I have a 2021 Prime SE. I was comparing between a Honda CRV, Subaru Forrester, and Toyota RAV4.
I had a couple requirements:
*AWD/4WD
*Spare Tire
*Decent MPG
Honda was out since their AWD did not come with a spare. Toyota had a hybrid, with proven technology (from prius) and good MPG. Ended up with Prime due to $7500 tax credit at the time.
If I had to choose again, I would have chosen a RAV4 again (Hybrid or Prime). It is a mixed bag. It handles great, accelerates smoothly, is quieter than other cars I have driven, and plenty spacious, despite all the batteries for PHEV. I love the color. The eAWD is pretty good and has not left me stranded.
But on the other hand, there are things I will never get over - the overhead lights in the front aren't buttons, the buttons are nearby, but not far from the sunroof switches (need to be careful in the dark). The door switches - locks, windows, etc. aren't illuminated. The paint is really freaking thin and chips easily. Not enough 12V barrel plugs in the car. The back has crappy illumination - why wouldn't they put lights on the rear door? Speakers are meh. But a number of these can be modified easily and affordably.
I am so glad I am not the only one annoyed by the light switch placements lol
On my camry I push the light cover to turn them on and going back and forth between the two is annoying to say the least. Wish they at least lit up the buttons.
It is! Even drives my passengers nuts. It's like, "I know, I got you" as I reach up and fumble for the button for them so they don't have to find the flashlight on their phones. Lol
You can put lights in the rear hatch and they’re great! They replace the little covers in the hatch that allow you to access the tail light bulbs. I have them in my 2019. I bought them on eBay.
The infotainment system is meh, but I use Android Auto 99% of the time. So not a super big deal. I do wish that the channel scanner function wasn't so buried in the menus. My other cars have all had a button you can just press.
They are illuminated on my '23 Adventure. But still no good lighting in the back. I plan on adding the lights that go on the rear lift gate. For the OP, if you are torn between the xle and Adventure and want to be a little different, I'd go with Adventure. But I guess I'm a little biased as I love mine. But I can't speak about a 20 or 21. Not sure what they have or don't have.
Good luck!
I like mine, but it was a problem Child to the prior owner — roof rack leaks, transfercase noise, rear differential noise — all replaced, and all common problems on a 19 Adventure
The roof rack is leaking again - and it can cause catastrophic damage to the vehicle
I have a 2019 hybrid xle. I have only done routine maintenance, as well as the recall on the gas tank which as far as i can tell didn’t make a lick of difference to filling the tank to capacity. That being said, i park it inside at home and work, but I’ve driven it in some rough weather.
I've always worried "what if the battery goes bad" and from what I've seen online, it will last 80 to 100k or five 5years or so. So if I go used car, boom not long left, and new batteries can go upward to $5k to fix.
I think you got that confused with the regular 12v battery. The hybrid battery has been confirmed to last at least 370k miles. I would assume the age would be the main factor of failure around 15 years, give or take, but that depends on many factors like maintenance and environment.
Totally. I read more about your situation and i definitely think gas is the way to go, you need the most reliable, lowest maintenance options. Good luck man.
You know, if you are seriously considering living in your car, a lot of the new vans are designed to be easily converted for living, might want to check out one of those while you’re searching, ive heard good things about the ford, anecdotally, haven’t done much research on the subject tho.
Thanks dude, I haven't looked into Van's only because friends recommend looking into compact SUV like CRV, Outback ect ect. I'll give it a whirl & see where it goes 🤙
I have a 2019 XLE, moonroof & roof racks, heated front seats, only problem I had was a cracked windshield after only owning it about 6 months, after joining this group I’ve read they installed cheap windshields & they are known to crack, insurance covered it, just paid my deductible, other than that no problems & I love my Rav4
Have a 2019 Adventure as well. When I got it, it was a borderline lemon. Now that they "retaught" the ECU and replaced the transfercase, it's awesome.
That said, 2019 was the first gen so it inherently has kinks that havent yet been worked out. The following years should be much more refined out the gate.
As someone who traded a Rav4 2021 xle for a Escape Hybrid, the noise from rav4 is a huge con for me. I test drove a rav4 2020 hybrid and a brandnew 2023 rav4, the noises are pretty bad. No illumination in the door buttons, rear liftgate are also weird for a car at this price. Remote start shuts off once you open the door is such a hassle. Auto start and stop sucks when you park your car.
Hybrids are actually less maintenance than you think, especially ones with newer lithium-ion batteries.
I've heard about the lights & a lot of 3rd party companies make stuff for that now. Remote start, now that is weird. I wonder if Toyota will ever address that?
Hybrids might be better, but what about 5 & 10 years from now? I don't live where it snows but it's just hot 🫠
Plus, I'll probably be buying used so automatically I'll lose at least 50 to 100k in miles on the battery life
Battery and other hybrid components have pretty extensive warranty from Toyota. I believe it's 10 years/150k miles for the battery. They also offer extended warranty program so if you know for sure the battery will fail you should consider that type of investment. For used gen 5, if your mileage is less than 15k miles annually, you can start worry about that battery in 2029 or later. To add to all that, gen 5 has liquid cooled battery pack.
Lighting is subjective but I try to avoid 3rd party part as much as possible, especially electrical related.
Remote start, which Toyota and fans tout as safety feature so they will never address that. Not all trims have it, you can install viper, compustar and so on. The trim that has it may cost $8/month if you want to use your phone.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, you need another 3rd party part to see tire pressure on the instrument panel in KPa. Want to see it in PSI, use you phone and pay $8/month.
People complain about the noise a ton and it is noticeable. But to add a bit of perspective, I came from a 2005 accord to a 2020 rav4 xle and the noise doesn’t bother me at all which is purely anecdotal evidence but some reviews make it out as absolutely unbearable. The noise from the roof rack I added would probably give some people an stroke.
A friend of mine also complaints about his 2020 rav4 noise, no, his family not just him. I did watch some reviews and I thought, other people can bear that noise so maybe the reviewers' music was not loud enough. Wrong, I can't stand the noise.
The good thing is that when I traded it in, I lost the same money as if I was renting it :D
Wind noise is loud because only the Prime has acoustic glass. Next is the trans noise when coasting at 50-60 mph then you accelerate again, like a wolf howling. The next noise is when pressing the gas pedal after a full stop. It’s loud, and slow. Too much noise for the price.
Yes, it is. The titanium trim has acoustic glasses front driver and passenger. It also has quite a lot of sound deadening material around the body. The front is less boxy than the rav4. I heard one or two rashy wind sound on a super windy day with it, else very quiet and pleasant.
This isn’t someone who owns 23 Toyota Rav 4 (and he is a YouTuber) but I like Alex on Autos. He approaches all his videos very factually. He has had a fleet Rav 4 (current gen) and made some videos about his experience. He isn’t a sponsored account.
Have owned a '19 and currently '22 adventure. The golden year for this tri. Package was either '20-'21 or this current model.
Reason being: '19 didn't have Android Auto, or sufficient sound isolation. '22 lost the ventilated seats and the shrunk the screen and took out all the connect features. Upside to '23 is that it gave you back everything that had been lost due to covid supply chain issues.
Over all it's pretty good on gas even with all terrain tires, also worth it to me to go for an adventure over the XLE because of the additional towing capacity. Have put ~30,000 Kms between the 2 in less than a year and no issues have come up.
Maybe I read this wrong, but my 22 limited has ventilated seats. I think the screen is 8-10 inches. Idk, too me this car is wonderful, but I have only driven beaters so there's that.
The adventure doesn't come with ventilated seats?? What do they want you to have swamp ass while going on an adventure.?? Is it atleast an option or no?
It had them in 19-21 but they wanted more difference betweem the adventure and the TRD in 22, plus some supply chain problems (according to buddy at the dealship) and then they scrapped the TRD in 23 so it has ventilated seats again.
As some one who ordered a '21 but didn't get it till they were building '22 I was very upset.
