2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE 2.5 L from North America

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is not my vehicle, but rather belongs to a good friend and I have had the opportunity to drive it several times whether in the city or longer road trip.

So here are my thoughts.

It is a good looking vehicle and looks particularly good in the dark red color. The black trim sets it off nicely. The interior looks nice and is very well appointed. The vehicle is solid with no squeaks or rattles. In all the build quality seems to be very good.

In the driver's seat... this is not a car for a tall person. I am six feet and three inches tall and leg room is tight... it's adequate but barely... it would be nice if the seat motored back another three or four inches. The leather seats are hard and don't fit me well. It doesn't take long before my back starts to ache.

The engine is somewhat noisy and unrefined. While probably durable I've seen other four cylinders that are much smoother and quieter. The transmission is jerky.

Fuel economy averages about 11.2L/100km.

Option wise it has pretty much everything, many of which I could do without. I am not a fan of heated seats and steering wheels... I don't find them comfortable.

The information center screen looks like an afterthought... sort of like an iPad glued to the dash... it would look better integrated into the dash.

The rain sensing wipers are nice however as is the adaptive cruise.

I find the power liftgate to be agonizingly slow... would be much faster if you could raise and lower manually.

In all it's a fair vehicle, but definitely not for big people.

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

Review Date: 7th February, 2021

10th Feb 2021, 17:41

The old saying of they don't make them like they used to really applies to today's cars. If you have any older RAV4 or any older vehicle in good shape, it's better to hang onto it because it's probably built better than new cars today.

I live in California where the smog regulations are closing in on these older well built cars. Making it tougher and tougher to own one of these vehicles. Forcing many people to sell them for pennies on the dollar, put a California non-op registration on them or putting them out to pasture way before their time. I have 3 Lexus vehicles, a 93 Lexus SC300 and a 2001 Lexus GS430 which are built well and run well, but I am always one step ahead of the California smog station man. Also bought a 2008 Lexus LS460, which was a mistake because its sensors are always going off. Its electric steering wheel is always acting up and many other safety features they drive me crazy, and the older Lexuses I have are just better built. Will be selling it soon and would like to pick up an older LS400/LS430 if I can find a clean one.