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Thanks, I will have to remeber that in the future. Try Desert Toyota in Las Vegas He was going to give me a good deal but I didn't want the third row seat. It is just me and my wife and a Baby on the way. He was always honest with me and he gives you his best deal from the start. I almost feel bad I am not buying it from him. It also gives you an excuse to go to VEGAS. I am actually getting mine from a dealer in Arizona. They have the exact vehicle I want. Good luck everyone and I hope you feel like you are getting a great deal to when you are done shopping.
In case any of you do not get this magazine, here are the results. They tested both the Base I4 and Limited V6 models. They compared them to the Subaru Forester and the Suzuki Grand Vitara. The RAV4 Limited V6 got an "Excellent" rating and a score of 83 out of 100. The base I4 model got a "Very Good" rating and a score of 77. The Forester got a rating of "Very Good" and a score of 71. The Suzuki Grand Vitara got a "Good" rating and score of 56. Tested in another issue, the Honda CRV got a "Very Good" rating and a score of 73. The Jeep Liberty V6 got a rating of "Fair" and a score of 38. The RAV4 Limited got "Highs" for Agility, fuel economy, rear seat room, access, controls, refined and quick V6 powertrain. The only "Low" listed was "Thigh support for some drivers". In acceleration tests, the V6 RAV4 got a 0 to 60 time of 6.7 seconds, the base I4 was 9.8 seconds. The V6 got 22 MPG and the I4 got 23 MPG. All ratings were "good" or better except for the headlights, which were rated as "fair". I'm puzzled by some numbers. The ground clearance of the V6 limited is 6.5 inches and the base I4 was at 7.0 inches. Why would there be any difference? Must be the tranny. The Toyota RAV4 booklet from the dealer listed 7.5 inches for both. Also, I thought I read somewhere that the maximum load for the V6 was over 1100 pounds. CR has it at 825 pounds. Also, the booklet has the turning circle at 34.8 feet for both the Limited and Base models. CR had it at 39 feet for the Limited and 37 for the Base. The Base model had the optional 17 inch wheels. and both had the Yokahama Geolander G91 tires. What I found interesting is that the RAV4 V6 Limited got 4 MPG more than the Suzuki Grand Vitara V6, even though it had 84 more horsepower, 100 pounds more weight, and was faster to 60 MPH by 2.8 seconds (6.7 vs 9.5). The Subaru Forrester got the same MPG as the RAV4 V6 (22) but only had a 4 cylinder 173 HP engine and weighed 500 pounds less. Toyotas's V6 is very economical.
One unusual comment was the following: "traction control brings the vehicle to a crawl in slippery conditions". I assume then that the Base model was a FWD version. So, out of 14 compact SUVs, the RAV4's are 1st and 2nd.
Well I think you will find that the ground clearance will vary a little as the vehicle gets heavier. The V6 is about 150# more than the 4 plus the Limited has some extra equipment. You see this again in the load carrying. This shows in the RAV4 specs. As equipmnet is added the amount of capability left for load is reduced.
I am a special spec sheet pdf. that shows all this in detail but cannot post it here.
The fact that you cannot turn off the VSC is a detriment in some slippery conditions. It trys to reduce wheel spin and vehicle fishtaling and in doing that it probably keeps reducing power to each wheel. This shows up on my Audi in deep snow with vsc on. Audi provides a switch and with that off, it is possible to do better. With it off, all 4 four wheels are slipping but driving some and the vheicle maintains speed. I had seen some comments somewhere else about Toyoto VSC making it impossible to move a slippery steep grades.
Regarding gas milage, the 5 speed and low rpm mean a lot and the RAV4 test shows that. People will say that is baloney but that is one of the major reasons you seen Toyoto going to 5 and 6 speeds as Audi and others have done before Toyoto. I am guessing that this is also why the test shows only 1 MPG difference between 4 and 6 overall. The V6 fun factor is worth that 1 mpg for me. But the V6 option is expensive! As the report shows, the other vheicles tested dropped to the back of the class.
It'll be interesting to see if the CRV comes out with a V6 for 2007. I checked the Aug 2005 Consumer Reports for the 2005 CRV stats. It showed a 0 to 60 time of 10.4 seconds. That means the RAV4 V6 is 3.7 seconds faster than the CRV's 160 HP 4. I'm glad I got the V6. It's worth the extra IMO :-)
The service manager at Lexus of Bellevue pointed out to me that the VSC/Trac system can be turned off temporarily by disconnecting the MAF/IAT module while the engine is running. The engine will die but plug the connector back in and the engine will now start and run normally but with a CEL/VSC diagnostic light.