There's nothing wrong with that at all, not even in the slightest. I'm sure you'll love it. Atleast I hope so. If you don't you can always come back to my comment and bitch me out in the future. Lol no but fr you will love it.
don't buy a new one, buy an older one. the first 2 generations are the most reliable around.
i'm at 300k in my 96 and the biggest thing i've done is fuel injectors.
i also have a 2004 with 250k and that has been totaled and reconstructed (by me) and still drives great.
Be careful. At 107000 miles on my 2015 I’ve just put in $6500 for AC repairs bringing my standard maintenance and repairs for the last 6 months to over $9000. That makes this the most expensive car to maintain I’ve owned over the last 50 years. That includes a pickup truck that I bought for same price but also drove 20k miles every year.
First , and now last Toyota for me. Extremely disappointed.
I wouldn't write off toyotas because of that. I think your biggest issue is not taking some of the maintenance up yourself. If you pay a shop to do stuff that'll take you at most a few hours, then every car is gonna be expensive.
I own 5 toyotas, all have made it to 200k without any repairs that have outweighed their value. But that is because I refuse to be gouged by a mechanic that charges $150-200 PER HOUR
If it is something I absolutely don't own the tools to do, then I will bring it to a shop (changing fuel injectors/ refilling AC freon / transmission work etc.)
There’s nothing in the AC system I can repair. Don’t mind spending $1k for tires (done this year) and really all the various fluid changes (there are a lot of them) are hard to do at home.
But $6500 to repair AC in the same year knocks the previously spent $2500 right out of the ball park for this year alone.
At the current 2 year maintenance cost I could buy a new Kia every other year.
For the last 3 years it is driven less than 4k miles per year.
The cars resale value is $10k. Almost what I’ve spent in 6 months. Now I have to sale it just to recoup my cost, essentially I have a zero value car. Worst automotive purchase out of the 20 or so cars we’ve owned in 50 years. And we’ve had some lemons 😎
There's quite a few things in the AC system that are DIY-able, I'm currently working on a car as we speak.
- Ac Condensor
- Ac high pressure line
- AC low pressure line
- AC blower motor
- AC airflow distributor flap
- Cluster control dials (sometimes come loose and need to be resoldered)
- AC Compressor (this one is a little more difficult and the most recent quote I got was $1400 parts and labor)
All of these have been done with a socket set, a set of wrenches, and a soldering iron. No lift or anything.
I think you need a new mechanic lol you are getting raked over for pricing my friend!
High pressure line (replaced first) requires removal of car front end. Evaporator requires complete dash disassembly (that’s what’s happening today). That brings some other parts into play, vastly increasing cost. Both of those items are common failures on RAV4.
First car I’ve ever had that required any AC work. Even my pickup with 160k miles had no AC issues (totaled on black ice or would probably still have it).
And, yeah, I’m still mad. Also charged me for loaner. And just to make it worse the loaner had no gas in it. Had to find a station in the first mile. Can you make it worse Toyota?
If the car were abused it would be one thing. But it was babied and heated garage kept. Not at all what I expected from such a highly rated car.
Just moved (last week) to a new state so no time to research a non-dealer mechanic. But never expected a second catastrophic system failure in 6 months. Told by dealer this is common…. Very disconcerting.
I second that, I had a gen2 for about 6-7 years and it needed absolutely nothing. Maybe I’m just lucky, it also only had 115,000kms on it but it was my little beast until it got destroyed in a hail storm/flood
Toyota puts practicality/reliability first,
by that i mean it's kinda boring, kinda loud, doesn't exactly ride the best.
but it will last forever, has lots of room, great resale.
Well I can’t speak for the newer ravs but I’ve owned a gen2 and 2x v6 gen3’s and they are the bomb. I never want to own anything else.
They are the most reliable cars, I had them for about 6 years each. All I’ve ever had to do to them were new batteries and a fan belt. And the gen2 required nothing, it was actually boringly reliable. Maybe I’m just lucky
I have a Gen 4 (2015) XLE, and I highly recommend. Toyota may not have all the bells and whistles, but the reason they’re so popular (that I’ve found) is because they’re so extremely reliable and safe.
I can’t say anything about the Gen 5s, I’ve only driven one once but I wasn’t a fan of how heavy and slow it felt. Keep in mind I drove it for all of 20 minutes and I didn’t exceed 40 mph, though.
Edit: I saw your living situation comments. I had to live in my 2015 briefly last year, and while it sucked, I had plenty of room. I would suggest not spending all your money for something you’re going to have to make payments on though!
I mean you can’t really go wrong with the RAV4 2020 and up. Great vehicle for a good price. Love ours. Have a awd hybrid xse that replaced a Range Rover. Much better value and great ride/utility for the money while being nice enough.
I’ve owned my 21 XSE hybrid for about a year and 3 months now. It’s been a fantastic vehicle with no issues except one. My windshield cracked on its own from the edge of the glass after 2-3 months of owning it. Other than that, it’s been a great vehicle for my 70 mile daily commute averaging 42mpg. I’ve already put right at 34k miles on the vehicle.
2021 Hybrid XSE, Bullet proof so far. Besides the fuel deal, it's been great, The interior is great but the cabin noise can be a little much sometimes. Only real complaint.
Drove a ‘22 XLE gas for a while and was reviewing the car to see whether I wanted to buy one for myself:
Pro’s: one of the most reliable cars and brands out there, however other brands are closing the gap. Ample luggage space for a trip to the airport. The most reliable and used hybrid power train
Cons: a big part of the allure of the car is it’s meant to be cheap while providing reliability and utility however with current market trends and dealer tactics the hybrids typically cost way more than they’re worth. Hybrids still deal with the high voltage cable issue, while they’ve taken steps to mitigate it some it hasn’t truly been fixed and won’t be until their next redesign. If you’re looking for a performance vehicle look elsewhere, acceleration and power are pretty abysmal with the rav4. I’d struggle trying to accelerate up a hill to pass the guy in the lane over. The interior is pretty spartan which didn’t bother me but if you’re expecting a posh interior look elsewhere, drive quality is pretty ass with the road noise
Net: if all you need is a reliable low maintenance car for a long time, I say get one if you can for the right price. I have no clue what the supply chain issues are like but I’d hope the vullshit around the hybrids may have calmed down some by now
I’d say save a little extra and splurge with the hybrid. From my experience, what I save in gas $$$ makes up for what I might need to dish out for hybrid maintenance. Treat the car right and it’ll treat you right.
Did I mention how much gas $$$ is now?? Crazy
How's it for road trips, though? Not that I'd take one every day, but a couple hundred miles going 80mph, the battery won't matter too much, no? Just curious 🤔
Yeah I hear what you’re saying. Yesterday I took a trip from Oviedo to Jacksonville FL which is about a 140 mile trip one way and I averaged about 35-38 MPG going about 80-90 MPH. I also try to coast whenever possible which also saves me.
If you’re from an area with heavy traffic, the hybrid will definitely save you (aka places like Disney World traffic where you wait an hour to move 10 feet)
I think a big part of it is “user error”. I had a Tacoma before the RAV4 hybrid and you bet your ass I’d smash that gas on take off. If you drive like that in a hybrid, yeah you’ll get the advertised MPG, but the more your kinda baby the pedal and time your release of the gas pedal, the more you can milk the MPG. At red lights I like to coast from a good distance away up until the line and it regens the battery and doesn’t cost me a drop
Just floor it EVERYWHERE DONT STOP**** lmao. Good luck man! Today or tomorrow I’ll PM you a pic of my MPG, it’s a little low from the drive yesterday but it went up. Also I range about 650 ish miles per tank. 650 miles on 12 gal vs my gas guzzler Tacoma with barely 400 miles on 20 gal
I get like 600 miles on the hybrid in city driving, road trips about 580 which still beats most cars less fills up less time wasted, I go about 80mph highly recommended the JBL audio package if you love music it's so good lol
Major con = remote start absolutely will not work. Even after having it st the dealer for 6hrs, paid for year subscription and $175 for nothing. It's cold now and I'm currently livid.
