Faults:

Initially, the four wheel alignment was off and I had to replace all four tires after 5000 miles. The Toyota company paid to replace three of them, but not the fourth. I felt the dealership should have pitched in for the fourth tire.

After 65000 miles the coil packs started going bad, and I had to replace all three of them during the next 35000 miles.

The V6 engine is great, and I wish they would have carried it over to the 2013 RAV4 models.

General Comments:

V6 engine is great, and the truck handles and rides pretty well.

The interior sound is a bit loud, and the standard sound system stinks.

Faults:

(1) The Fujitsu-made audio system was soon to be out of order. Replaced with a new one. No problem after that though.

(2) Occasionally it smells bad, something burning. I need to open the windows to drive out the smell.

(3) Given that it's just 4-cyl, it may not be a problem. Yet, it lacks enough power when it climbs up the hills. Quite noisy and dull.

(4) A little noisy on the highway (not so comfortable for a long and high-speed driving). The surface noise comes in. Wind noise has developed recently, at around 35,000km.

General Comments:

There are several problems stated above with my 4-cyl limited Rav4.

Still, it's a reliable car overal. Especially I like the agility or exactness of the steering wheel. The simple instrument panel design is also my favorite.

It's not good enough to make me the a fan of Rav4 or Toyota. However I may recommend it to others, since no car is perfect.

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

I love to drive this vehicle. Very nimble and handles a little up and down quite well. I keep the tyre pressure up, which makes the ride quite rigid, which is the way I like it.

Be warned that the owner manual recommends softer tyre pressures to ensure a car-like ride. However, this leads to uneven wear on the tyres, and mine became bald on the edges at approx 28000kms. I have ditched the Bridgestones for Kumho tires, and run the vehicle at 38 psi front pressure and 36 psi on the rear.

Faults:

The car has seemed to have developed a knocking sensation from the steering wheel when turning left at low speeds.

Second gear is sometimes hard to find and crunches.

Seems to burn a lot of oil, ran low twice since new, a bit concerned.

General Comments:

The 136bhp engine is great, very responsive and excellent for towing.

Handling is quite good for an SUV apart from the knocking feeling.

A very comfortable car for long journeys, and it loves to munch up the miles.

The load space is excellent, and the fold flat system is very handy.

The Rav4 is very capable off road, and the four wheel drive system works well.

Faults:

Nothing so far, other than the simple hood adjustment mentioned in the previous 2006 RAV-4 review.

General Comments:

My three-person family just took a 1500-mile round-trip vacation in our 2006 RAV-4, AWD V-6 Sport. I had to write this review because the vehicle was fantastic throughout the entire trip! The RAV was comfortable, roomy, held our entire luggage for a week-long jaunt (without blocking the back window view and without even using the roof rack!), got incredible gas mileage (26.6 mpg at average 80 mph highway speed) and just drove flawlessly on the mountain roads (with the downhill assist control and push-button lockable AWD). Just awesome!

I was amazed that after 12 hours on the road in a single day, I was not fatigued at all from the driver's seat! The RAV had ridiculous passing power, with "fighter jet, afterburner-like" thrust from the 270 hp V-6. Spend your hard-earned money on the V-6 RAV! You'll love it. I guarantee it!