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MM Test-Drive/Mini-Review: 2016 Toyota RAV-4
A Test-Drive (and Mini-Review) of the 2016 Toyota RAV-4.
http://www.toyota.com/rav4/
IN A NUTSHELL: Fairly nice vehicle under the skin, but the skin could use improvement.
CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Ford Escape, Dodge Journey (the Journey is comparably-priced but slightly larger), Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrrain, VW Tiguan, Subaru Forester. Mitsubishi Outlander.
OVERVIEW:
After my Condensed Mazda CX-5 review, and the static-review of the competing Nissan Rogue, someone suggested I drive the RAV-4, so I figured if I was going to drive one, I might as well do a short mini-review. Most of you on the forums already know what a hugely successful vehicle the RAV-4 has been in the American market, so I won't waste time and wear on my keyboard going into that, especially on a mini-review (my keyboard gets enough wear LOL).
The 4th-Generation RAV-4 dropped the former V6 engines, and now, for 2016, offers one drivetrain on the LE, SE, XLE, and Limited gas versions....a 2.5L non-turbo four with 176 HP and 172 ft-lbs. of torque, connected to a 6-speed Sport-shift automatic. XLE Hybrid and Limited Hybrid versions get the same gas engine, a CVT (Continuously-Variable-Transmission), and the Toyota Hybrid-Drive electric booster-motor., for a total system 194 HP (torque figures and RPMs for the Hybrid are not published onToyota's web-site). Gas versions get a choice of FWD or AWD; the Hybrids are AWD. No traditional manual transmissions are offered. Base prices on gas versions range from $24,350 to $31,510, and from $28,370 to $33,610 on Hybrids. One request I got was to compare the prices of the hybrid vs. gas versions....there you have it. On the average, the gas versions run from $2000 to $4000 less than the hybrids....not a huge difference if you want to spend more for the hybrids. Of course, right now, gas is relatively cheap, so there isn't as much incentive in the marketplace to get the hybrids right now as there was in the past (perhaps one reason why Toyota is holding the line on the hybrid prices). Even at that 2-4K price difference, though, one would have to use a lot of today's relatively cheap gas to recover the difference between the two and break even. So, my general recommendation is to simply buy the gas version and save a few thousand dollars, unless one can take advantage of Hybrid tax-credits or HOV priviledges where they live. I did not specifically test-drive the latest RAV-4 Hybrid, but I have sampled previous Toyota Hybrid systems of about the same spec-ratings. I sampled a few different interiors, as usual, but, for the test-drive itself, chose a base LE model with AWD and almost no options....it listed at $26,740. Since this is only a Mini-review underneath, I'm going to concentrate mostly on the test-drive, and just say a few sentences in the other categories.
MODEL REVIEWED: 2016 Toyota RAV-4 LE AWD
BASE PRICE: $25,750
OPTIONS:
Tonneau Cover $90
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $900 (a little steep for an SUV this size)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $26,740
DRIVETRAIN: AWD, Transversely-mounted 2.5L VVT-i non-turbo 4, 176 HP @ 6000 RPM, Torque 172 Ft-lbs. @ 4400 RPM, 6-Speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 22 City, 29 Highway, 25 Combined
EXTERIOR COLOR: Super White
INTERIOR: Black Cloth
PLUSSES:
Decent (but not strong) power level from 2.5L four.
Smooth, quiet transmission when warm.
Clear, legible primary gauges.
Road and wind noise generally well-controlled.
Good underhood layout for do-it-yourselfers.
Nice paint-color choice.
Typical Toyota/Lexus well-done paint jobs.
Well-done plastic wheel covers.
Good headroom and legroom inside....especially without the sunroof.
Reclining rear seat even in base models.
Well-designed, solid inside door-pulls.
Generally easy-to-use control layout.
Vechicle-surround lower-body cladding helps protect paint.
Superb stereo sound quality for this vehicle class.
Toyota tradition of better-than-average reliability.
(Currently) 2-year/25,000 mile Toyota Free-Maintenance policy with purchase.
MINUSES:
No more V6 engines available.
(Mostly) cheap plastic interior materials, even on upper-line versions.
Flimsy outside mirror housings.
Manual prop-rod for hood.
Hood slams shut awkwardy.
Marked engine noise under acceleration.
Automatic transmission somewhat bumpy when cold.
Slow steering response with body roll.
Brake-pedal location not ideal for large feet/shoes.
Annoying (IMO) zig-zag shifter action.
No body-side moldings for parking-lot protection.
Front seat belts rather difficult to latch.
Poorly-finished cargo area.
Poor visibility out the rear quarter.
