Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

4x4 system: OK for normal driving, but in 15-20 cm slush/snow the system connects the rear wheels in and out all the time. One notices very well that the system automatically shuts off and on, but this is an extreme situation, but very annoying.

When driving in steep hills covered with a thick ice layer and heavy turns/ starting, the traction controls system is counterproductive, and the car loses engine power and will not go forward since the system reduces the engine speed. I really miss the possibility to turn it OFF…

All in all, it's a 4x4 system for the poor, it is recommended to buy a car with a more permanent 4x4 system, for instance Haldex 4, with a 70/30 distribution between the axles.

Headlight: Miserable, unless you have xenon. Do not buy without xenon, it has been tested in Germany and it has the poorest halogen lights on new cars in Europe. The only lightbulbs that give the car a good light is the Osram (Sylviana) Night Breaker, but they only last for 3 months. And in Norway they cost 365 NOK (approx: 60 USD) per bulb…

Noise: the internal noise level is quite miserable. Toyota could and should have done a much better job. Open the covers over the rear wheel arches and add noise reduction mats, and you will remove the rain noise "by 80%. But there is still way too much noise.

Engine: Very comfortable and good engine, is very good car. During the summer vacation we typically drive between 4 and 5.000 kilometers with a 1.2 ton camping trailer, and the engine is great!

Driving comfort: OK, it is an SUV, and if you could remove the noise, it would have been good/very good.

Driving experience: Under normal conditions, a fun car to drive, but it isn’t good enough in winter conditions during automatic 4x4; Toyota should had given user the choice to select 70/30 distribution between the front and rear axle; the car would had been good with it.

Gear: Good gear, but missing a low gear as the first gear.

Overall: The car is fun, but there are a little hassles with 4x4 system, poor noise and poor lighting. I would not bought a RAV4 today, since there are many cars that are way better. And yes it is my fourth Toyota since 2000, but they are not good enough any more….

Faults:

I don't own the vehicle, I'm borrowing it from a friend of mine, but he (and I) like it so much I figured I'd write a review on it.

The only real problem is that the driver's seat frame and fabric has worn prematurely (my friend, while very nice, is also quite large, so this is understandable.) Otherwise, there have been no problems with the vehicle. And knowing my friend, he definitely has not serviced it at the regular intervals by any means.

General Comments:

I was very surprised by the 4-cylinder this car has. It's amazingly powerful and has plenty of power to keep this thing moving rather easily. I thought that a 4-cylinder on a car this large would be classified as underpowered, but this engine is more than sufficient for this vehicle.

I haven't had the chance to really use the four wheel drive system, but while testing it on a dirt road, it seemed quite confident and had no trouble.

The car feels VERY solid, and rides very comfortably. It rides nice on the highway, floats over the bumps. And on the backroads, it's still stiff enough to give a reasonable amount of driving pleasure.

Lots of interior room. Trunk is big, plenty of legroom, and the headroom is phenomenal.

He bought this RAV4 to replace his last one because it was totaled in an accident. Somebody rear ended it at about 40 MPH. It was still driveable, but the repair costs came to about the same amount as a new car, and he loved that RAV4 so much, he bought another!

When I got him to look at the first RAV4, he was driving a Ford Ranger that was giving him a lot of trouble. He'd been a domestic fan all his life, but I suggested that he give Toyota a try and now he's hooked.