2006 Toyota RAV4

This review has been a long time coming. Up until last week, I was driving a very basic 1997 Toyota Corolla. That car served me very well for almost eight years and 120,000 miles, but it was beginning to look like an eyesore. It was time to trade up and get myself some new wheels. And since I had so enjoyed my time with my little Toyota Corolla, I figured it made sense to look to Toyota for another reliable vehicle. Although I swore I'd never buy an SUV, my husband Bill hinted that we might like to look into a small one-- in the event that the Army ever decides to move us out of the DC area or we manage to have a kid or two. I figured the RAV4 would be a nice compromise. It's a reliable Toyota and an SUV, but it's small enough not to be a gas hog.

Bill and I headed over to the Toyota dealership last weekend with our minds set on test driving and possibly buying a brand new RAV4. I was especially prepared for this experience, having gotten myself good and hammered the night before at karaoke. I had a bit of a hangover, which would make me a little more assertive if the salesman got too rough. I had also done my research. The 2006 model of the RAV4 is available in three different trims: Base, Sport, and Limited. I was shooting for a Base model with a V6 engine, side and curtain airbags, and a 6 CD player. The salesman had told me one was available in my second choice color, Pacific Blue, which is a lovely light blue/gray hue. I really wanted a RAV4 in Nautical Blue, which is a beautiful navy blue metallic shade. I ended up coming away from the dealership with a Limited 4x4 RAV4 and a slightly higher car payment than I had originally anticipated!

V6 vs. 4 cylinders

Now, having read my fair share of RAV4 reviews, I was thinking that a V6 engine would be the way to go. After all, this is an SUV we're talking about, not a car. As it turned out, though, I tried the V6 and didn't like it that much. Maybe it's because I've been driving a puny little Corolla for the past few years. All those horses seemed to be too much for me. Besides, the V6 Limited model that was available was a bit too loaded with extras and consequently, it was a bit too expensive for our blood. Bill and I test drove a 4 cylinder Limited model that I ended up liking better than the V6. I found the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder 169 horsepower engine to be quite suitable. It had plenty of pick up and power transporting just Bill, the salesman, and me on our test drive. I noticed that the engine was quiet and the ride was very smooth... but then, remember, I've been driving an old Corolla for the past few years. Those of you who are used to luxury rides may not agree with my assessment.

Look mom! 4 wheel drive!

Our new RAV4 has 4 wheel drive. Since Bill and I live in northern Virginia, we don't have much need for this feature. Nevertheless, it's included on our fancy new wheels. Bill is getting ready to finish up his latest Army tour and we don't yet know if we'll be staying or leaving the DC area. I figure 4 wheel drive might come in handy at some point, but probably not in the near future. According to our overzealous salesman, though, it's hard to find a RAV4 that doesn't have 4 wheel drive... of course, he might have just been trying to make us spend more money.

Adjustable everything!

Our new Limited RAV4 features a fully adjustable telescopic leather wrapped steering wheel that not only adjusts up and down, but in and out. The outside mirrors are heated and power adjustable, so with a flick of a switch, I can get the mirrors the way I like them. The driver's seat in the Limited RAV4 is power adjustable. The other seats are also adjustable, though only manually-- I liked the fact that the head restraints on the backseat were fully adjustable too. The front seatbelts are height adjustable, which is a great thing for a short chick like me who has a safety obsessed husband. It seems like Toyota thought of everything to make the driver as comfy as possible. I don't know if they were quite as thoughtful toward the other passengers.

Riding in the back seat

The Toyota RAV4 is supposed to be able to accommodate five adults. I say "supposed to" because I rode in the back seat and thought that three adults back there would be quite chummy. There are three seating positions provided, however, and a nifty arm rest with cup holders folds down for when we don't need to seat three. An optional third row is available, but when I look around the interior of our little SUV, I can't imagine that anyone larger than a little kid would have room to sit in the third row. Even our aggressive salesman said he'd never bother with it.

I thought the back seat was fairly comfortable, although I agree with other reviewers that the cushions are pretty firm. The first time I rode in the back, I forgot to adjust the head restraints; consequently, I found the first ride kind of uncomfortable. But once I pulled that head rest into position, I was fine. I have short legs, so I also thought there was plenty of leg room. Tall people may find the back seat area a bit cramped.

Storage Galore

The Toyota RAV4 has dual glove boxes, something I had never seen before. There's a regulation sized lockable glove compartment and then, on top of that, there's a smaller glove compartment that doesn't lock. I counted four cup holders and two netted pouches behind the driver and shotgun seats. There's also a cargo area with a very clever under floor cargo storage space. Our RAV4 came with tonneau cover, multi-purpose net, and support pole, but from what I could tell, the tonneau cover was a loaded option. We also have a black roof rack, which I'm sure will come in handy if we move.

The back door on the RAV4 swings open. I'm not sure I like this design as much as I would if the door opened from the top, but I can live with it. I don't yet have to haul a lot of stuff.

Safety

One of the things that made me consider looking at the Honda CR-V instead of the RAV4 is the fact that the RAV4 does not come with side air bags. On the CR-V, side air bags are standard. As it turned out, our new RAV4 had front and second row roll sensing side curtain airbags already installed. Naturally, front and passenger airbags are also included. There's also a switch that allows the driver to turn off the front airbag if need be.