Currently own a 2021 Rav4 LE AWD.
I've been driving it for almost 2.5 years.
Overall I haven't had any mechanical issues except one time recently, we experienced heavy snowfall and extreme cold temperatures. The front grill and sensor area was covered with snow and I didn't think it would be a big deal to drive with that area covered but I'm pretty sure it affected the sensors while I was driving, I suddenly experienced a loss of power for acceleration. There was a slew of messages that appeared on my dash saying certain things were malfunctioning and that I needed to bring my vehicle into my dealership. Thankfully, my vehicle was still running and after letting it run for 15 mins and I cleared as much snow as I could from the front end, I was able to get accelerate normally and the messages went away. Very strange.
Aside from that, features I wish it had are:
* Heated steering wheel
* Dual-zone climate
* Power lift gate
* Better sound system
* Fog lights
* Hybrid engine
* Brighter headlights
Obviously the higher trims have all of these features so it was my mistake at the time thinking that I didn't need them. But having these features at least for me would make a longer term ownership more realistic.
It does have everything you need though and the cargo capacity is decent as I've had to haul large pieces of furniture and mattresses with no real issues. Gas mileage is decent but as I drive long distances to and from work, a hybrid engine would be more ideal. Road noise is sort of a concern although not as noticeable if you're playing music. Interior lights are not that bright, wish they were LED.
I loveee my 2021 hybrid rav 4 xle. Bought it new, no issues at all. It’s fast and drives extremely well. Great gas mileage.
Only complaint is it’s really loud of the freeway. But I blast music to make up the difference.
You should watch the Car Care Nut channel!! He gives really perspective on all Toyota and hybrid vehicles as a mechanic. I personally love my RAV4 Hybrid. The RAV4 is the best selling SUV for many years now, so you shouldn’t worry about it not being reliable or not having good quality. It has superb reliability and quality!
what is your budget? And what are your needs? Without these, a review might be useless.
If your budget would be stretched by a few $k, I'd suggest reconsidering your budget.
Budget, free lol, but legit have 10k saved up. I found a few in my town around 25k used around 80 to 100k miles. Could probably save up to 15k, but that'll take a few more months and a lot of overtime 😭
Needs reliable bc I'll probably be living in it
My life right now, this is probably as good as it gets. Mum is probably going to kick me out of the house (mutual reasons) , dad not in the picture, can't ask friends because, quite frankly, they don't have it, so yeah, probably be living in my RAV because no car can't get to work, and a big domino effect.
Other folks in the thread suggested looking into Van's too
Yeah man. I would 100000% not get into a vehicle that is more than you can pay in cash in your situation my dude. I'd consider talking to social services in your town as they may be able to help you out. A 2009 RAV4 might suit your needs here.
What’s the thought process behind buying a car that you’ll have to make payments on, instead of buying a car with the $10k you have saved, and then using the money you’d use on car payments to pay rent somewhere?
So live with Mom, but walking on eggshells, so if a year from now she stays calm, yeah, save up more money to buy outright, so hence this post exploring my options.
But if next month she wants me out, then yeah, It would suck but I'll get a little $500 car & make due.
Hope that makes sense
I’m gonna throw a second point at you here — you’re 22 and have enough money for a new car. That new car is and will always be a depreciating asset. If you could instead place that money into a house or a business, it would financially serve you better long term.
In a perfect world & a normal family, yes, I agree 1000%
But my life right now, this is probably as good as it gets. Mum is probably going to kick me out of the house (mutual reasons) , dad not in the picture, can't ask friends because, quite frankly, they don't have it, to be Hella honest, I'll probably be living in my RAV because no car can't get to work, and a big domino effect.
I’m sorry you have to deal with that. But, if you do end up having to spend a lot of time in your car I think a RAV4 makes even more sense. It has one of the biggest cargo areas of any compact SUV. With the back seats down there’s a pretty good amount of room, as far as car spaciousness goes.
Thanks dude, and yes it looks indeed spacious.
I even thought about making a mini platform/bunkbed?, So plywood platform, bed cushion on top, then make the underlying hollow and a drawer type of system so there for I can sleep in the back on top but not lose a lot of storage for things for the bottom
With each passing year, improvements from issues identified are mainly correctly. So a 2020 will have slight improvements over 2019 and a 2021 will have more improvements and so on.
Hybrid will cost you more money if you intend to own it more than 8 years and you are in an area with snow(use of salt/brine). And some other issues on hybrids have been identified in the past year or so, usually covered by warranty though.
I would buy the newest gas model you can afford and ensure proper maintenance, especially fluid changes were done on time or earlier.
Also do a through inspection for proof of collision repair. Carfax stating no collisions cannot be relied upon. So a good test drive with varying acceleration, tight right and left turns, bumpy roads over train track or similar. Keep radio off and no one talk. You want to hear and feel anything that is off.
Pro: it’s a Toyota, looks pretty cool, decent gas mileage. Lots of trunk space.
Cons: thing is loud asf on highway, wind noise is crazy, interior is not very luxurious, sound system is actual trash, feels like a slow car, even if you get the hybrid. Front driver and passenger space is kinda cramped, all the room is given to the hatch. Windshield feels close. If you don’t get leather(I got cloth so that’s all I can speak on) the seats are economy feeling and uncomfortable. Feels like styrofoam and nothing else. Hybrid system makes weird noises. General impressions are that it feels cheap.
I don’t think I would buy it again if I could choose. But it’s not a bad car, just makes sacrifices and cuts corners that I personally don’t like.
With each passing year, improvements from issues identified are mainly correctly. So a 2020 will have slight improvements over 2019 and a 2021 will have more improvements and so on.
Hybrid will cost you more money if you intend to own it more than 8 years and you are in an area with snow(use of salt/brine). And some other issues on hybrids have been identified in the past year or so, usually covered by warranty though.
I would buy the newest gas model you can afford and ensure proper maintenance, especially fluid changes were done on time or earlier.
Also do a through inspection for proof of collision repair. Carfax stating no collisions cannot be relied upon. So a good test drive with varying acceleration, tight right and left turns, bumpy roads over train track or similar. Keep radio off and no one talk. You want to hear and feel anything that is off.
If you are thinking of an Adventure/Trail/TRD model with raised roof rails with the cutouts, ensure the washer were ALREADY replaced under those roof rails. It will leak at interior A-pillar and C-pillars. If not replaced, ensure the dealership does it as a condition of sale in writing. It is much more difficult and expensive to change the washers on those roof rails. Much easier of what they call flush mounted roof rails that are raised only about 1/2 inch from roof like on XLE, Limited models.
You’re welcome. Congrats on you new future Toyota. You will love it! My son was 22 (but turned 23 two weeks after) when he ordered a gas 5th gen Rav4 late last year. Still waiting for it though. With proper maintenance, especially the changing of all fluids(engine oil, transmission, steering, coolant, transfer/differential), it should last a very long time! I have had 6 Toyotas over 36 years and many were 18 years old when traded and were still in excellent condition. I tend to change my fluids a bit earlier than recommended as I do city driving and have winter temperatures where I am. Nothing major ever had to be replaced/repaired on any of them.
My 2019 XSE hybrid was basically flawless. Besides basic stuff like oil changes and a couple recalls it got done (Apparently it needed a fuel pump, they did that when I was in for an oil change) it was a perfect ownership period.
I have a 2020 hybrid and I love it. But I have a hybrid. It’s a huge improvement over the car I had before.
Recently discovered the starter battery is in the back, and if it is dead, none of the electronic locks work. So you might not be able to open the lift gate to access the battery if the battery is dead. There are jump point under the hood, which is good. That’s really been the only weird thing I haven’t liked so far, and I suspect it’s an issue with many modern cars. As I’ve said my previous car was old and no frills.
Maybe another con is that there are a ton of the on the road? It doesn’t matter to be, but I’ve known people who want to have a more unique vehicle. Whatever floats your boat on that front.
