2006 Toyota RAV4

kdhspyder

Interesting comment from Toyota rep earlier this week about Trac ( VSC ) in snow. Apparently in the new Camry iteration the computer will allow the wheels to spin-catch-release in slick situations. It was just a throwaway comment so I couldn't get into it anymore but it's something to investigate.

Apparently they have been listening to the troubles of vehicles being 'shutdown' in deep snow or on steep icy grades.

I need more info.

nycjeff

Can someone explain the difference between the RAV4 4WD and a typical AWD system (like on the subaru outback)? I have read that the RAV runs in fwd and has the rear wheels kick in when it slips. This sounds to me like an active awd system - but they've dubbed it 4wd and there is the "locking" function which keeps it in 4wd mode up to 25mph. I'm just a little confused as to whether this 4x4 mode will be always available or is it just for low speed maneuvers in snow, sand and dirt?

Also, in choosing between the sport and limited, I'm curious to hear if anyone has tested both and can say what the sport suspension vs normal suspension will do for handling and to comfort of riding for long trips.

wwest

I would think that the ability to temporarily disable Traction control until the vehicle reaches a reasonable roadspeed would be acceptable to all.

stever

Check out the Toyota 4WD systems explained discussion.

Steve, Host

wwest

Well, first of all there is no such "animal" as a "typical" AWD system. To start off there are FWD based systems which are typically front torque biased, and then RWD based systems which are.....

The very best systems, currently, are the ones that dynamically allocate the majority of engine torque to the front or rear depending on overall vehicular and roadbed circumstances.

Most of the market for AWD is most definitely in the traditional FWD segment, especially for the upscale marques. That because those manufacturers have finally begun to recognize the inherent hazards of FWD. Traction control has clearly helped alleviate the high level of FWD accidents arising from inadvertent loss of directional control due to engine torque application overcoming stearing ability.

But the obvious next step was/is to move some of the "excess" engine torque to the rear wheels where it can do the most good.

Currently the very best of those is the Honda/Acura SH-AWD
system. There is a video on the net at honda.com that gives a wonderful presentation of the way the system works.

In a nutshell the very best AWD systems will totally remove engine leading or lagging torque from the front wheels if the side, stearing load, is severe. And of course there are times when it is best to have the majority of engine torque at the front.

Some of the AWD vehicles that dynamically allocate engine torque...

Volvo XC90
Ford FreeStyle
Acura RL
Acura RDX
Lexus AWD GSxxx
Lexus AWD ISxxx
Toyota 4runner

jimd4

Hey I like the Audi system the way it is! Works fine, have switch to turn it off in deep snow and slow speeds to get max momentum. Has a light to remind me it is off. All around great deal but then Audi and Quattro are always super. But they cost soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! Hard on the piggy bank...:(

jimd4

If your near Long Island, NY, Sunrise Toyota has two Sport V6s today. One silver and one Flint Mica which is a pretty nice color. No side curtain airbags though.

ateixeira

We had a lengthy discussion about that in this very thread, so I'll link to my (long) post from that discussion:

ateixeira, "Toyota RAV4 2006+" #1546, 20 Jan 2006 12:52 pm

-juice

moonrooves

Were you driving mostly on the open highway, or more in the city?? I am very interested in knowing. Thanks

jimd4

I have driven both Sport and Limited. The Sport handles a little better, very nimble and quick. No leaning, much like a good performance car. But with it comes a little more road/tire noise and a little rougher ride. Limited ride is a little softer but handling is still very good.

Both are car like rides but with very good handling I would say. In fact I was amazed when I drove Sport the first time. I drive an Audi A6 2.7T. The Sport makes the Honda Pilot look like a bread truck when it comes to handliing and nimble around town driving.

If you have driven and like a performance car like Audi or BMW you will be more use to Sport ride. It is definitely not like a truck or also not like a typical passenger car.

Also these things come with what is an SUV/truck tire, not the high performance tires you might find on sporty cars. So some of the noise I think is from the tires, not the car itself.

Both verisions are fun to drive. Sport is for me. If you want the least noise, buy the Limited. But drive them both yourself. Tell the dealer you want a serious test drive, not 3 minutes around the block before you spend $28K. My dealer has let me drive two Sports and two limited for like 20 min. each by myself.

