rental car there or when I walk down a street in a stange city for an hour in Italy and then say.."Hey, were is the hotel", the little red arrow points the way home. It will run for several days of intermitant use on 2 rechargable AA batteries if not in the car powered. They go for about $225 now.
If the V6 models are out there at the dealers, the Toyota web page should show these in the main RAV4 area (not only hidden in the .pdf areas). (the info should probably be there even if they aren't at the dealers yet)
By not having this information on the Toyota web page, people may believe there is something wrong with the production of the V6 models since the 11/21/05 press release states that the V6 models will be at the dealers in late January.
So did the production date slip?
Why aren't we hearing about more V6's being available?
For people who are really in a need for a new vehicle (which may not be many - but I am one of those - current vehicle is on it's last legs(wheels?)), the uncertainty of the production and availability may make them look at other models.
Well I am not an expert but I think part of the problem is production of RAVS in general is not a big number. If they make 10,000 a month and there are 1600 dealers, not sure of that #, that comes to a monthly average of about 6 month per dealer! My dealer told me only 1/3 of total would be V6 so that is maybe 2 or so V6s per month. I a sure very big dealers will get a lot more than the average which means small ones get less. I am just guessing here but time will tell.
By the way, the www.fitzmall.com site shows about 10 or so in stock. I have been watching one I4 Sport which has been on the site for maybe 3 weeks. They ask $670 over invoice which is not bad. So not everyone in the USA is nuts for a RAV or the ones they have would be gone faster. They had show 2 V6s coming in but they do not show lately. One person here said he had put a deposit on one they had show as coming in. Glad I do not need a new car till December 2006 though.
I too have a vehicle on it's last legs and the Rav4 with the 3rd row 6cyl is perfect for my needs. I called Toyota and asked why edmunds shows the 6cyl as an option but the Toyota website doesnt? Customer service told me that Edmunds information is not reliable. I then asked "So when is this 6cyl supposed to be available?" She told me the end of Feb. Now I see that some people already have their hands on some. I wonder why the customer service is so off on this? Anyone know of any 6cyl versions available in NJ?
Annual sales of the RAV's has been in the 64000 range for the last several years. That's about 5500 / mo. They realize/are planning to ship twice that number because of the great new vehicle and that this will likely replace the base Highlander. 120000 units are the minimum likely. But to do this they have to complete the new plant being build in Ontario... and it's not finished yet.
The west coast ( shipping proximity ) always gets the Japanese-made vehicles first. We still dont have any V6's in our recent allocation ( today ) Fitzmall is in our region. Maybe they grabbed them all..
My wife was interested in getting a vehicle with a sunroof, but after talking to her brother it seems like it's a problem waiting to happen. Do the seals eventually leak? Are clogged up drain tubes an issue for every owner of a vehicle with a sunroof?
I would love to hear from owners of old or new Rav4's with a sunroof.
Went to a section of highway yesterday (about 20 miles from here) where there's a steep uphill climb that is nearly 2 miles long. I wanted to actually see how this 4 cyl. does, since it's the first one I've ever bought. I was amazed by this thing! It easily maintained a speed of 77 mph with the pedal less than half way down & without the transmission down shifting once! So, I guess with the V6 you could probably do up over 80 mph :confuse:
Two cars, 10 years, each with sunroof. Not one problem. I am not sure how really needed they are. They let you get hot air out of the car fast when you get in on a hot sunny day. They let light into the car. But they also seem to be noisy at over 40 so not used too much.
Since my first Camry in 1989 and Chryslers and GM's and several thousand vehicles in our inventory over 6 years, I personally have never even heard of a leaking sunroof... even once... on any make or model.
I do get this question sometimes from older buyers who have never seen the need for one ( which is a fine and good reason not to get one ). But risk of leaking... NO!
Comments
I never tried so i am guessing.">
I just got the 2006 rav4 and I noticed when I opened the wall panels in the cargo area that holds the car jack/tools, I see the wires that I assume go to the backlights/back door. It just seems to be a bad place to store things among those wires.
I recall my '03 Rav4 had an enclosed storage space behind the wall panel.
