2007 Toyota RAV4 Luxury from Italy - Comments

We bought the car new. A few things are a problem. We notice a mark on the roof when it was in direct sunlight. It was a clear fault when the car was given its first coat as the surface is perfectly smooth so it isn't damage. We took it back and they said it was the first they'd seen so the roof has to be resprayed which I'm really not happy about. I may negotiate for cash instead as I can't believe it will look perfectly original.

At speeds in access of 100mph (160kph across Germany I hasten to add!!!) the bonnet looked as though it was going to lift - it flapped around like crazy. We adjusted the round adjustable rubber stops under the bonnet and it solved the problem, but I was surprised it had left the factory like that - it really spoiled our journey.

2nd gear was impossible to select without it crunching. It seems to be fine now - just a running-in thing.

Other than these things (which I didn't expect from Toyota) it is great. The ride is excellent. We do a lot of country roads and it handles really well - you don't get horribly sick like we used to in our hideous Freelander. It's very comfortable, full of good toys and goes so well. If your thinking whether to get the 136 or the 177hp pay the extra - it's fabulous. I had a race with a Lotus up a hill I know well and really shocked him!! In the wet it is incredible.

Load space is amazing. Love the storage areas under the boot space - very useful. Love the keyless part..! Stereo is excellent. aircon excellent. looks fabulous in silver with dark windows. can get around 40mpg if you drive easy (which I don't so get 9Litres/100km).

Will cruise at 100mph all day in comfort (apart from the flapping bonnet).

I've now had this car a few months so wanted to add some more comments.

We've done 11,000km in just that short time and it has just got better and better. We've now done two 3000km trips and it is so effortless.

The niggles we had were sorted by Toyota very promptly. We had the bonnet flapping around - fixed; the paint problem on the roof has just disappeared.. weird; we had a small amount of wobble on the front brakes so new discs were fitted - now fine though we had to pay for new brake pads. The car did 10L/100km (28mpg) averaging 125km/h fully loaded with 3 people and a lot of luggage on a recent trip from the UK to north Italy. We did it in 16 hours non-stop.

Everyone says it looks superb and more expensive than it really is, it drives really well and doesn't cost a fortune to run. We couldn't be more happy. OK, apart from a few little things that are not perfect - I HATE the buzzer that sounds when the seat belts are not used, the plastic parts in the boot area seem to scratch really easily, I can't see the clock with sunglasses on. So not too much to moan about really.

Forget the Korean copies and overpriced, unreliable Mercs, get a RAV4 and be happy. We are!

A great brand and a fantastic car. TOYOTA RAV4 is the perfect car for a family...

I HATE the buzzer that sounds when the seat belts are not used, the plastic parts in the boot area seem to scratch really easily.

The buzzer takes 2 minutes to remove by a Toyota dealer, they do it by programming the system. The plastic parts can be protected by a very nice looking protection cover. I've done both and are very satisfied.

I couldn't agree more with you about the Mercs, I've owned 2 and I would never by a new one again.

I live in Norway, and the RAV is excellent on snow and ice which we have a lot of.

By the way, I'm an owner of 2 RAV 4 cars.

I've have the 2007 Rav4 Sport for 6 month now. I like everything about it except.

1. I don’t like the extended bumper on the back end. It makes it harder to get things in and out of the back. My legs are always coming in contact with the bumper. So the dirt on the bumper gets on my clothes. Also, the top of the bumper is getting scratched. In addition, I can’t sit down and put my golf shoes on because I’d be sitting on the dirty bumper. All these things are new to me with my 2007. I guess I got spoiled with my 1997 which had a better design.

2. I don’t like the fact that there is fabric on the door panels. The fabric, in my case, is black and it always has white marks on it.

3. When it is dark out and you open the tailgate door it’s hard to see inside because the light is in the door which when open does not help to see inside the back of the vehicle.

Not a bad car! It should be lowered a bit for more on-road capability. That could avoid under carriage damage for those who would dare competing with a true 4x4!

**UPDATE**

Done 25,000km now. few more comments. Still have wobble under heavy braking. Toyota said they fitted new discs, but they lied - they were reconditioned. I have to get it back in after arguing they had to fit new to sort the problem. The mechanic (Toyota Alba, Piemonte) is a monkey in greasy overalls (he wrecked my Corolla gearbox - forgot to refill the oil on a service..).

HATE the gearbox. Sometimes it's worse than other times.

Agree with previous comments about the back bumper.

Still hate the buzzer - any ideas how I kill it?

Otherwise excellent. Drives really well - fast and not very expensive to run. Comfortable. Had back problems so the heated seats have been wonderful. Get leather - easy to clean. Looks wonderful. Just get an automatic if you can.

Love my 2007 Rav4 V6 limited 4x4. Can you imagine if we had real problems. Buzz can be eliminated by dealer. I have leather so I don't have dirt problem on the door. Buy a fold down bumper protector to sit on. Add aux,. lighting to the trunk area.

***UPDATE****

Real problems? Yes, plenty For a car that cost 35,000 euros. I think it's a joke. Really.

I just got the brakes done and the garage were furious that Toyota had agreed to fit new discs. They wanted to skim them for a 2nd time which is just not correct. Before long the problem would come back.

So, they got really upset with me as I insisted they do it but they wouldn't so I called Toyota and they called the garage and told them to get on with it. The garage did and wouldn't even speak to us when we collected the car. They left the glove compartment door hanging off as pay back.

I HATE Toyota. OK, they were willing but I never got the back up through the dealers - 2 garages let me down very badly. I call that a major problem. They just wanted to do extra work that was unnecessary to make more money at my convenience. The car is now 1 year old and up for sale. Want to buy it?

I still have complaints about the car: the gearbox is a horrible, on this service they adjusted it so now it doesn't crunch between 1st-2nd now it just crunches between 2nd-3rd -nice!). The rear bumper is damaged and scratched as everything falls out and the dog steps on it (why should we buy extra things to cover up a horrible design?? The cover should be standard and the dealer should have said, hey, this design is rubbish you need to order one of these). On the service they did something to the engine management and now it's much slower and less economical. (The only thing I LOVED about this car was the engine now they've ruined that too.) The brakes don't wobble now, but they are not great for the size and (previous) power of the car.

Maybe I just got a bad one, but all I know is I can't wait to get rid of it. The thought of going back to a Toyota garage makes me quiver. They really don't care. I'm thinking of what to replace it with now. My little new Fiat 500 has been no problem. It's done 12,000 km in 6 months without a single problem. A lot more than I can say for my RAV4.

**UPDATE AT 60,000KM**

I tried to sell it but no inquiries.. Oh, well, I've learned to live with it. After the big problems were sorted it was a much better car. The one thing I still really hate every time I drive it is the gearbox. If you can get an auto, do it. Between 1st to 2nd gear now crunches unless you get the clutch right down and wait a second. It's a joke.

Otherwise OK. We fitted a device that improves economy and smoothness and that is great. We get 8L/100km. Not bad for a largish car. In north Italy we've had lots of snow this winter and it's been brilliant. Our neighbours were green with envy as their Pandas, Puntos and Mulitplas just wouldn't move.

I've also found a really good Toyota garage in Asti that did the service properly - the gearbox never fell out and they didn't use secondhand parts. Big improvement. While I would never buy a RAV again I might look at the new Avensis if they do an automatic.. But then again you can get a secondhand BMW free with cornflakes now (they're almost that cheap) so why waste money on a new car?