After three or four drive cycles the diagnostic lights will extinguish and VSC will become operative again.
They choose the wrong vehicles to compare to the RAV4, and published the test too soon. It really should be grouped with the new Mazda CX-7, Acura RDX, and Ford Edge.
Sounds like you're confusing traction control with VSC. The VSC can't be turned off but the traction control can be turned off to allow wheels to spin in deep snow or climb slippery steep grades. The VSC will brake one or more wheels to try and keep the car on its intended path but is inactive at very low speeds.
CR performs a lot of their own measurements, that's why figures may not match catalog. Weight is one example, many makes specify dry weight(without fluids) whereas CR will weigh the vehicle with fluids and a full tank of gas.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Both of the pieces (the clear applique and the black rubber strip) came off pretty easily. The new bumper guard is on there now and looks much better. :-)
Well whatever you want to call it, it is sad that it is so good you may not be able to make it up a steep icey driveway. I am not really going to disconnet my engine module in the middle of a blizzard to get home.
I know on my Audi in deep snow it is the stab control that gives me a problem in deep snow at low speed, <25mpg or so. I turn the stab contol switch off and off I go. RAV4 should have one also
We're still trying to find a RAV4 with the third row seat.
In the meantime, I'm remembering how strange the seatbelt configuration for the 2nd row, middle seat, seemed when we test drove it. (The salesman had no idea how it worked -- he said it was just the one belt over the shoulder, no lap belt portion -- WRONG)! I never did get it buckled correctly. :confuse: Since then, I think I read that it buckles in 2 pieces, one of which connects to a piece that would be under a carseat on the driver's side. That sounds impossible to deal with daily.
So I'm wondering what position most people put their carseat in this car. The 2nd row seat on the passenger's side is the only side that allows access to the third row, I think, so that's out. If you put a carseat in the middle position, does this leave passengers much room on either side?
I haven't actually tried it, but you should be able to put a car seat in the middle seat, as that is a portion of the driver side 60% split, AND still be able to flop the passenger side forward to get access to the rear seat. The middle belt is a 2 portion, the shoulder portion comes down from the ceiling and clicks into the belt buckle on the driver side, then they both click into the female portion of the belt on the passenger side of the seat. With a car seat, I would think you could just use the lap belt portion by itself.
Looked cramped even for children. If you move 2nd row seat up no leg room for 2nd row. I understand the 3rd rows are hard to find. Every dealer says buy Highlander. Need some advice.
I tested a base 4cyl w/3rd row today at Dub Richardson in OKC, OK. My 10 year old was able to get in the back and we had room for adults in the 2d row seat with some leg room. It will fill our need for the occasional time we need to haul a couple of the kids friends home from scout camp/school as long as it is not too far. There is enough room behind the 3rd seat to put four full paper grocery bags. On a side note, the base rode much better than the Sport model which has stiffer springs. The 4cyl on the other hand...well it makes noise but it isn't going anywhere fast. The 3.5 V6 will snatch the cap off your head if you tap that skinny pedal on the right too hard. :surprise:
I just got back from visiting a friend who lives exactly 60.0 miles away. Several times a year I drive down and when I come back home, I reset the trip odometer to zero. When I turn into my driveway, the odometer is at exactly 60.0 miles. I got this same amount dozens of times with both my 1991 Nissan Sentra and 1999 Camry. Tonight, the trip odometer showed only 57.8 miles when I got home in my RAV4. It was 102.0 when I left my friend's house and 159.8 when I pulled into my driveway. I took the exact same route as usual. Has anyone else noticed a variance like this? I'm going to check the odometer with the mile markers on the expressway this week on a 150 mile trip. Either that or I'm going crazy. This variance would be a 3,666 variance at 100,000 miles.
Taking a cue from the Toyota Prius crowd, does anyone have ideas how to improve the MPG for a 2006 RAV4 V6? I know an easy way is to change to a cold air intake filter, but I can't find any parts yet. It would be great to squeeze more MPG out! Any thoughts?
Does anyone know if Nav is going to be available in 07? I am contemplate a small/mid size suv and RAV4 is high on the list but I would like to have Nav in my next SUV.
