2006 Toyota RAV4 V-6 AWD review from North America

The hood was wiggling up and down (By the smallest of margins) at speed on the interstate. All that was needed was an under-hood adjustment of the cylindrical rubber bump-stops near the top engine frame in the underhood compartment. I did the adjustment myself and did not have to go to the dealer.

Availability of the V-6 RAV: It was difficult to get exactly what you wanted and the South East U.S. regional dealer admin fee of $693.00 was absurd! That's in addition to haggling over all the other local dealer fees and using invoice cost to work from. We paid $800 over invoice cost, plus tax, tag, and title fees.

The AWD V-6 Sport is very, very quick. It's faster than the VR-6, VW Jetta 6-speed we traded in (Which is a quick car!). It makes for effortless punch on the highway (passing maneuvers, or merging). Before you know it, you'll be doing 80 mph.

The RAV is very comfortable. Even with the 18-inch rims and tires plus "Sport" suspension. Tire noise, depending on road surface, does intrude slightly into the cabin, but is easily drowned out by the stereo. We got 22.8 mpg in the city recently with the 3.5 Liter V-6!!! That's great!

This vehicle will probably win a lot of SUV awards in 2007 as it is very practical, roomy, fun, fuel efficient, and the exterior dimensions are not large.