2008 Toyota RAV4 CV review from Australia and New Zealand

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!

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.