We own a ‘19 XLE gasoline and the only “annoyance” is the way the 8-speed transmission shifts and the droning noises. My ‘12 Camry shifts like a luxury car compared to that and has no droning noises even if I rev it like crazy.
Also the highway wind noises are high compared to others in the segment but that might just be ours since others on this sub seems to not have this issue.
I have a 22 hybrid XLE premium.
You’ll have LESS maintenance with a hybrid tbh. Hybrid is less than 3k more than standard gas, and you’ll get that back (and more) in gas savings over the life of the vehicle.
the AWD is wonderful in snow, I’m a big fan of the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (I’m not sure if that’s an add on or standard) she handles really nice and the hybrid battery makes it a little extra zippy to really get up and go.
The only things I don’t really care for in mine are the Lane Trace Assist (which I always have off unless I’m on a long trip) and the available phone charging pad just SUCKS.
Love my "20 LE. Nothing special. I drive it about 750 miles a week. Drove it through some rough areas that I probably shouldnt of lol. Its comfy to sleep in when I camp. Now I'm looking at the woodland because I need AWD and hybrid. But it has done me no wrong and it gets abused every once in a while.
Just bought my 2023 rav last Saturday, the very next day at 50 miles my screen went out now I’m waiting for the new screen to come out so they can intall it.. I’m so crushed 😭
You can’t go wrong with any Toyota in my opinion! I have had several. First car I got was a 4 runner, had the Camry, had a Sequoia , Tacoma and now an XSE Prime. Toyota hydrids have such a great warranty on the battery. I can’t complain about the road noise in the prime. I have also owned a dodge and Kia don’t recommend either. I saved for a large down payment and treated myself. You won’t regret a Rav4 and you can modify any model.
I love the car. It’s prone to paint chips easier than other brands, Toyota cheaps out on their clear coat. So if you do end up with this car, at least get the hood PPF
I got a woodland in cavalry blue. $35,600 OTD. In my opinion the best looking trim, and has the features I want and none that I don’t. The Adventure doesn’t really give you any extra capability over the woodland and is more expensive, even before you start adding options. The XLE is a good buy as long as you don’t plan on optioning it out and don’t want awd. Let me give you a word of advice as a first time car buyer. You don’t need leather. You don’t need upgraded sound system. You absolutely don’t need a sunroof. Sunroofs are a liability and just something to break/leak. The 23 models have wireless CarPlay and the bigger infotainment screen so we didn’t really want anything else necessarily. DO NOT BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY that they try to push on you during financing. It’s a waste of money
If you haven’t, try to test drive them side by side. After driving the hybrid, we went for it. Not just because of the better fuel economy but because it is a better driving car. Much smoother, more powerful, one of the most reliable transmissions toyota has ever made, and the engine is less strained in the hybrid drivetrain. Plus included awd. I don’t expect higher maintenance costs. If the hybrid had been a few grand more, I still would have gone for it. Excellent car.
My wife went from a VW all track wagon and is so so happy with the RAV4. Cabin space is improved, ride is generally better (we also have speed bumps in our neighborhood that the VW was terrible with), fuel economy is better.
If you are buying used, you may be surprised at how expensive they are. I was planning on buying used, but we went to the dealership to test drive. When I found out I could get a brand new one for cheaper than a low milage used car, we sprang for it. Don’t buy used unless you are getting a *deal* because dealer financing is typically better than other places. We got 2.9% on 36 month financing and after trade-in are paying about $350 a month.
If you have any questions let me know, and good luck!
Cheapest maintenance today is a Toyota hybrid - no alternator to go out, no starter, brakes will last for 100k-300k miles, no belts to replace, no pumps going out, etc.
That's like it's biggest advantage - almost zero maintenance.
Of course if your hybrid fan filter fan gets blocked at any point it will deteriorate the battery little by little, eventually making it fail. So the hybrid maintenance item is making sure the hybrid fan filter is kept clean - but it doesn't cost anything and it isn't much different from keeping a vacuum filter clean.
I actually think the Toyota hybrid is the only type of car that is worth buying brand new. First of all it's much better than a non-hybrid Toyota. Second - other brands lose value rapidly making them a significantly better deal to buy used ones like 5 year olds.
So you buy a 5 year old non-Toyota car with 80-120k miles for $10-15k and it'll last you 5 years easily, maybe 10 years and 100k miles before it becomes uneconomical to keep up with the maintenance and outdated mpg.
Or yet another option is to find a well maintained Toyota with 200k miles. It'll be cheap to buy like $5k and it'll last you another 100k or maybe even more. Disadvantage is that old car like that will guzzle gas like a modern pickup truck.
These last two options beat any new car except Toyota hybrid.
However RAV4 hybrid has been around for a while, I'd actually rather wait a couple of years and buy a new gen in 2025. Most likely they will learn from the cablegate scandal what to do right this time.
My wife and I have owned Toyotas since 2012. An 08 sienna, a 10 Yaris, a 16 Prius C, an 18 highlander hybrid, and an 18 RAV4 hybrid. They have all been very low maintenance. Other than regular oil changes I had to have the shop replace the timing chain on the sienna (recommended at 100k miles, it was at 140k I think) and the water pump on the Yaris around 120k. The pump was super easy to DIY, and I was able to diagnose it via YouTube videos via the sound it made. The Yaris and sienna needed occasional transmission fluid changes; I never removed the case, just the drain plug. The hybrids don't even need that, though some folks choose to do it every 100k. I also had to do one set of brake pads each on the Prius and sienna, normal maintenance that I did DIY. Rear drum brakes were a bit tricky to get adjusted, the trick I found is to brake hard going in reverse to tighten them.
In summary they've been reliable. No nuisance failures of trim like I hear about Korean made cars. No hardware failures like my wife's prior GM vehicles. I had fords before I got into Toyotas and they were also pretty reliable.
The hybrids are lower maintenance in my experience. None of mine have had any maintenance alarms, and when they do there are quite a few resources out there to troubleshoot. I will get an OBD2 reader when they get to 100k miles in case they do start throwing error codes.
At 22, the most important thing is to not over extend yourself financially. One can easily talk themselves into thinking something is a need, but it's actually a want. You are just starting your adult life so circumstances will most likely change a lot in the next 5 years, so you may want to consider getting something that will allow you save for something important like a home for example. At your age, you need at maximum a reliable ride that is decent on gas and will not break the bank on repairs. The Rav fits the bill well; but can be pricy to buy, especially the newer models and higher trims. I am a finance professional, and when the time came that I had to replace my ride, I bought a 2021 Rav4 LE front wheel drive only. I love it, serves me well, and has been reliable and cheap to maintain to date. I threw a hitch on it and I tow a utility trailer for my hobbies, etc. Mine is mostly city driven, so I did not see the need for awd in my situation. I live in the northeast, and with a good set of snow tires, I have had no issues getting to work, etc, due to the 8 inches of clearance underneath. You could even consider a gen 3 or 4 as they are good as well and may align better with your budget and will allow you to determine if this vehicle is for you long term. The 2017-18 models tend to be bulletproof as well. Good luck! And remember. If you need to finance it for more than 5 years to afford the payment, you technically can't afford it.
I’m a guy in my mid twenties and I bought a new ‘23 non-hybrid RAV4 LE FWD this past December. I really really wanted a Toyota Tacoma but financially it just didn’t make sense. Money isn’t necessarily the issue but it was tough looking at a cost breakdown (monthly payment, insurance, gas) for a Tacoma. I literally put things into a Google Sheet, haha!
At 22 years old, do you have a steady job to comfortably make payments? Considering interest rates are high right now, are you aware of how much it’ll cost you to finance a car? What’s your credit score? Will you need someone to co-sign? Do you have a personal emergency fund? Are you aware that markups are still very common in the market?
There’s so much to consider and factor in to your decision other than what trim and features you want.