There are people here who have posted optinons, so read back on the posts. Also if you look at the Edmunds comsumer reports for the RAV4 2006 you will get other inputs. Also the MSN.com car site has user review inputs.

Good luck

kdhspyder

From what I understand.. and it was a throwaway comment.. it's an 'additional' feature of the computer control. It's not a physical action that the driver makes. I too think it's speed sensitive which makes the most sense.

sweathog

I currently own a 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon. I love the car but running 93 Octane @ the current price is getting expensive since I only average about 21 MPG. I'm considering the 2006 RAV with the V6 since it gets better milage (estimated) than my rex. Am I nuts...........

jimd4

Not nuts but not thinking. Unless drive a million miles ..or hate the Subaru, you can never make up the gas savings if there are any

thecat

I'm making a similar move .. from an 02' WRX sedan to the V6 RAV. If your sole purpose is a less expensive to operate ride then I think you're being penny wise and dollar foolish. Fuel consumption isn't going to change much if at all you just won't have to buy premimum fuel. I am looking for a larger vehicle that can carry 4 people in comfort and be able to haul a motorcycle trailer. Plus at 50+ I'm tired of shifting and want more creature comfort. The new RAV is a pretty good fit for my needs.

njmom91

I have been looking at the RAV4, but have not gotten to a dealership. My question is: can you still seat three in the middle row if you get the rear folding seats, and does the middle seat of the middle row have a shoulder harness??

Thanks for your help!

nycjeff

You can definitely fit three in the second row seats regardless of configuration, and the base model I saw had shoulder belts for all three rear passengers.

If you want the rear seat cupholders, tho, you sacrifice the center seat position, and there are only two headrests.

scottyg1234

It is mostly my commute. I live on Long Island, and travel about 30 miles round trip. I don't have all that much traffic. And like I said, I do have a bit of a lead foot, and it is a new car, so I might be driving a little less conservative than I normally would be.

jimd4

I am on LI also. You have been using regular gas?

doubler

That is a good deal. I sell Toyota's in St. Louis Mo. I work for a large dealer. We are only discounting the car about $500 on V6's and $900 on the 4 cylinders. I bought a 4x2 Limited V6 with 3rd row and JBL stereo and sunroof. I got a deal for working there. Invoice is what I paid.

hit_the_road

Well at least now I've got the new Rav4. In the last 15 years
I've had all 3 generations of Ford Exploders. They're good
for what they are, but the only way to get decent mpg was
to coast downhill in neutral! Since the gas just shot up
almost 20 cents a gallon here in the last week, this I4 is
kinda nice....and I've got better acceleration than the Ford had with the V6 (since it was almost 1000 lbs. heavier) and
around 10 more mpg besides! But hey....the oil company
execs. gotta eat too, right?
---------------

kullenberg

There seems to be diesel version of the RAV in the UK, and perhaps Canada. Has any one driven one, and is there any feel when we might get one here in the US, if ever?
Cheers
Pat

sushilover

The diesel RAV4 is NOT available in Canada. Further more, only the AWD is available and choice of options is nearly non-existent.

It is interesting to see how Toyota addresses market variatons:

http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/car-review/ce7977.aspx

jimd4

Well that review has an interesting perspective on the power of the I4.

jbrahms

I owned a 2001 RAV4 until I gave it to my son recently. I loved the car, its size and maneurability and was sorry to part with it. It was a real joy to drive around town, and was pretty good on the open highway.

I had hoped the the 2006 redesign would be only slightly larger with a quieter ride, some upscale features, and the elimination of the rear-mounted spare. My initial reaction to the new design was disappointment. It achieved the quieter ride nicely, but the increased length was more than I would have preferred. A mild annoyance is the very poor contrast in the LED display on the dash. It would have been so easy to use higher contrast LEDs. What really turned me off was the big spare overhanging the rear bumper. I would gladly give up interior space to park a temporary spare tire, which is seldom if ever used.