The are tons of nice NAV GPs systems for cars that cost half of what the car companies get. You can buy a perfectly usefull one from Garmin for $240 to $600. Take a look at wwww.garmin.com
I haven't seen a CAI for the '06 Rav4 yet, but the K&N filter for the Avalon will fit, a few members at R4W have installed it, I have one but haven't installed it yet, too many honey-dos lately!!
The Toyota website seems to indicate that the presence of the third row does not change the available leg room for the second row. On the other hand, Car and Driver's January 2006 article seemed to indicate that third row cut down on the second row leg room.
So what is the deal? I assume that what C&D meant is that when someone was in the third row, you couldn't push the second row all the way back without seriously cutting into the third row leg room, but that if no one was in the third row, you could slide the second row back to the same position you could on a model with no third row.
The second row moved forward and back normally with the third row seat upright. Yes, all the way back you would take pretty much all foot room...forget leg room.
That would be ok for me. One of the big attractions to me of this vehicle is the roomy back seat. I could do without the third row, and would if it meant a compromise to the second row room.
Hi all, Now I am really confuse. I have rav4 4cyl on order and will be here next week. I wanted V6 but choose i4 because its cheaper did not even bother to test drive V6. Now I have doubts that i4 might not have enough power if loaded with 5 people plus some groceries or cooler full of drinks. 4cyl owners please help. I also wonder if I could call the dealer and tell them I will change it to V6. Is this possible?
I have a 4cyl Limited. Power is great. Others say the 6cyl is like a rocket, 0-60 in close to 6 secs. If you don't need that kind of speed and are not going to tow a trailer I think the 4 will suit most people.
I have a 4 cylinder limited and it has plenty of pep...My car is almost always loaded with kids and groceries. I drove the V6 and thought it was a bit much for what I needed.
I'm one of those that likes to know the difference, so I would definitely contact the dealer a.s.a.p., test out the V-6, and then swing a deal if you like the upgrade. As far as I'm concerned, if you are going to haul people and cargo on a regular basis, bite the bullet and go for the extra power. You will be glad you did. Besides, the dealer still gets to sell you a new vehicle, right?
I am so glad I got the V6. To me it was worth the extra $$ and it seemed they were more willing to deal on a higher dollar purchase.
It has plenty of power, it is smooth and fast. The kicker is the MPGs are almost the same as the I4. It is better to have the horsepower and not need them than need them and not have them.
Thank you all for your input. On a daily basis its only me and my daughter, then on weekends me, my husband and 2 kids. We love to use my husbands truck on family trips but his dodge ram eats a lot of gas. maybe 4 cyle will do the job. Where I live is flat and I only drive 10 miles from home to work.
I bought a V6 with the tow prep package. The company that put on the tow bar did not get it wired right. I went to the dealer and no one there could tell me anything about the wiring that is suppose to be part of the package. Where do I go to get answers? The service manager looked in the "book" and saw no wiring plan for it. Suggesions?
THat being said, this is the best 5,000 miles I've ever driven. Now my BMW Z3 seems less responsive, has too big a steering wheel and doesn't have the power of the Rav4. What a great car!!!
Well the RAV does not come with the wring from the from the dash to the rear as this is a seperate Toyoto cable. The dealer certainly as access to all wiring info via his manual but probably does not want to get involved with an aftermarket harness. If the guy who put it in does nothave wriing info the you should have him remove what he put it and get it done elsewhere. Look at the drawtite websites for info manybe.In the big RAV4 world there is lots of info on problems in getting wiring installed. Google on rav4 hitch wiring and you can probably find what you need.
Good luck with your RAV4 and keep us posted on MPG etc.
I just got back. I picked up my 06 RAV4 4x4 V6 with GY, AW, DR, DJ, CF, TO, CD, RL, FE. Edmunds has what others are paying at $25,316 I got it for 24,856.61. The dealer told me that he was losing money on this vehicle. I did not believe him. I worked him for over a month all by phone. I flew in to Arizona and they picked me up in it, it is the Pacific Blue color. the car looked great. I had only seen one other one this color at all the dealerships I went to so that was one reason for getting Pacific Blue. The V6 is worth the extra 20 dollars in payments a month. If you are on the fence get it is is fun. I was going way to fast during break in over a hundred at times and it was smooth as can be. I drove most of last night and got in this morning at 6AM. The car is great I am glad consumer reports agreed with my opinion. I looked at the CRV, Forester, Santa FE, Matrix, and the Jeep Liberty. I am very happy with my choice. I ended up getting the extended warranty for piece of mind 7yr 100,000 miles. The nice thing about dealing on the phone is that they can't see how much you like the car and play on your emotions. For those of you looking for a third row I know they have one in VEGAS. Google Vegas dealers and call around and see who gives you the best deal. It was such a nice ride on the 8 from Arizona to Cali. I did not get slowed down once by two cars driving next to each other. The windshield and bumper must have over two hundred bugs on it. It needs to be washed today. I also slept in the rav four for two hours last night. It isn't that bad. If anyone needs help with bargaining or good websites I can help you out.