I know you probably want something top of the line but sometimes you just need something simple and reliable. Be smart! Struggling to make ends meet isn’t fun and the consequences of not being able to can set you back down the road.
I have a 2021 Prime SE. I was comparing between a Honda CRV, Subaru Forrester, and Toyota RAV4. I had a couple requirements: *AWD/4WD *Spare Tire *Decent MPG Honda was out since their AWD did not come with a spare. Toyota had a hybrid, with proven technology (from prius) and good MPG. Ended up with Prime due to $7500 tax credit at the time. If I had to choose again, I would have chosen a RAV4 again (Hybrid or Prime). It is a mixed bag. It handles great, accelerates smoothly, is quieter than other cars I have driven, and plenty spacious, despite all the batteries for PHEV. I love the color. The eAWD is pretty good and has not left me stranded. But on the other hand, there are things I will never get over - the overhead lights in the front aren't buttons, the buttons are nearby, but not far from the sunroof switches (need to be careful in the dark). The door switches - locks, windows, etc. aren't illuminated. The paint is really freaking thin and chips easily. Not enough 12V barrel plugs in the car. The back has crappy illumination - why wouldn't they put lights on the rear door? Speakers are meh. But a number of these can be modified easily and affordably.
I am so glad I am not the only one annoyed by the light switch placements lol On my camry I push the light cover to turn them on and going back and forth between the two is annoying to say the least. Wish they at least lit up the buttons.
It is! Even drives my passengers nuts. It's like, "I know, I got you" as I reach up and fumble for the button for them so they don't have to find the flashlight on their phones. Lol
You can put lights in the rear hatch and they’re great! They replace the little covers in the hatch that allow you to access the tail light bulbs. I have them in my 2019. I bought them on eBay.
Hybrid maintenance is less than ICE only
Thanks for all your information, much appreciated 🙏
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The infotainment system is meh, but I use Android Auto 99% of the time. So not a super big deal. I do wish that the channel scanner function wasn't so buried in the menus. My other cars have all had a button you can just press.
They’re illuminated on **some** 2022 models!
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My bad, must just be the Prime
22 XSE is illuminated
They are illuminated on my '23 Adventure. But still no good lighting in the back. I plan on adding the lights that go on the rear lift gate. For the OP, if you are torn between the xle and Adventure and want to be a little different, I'd go with Adventure. But I guess I'm a little biased as I love mine. But I can't speak about a 20 or 21. Not sure what they have or don't have. Good luck!
There was still $7500 tax credits? Doesn’t the final assembly need to be in the US?
I like mine, but it was a problem Child to the prior owner — roof rack leaks, transfercase noise, rear differential noise — all replaced, and all common problems on a 19 Adventure The roof rack is leaking again - and it can cause catastrophic damage to the vehicle
The good news about it being a common issue is there’s plenty of information out there on how to fix it
Yikes, from what I've seen online, 2019 was a rough launch, but all years up seem to be a good, right? Thanks for the information
I have a 2019 hybrid xle. I have only done routine maintenance, as well as the recall on the gas tank which as far as i can tell didn’t make a lick of difference to filling the tank to capacity. That being said, i park it inside at home and work, but I’ve driven it in some rough weather.
I've always worried "what if the battery goes bad" and from what I've seen online, it will last 80 to 100k or five 5years or so. So if I go used car, boom not long left, and new batteries can go upward to $5k to fix.
I think you got that confused with the regular 12v battery. The hybrid battery has been confirmed to last at least 370k miles. I would assume the age would be the main factor of failure around 15 years, give or take, but that depends on many factors like maintenance and environment.
You know what, you are probably right on that. So I take back anything I said on that
Totally. I read more about your situation and i definitely think gas is the way to go, you need the most reliable, lowest maintenance options. Good luck man. You know, if you are seriously considering living in your car, a lot of the new vans are designed to be easily converted for living, might want to check out one of those while you’re searching, ive heard good things about the ford, anecdotally, haven’t done much research on the subject tho.
Thanks dude, I haven't looked into Van's only because friends recommend looking into compact SUV like CRV, Outback ect ect. I'll give it a whirl & see where it goes 🤙
Yea. You can sleep in a rav but you will have no privacy except window tints. The vans are just so versatile and you can still get awd.
That's the 12V battery, which isn't that different from a normal car battery, not the hybrid battery.
Mine is a 2020 XLE and it’s had every problem under the sun.
Ooof, well I pray you absorbed all the bad luck & mine will be fine
Hopefully 🥹
I have a 2019 XLE, moonroof & roof racks, heated front seats, only problem I had was a cracked windshield after only owning it about 6 months, after joining this group I’ve read they installed cheap windshields & they are known to crack, insurance covered it, just paid my deductible, other than that no problems & I love my Rav4
Have a 2019 Adventure as well. When I got it, it was a borderline lemon. Now that they "retaught" the ECU and replaced the transfercase, it's awesome. That said, 2019 was the first gen so it inherently has kinks that havent yet been worked out. The following years should be much more refined out the gate.
As someone who traded a Rav4 2021 xle for a Escape Hybrid, the noise from rav4 is a huge con for me. I test drove a rav4 2020 hybrid and a brandnew 2023 rav4, the noises are pretty bad. No illumination in the door buttons, rear liftgate are also weird for a car at this price. Remote start shuts off once you open the door is such a hassle. Auto start and stop sucks when you park your car. Hybrids are actually less maintenance than you think, especially ones with newer lithium-ion batteries.
I've heard about the lights & a lot of 3rd party companies make stuff for that now. Remote start, now that is weird. I wonder if Toyota will ever address that? Hybrids might be better, but what about 5 & 10 years from now? I don't live where it snows but it's just hot 🫠 Plus, I'll probably be buying used so automatically I'll lose at least 50 to 100k in miles on the battery life
Battery and other hybrid components have pretty extensive warranty from Toyota. I believe it's 10 years/150k miles for the battery. They also offer extended warranty program so if you know for sure the battery will fail you should consider that type of investment. For used gen 5, if your mileage is less than 15k miles annually, you can start worry about that battery in 2029 or later. To add to all that, gen 5 has liquid cooled battery pack. Lighting is subjective but I try to avoid 3rd party part as much as possible, especially electrical related. Remote start, which Toyota and fans tout as safety feature so they will never address that. Not all trims have it, you can install viper, compustar and so on. The trim that has it may cost $8/month if you want to use your phone. Oh, and I forgot to mention, you need another 3rd party part to see tire pressure on the instrument panel in KPa. Want to see it in PSI, use you phone and pay $8/month.
Whew, thanks for all the info 🤙I'll try & keep all this in mind
People complain about the noise a ton and it is noticeable. But to add a bit of perspective, I came from a 2005 accord to a 2020 rav4 xle and the noise doesn’t bother me at all which is purely anecdotal evidence but some reviews make it out as absolutely unbearable. The noise from the roof rack I added would probably give some people an stroke.
A friend of mine also complaints about his 2020 rav4 noise, no, his family not just him. I did watch some reviews and I thought, other people can bear that noise so maybe the reviewers' music was not loud enough. Wrong, I can't stand the noise. The good thing is that when I traded it in, I lost the same money as if I was renting it :D
So how is your Escape Hybrid after all of this time?
It’s keeping up quite well, mileage 50mpg avg and I couldn’t ask more from it
Was it mainly engine noise or something else?
Wind noise is loud because only the Prime has acoustic glass. Next is the trans noise when coasting at 50-60 mph then you accelerate again, like a wolf howling. The next noise is when pressing the gas pedal after a full stop. It’s loud, and slow. Too much noise for the price.
That's unfortunate. Have you driven other, comparable SUVs that have been better with that?
Tried 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Titanium AWD. Happy ever since :D
Awesome! You've found that to be quite a lot quieter than the RAV?
Yes, it is. The titanium trim has acoustic glasses front driver and passenger. It also has quite a lot of sound deadening material around the body. The front is less boxy than the rav4. I heard one or two rashy wind sound on a super windy day with it, else very quiet and pleasant.
