1998 Toyota RAV4 4x4 review from North America

Brakes, brakes, brakes. What gives with the squeal? Two different dealers looked at it and finally cleaned something or other and it hasn't squealed in over two weeks (yippee!).

Center console lid came off. Went to a Toyota dealer to get two screws to put it back on, but was told that they don't sell screws, they sell the whole console unit for $80US. No thanks. I'll glue it shut.

Comfortable front seats, extremely uncomfortable rear seats with no legroom. Seat belts for five, but pity the three poor people in the back seat. You may have to pry them out after driving for a while.

What is that thing under the hood? I thought they put engines in cars, but when you stomp on the accelerator, all you get is a bunch of noise. There is no go-power. There is a button on the dash that puts the transmission in "normal" or "power" mode, but pressing "power" just makes the engine louder when accelerating without giving more oomph. When travelling on the interstate and going up a hill (for example, an overpass... by no means a big hill), the thing down-shifts TWO TIMES! Tachometer goes to 4,000+ revolutions. People in the car wonder what just let go. After a while, they realize this is normal. This is one of the most underpowered vehicles I have ever driven. I must have been dreaming whenever I test drove this thing.

Overall, the whole package is a winner, despite the engine. Electric moon roof is a plus, CD-player can still drown out the road noise, reliability has been top notch (despite the brake noise), and you get used to the jellybean design after a while. My wife drives it (and loves it), I just pay for it. As for me, I drive a Toyota Tundra V8 4x4 Access cab. Now that has real go-power.