Does everyone elses '06 Rav have the wires exposed when they open the wall panel?
Thanks
This will help to decide buying RAV4.
If nobody replies, I may have to take two baby seats to the dealer and try there.
I will wait until next week.
I have to fit one GRACO snugride infant seat, a Evenflo Titan 5 convertible seat and a person (my wife most of the times)
By the way, it is amazing how well the 4runner looked after the tree incident. The roof and windshield were collapsed, and the door on the passenger side was completely bent out. However, my insurance company will do well with the parts as everything else was intact - engine, complete back of the car, all lights, even the radio! Not too bad...
Steve, Host
I looked at two red ones yesterday. It if funny how the red looks different to me in different light. One was in the parking lot at night with lights and it looked dark red and more metallic than one in the showroom which looked brighter just like your pictures. Anyway I think red is for me but if they would just get the darn V6 here. Also did you see the guys comments about the jack storage and exposed wires?
Yes I seen his comments on th estorage compartments. I have to check mine again. I did nto se any wires th eone time I peeked inside both sides..
Yes the red is quite a color huh??
Frank
Enjoy!
http://ebrochure.interx2.net/pdfengine/generate.pdf
I priced the CX-7 and it comes to just under 33K loaded. The Rav4 according to Toyota's ebrochure would be just under 30K with option combo F. I am assuming that adding the nav would not cost more than 3K so if this is possible then the V6 Rav4 might just move to the top of the list.
Thanks for your help.
See if you can find a cubbie that is big enough to house the whole unit, the screen is 4" across IIRC. You could make a face plate and flush-mount it. Then get a remote antennae, and hard-wire the charger into the back of the cigarette lighter.
Voila, it's built-in. It even turns on and off with the ignition.
A guy in the CR-V threads did this. One Forester owner did as well, even sells the face plates that he makes. I'm sure a crafty person could do the same for the RAV4.
-juice
Steve, Host
If the V6 models are out there at the dealers, the Toyota web page should show these in the main RAV4 area (not only hidden in the .pdf areas). (the info should probably be there even if they aren't at the dealers yet)
By not having this information on the Toyota web page, people may believe there is something wrong with the production of the V6 models since the 11/21/05 press release states that the V6 models will be at the dealers in late January.
So did the production date slip?
Why aren't we hearing about more V6's being available?
For people who are really in a need for a new vehicle (which may not be many - but I am one of those - current vehicle is on it's last legs(wheels?)), the uncertainty of the production and availability may make them look at other models.
I am just guessing here but time will tell.
By the way, the www.fitzmall.com site shows about 10 or so in stock. I have been watching one I4 Sport which has been on the site for maybe 3 weeks. They ask $670 over invoice which is not bad. So not everyone in the USA is nuts for a RAV or the ones they have would be gone faster. They had show 2 V6s coming in but they do not show lately. One person here said he had put a deposit on one they had show as coming in.
Glad I do not need a new car till December 2006 though.
Full Test: 2006 Toyota RAV4 (Inside Line)
Steve, Host
My wife was interested in getting a vehicle with a sunroof, but after talking to her brother it seems like it's a problem waiting to happen. Do the seals eventually leak? Are clogged up drain tubes an issue for every owner of a vehicle with a sunroof?
I would love to hear from owners of old or new Rav4's with a sunroof.
Thanks,
pogs
I wanted to actually see how this 4 cyl. does, since it's the first one I've ever bought. I was amazed by this thing! It easily maintained a speed of 77 mph with the pedal less than half way down & without the transmission down shifting once! So, I guess with the V6 you could probably do up over 80 mph :confuse:
In other words, if you climb the hill at 77mph at about 4000rpm, it might have an easier time than it you were going 2600rpm at 50mph.
The engine makes a lot more torque at 4000rpm than it would at 2600rpm.
-juice
Since my first Camry in 1989 and Chryslers and GM's and several thousand vehicles in our inventory over 6 years, I personally have never even heard of a leaking sunroof... even once... on any make or model.
I do get this question sometimes from older buyers who have never seen the need for one ( which is a fine and good reason not to get one ). But risk of leaking... NO!