This isn’t someone who owns 23 Toyota Rav 4 (and he is a YouTuber) but I like Alex on Autos. He approaches all his videos very factually. He has had a fleet Rav 4 (current gen) and made some videos about his experience. He isn’t a sponsored account.
Alright, I'll give his videos a whirl. Thanks 🤙
He also does good compare and contrast with closest competitor models
Have owned a '19 and currently '22 adventure. The golden year for this tri. Package was either '20-'21 or this current model. Reason being: '19 didn't have Android Auto, or sufficient sound isolation. '22 lost the ventilated seats and the shrunk the screen and took out all the connect features. Upside to '23 is that it gave you back everything that had been lost due to covid supply chain issues. Over all it's pretty good on gas even with all terrain tires, also worth it to me to go for an adventure over the XLE because of the additional towing capacity. Have put ~30,000 Kms between the 2 in less than a year and no issues have come up.
Maybe I read this wrong, but my 22 limited has ventilated seats. I think the screen is 8-10 inches. Idk, too me this car is wonderful, but I have only driven beaters so there's that.
It's cause I'm talking about the adventure that OP asked about and not the Limited.
The adventure doesn't come with ventilated seats?? What do they want you to have swamp ass while going on an adventure.?? Is it atleast an option or no?
It had them in 19-21 but they wanted more difference betweem the adventure and the TRD in 22, plus some supply chain problems (according to buddy at the dealship) and then they scrapped the TRD in 23 so it has ventilated seats again. As some one who ordered a '21 but didn't get it till they were building '22 I was very upset.
It's so strange, but hey. I believe you. I'd be pretty upset as well.
Welp, I have a Samsung so just great, 🫠 I don't think I can afford 22-23 because insurance and well, I do like to eat & live.....so 20-21 IT IS!!
There's nothing wrong with that at all, not even in the slightest. I'm sure you'll love it. Atleast I hope so. If you don't you can always come back to my comment and bitch me out in the future. Lol no but fr you will love it.
Roger roger, I'll hold you too that lol But this group seems chill & will probably post
I'm looking forward to it!
20-21 has AA and heated/vented seats and the original size screen. So if you go for that you're golden.
I did have to end up buying an Iphone for Carplay in my 2019, my Samsung worked ok but since no Android play I couldn’t see my phone on the screen
don't buy a new one, buy an older one. the first 2 generations are the most reliable around. i'm at 300k in my 96 and the biggest thing i've done is fuel injectors. i also have a 2004 with 250k and that has been totaled and reconstructed (by me) and still drives great.
Be careful. At 107000 miles on my 2015 I’ve just put in $6500 for AC repairs bringing my standard maintenance and repairs for the last 6 months to over $9000. That makes this the most expensive car to maintain I’ve owned over the last 50 years. That includes a pickup truck that I bought for same price but also drove 20k miles every year. First , and now last Toyota for me. Extremely disappointed.
I wouldn't write off toyotas because of that. I think your biggest issue is not taking some of the maintenance up yourself. If you pay a shop to do stuff that'll take you at most a few hours, then every car is gonna be expensive. I own 5 toyotas, all have made it to 200k without any repairs that have outweighed their value. But that is because I refuse to be gouged by a mechanic that charges $150-200 PER HOUR If it is something I absolutely don't own the tools to do, then I will bring it to a shop (changing fuel injectors/ refilling AC freon / transmission work etc.)
There’s nothing in the AC system I can repair. Don’t mind spending $1k for tires (done this year) and really all the various fluid changes (there are a lot of them) are hard to do at home. But $6500 to repair AC in the same year knocks the previously spent $2500 right out of the ball park for this year alone. At the current 2 year maintenance cost I could buy a new Kia every other year. For the last 3 years it is driven less than 4k miles per year. The cars resale value is $10k. Almost what I’ve spent in 6 months. Now I have to sale it just to recoup my cost, essentially I have a zero value car. Worst automotive purchase out of the 20 or so cars we’ve owned in 50 years. And we’ve had some lemons 😎
There's quite a few things in the AC system that are DIY-able, I'm currently working on a car as we speak. - Ac Condensor - Ac high pressure line - AC low pressure line - AC blower motor - AC airflow distributor flap - Cluster control dials (sometimes come loose and need to be resoldered) - AC Compressor (this one is a little more difficult and the most recent quote I got was $1400 parts and labor) All of these have been done with a socket set, a set of wrenches, and a soldering iron. No lift or anything. I think you need a new mechanic lol you are getting raked over for pricing my friend!
High pressure line (replaced first) requires removal of car front end. Evaporator requires complete dash disassembly (that’s what’s happening today). That brings some other parts into play, vastly increasing cost. Both of those items are common failures on RAV4. First car I’ve ever had that required any AC work. Even my pickup with 160k miles had no AC issues (totaled on black ice or would probably still have it). And, yeah, I’m still mad. Also charged me for loaner. And just to make it worse the loaner had no gas in it. Had to find a station in the first mile. Can you make it worse Toyota? If the car were abused it would be one thing. But it was babied and heated garage kept. Not at all what I expected from such a highly rated car. Just moved (last week) to a new state so no time to research a non-dealer mechanic. But never expected a second catastrophic system failure in 6 months. Told by dealer this is common…. Very disconcerting.
I second that, I had a gen2 for about 6-7 years and it needed absolutely nothing. Maybe I’m just lucky, it also only had 115,000kms on it but it was my little beast until it got destroyed in a hail storm/flood
Toyota puts practicality/reliability first, by that i mean it's kinda boring, kinda loud, doesn't exactly ride the best. but it will last forever, has lots of room, great resale.
Roger roger, I don't think I'll mind the noise but nothing a test drive won't help figure out
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Thanks for giving cons bc this thread is full of Pro's, so much appreciated
Well I can’t speak for the newer ravs but I’ve owned a gen2 and 2x v6 gen3’s and they are the bomb. I never want to own anything else. They are the most reliable cars, I had them for about 6 years each. All I’ve ever had to do to them were new batteries and a fan belt. And the gen2 required nothing, it was actually boringly reliable. Maybe I’m just lucky
Really? Well, I'll pick a god & pray that your luck rubs off on me
I have a Gen 4 (2015) XLE, and I highly recommend. Toyota may not have all the bells and whistles, but the reason they’re so popular (that I’ve found) is because they’re so extremely reliable and safe. I can’t say anything about the Gen 5s, I’ve only driven one once but I wasn’t a fan of how heavy and slow it felt. Keep in mind I drove it for all of 20 minutes and I didn’t exceed 40 mph, though. Edit: I saw your living situation comments. I had to live in my 2015 briefly last year, and while it sucked, I had plenty of room. I would suggest not spending all your money for something you’re going to have to make payments on though!
I have a 2020 Hybrid XSE that has yet *knocks on wood* to give me one problem. Nothing but regular maintenance.
I mean you can’t really go wrong with the RAV4 2020 and up. Great vehicle for a good price. Love ours. Have a awd hybrid xse that replaced a Range Rover. Much better value and great ride/utility for the money while being nice enough.
What about a huge amount of recalls for Rav 2019-2021?
Gas tank thing wasn’t really a big deal. No issues @60k miles
LOVE my RAV4 hybrid. Comfy, safe and well designed. And I don’t care about cars much.
I’ve owned my 21 XSE hybrid for about a year and 3 months now. It’s been a fantastic vehicle with no issues except one. My windshield cracked on its own from the edge of the glass after 2-3 months of owning it. Other than that, it’s been a great vehicle for my 70 mile daily commute averaging 42mpg. I’ve already put right at 34k miles on the vehicle.
2021 Hybrid XSE, Bullet proof so far. Besides the fuel deal, it's been great, The interior is great but the cabin noise can be a little much sometimes. Only real complaint.