The RAV4 is pretty protective. I sat in the front seat and didn't immediately put on my seatbelt. Our new RAV4 nagged me with an alarm until I fastened the seatbelt. There are five three-point seatbelts included, although again, the center seat is really too small for anyone but a small child. I sat in the center seat just for fun and found that my butt is a bit too ample for it. I was, however, able to wear the seatbelt at my husband's insistence. I doubt I'd sit in that seat unless we were traveling alone and it was a short trip! Again, the seatbelts in the front are height adjustable and all of the passenger seatbelts are lockable to accommodate child car seats.

The RAV4 features what the Toyota folks call a "Star Safety System". There's vehicle stability control with traction control, daytime running lights, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, driver and front passenger advanced airbags, second row CRS lower and top tether anchors, rear door child safety locks, and a direct tire pressure monitoring system. We also have keyless entry and a panic button. All of those safety features ought to make my safety geek husband happy.

Entertainment

One thing I always make sure of whenever I go somewhere is that I have lots of CDs to keep my mind occupied. The Toyota RAV4 comes with a standard CD player, but since I'm such a music nut, we opted for a 440W JBL AM/FM 6-Disc in Dash CD changer. The JBL system comes with nine speakers in 7 locations as well as a subwoofer. Compared to the player I had in my old Corolla, this system is pretty slammin'. I can actually hear the music all over the SUV. I was a little surprised that the sound system didn't come with a remote control, but hey, we'd never use it anyway since it's just two of us. On our model, the driver can control the sound system with controls on the steering wheel. I had never seen this feature before and I think it might take a little getting used to.

The RAV4 is also capable of playing music from an MP3 player. There's a power jack in the storage box between the driver's seat and shotgun. Bill and I tested both of our MP3 players and were happy to see that they worked just fine. You can also plug in your cell phone in the RAV4. And, if having a sound system weren't enough, we also got a moonroof that slides open with the touch of a button so that the fresh air can come in.

Filling the tank

For all it has going for it, the RAV4 is surprisingly easy on the pocketbook when it comes to gas. The tank holds 15.9 gallons of gas and the SUV gets 28 miles to the gallon on the highway and 23 miles per gallon in the city. I don't have a lot of experience with SUVs, but based on what I do know, the RAV4 gets pretty good mileage as SUVs go.

The Interior

The interior on the Base and Limited RAV4s are either Ash Gray or Oak (beige). The Sport trim comes only with a charcoal interior. As I understand it, the Limited RAV4s can have either leather or cloth interiors. We ended up with beige cloth interior, much to my chagrin. I have to admit, it's kind of growing on me. I was suprised to find out that floor mats in the RAV4 are optional. Our vehicle was loaded with the mats, which cost a pretty penny. Flip down the shades, and you'll find lighted mirrors on both the driver and passenger side.

The instrument panel took me a little getting used to. Everything is round-- round speedometer, round heat and air conditioner controls, round gas gauge, round tachometer-- don't ask me why I need a tachometer on a car that's not headed for the race track. I like the fact that I can control the climate in the car right down to the last degree. Everything's within easy reach. One thing I don't like so much is that the speedometer is grouped in twenties instead of tens. I find it's harder to keep track of how fast I'm going that way.

I'm thrilled with the fact that I now have intermittent windshield wipers, as well as a rear wiper. No more foggy windows on rainy days!

The Exterior

This is the first RAV4 I've ever gotten to know. I understand the 2006 model marks the third generation of RAV4 vehicles. The 2006 model is larger than previous models, which leads me to believe that older RAV4s must be really "cute". The 2006 model is, in my opinion, more elegant than cute, although it's still an SUV. Looking at the shiny, sleek paint job on my RAV4 makes it hard to believe that some day, that machine will look well-used and even a bit rugged.

The Limited models have color keyed door handles, bumpers, spoilers, and mirrors, whereas the Base models have black trim. The grill on my new Limited RAV4 is chrome, whereas it's black on the Sport and Base models, which makes it look pretty swanky. I also like the standard six spoke alloy wheels, although I'm pretty sure I'm going to hate the pricetag on replacing those tires! The RAV4 also comes with a full sized spare tire. On the Limited model, the spare is covered with a hard shell. There's also privacy glass on the rear windows! Yippee!

How much did we spend?

Bill had set a monthly limit on the size of our car payment. He didn't want to pay more than $550 a month. Our new car payment is $543 a month. This is not my fault! Toyotas come with a 36 month/36,000 mile limited comprehensive warranty, a 5-year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty, and a 5-year panel corrosion warranty. Since we tend to keep our cars until after they're paid off, Bill opted to purchase an extended warranty that will cover the vehicle until well after we've paid it off in 66 months. Since we were offering a very small down payment as well as a rather crappy trade in, we also purchased GAP insurance coverage, which will give us coverage in the event there's an accident which totals our vehicle. The RAV4 that we chose had a sticker price of $26,917. We didn't get too much knocked off that price. Had it been just me buying the car, I doubt I would have driven off the lot in such fancy wheels, but I ain't complaining. USAA raised our full coverage premiums by $15 a month from what we were paying when I was still driving my old Corolla.

Am I happy?

So far, yes, I'm thrilled with my new RAV4. I really like driving it and riding in it. It's not perfect, of course, but it's a huge improvement over what I was driving. I've come to expect quality and reliability from Toyotas and so far, I haven't been disappointed. The fact that I drove my 1997 Toyota Corolla back and forth from South Carolina to Virginia for three years and never needed any major repairs speaks to how well these cars are made. I like the car's design as well, and for all the stuff we got added on, I think we paid a reasonable enough price. I would choose to buy an RAV4 again.

Toyota's Web site: www.Toyota.com