So I bought a 2006 Honda Civic sedan, which is a great car and fun to drive. Wonderful around town, and pretty comfortable on the highway at 70-75 mph. However I do miss the convenience of an SUV, and now I am taking another look at the RAV4. I wonder how others feel about the spare tire.

jbollt

I wonder how others feel about the spare tire.

It will keep me from buying one. Period!

I seem to remember there were some early pictures, perhaps pre-production, perhaps photo-shopped, with out the external spare. Not sure if these were European spec, or just photos that were wrong. Some may feel that the external spare says SUV, rather than crossover vehicle. Maybe that's what Toyota has in mind. Space considerations? Well...many other small-midsize vehicles in this class have hidden spares, so I am guessing that Toyota has it on the tail on purpose for styling. JMHO

jimd4

Spare tire location: Well from a looks point of view I guess it would be cleaner hidden out of the way. From a utility point of view, since I am old, the idea of taking the 18" Sport wheel off the back door seems better than getting down on my hands and knees under the car to un-stow and drag it out even though that may never happen in real life.

Has anyone installed a reverse parking sensor on the 2006 RAV4 yet? That rear spare does seem far away when backing the RAV! I have been thinking about the type that goes on the license plate frame. This precludes the need to drill the bumper.
Any inputs are welcome.

thecat

IMHO I would rather see that spare put inside under the back floor. I could give up that storage space to loose the spare. I suspect that the rear spare is thought to convey an image of off road utility vehicle which this car isn't. This is my least favorite feature of the RAV but given all the other positive attributes .. I ordered one.

Has anyone removed the spare? I'm wondering what it looks like behind it. Any ambitious owners want to post a pic? If it doesn't look bad without the spare, I wouldn't hesitate to remove it. When was the last time you had a flat tire? I carry fix a flat .. that will at least get me to a repair shop.

kdhspyder

It is a styling difference.. Outside the door it's the RAV. Inside the vehicle it's the Highlander. It's intentional, it's part of the RAV styling for the foreseeable future.

jimd4

Well inside it is not the Highlander at all. Much more basic, strut towers are gone from the rear etc.. I think it is basicly better (more funtional) than Highlander but I do not see the inside as Higlander.

Just a comment...keep up the good work

jbrahms

I've noticed that Toyota dealers in most of Southern California are not getting deliveries on the Limited model or any 4x4s of the RAV4 at the present time. Presumably a dealer could trade out of his region for those models, but they are not yet available to see on dealer lots or test drive.

I assume this is a only temporary condition while the production of the new RAV4 ramps up

kdhspyder

What I meant to say, sorry, was with the tire outside the door its the RAV and with the tire inside the vehicle it's the Highlander. That's the styling cue.

The RAV will become more ubiquitous like the Camry is and the Highlander will be more upscale like the Avalon is.

I also heard hereabout that in the Fall the Matrix will get the RAV/Camry 2.4L in anticipation of being redone next year. Now that will be interesting... if true.

jbrahms

I've noticed that Toyota dealers in most of Southern California are not getting deliveries on the Limited model or any 4x4s of the RAV4 at the present time. Presumably a dealer could trade out of his region for those models, but they are not yet available to see on dealer lots or test drive.

I assume this is a only temporary condition while the production of the new RAV4 ramps up

jimd4

No 4x4 for Southern Cal...it never rains there....nada!

Just Kidding

I noticed the FL regions gets lots of 2wd and not many 4x4 either.

Rav4/Toyota seems to flaunt the "build it and they will come theory" They don't build it and we still come.

jimd4

Was the "oil canning" hood noise report just a bad dream or confusion?

scottyg1234

Yup...I have been using regular gas. I was hoping to be getting a little better gas mileage. Time will tell...I will keep you updated.

stever

Cruiserbruiser was going to contact Toyota and see if they respond. No one else in here has chimed in with a similar issue, but it's only been a few days.

Steve, Host

wizzobutter

Seems like about 80% of the RAV4's at Libertyville Toyota in Illinois are stripped down Base FWD 4 bangers. Most of them are about $21,000.

newski3

(I apologize for this double post but I just realized that my first post was to the wrong thread.)