Loosely-attached, somewhat wobbly plastic stereo knobs.
Roadside Assistance Program unlimited miles but only for 2 years.
EXTERIOR:
Though styling is generally subjective, I generally am not a fan of the bulldog/scowl shape and slit-grille of the current RAV-4 front end. Nor do I care for the thick C and D-pillars, which significantly impede rear-visibility. The doors have a reasonably solid sound and thunk when closing, but the sheet metal itself is rather thin (as with many new vehicles). The paint job is the usual Toyota/Lexus gloss and excellence, and the color choice is quite good, with bright blue, red, and orange offered. Much of the exterior trim and hardware though, is not impressive, has a thin and flimsy feel to it. The hood slams shut with a misaligned and awkward sound and motion. And the twin-side-mirror housings have a flimsy feel and swivel-action to them....but I liked the small convex-blind-spot extensions on the mirrors, like on Ford products. The wheels on the base LE version had plastic wheel covers, but they were nicely-done, two-tone, and could (almost) fool you into thinking they were real alloys. I could't tell they were plastic covers until I bent down to check the tire PSI's before the test-drive.
UNDERHOOD:
The heavy hood is held up with a manual prop-rod, but the underhood layout is quite good for Do-it-Yourselfers. The 2.5L four fits inside well, and does not have a plastic cover on it to block upper-engine access. There is generally room to reach most engine components, and the battery is on the right, uncovered. All of the filler-caps, dipsticks, and fluid-reservoirs are easy to reach.
INTERIOR:
Like the exterior trim and hardware, the quality of the plastics and trim inside, IMO, leaves a significant amount to be desired. Like with some other recent Toyota products (fortunately, not all), the interior feels, if not looks, like it was built to a strict budget. The base LE interior in my test vehicle looked and felt especially cheap, with a number of sub-standard thin plastic parts (some of which were not particularly well-attached). But even the upmarket XLE and Limited interiors, though having nicer-looknig trim on the surface, had much the same unimpressive thin plastic feel underneath. The engine-tempoerature gauge on my LE version was a rather hard-to-read bar-graph, but at least it's better than the Mazda CX-5's idiot-lights. Other versions of the RAV-4 have different primary/secondary gauge-designs, depending on trim-model. The seat-belt latches up front are difficult to reach down and lathe securely into the holders due to the way the center-console-lid is designed. The seats are not particularly comfortable for a wide frame my size, though they will do for narrower persons.
On the plus side, however, the interior is quite roomy and space-efficient, with good front/rear headroom and legroom (without a sunroof), the control layout is relatively simple to use by today's standards, the stereo sound quality is superb for this class, the big thick interior door-pulls are rock-solid, and the primary gauges are clear and easy to read.
CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:
The cargo area is roomy enough, but not particularly well-finished, especially on the walls. My test vehicle had the optional $90 removable pull-shade (Tonneau Cover).....pay the extra money and get it, unless you don't regularly carry things in back that you care about thieves running off with, or want to continually hide with a blanket. Under the floor is the usual temporary-spare tire, and there are also two shallow cubby-compartments under the floor, with pull-covers.
ON THE ROAD:
OK...the test-drive. Start the ubiquitous 2.5L in-line four, on the LE version, with a traditional key and side-column switch. The four comes to life with reasonable smoothness and refinement in idling, but noise level is audible on the road, especially when accelerating. Power level does not reach the zippy feel of the competing Mazda CX-5, but the engine has enough power to get out of its own way, particularly in the SPORT mode (there is also an ECO mode to save gas, and the system defaults to ECO under 25 MPH). The 6-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission shifts a little abruptly on the 1-2 shift when cold, but smooths out nicely while warming, and remains so under manual-shift mode. I didn't care for the zig-zag shift pattern of the lever (something Toyota and Lexus have stuck with for years), though I'm aware that there are some who disagree and like those patterns.
Ride comfort was pretty good by the standards of this class, though the suspension, like many others in this high-center-of-gravity class of vehicle, allowed marked body roll, and steering response was on the slow side. Ride comfort is helped by the relatively low recommended air-pressure (33 PSI front/rear) in the tires and by the tires' tall 65-series sidewalls. I wish more sedans today still got tires like this....IMO, except for purpose-designed sports oriented vehicles, the current obsession in the industry with low-profiles is ludicrous. Road noise and wind noise are both relatively well-controlled, with engine noise from the four being the main culprit on the road. The brake pedal was not particularly well-placed for my big size 15 shoes, and allowed the shoe to momentarily hang up on the pedal when going from gas to brake.
THE VERDICT:
I won't go into the usual separate verdict here, since I think I more or less covered it (if minimally) above.