For you RAV4 owners with the sunroof, can you close it from outside the car by putting the key in the door and locking the car. Some cars you have to hold the key in the lock direction for a 10 seconds or so to make it close. Does it close if you lock the RAV4 with the remote? Thanks
The Limited model is the only trim that can have a moonroof and third row seat. My dealer said he could put one in for $1,295 in a base model which has the third row.
Is that a fair price? Someone told me usually when a moonroof is put in, it doesn't work right. Any truth to that?
Having driven 4c Toyota's for 17 yrs ... you will not need anything more than the 4c. It is very strong. The V6 is truly fantastic and nearly unbelievable for a small SUV like this.
It's a blast to drive, do you need it? Likely not.
No this is not correct about sunroof put in after the fact. Most are supplied by well respected manufacturers and franchised installers where the warranty is often longer than Toyota's warranty which is 36 mos/36000 miles.
I've has clients put in leather and sunroofs for 6 yrs now with zero complaints. I put aftermarket leather in our Highlander and my wife loves it. I may put it into my Prius also. Get a good installer and you should have not problems.
Has anyone noticed that the seat belt tightens up a lot under acceleration, even moderate acceleration? My last two cars, a Sentra and Camry had seat belts that locked under sudden braking, due to a pendulem activation. Is it now standard for them to tighten under acceleration? It takes several seconds after the end of acceleration to loosen back up. I have the Limited V6 4 x4
Well I decided to get the 4 cyl Coz I don't want to pay 2,000 extra. I picked it up today the color is pacific blue. Holy cow this 4cyl has power and its all I need, It has more power than my nissan Altima. I really love this car. My daughter loves the sound system, she said sounds like soround sound.
risa, if it meets your needs, then you made the correct choice. For others, I have driven both the 6 and the 4, and the 4 seems quite slow. I would not want to need to pass or avoid something with that weak little engine. The four also makes more noise. The EPA ratings are not realistic, but they are a basis for comparison, and the V6 is essentially equal to the 4, so fuel usage is no issue. For heaver loads, the 6 will probably provide better mileage, since it will be working at a lower percentage of its capacity. There is not even a significant difference in price between the 6 and the 4, except for those buying the stripped models.
What do those who have bought a V6 model think of the 5-speed automatic transmission? Does it have any of the problems with delayed responses which are afflicting Avalon owners? Is it the same transmission?
Comments
"When posting about your experience with a dealership, you may post ONLY the dealership name, city, and state. You may not post a salesperson's name, phone numbers, email addresses, links to dealer web sites, etc."
Otherwise we'd have to deal with too much spam and a bunch of shill posts.
Steve, Host
give me a good deal but I didn't want the third row seat. It is just me and my wife and a Baby on the way. He was always honest with me and he gives you his best deal from the start. I almost feel bad I am not buying it from him. It also gives you an excuse to go to VEGAS. I am actually getting mine from a dealer in Arizona. They have the exact vehicle I want. Good luck everyone and I hope you feel like you are getting a great deal to when you are done shopping.
The RAV4 Limited got "Highs" for Agility, fuel economy, rear seat room, access, controls, refined and quick V6 powertrain. The only "Low" listed was "Thigh support for some drivers". In acceleration tests, the V6 RAV4 got a 0 to 60 time of 6.7 seconds, the base I4 was 9.8 seconds. The V6 got 22 MPG and the I4 got 23 MPG. All ratings were "good" or better except for the headlights, which were rated as "fair".
