14th Feb 2011, 12:31

Well the guy in the Equinox thought so! I guess he should have bought a Toyota huh? He also was no highschool kid, but probably at least in his 30's. He is just a typical driver around here that is always in a hurry, and thinks they have some right to floor it and cut one more car off before they have to turn, instead of driving safely like normal people do.

My point really was about how loud and obnoxious the poor engine in the Chevy is. I had my windows up, and I could hear it louder than my RAV 4. I would never want to drive around such a poor sounding vehicle, nor one that is such an underperformer. GM has improved little on their engines since the 80's, as far as refinement and smoothness go.

21st Feb 2011, 20:29

Normal people just let those guys through, and do not endanger innocent people due to street racing.

22nd Sep 2011, 09:12

I have to agree with the original poster on this one. I recently test drove a 2011 Limited Rav 4 V6 AWD with the leather, and was unhappy with the ride, hard leather seats, and headrest. The vehicle had more body roll than I was comfortable with. I was also unhappy with the cheap plastic on the dashboard and elsewhere. The engine was powerful, and I liked the layout and size of the vehicle, but the body roll and seats were the deal breaker.

27th Dec 2011, 10:02

This comment makes me laugh!!! You have to shout to talk in the car?? What are you driving that you need to shout??? Comments like this just make people believe that you are not a true Toyota owner or critic of the vehicle. No matter what vehicle you drive, no one would have to shout to have a conversation unless it was a convertible, AND even then, most have a wind blocker feature. I own a 2008 Toyota Rav4 Limited, and not once have I shouted to talk to anyone in the car! Some people! LOL.

27th Dec 2011, 18:02

My good friend and one of my business clients both have RAV-4's. Both are 4-cylinder models, and both are so noisy that a normal conversation without yelling is virtually impossible due to rattles, wind noise and engine roar at highway speeds.

28th Dec 2011, 11:26

We rented one of these for a week several years ago, and we never had any of these so-called loud engine noise problems. Actually the ride was surprisingly smooth.

28th Dec 2011, 22:13

Please stop with this comment again and again... This is so far from actual experience it is laughable. Sorry, but NO car you would buy today requires yelling back and forth to have a conversation. Also, the RAV 4 is repeatedly praised for being the quietest and smoothest of all of the small SUV's.

I have had mine for over a year and a half, and it is as tight and quiet now as it was when I rolled off the dealer lot with it. You can have a normal conversation on the highway with windows up or down, sunroof open and going 75 mph. Even talking on the phone isn't an issue. I have not ridden or driven ANY new car in the past 15 years or more that has any of the characteristics you continually describe. Even a stripper Hyundai Accent wouldn't be that loud. Maybe your hatred of Toyota is skewing your opinion a bit?

29th Dec 2011, 09:38

The shouting is a little far fetched. As far as the RAV-4 being so quiet, I'm not so sure about that one. I just unloaded my 08, with the most road noise in any car I have ever owned, and the steering made load groaning noises.

30th Dec 2011, 20:32

Mine is a 2010 Sport with run flats on it, and the road noise is not really an issue. I actually thought they would get loud when they started to wear, but they still sound the same as they did new.

The only negative about the ride of the RAV 4 is the bounce you get from a short wheel base, but that is the norm for any smaller higher riding SUV. Other than that very minor issue, it rides and drives pretty much like a car. I just can't get sick of driving mine. It is a pretty amazing vehicle really. Long trips are a pleasure in it as well, and I don't even have any aches or pains after 5 or 6 hours behind the wheel. Some cars I have owned have left me in serious pain upon exiting after hours behind the wheel... not my RAV 4 though.

This probably won't be my last RAV.. unless I upgrade to a Highlander next.