I just test drove a 2006 Rav 4 with a 4 cyl and 4 spd automatic trans and noticed a slight jerk when it shifted from 1st to second. It did it each time I started from a stopped position. I mentioned this to the Toyota sales guy who was riding with me but he didn't respond. I'm curious if all Rav 4's do this or was it just this particular SUV? This dealer had a V6 model (5 spd auto trans) but it also was out on a test drive so I wasn't able to drive it to compare with the 4 speed. I thought this very unusual for almost every magazine review I've seen on any Toyota car/SUV indicates how smooth the transmission is. Has anyone else observed this in a 4 spd auto?? :confuse:

wizzobutter

I don't mind the spare being on the back of the vehicle. I think the extra storage wells are worth it. I remember trying to help a woman get her spare out from under the car and it had rusted to the point where it could not be removed. It was a 4 year old minivan. Even the tow driver could not release it. I am concerned at how easy it would be for someone to steal the spare tire or the cover. It would have been nice to have a release inside the vehicle to prevent theft. I plan on putting locking lugnuts on it.

kdhspyder

Even from the comments here it seems that many but certainly not all consider the 4c to be sufficient power in this new Gen3 RAV. I think it will settle out that the V6 will, like the Camry it's pricelike sibling, end up being about 20% of sales when the Ontario plant is in full swing. Right now Toyota IMO knows it has a sellable, reliable, winner in the 4c and in their normal methodical plodding way are taking the V6 RAV one step at a time.

andres3

I finally got to drive both today, and the V6 blows the 4 cylinder out of the water. The V6 is smoother, has twice as much low end low RPM torque, and is just plainly the better engine. Gas mileage will be almost identical due to both the brilliance of this new 3.5 V6 but also due to the better 5 speed tranny vs. the 4 speed that comes with the 4 banger.
I would say the difference from the sport and base model suspensions is a difference of about 5%. Meaning its just a tweak and a hair noticeably different. Not enough to sway me one way or the other; other factors will govern more than the suspension difference.

Are you all reporting your mileage using regular fuel? Is regular recommended for the V6?

martin16

The owner's manual for my new V6 RAV4 states something like "87 octane or higher" so that to me is a recommendation for "regular, or premium if you have money to burn".

Before I bought, I was careful to check that regular octane fuel was OK. I've never come across anything that "officially" suggested otherwise but have read somewhere that full power would not be achieved without premium.

However, as any other V6 RAV4 owner will probably tell you, there is plenty of power on-tap with regular fuel.

One other nice thing about the V6 is that is uses good ol' 5w30 oil where as the I4 seems to require 0w-something-or-other which might not be so ubiquitous at service stations or as available as a synthetic.

I am in Canada by the way so that might make a difference in any or all of the above, I have no idea.

- Martin

jimd4

Well keep us posted on those MPG numbers and other observations.

jbrahms

Did you notice any torque steer effect when you gunned the V6?

spektre

One of my big regrets when I bought a Highlander a few years ago was going with the 4cyl over the 6cyl. On paper, the 4 got much better gas mileage - in the real world, it got barely better than the V6.

The only thing IMHO that will keep the V6 in the Rav from getting about the same mileage as the 4cyl is the owner's propensity for enjoying the power of that engine! :surprise:

jimd4

I agree..

ateixeira

Even though the V6's EPA ratings are good, best-case-scenario you're looking at spending maybe $10-15,000 to trade up in order to save about $150 a year on gas by not having to buy premium.

Do the math, and the interest alone on the difference is greater than any fuel savings. 3.9% of $10 grand is $390. That's more than the gas savings by a factor of 3.

Get a RAV4 V6 because that's what you want, not to save a few pennies on gas. I doubt you will, anyway.

-juice

wwest

Most modern day suspension systems are such that torque stear is really only noticeable, or most noticeable, under heavy acceleration while turning tightly in the direction that exacerbates the effect.

jimd4

Well from a few test drives of the RAV4 V6 I can tell you it is very noticable from a standing start at full throttle going straight ahead. Less so at highway speeds when doing say a 50-70 acceleration.
Not something that would keep me from buying but something to be aware of.

typesix

Depends on how you are accelerating. If hard, then there will be jerk around 15-20mph. At moderate and slower acceleration, no jerk.