And, as always......Happy car-shopping.
MM
A Test-Drive (and Mini-Review) of the 2016 Toyota RAV-4.
http://www.toyota.com/rav4/
IN A NUTSHELL: Fairly nice vehicle under the skin, but the skin could use improvement.
CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Ford Escape, Dodge Journey (the Journey is comparably-priced but slightly larger), Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrrain, VW Tiguan, Subaru Forester. Mitsubishi Outlander.
OVERVIEW:
After my Condensed Mazda CX-5 review, and the static-review of the competing Nissan Rogue, someone suggested I drive the RAV-4, so I figured if I was going to drive one, I might as well do a short mini-review. Most of you on the forums already know what a hugely successful vehicle the RAV-4 has been in the American market, so I won't waste time and wear on my keyboard going into that, especially on a mini-review (my keyboard gets enough wear LOL).
The 4th-Generation RAV-4 dropped the former V6 engines, and now, for 2016, offers one drivetrain on the LE, SE, XLE, and Limited gas versions....a 2.5L non-turbo four with 176 HP and 172 ft-lbs. of torque, connected to a 6-speed Sport-shift automatic. XLE Hybrid and Limited Hybrid versions get the same gas engine, a CVT (Continuously-Variable-Transmission), and the Toyota Hybrid-Drive electric booster-motor., for a total system 194 HP (torque figures and RPMs for the Hybrid are not published onToyota's web-site). Gas versions get a choice of FWD or AWD; the Hybrids are AWD. No traditional manual transmissions are offered. Base prices on gas versions range from $24,350 to $31,510, and from $28,370 to $33,610 on Hybrids. One request I got was to compare the prices of the hybrid vs. gas versions....there you have it. On the average, the gas versions run from $2000 to $4000 less than the hybrids....not a huge difference if you want to spend more for the hybrids. Of course, right now, gas is relatively cheap, so there isn't as much incentive in the marketplace to get the hybrids right now as there was in the past (perhaps one reason why Toyota is holding the line on the hybrid prices). Even at that 2-4K price difference, though, one would have to use a lot of today's relatively cheap gas to recover the difference between the two and break even. So, my general recommendation is to simply buy the gas version and save a few thousand dollars, unless one can take advantage of Hybrid tax-credits or HOV priviledges where they live. I did not specifically test-drive the latest RAV-4 Hybrid, but I have sampled previous Toyota Hybrid systems of about the same spec-ratings. I sampled a few different interiors, as usual, but, for the test-drive itself, chose a base LE model with AWD and almost no options....it listed at $26,740. Since this is only a Mini-review underneath, I'm going to concentrate mostly on the test-drive, and just say a few sentences in the other categories.
MODEL REVIEWED: 2016 Toyota RAV-4 LE AWD
BASE PRICE: $25,750
OPTIONS:
Tonneau Cover $90
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $900 (a little steep for an SUV this size)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $26,740
DRIVETRAIN: AWD, Transversely-mounted 2.5L VVT-i non-turbo 4, 176 HP @ 6000 RPM, Torque 172 Ft-lbs. @ 4400 RPM, 6-Speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 22 City, 29 Highway, 25 Combined
EXTERIOR COLOR: Super White
INTERIOR: Black Cloth
PLUSSES:
Decent (but not strong) power level from 2.5L four.
Smooth, quiet transmission when warm.
Clear, legible primary gauges.
Road and wind noise generally well-controlled.
Good underhood layout for do-it-yourselfers.
Nice paint-color choice.
Typical Toyota/Lexus well-done paint jobs.
Well-done plastic wheel covers.
Good headroom and legroom inside....especially without the sunroof.
Reclining rear seat even in base models.
Well-designed, solid inside door-pulls.
Generally easy-to-use control layout.
Vechicle-surround lower-body cladding helps protect paint.
Superb stereo sound quality for this vehicle class.
Toyota tradition of better-than-average reliability.
(Currently) 2-year/25,000 mile Toyota Free-Maintenance policy with purchase.
MINUSES:
No more V6 engines available.
(Mostly) cheap plastic interior materials, even on upper-line versions.
Flimsy outside mirror housings.
Manual prop-rod for hood.
Hood slams shut awkwardy.
Marked engine noise under acceleration.
Automatic transmission somewhat bumpy when cold.
Slow steering response with body roll.
Brake-pedal location not ideal for large feet/shoes.
Annoying (IMO) zig-zag shifter action.
No body-side moldings for parking-lot protection.
Front seat belts rather difficult to latch.
Poorly-finished cargo area.
Poor visibility out the rear quarter.
Loosely-attached, somewhat wobbly plastic stereo knobs.
