2008 Toyota RAV4 CV 2.4 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A very capable SUV that would suit mosts people's needs

Faults:

So far nothing has gone wrong with the car. But this is expected being a Toyota. Over the years, I've had too many Toyotas to mention. Superb car for reliability!

General Comments:

One of the larger compact SUV's on the market, with spirited performance.

So far the car has taken me from city traffic to the beaches (got bogged once) to the sand dunes. Overall it is a fun and versatile car.

The 2.4 engine definitely needs to be revved for any performance to take place. Especially on the highway when over taking. If you spend most of your travels on longer trip, maybe the V6 might be a better option.

But be warned, that when revved hard, the fuel economy suffers greatly. This probably one of my only complaints I have on the car. To get decent economy in the city, you just need to tap the accelerator pedal ever so slightly.

Otherwise the built quality is pretty good. They do seem to use cheap plastic for the power window button and parts of the interior door handle. Other than this, the rest of the material seems to be high grade.

I keep my tire pressures at 35 psi in order to help me with the fuel economy. I have also found that I get the best fuel economy and slightly better performance using 98 RON at the pump. But then again, I've always used 98 in all my cars. I just feel it is a better fuel and a cleaner fuel.

The steering is pretty nimble and accurate. If you are doing a lot of long distance driving around windy roads, it tends to get pretty tiring as you have to focus quite a bit as there tends to be a bit of an understeer issue.

I find the RAV4 being more than capable for most people's needs, and it has the backing of the Toyota badge. I highly recommend it if you are in the market for a compact SUV.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd April, 2009

24th Apr 2009, 04:23

What sort of fuel economy are you getting? My neighbour has an 06 Rav4 with the 2.4 auto, and gets 11-12L/100km in the suburbs.

29th Apr 2009, 03:24

That sounds about right. I can get almost 10km per litre, driving in and around town, but this means driving very slow and especially taking off very slow. The best I have gotten is 460km around the city from 50 litres of fuel, which is 9.2 km per litre. Hope this helps.

23rd Oct 2010, 02:30

Well just an update on my Rav4. Now it's a little over 2 years, and I have done about 45,000km. Over the 2 years, I have had the opportunity to drive the Rav in 5 different states and Territory in Australia, and not one thing has gone wrong.

The fuel economy is great. It took at least 15,000km to return some decent numbers, but it got there. After about 40,000km, I could get about 560KM from around 50 litres of petrol (I've run the Rav on premium fuel since new).

The only thing now is that in the next 10,000km. I'll probably need to change the factory fitted Bridgestone tyres.

The capped price servicing that Toyota offers is also been very helpful, and this runs out at 60,000km. I might consider trading my Rav in after that, and getting another Toyota just for the fixed price servicing.

2008 Toyota RAV4 Limited 3.5L from North America

Summary:

Excellent jack-of-all-trades

Faults:

There has been a very intermittent rattle in the center stack since new. I haven't bothered to take it in for service as it is very minor: The duration of the rattling occurrences is only 5-15 seconds, and it has only done the rattle 3-4 times so far since purchasing the vehicle. I cannot willingly reproduce it, and it does not affect functionality.

General Comments:

I purchased this vehicle after having done extensive research, wanting a car that would serve many purposes:

*Not too slow, and decent passing power.

*Capable of light towing.

*Sizable cargo space (but huge space not necessary).

*Capable of seating four adults comfortably.

*Decent gas mileage for the vehicle class.

*Sufficient ground clearance for sharp angles between driveways and roadways (a problem where I live).

*Reasonable safety features and crash-test ratings.

*AWD.

*Projected reliability is not below average, and preferably above average.

*Available with cloth seats on whichever trim/equipment level I choose.

The RAV4 perfectly fits these criteria. I recommend it to anyone looking for an all-purpose vehicle.