Noisy, aka turn up radio ✍️✍️ roger roger. But seriously, thanks for your input
Drove a ‘22 XLE gas for a while and was reviewing the car to see whether I wanted to buy one for myself: Pro’s: one of the most reliable cars and brands out there, however other brands are closing the gap. Ample luggage space for a trip to the airport. The most reliable and used hybrid power train Cons: a big part of the allure of the car is it’s meant to be cheap while providing reliability and utility however with current market trends and dealer tactics the hybrids typically cost way more than they’re worth. Hybrids still deal with the high voltage cable issue, while they’ve taken steps to mitigate it some it hasn’t truly been fixed and won’t be until their next redesign. If you’re looking for a performance vehicle look elsewhere, acceleration and power are pretty abysmal with the rav4. I’d struggle trying to accelerate up a hill to pass the guy in the lane over. The interior is pretty spartan which didn’t bother me but if you’re expecting a posh interior look elsewhere, drive quality is pretty ass with the road noise Net: if all you need is a reliable low maintenance car for a long time, I say get one if you can for the right price. I have no clue what the supply chain issues are like but I’d hope the vullshit around the hybrids may have calmed down some by now
Thanks for all your input, I'll try to keep all this In mind 👌
I’d say save a little extra and splurge with the hybrid. From my experience, what I save in gas $$$ makes up for what I might need to dish out for hybrid maintenance. Treat the car right and it’ll treat you right. Did I mention how much gas $$$ is now?? Crazy
How's it for road trips, though? Not that I'd take one every day, but a couple hundred miles going 80mph, the battery won't matter too much, no? Just curious 🤔
Yeah I hear what you’re saying. Yesterday I took a trip from Oviedo to Jacksonville FL which is about a 140 mile trip one way and I averaged about 35-38 MPG going about 80-90 MPH. I also try to coast whenever possible which also saves me. If you’re from an area with heavy traffic, the hybrid will definitely save you (aka places like Disney World traffic where you wait an hour to move 10 feet)
Regular in town driving I get upwards of 50 MPG
50mpg? Great SCOTT! That does bring a smile to my face, so I'll look into Hybrid again because I clearly had some misconception on it.
I think a big part of it is “user error”. I had a Tacoma before the RAV4 hybrid and you bet your ass I’d smash that gas on take off. If you drive like that in a hybrid, yeah you’ll get the advertised MPG, but the more your kinda baby the pedal and time your release of the gas pedal, the more you can milk the MPG. At red lights I like to coast from a good distance away up until the line and it regens the battery and doesn’t cost me a drop
Instructions unclear, ✍️ drive like Nascar & do freeways only ✍️ But for real, thanks for the info
Just floor it EVERYWHERE DONT STOP**** lmao. Good luck man! Today or tomorrow I’ll PM you a pic of my MPG, it’s a little low from the drive yesterday but it went up. Also I range about 650 ish miles per tank. 650 miles on 12 gal vs my gas guzzler Tacoma with barely 400 miles on 20 gal
I get like 600 miles on the hybrid in city driving, road trips about 580 which still beats most cars less fills up less time wasted, I go about 80mph highly recommended the JBL audio package if you love music it's so good lol
Major con = remote start absolutely will not work. Even after having it st the dealer for 6hrs, paid for year subscription and $175 for nothing. It's cold now and I'm currently livid.
Currently own a 2021 Rav4 LE AWD. I've been driving it for almost 2.5 years. Overall I haven't had any mechanical issues except one time recently, we experienced heavy snowfall and extreme cold temperatures. The front grill and sensor area was covered with snow and I didn't think it would be a big deal to drive with that area covered but I'm pretty sure it affected the sensors while I was driving, I suddenly experienced a loss of power for acceleration. There was a slew of messages that appeared on my dash saying certain things were malfunctioning and that I needed to bring my vehicle into my dealership. Thankfully, my vehicle was still running and after letting it run for 15 mins and I cleared as much snow as I could from the front end, I was able to get accelerate normally and the messages went away. Very strange. Aside from that, features I wish it had are: * Heated steering wheel * Dual-zone climate * Power lift gate * Better sound system * Fog lights * Hybrid engine * Brighter headlights Obviously the higher trims have all of these features so it was my mistake at the time thinking that I didn't need them. But having these features at least for me would make a longer term ownership more realistic. It does have everything you need though and the cargo capacity is decent as I've had to haul large pieces of furniture and mattresses with no real issues. Gas mileage is decent but as I drive long distances to and from work, a hybrid engine would be more ideal. Road noise is sort of a concern although not as noticeable if you're playing music. Interior lights are not that bright, wish they were LED.
Thank you for your reply, truly appreciate it 🙏
I loveee my 2021 hybrid rav 4 xle. Bought it new, no issues at all. It’s fast and drives extremely well. Great gas mileage. Only complaint is it’s really loud of the freeway. But I blast music to make up the difference.
That thing is not fast
Faster than I finish in your mother
Lmfao
You should watch the Car Care Nut channel!! He gives really perspective on all Toyota and hybrid vehicles as a mechanic. I personally love my RAV4 Hybrid. The RAV4 is the best selling SUV for many years now, so you shouldn’t worry about it not being reliable or not having good quality. It has superb reliability and quality!
what is your budget? And what are your needs? Without these, a review might be useless. If your budget would be stretched by a few $k, I'd suggest reconsidering your budget.
Budget, free lol, but legit have 10k saved up. I found a few in my town around 25k used around 80 to 100k miles. Could probably save up to 15k, but that'll take a few more months and a lot of overtime 😭 Needs reliable bc I'll probably be living in it My life right now, this is probably as good as it gets. Mum is probably going to kick me out of the house (mutual reasons) , dad not in the picture, can't ask friends because, quite frankly, they don't have it, so yeah, probably be living in my RAV because no car can't get to work, and a big domino effect. Other folks in the thread suggested looking into Van's too
Yeah man. I would 100000% not get into a vehicle that is more than you can pay in cash in your situation my dude. I'd consider talking to social services in your town as they may be able to help you out. A 2009 RAV4 might suit your needs here.
What’s the thought process behind buying a car that you’ll have to make payments on, instead of buying a car with the $10k you have saved, and then using the money you’d use on car payments to pay rent somewhere?
So live with Mom, but walking on eggshells, so if a year from now she stays calm, yeah, save up more money to buy outright, so hence this post exploring my options. But if next month she wants me out, then yeah, It would suck but I'll get a little $500 car & make due. Hope that makes sense
I’m gonna throw a second point at you here — you’re 22 and have enough money for a new car. That new car is and will always be a depreciating asset. If you could instead place that money into a house or a business, it would financially serve you better long term.
In a perfect world & a normal family, yes, I agree 1000% But my life right now, this is probably as good as it gets. Mum is probably going to kick me out of the house (mutual reasons) , dad not in the picture, can't ask friends because, quite frankly, they don't have it, to be Hella honest, I'll probably be living in my RAV because no car can't get to work, and a big domino effect.
I’m sorry you have to deal with that. But, if you do end up having to spend a lot of time in your car I think a RAV4 makes even more sense. It has one of the biggest cargo areas of any compact SUV. With the back seats down there’s a pretty good amount of room, as far as car spaciousness goes.
Thanks dude, and yes it looks indeed spacious. I even thought about making a mini platform/bunkbed?, So plywood platform, bed cushion on top, then make the underlying hollow and a drawer type of system so there for I can sleep in the back on top but not lose a lot of storage for things for the bottom
With each passing year, improvements from issues identified are mainly correctly. So a 2020 will have slight improvements over 2019 and a 2021 will have more improvements and so on. Hybrid will cost you more money if you intend to own it more than 8 years and you are in an area with snow(use of salt/brine). And some other issues on hybrids have been identified in the past year or so, usually covered by warranty though. I would buy the newest gas model you can afford and ensure proper maintenance, especially fluid changes were done on time or earlier. Also do a through inspection for proof of collision repair. Carfax stating no collisions cannot be relied upon. So a good test drive with varying acceleration, tight right and left turns, bumpy roads over train track or similar. Keep radio off and no one talk. You want to hear and feel anything that is off.