Roadside Assistance Program unlimited miles but only for 2 years.
EXTERIOR:
Though styling is generally subjective, I generally am not a fan of the bulldog/scowl shape and slit-grille of the current RAV-4 front end. Nor do I care for the thick C and D-pillars, which significantly impede rear-visibility. The doors have a reasonably solid sound and thunk when closing, but the sheet metal itself is rather thin (as with many new vehicles). The paint job is the usual Toyota/Lexus gloss and excellence, and the color choice is quite good, with bright blue, red, and orange offered. Much of the exterior trim and hardware though, is not impressive, has a thin and flimsy feel to it. The hood slams shut with a misaligned and awkward sound and motion. And the twin-side-mirror housings have a flimsy feel and swivel-action to them....but I liked the small convex-blind-spot extensions on the mirrors, like on Ford products. The wheels on the base LE version had plastic wheel covers, but they were nicely-done, two-tone, and could (almost) fool you into thinking they were real alloys. I could't tell they were plastic covers until I bent down to check the tire PSI's before the test-drive.
UNDERHOOD:
The heavy hood is held up with a manual prop-rod, but the underhood layout is quite good for Do-it-Yourselfers. The 2.5L four fits inside well, and does not have a plastic cover on it to block upper-engine access. There is generally room to reach most engine components, and the battery is on the right, uncovered. All of the filler-caps, dipsticks, and fluid-reservoirs are easy to reach.
INTERIOR:
Like the exterior trim and hardware, the quality of the plastics and trim inside, IMO, leaves a significant amount to be desired. Like with some other recent Toyota products (fortunately, not all), the interior feels, if not looks, like it was built to a strict budget. The base LE interior in my test vehicle looked and felt especially cheap, with a number of sub-standard thin plastic parts (some of which were not particularly well-attached). But even the upmarket XLE and Limited interiors, though having nicer-looknig trim on the surface, had much the same unimpressive thin plastic feel underneath. The engine-tempoerature gauge on my LE version was a rather hard-to-read bar-graph, but at least it's better than the Mazda CX-5's idiot-lights. Other versions of the RAV-4 have different primary/secondary gauge-designs, depending on trim-model. The seat-belt latches up front are difficult to reach down and lathe securely into the holders due to the way the center-console-lid is designed. The seats are not particularly comfortable for a wide frame my size, though they will do for narrower persons.
On the plus side, however, the interior is quite roomy and space-efficient, with good front/rear headroom and legroom (without a sunroof), the control layout is relatively simple to use by today's standards, the stereo sound quality is superb for this class, the big thick interior door-pulls are rock-solid, and the primary gauges are clear and easy to read.
CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:
The cargo area is roomy enough, but not particularly well-finished, especially on the walls. My test vehicle had the optional $90 removable pull-shade (Tonneau Cover).....pay the extra money and get it, unless you don't regularly carry things in back that you care about thieves running off with, or want to continually hide with a blanket. Under the floor is the usual temporary-spare tire, and there are also two shallow cubby-compartments under the floor, with pull-covers.
ON THE ROAD:
OK...the test-drive. Start the ubiquitous 2.5L in-line four, on the LE version, with a traditional key and side-column switch. The four comes to life with reasonable smoothness and refinement in idling, but noise level is audible on the road, especially when accelerating. Power level does not reach the zippy feel of the competing Mazda CX-5, but the engine has enough power to get out of its own way, particularly in the SPORT mode (there is also an ECO mode to save gas, and the system defaults to ECO under 25 MPH). The 6-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission shifts a little abruptly on the 1-2 shift when cold, but smooths out nicely while warming, and remains so under manual-shift mode. I didn't care for the zig-zag shift pattern of the lever (something Toyota and Lexus have stuck with for years), though I'm aware that there are some who disagree and like those patterns.
Ride comfort was pretty good by the standards of this class, though the suspension, like many others in this high-center-of-gravity class of vehicle, allowed marked body roll, and steering response was on the slow side. Ride comfort is helped by the relatively low recommended air-pressure (33 PSI front/rear) in the tires and by the tires' tall 65-series sidewalls. I wish more sedans today still got tires like this....IMO, except for purpose-designed sports oriented vehicles, the current obsession in the industry with low-profiles is ludicrous. Road noise and wind noise are both relatively well-controlled, with engine noise from the four being the main culprit on the road. The brake pedal was not particularly well-placed for my big size 15 shoes, and allowed the shoe to momentarily hang up on the pedal when going from gas to brake.
THE VERDICT:
I won't go into the usual separate verdict here, since I think I more or less covered it (if minimally) above.
And, as always......Happy car-shopping.
MM