One of the nice things in this car is that there are a lot of little touches, at least compared with many of my past vehicles. Several places that would otherwise be dead-space are turned into a small cubby or storage area. The seatbelts have height adjusters. The sun visors have pull-out tabs to help block additional sun. The automatic function on the driver's side power window has both auto-up and auto-down capability (in my experience, most cars will only do one or the other). Various things like this make me feel that someone designed this car with a lot of thought on practicality and usability.

Gas mileage is decent; it's no economy car, but it is easy to beat the EPA 2008 estimates. I've gotten over 28mpg and have yet to take a trip where I drive 100% highway miles.

Alltogether, the vehicle instills a sense of trust in me, as I know that for 99% of the driving situations I may face, the RAV will do the job.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 2008

4th Sep 2008, 12:14

HOW are you getting 28MPG??

15th Sep 2008, 20:48

Original poster here: The 28 mpg was from the one time I took a mostly-highway trip. I did about 80-85% highway that time. As a result, I'm pretty sure I could hit 30 with a full highway trip--and others with the same vehicle have done just that.

Most of the time, I get 24-25 in suburban or suburban/highway mix. Though, if I have to do a good amount of stop-and-go, it drops to around 23.

I live in Texas--generally flat, and warm, with no "winter blend" gas that I've seen. I generally accelerate gradually, keep a good distance from the vehicle ahead of me, and try to avoid abrupt stops. When coming up to a light or a turn, I sometimes take my foot off the gas and coast for a bit before braking. And I use my cruise control a lot.

6th Dec 2008, 21:30

2008 Rav4 limited -Great car. Comfortable, handles well on these Northern NY snowy roads. Very peppy. I have the V6 model so I only get about 16-17 mpg. The car is very nice looking.

I would rate this car a 10 plus, except the trouble lights keep coming on. When this happens I lose cruise control and 4wd. I have had it back to the shop 4 times and I am now without cc and 4wd while we are waiting for parts. I only have about 3,500 miles. I know of 1 other person that is having the same problem. Is this a common occurrence for this model?

4th Jan 2009, 01:32

It's easy to get high road gas mileage on a V6, they usually run at low RPM. I have a '98 Malibu and I get 27 mpg, even while driving @ 75 mph and a trunk full of junk.

7th Apr 2009, 12:33

I own the 2008 RAV 4 Sport. Awesome vehicle. I love the 18" wheels. I live in Canada and it handles snow very well when equipped with snow tires all around. It's the AWD version.

Only problem back to the dealer was for a leaky rear seal. Fixed without incident. Highway mileage is excellent if you stick below 70 mph/110 kph.

This vehicle is all I expected from Toyota. I have been a GM guy for 30 years and I am extremely pleased with my Toyota purchase.

5th Jan 2010, 20:47

I am interested to buy a Toyota RAV4 Limited version, but I am confused now after reading this review...

2008 Toyota RAV4 Limited V6 from North America

Summary:

Love my RAV! Best small SUV in the market! :)

Faults:

I'm bummed that the RAV doesn't have auto headlights.

The upgraded JBL stereo is not RDS capable.

Would like more thigh support (like Consumer Reports states).

Would like the doors to lock automatically.

My old car had all of this, and I guess I didn't pay attention to this level of detail when I test drove it.

Am reading the paint is thin and easily cracked (www.rav4world.com)

General Comments:

Love the look! Love the drive.

Gas mileage is good so far - only on tank number 2, so have no numbers yet.

Love the Bluetooth. Love the speaker system.

Got Pacific Blue, and LOVE LOVE LOVE the color.

Great SUV. Love the storage compartment in back.

Sweet ride all around. Very happy with my purchase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th April, 2008

6th Jul 2008, 15:22

The Rav4 does have auto headlights. You have to leave your head lights on. They will automatically go off in 30 seconds when you turn off the car and automatically turn back on when you turn the car on.

4th Sep 2008, 12:13

Then I am driving all the time with my headlights on. I don't like that. My 2001 Grand Am had auto headlights for crying out loud. A limited Toyota should have that as well. Geesh.

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