I'm puzzled by some numbers. The ground clearance of the V6 limited is 6.5 inches and the base I4 was at 7.0 inches. Why would there be any difference? Must be the tranny. The Toyota RAV4 booklet from the dealer listed 7.5 inches for both. Also, I thought I read somewhere that the maximum load for the V6 was over 1100 pounds. CR has it at 825 pounds. Also, the booklet has the turning circle at 34.8 feet for both the Limited and Base models. CR had it at 39 feet for the Limited and 37 for the Base. The Base model had the optional 17 inch wheels. and both had the Yokahama Geolander G91 tires.
What I found interesting is that the RAV4 V6 Limited got 4 MPG more than the Suzuki Grand Vitara V6, even though it had 84 more horsepower, 100 pounds more weight, and was faster to 60 MPH by 2.8 seconds (6.7 vs 9.5). The Subaru Forrester got the same MPG as the RAV4 V6 (22) but only had a 4 cylinder 173 HP engine and weighed 500 pounds less. Toyotas's V6 is very economical.
One unusual comment was the following: "traction control brings the vehicle to a crawl in slippery conditions". I assume then that the Base model was a FWD version. So, out of 14 compact SUVs, the RAV4's are 1st and 2nd.
I am a special spec sheet pdf. that shows all this in detail but cannot post it here.
The fact that you cannot turn off the VSC is a detriment in some slippery conditions. It trys to reduce wheel spin and vehicle fishtaling and in doing that it probably keeps reducing power to each wheel. This shows up on my Audi in deep snow with vsc on. Audi provides a switch and with that off, it is possible to do better. With it off, all 4 four wheels are slipping but driving some and the vheicle maintains speed. I had seen some comments somewhere else about Toyoto VSC making it impossible to move a slippery steep grades.
Regarding gas milage, the 5 speed and low rpm mean a lot and the RAV4 test shows that. People will say that is baloney but that is one of the major reasons you seen Toyoto going to 5 and 6 speeds as Audi and others have done before Toyoto. I am guessing that this is also why the test shows only 1 MPG difference between 4 and 6 overall. The V6 fun factor is worth that 1 mpg for me. But the V6 option is expensive!
As the report shows, the other vheicles tested dropped to the back of the class.
After three or four drive cycles the diagnostic lights will extinguish and VSC will become operative again.
- Marty
I know on my Audi in deep snow it is the stab control that gives me a problem in deep snow at low speed, <25mpg or so. I turn the stab contol switch off and off I go. RAV4 should have one also
In the meantime, I'm remembering how strange the seatbelt configuration for the 2nd row, middle seat, seemed when we test drove it. (The salesman had no idea how it worked -- he said it was just the one belt over the shoulder, no lap belt portion -- WRONG)! I never did get it buckled correctly. :confuse: Since then, I think I read that it buckles in 2 pieces, one of which connects to a piece that would be under a carseat on the driver's side. That sounds impossible to deal with daily.
So I'm wondering what position most people put their carseat in this car. The 2nd row seat on the passenger's side is the only side that allows access to the third row, I think, so that's out. If you put a carseat in the middle position, does this leave passengers much room on either side?
On a side note, the base rode much better than the Sport model which has stiffer springs. The 4cyl on the other hand...well it makes noise but it isn't going anywhere fast. The 3.5 V6 will snatch the cap off your head if you tap that skinny pedal on the right too hard. :surprise:
Gary
So what is the deal? I assume that what C&D meant is that when someone was in the third row, you couldn't push the second row all the way back without seriously cutting into the third row leg room, but that if no one was in the third row, you could slide the second row back to the same position you could on a model with no third row.
So which is it?
It has plenty of power, it is smooth and fast. The kicker is the MPGs are almost the same as the I4. It is better to have the horsepower and not need them than need them and not have them.
Where I live is flat and I only drive 10 miles from home to work.
THat being said, this is the best 5,000 miles I've ever driven. Now my BMW Z3 seems less responsive, has too big a steering wheel and doesn't have the power of the Rav4. What a great car!!!
Good luck with your RAV4 and keep us posted on MPG etc.
Thanks
Is that a fair price? Someone told me usually when a moonroof is put in, it doesn't work right. Any truth to that?
It's a blast to drive, do you need it? Likely not.
I've has clients put in leather and sunroofs for 6 yrs now with zero complaints. I put aftermarket leather in our Highlander and my wife loves it. I may put it into my Prius also. Get a good installer and you should have not problems.
What do those who have bought a V6 model think of the 5-speed automatic transmission? Does it have any of the problems with delayed responses which are afflicting Avalon owners? Is it the same transmission?