About 10 years back, I actually leased a first-generation RAV4. It was an AWD model with a 5-speed manual and a Torsen diff. Since I had the "World's Best Commute" at the time -- 10 miles of sinuous graded dirt that amounted to a rally stage with no traffic -- I was able to have a bit of fun with it. But after driving our 2006 RAV4 for a night, I have to say I'm disappointed...
While my old RAV4's powertrain was limp, this new V6-powered one is quite the opposite. It reportedly held the distinction, for a short while at least, of being the 2nd fastest 2006 Toyota to 60mph. I'm not sure what to make of that. But there's just too much power and torque for this front-wheel drive chassis to bear. Squeeze the throttle firmly to merge or make a pass, and it's time to arm wrestle with the steering wheel while the RAV slithers left, then right. It's probably the worst example of torque steer I've driven in a long, long time.
And then there's the small matter of my knees and their proximity to the steering wheel. Sure this new RAV4 is bigger than the old one, but from the driver's seat, I don't see it. Even with the seat down and the wheel up, my knuckles skim my legs as I make turns. I'm just too big for this sled.
I could go on about the pretend third seat and the wrongly-hinged rear door, but I'd just start to sound like a hater. Suffice it to say that no one in the office will have to arm wrestle me for the keys.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 10,271 miles
priuscrusher says:
04:00 AM, 01/27/07
Torque steer of that degree is a major flaw and the small third row seat is marketing fudge. It's a five seater.
firstwagon says:
01:02 PM, 01/27/07
I thought your Rav4 was all wheel drive. Why would an all wheel drive car have torque steer?
sddoc07 says:
06:10 PM, 01/27/07
like a cool breeze, the long-awaited contrary opinion arrives! For a while, I was under the impression that this car and the Honda Fit arrived annointed in oil and scented with frankincense.
zach101 says:
10:04 PM, 01/27/07
Do you notice the any engine noise under any acceleration?
My dad didn't like the RAV4 because of the engine noise and the fact that it's overpriced. You get a boring, basic interior for $30,000? You could get a CR-V with leather, navigation, a sunroof, and more for less than that!
drjames says:
10:50 AM, 01/28/07
zach101, overpriced and boring basic interior for $30,000? interesting since the price range of RAV-4s $20.950 to $26,520. And the prices for the CR-V is $20,600 - $26,000. (sources: Toyota.com and Honda.com) Oh, and for that $26,950 RAV-4, you can get leather, sunroof, and a V6 motor.
actualsize says:
10:54 AM, 01/28/07
Quoting directly from the long-term intro:
"Being in Southern California, all-wheel drive isn't a necessary feature so we opted for a front-wheel-drive RAV4 Limited, which comes standard with the 3.5-liter V6 rated at 269 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque, driven by a five-speed automatic transmission."
That engine output is more than double the 120 ponies my admittedly anemic first-gen RAV4 had. Perhaps the pendulum has swung too far the other way - for this chassis, at least.
zach101 says:
07:30 PM, 01/28/07
Okay, I admit I was wrong. I like both the RAV4 and CR-V. The Toyota dealership we went to, though, had a RAV4 Limited AWD for $30,000. It didn't have leather or anything. That's probably where I got that.
I think this is funny too. A salesman at the Toyota dealership said the V6 RAV4 goes as fast as a Corvette.. HAH!
cbmorton says:
08:09 AM, 01/29/07
The AWD version runs in FWD mode at speed and has the same torque steer as described. Nail the gas as you pull out to pass another car and you need to hold on tight. However, I rarely find myself flooring it in daily driving, so this characteristic is more than balanced out by the overall responsiveness and refinement of the powertrain the rest of the time. I would choose the V6 again.
joecarnut says:
06:19 PM, 02/ 1/07
Comparing the Rav4 I4 against the CR-V, the Rav4 is the better buy if you really figure all the specs. Base vs LX.
Hard to decide as the interior is better on the CR-V.
I've been comparing these two vehicles for way too long. :(
sranger says:
11:47 AM, 02/ 2/07
I can't believe that you talked bad about Toyota and did not get one hate mail type reply....
Thanks for the honest opinion...
P.S. I drove the AWD V6. It does not have near the torque steer problem that the FWD version does...
alpha01 says:
12:23 PM, 02/ 2/07
The third seat is marketing fudge? What does that mean? I agree - its for kids, but at least you have the option of hauling them if you want to. And, for what its worth, the RAV4 was just named by Car and Driver as a 5 Best Truck for the Compact SUV class.
The AWD V6 doesn't seem to have torque steer issue, not in my experience... and edmunds.com's Long Termer is a FWD model.
Lots of talk about price....
An AWD Limited plus JBL/Bluetooth, Leather, Heated Seats, DRL, Power Moonroof, Tow Prep Package is $30,395. Seems like a reasonable price for what you get - but no NAV.
~alpha
actualsize says:
06:49 PM, 02/14/07
The thrid seat isn't even big enough for my kids - unless there are kids also sitting in the second row. With my wife (5'5") in the second row, my daughter can't fit in the third. If 10-year old Shelby sits in the second row and slides it as far forward as dares for knee clearance, she barely fits in the remaining third seat space. So for us, two adults and four ten-year old (or less) kids will fit. But with four adults, my kids in the third row are not possible.
And if your kids are younger than mine and still in car seats, those seats will stay in the second row because mommy buckling them in and out of their seats isn't going to happen in that third row. So grandama and grandpa get to climb into that "third" row. Or take two cars.