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.
Excellent review! I just bought one 5 days ago myself (not the sport) and I love it! I actually wrote a review on this site that hasn't posted yet and I gave it the exact same scores on the 1-10 scale as you did. Excellent vehicle.
I have yet to see the 2006 RAV4 in person. Overall, is it an attractive truck? I'm seriously considering buying a vehicle that is capable of being a family car, and hauler, and a sporting car (off road), while sustaining a good fuel economy, would this truck be the best choice? How good is the fuel economy? -Thanks in advanced.
Well today I got the 7 passenger model with the 4 cylinder engine, and it's a one of a kind truck! I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for reliability and fuel economy. It's an A +++++ truck.
To the person that wrote in the comments box on May 18th:
- Yes, I think it's a very attractive SUV! Go to Toyota.com and look! They have an extremely interactive web page. Some folks don't like the spare tire on the back, but it doesn't bother me. To me, that's the look of the original RAV.
- Since I'm the guy that wrote the 2006 review, I'd say "Yes" it does all of the things you are asking/wanting an SUV to do (Gets great city/hwy mileage, hauls stuff and is a blast to drive with the V-6.
- My advice to you is go comparison shopping with the other brands. You will not find anything that can hold a candle to the new RAV in room, efficiency and value for your money. It's the best $28,000 I've ever spent on a vehicle.
Test drove Rav4 V6 sport myself after reading so many favorable reviews. All are fine except one thing, the driving stability at high speed. When it approaches 80mph, the instability sense is very conspicuous, just like a Corolla. So I guess any driver would feel very fatigued on this vehicle when driving out for a long trip. Another gripe is the poor quality of the back seat, very cheap feeling & looking. Passengers will suffer for sure. Hopefully the leather seat (standard on limited trim) will be better?
Maybe I shouldn't complain after taking into consideration of the price tag for such a SUV. All in all Rav4 is for practical, not for pleasure.
Bought Tundra after long analysis (12 months) in May and have been looking at the RAV4 since Mar.06..I doubt there is anything overall that can beat it hp/mpg/awd, but as where I live MSRP is what you pay or get out of the way (after 40 years in sales I hate it, but understand supply and demand). My only dislikes so far have been (1). it comes with what Toyota puts on it (all the extras I do not want or need) (2).web review reports of faulty windshield issues, etc. across the country (nothing major) and (3). the colors for the interior on Basic (yellow/tan) or Sport (charcoal black) :I have been told by all the dealers in my SW state" that's all they make it in" which I know is not true. However, that is all they ship to our region so.. take it or leave it. I am looking in other states and may fly to buy for what I want and better price. I wish I could find something =2 or better as I hate "retail" for less than what I truly would be happy with, but seat covers???
The 2006 RAV4 V6 is a wonderful vehicle. As far as paying over invoice.. we didn't, a little wheeling and dealing and cash is all it took. It was quite a feat to find the color with the options I wanted in the south eastern U.S. The road noise is minimal however, I invested in the silencer package and it is well worth it!! I sometimes cannot even tell when the engine has started except for the dash lights! With this package there is almost no road noise!!
To the person who commented on the purchase of a "silencer package" is this an option on the sport or the limited? I'm in the process of ordering a v6 limited and would like to know more thanks in advance.
That sounds like a sound proof spray. It will wear off within a 2 year period. Had it done on my car at no cost... don't ever pay extra for it.
I just purchased a 2007 Rav4 and am having problems with wind noise generated by roof rack. Dealer says only solution may be to remove cross rails. Any comments, suggestions?
Just wanted to say something to the person that wrote the original review. I found out that the RAV4 was named the small SUV of the year. go to money.cnn.com it says about the top ten cars of the year and 11 worst. I am also planning on purchasing a RAV-4 V6 early summer. I HONESTLY Can't WAIT. I reviewed a few other "small" SUV's and none other had such good mileage, and the RAV's V6 engine.
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