2006 Toyota RAV4 V-6 AWD 3.5 liter gasoline (unleaded regular 87 Octane) from North America
Summary:
If you can have only one vehicle to do-it-all, buy the RAV, AWD V-6!
Faults:
The hood was wiggling up and down (By the smallest of margins) at speed on the interstate. All that was needed was an under-hood adjustment of the cylindrical rubber bump-stops near the top engine frame in the underhood compartment. I did the adjustment myself and did not have to go to the dealer.
General Comments:
Availability of the V-6 RAV: It was difficult to get exactly what you wanted and the South East U.S. regional dealer admin fee of $693.00 was absurd! That's in addition to haggling over all the other local dealer fees and using invoice cost to work from. We paid $800 over invoice cost, plus tax, tag, and title fees.
The AWD V-6 Sport is very, very quick. It's faster than the VR-6, VW Jetta 6-speed we traded in (Which is a quick car!). It makes for effortless punch on the highway (passing maneuvers, or merging). Before you know it, you'll be doing 80 mph.
The RAV is very comfortable. Even with the 18-inch rims and tires plus "Sport" suspension. Tire noise, depending on road surface, does intrude slightly into the cabin, but is easily drowned out by the stereo. We got 22.8 mpg in the city recently with the 3.5 Liter V-6!!! That's great!
This vehicle will probably win a lot of SUV awards in 2007 as it is very practical, roomy, fun, fuel efficient, and the exterior dimensions are not large.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th May, 2006
18th May 2006, 09:12
I have yet to see the 2006 RAV4 in person. Overall, is it an attractive truck? I'm seriously considering buying a vehicle that is capable of being a family car, and hauler, and a sporting car (off road), while sustaining a good fuel economy, would this truck be the best choice? How good is the fuel economy? -Thanks in advanced.
9th May 2006, 21:41
Excellent review! I just bought one 5 days ago myself (not the sport) and I love it! I actually wrote a review on this site that hasn't posted yet and I gave it the exact same scores on the 1-10 scale as you did. Excellent vehicle.