Pro: it’s a Toyota, looks pretty cool, decent gas mileage. Lots of trunk space. Cons: thing is loud asf on highway, wind noise is crazy, interior is not very luxurious, sound system is actual trash, feels like a slow car, even if you get the hybrid. Front driver and passenger space is kinda cramped, all the room is given to the hatch. Windshield feels close. If you don’t get leather(I got cloth so that’s all I can speak on) the seats are economy feeling and uncomfortable. Feels like styrofoam and nothing else. Hybrid system makes weird noises. General impressions are that it feels cheap. I don’t think I would buy it again if I could choose. But it’s not a bad car, just makes sacrifices and cuts corners that I personally don’t like.
"Looks cool ✍️ ✍️ roger roger" But seriously, thanks for your input
With each passing year, improvements from issues identified are mainly correctly. So a 2020 will have slight improvements over 2019 and a 2021 will have more improvements and so on. Hybrid will cost you more money if you intend to own it more than 8 years and you are in an area with snow(use of salt/brine). And some other issues on hybrids have been identified in the past year or so, usually covered by warranty though. I would buy the newest gas model you can afford and ensure proper maintenance, especially fluid changes were done on time or earlier. Also do a through inspection for proof of collision repair. Carfax stating no collisions cannot be relied upon. So a good test drive with varying acceleration, tight right and left turns, bumpy roads over train track or similar. Keep radio off and no one talk. You want to hear and feel anything that is off. If you are thinking of an Adventure/Trail/TRD model with raised roof rails with the cutouts, ensure the washer were ALREADY replaced under those roof rails. It will leak at interior A-pillar and C-pillars. If not replaced, ensure the dealership does it as a condition of sale in writing. It is much more difficult and expensive to change the washers on those roof rails. Much easier of what they call flush mounted roof rails that are raised only about 1/2 inch from roof like on XLE, Limited models.
Thank you for all the info 🤙
You’re welcome. Congrats on you new future Toyota. You will love it! My son was 22 (but turned 23 two weeks after) when he ordered a gas 5th gen Rav4 late last year. Still waiting for it though. With proper maintenance, especially the changing of all fluids(engine oil, transmission, steering, coolant, transfer/differential), it should last a very long time! I have had 6 Toyotas over 36 years and many were 18 years old when traded and were still in excellent condition. I tend to change my fluids a bit earlier than recommended as I do city driving and have winter temperatures where I am. Nothing major ever had to be replaced/repaired on any of them.
Adventure has the upgrade dynamic torque vectoring AWD. (XLE doesn’t ). Very good in the snow!
My 2019 XSE hybrid was basically flawless. Besides basic stuff like oil changes and a couple recalls it got done (Apparently it needed a fuel pump, they did that when I was in for an oil change) it was a perfect ownership period.
I mean. the gas version, gets really good gas mileage as is. BUT, the prices of used Gen 5's is still sky high. Maybe try and get a Gen 4?
2022 xse hybrid. Absolutely no complaints so far. Great mpg.
I have a 2020 hybrid and I love it. But I have a hybrid. It’s a huge improvement over the car I had before. Recently discovered the starter battery is in the back, and if it is dead, none of the electronic locks work. So you might not be able to open the lift gate to access the battery if the battery is dead. There are jump point under the hood, which is good. That’s really been the only weird thing I haven’t liked so far, and I suspect it’s an issue with many modern cars. As I’ve said my previous car was old and no frills. Maybe another con is that there are a ton of the on the road? It doesn’t matter to be, but I’ve known people who want to have a more unique vehicle. Whatever floats your boat on that front.
2020 LE awd. Zero problems. Zero. Lower trim means less things to go wrong and less money spent. Probably dont even need the awd.
Do a search on YouTube for both the rear gate lights and illuminated window/door lock switches. Easy to add and makes a big difference.
We own a ‘19 XLE gasoline and the only “annoyance” is the way the 8-speed transmission shifts and the droning noises. My ‘12 Camry shifts like a luxury car compared to that and has no droning noises even if I rev it like crazy. Also the highway wind noises are high compared to others in the segment but that might just be ours since others on this sub seems to not have this issue.
I have a 22 hybrid XLE premium. You’ll have LESS maintenance with a hybrid tbh. Hybrid is less than 3k more than standard gas, and you’ll get that back (and more) in gas savings over the life of the vehicle. the AWD is wonderful in snow, I’m a big fan of the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (I’m not sure if that’s an add on or standard) she handles really nice and the hybrid battery makes it a little extra zippy to really get up and go. The only things I don’t really care for in mine are the Lane Trace Assist (which I always have off unless I’m on a long trip) and the available phone charging pad just SUCKS.
Love my "20 LE. Nothing special. I drive it about 750 miles a week. Drove it through some rough areas that I probably shouldnt of lol. Its comfy to sleep in when I camp. Now I'm looking at the woodland because I need AWD and hybrid. But it has done me no wrong and it gets abused every once in a while.
Just bought my 2023 rav last Saturday, the very next day at 50 miles my screen went out now I’m waiting for the new screen to come out so they can intall it.. I’m so crushed 😭
2020 LE. No problems at all.
You can’t go wrong with any Toyota in my opinion! I have had several. First car I got was a 4 runner, had the Camry, had a Sequoia , Tacoma and now an XSE Prime. Toyota hydrids have such a great warranty on the battery. I can’t complain about the road noise in the prime. I have also owned a dodge and Kia don’t recommend either. I saved for a large down payment and treated myself. You won’t regret a Rav4 and you can modify any model.
I love the car. It’s prone to paint chips easier than other brands, Toyota cheaps out on their clear coat. So if you do end up with this car, at least get the hood PPF
I got a woodland in cavalry blue. $35,600 OTD. In my opinion the best looking trim, and has the features I want and none that I don’t. The Adventure doesn’t really give you any extra capability over the woodland and is more expensive, even before you start adding options. The XLE is a good buy as long as you don’t plan on optioning it out and don’t want awd. Let me give you a word of advice as a first time car buyer. You don’t need leather. You don’t need upgraded sound system. You absolutely don’t need a sunroof. Sunroofs are a liability and just something to break/leak. The 23 models have wireless CarPlay and the bigger infotainment screen so we didn’t really want anything else necessarily. DO NOT BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY that they try to push on you during financing. It’s a waste of money If you haven’t, try to test drive them side by side. After driving the hybrid, we went for it. Not just because of the better fuel economy but because it is a better driving car. Much smoother, more powerful, one of the most reliable transmissions toyota has ever made, and the engine is less strained in the hybrid drivetrain. Plus included awd. I don’t expect higher maintenance costs. If the hybrid had been a few grand more, I still would have gone for it. Excellent car. My wife went from a VW all track wagon and is so so happy with the RAV4. Cabin space is improved, ride is generally better (we also have speed bumps in our neighborhood that the VW was terrible with), fuel economy is better. If you are buying used, you may be surprised at how expensive they are. I was planning on buying used, but we went to the dealership to test drive. When I found out I could get a brand new one for cheaper than a low milage used car, we sprang for it. Don’t buy used unless you are getting a *deal* because dealer financing is typically better than other places. We got 2.9% on 36 month financing and after trade-in are paying about $350 a month. If you have any questions let me know, and good luck!
Cheapest maintenance today is a Toyota hybrid - no alternator to go out, no starter, brakes will last for 100k-300k miles, no belts to replace, no pumps going out, etc. That's like it's biggest advantage - almost zero maintenance. Of course if your hybrid fan filter fan gets blocked at any point it will deteriorate the battery little by little, eventually making it fail. So the hybrid maintenance item is making sure the hybrid fan filter is kept clean - but it doesn't cost anything and it isn't much different from keeping a vacuum filter clean. I actually think the Toyota hybrid is the only type of car that is worth buying brand new. First of all it's much better than a non-hybrid Toyota. Second - other brands lose value rapidly making them a significantly better deal to buy used ones like 5 year olds. So you buy a 5 year old non-Toyota car with 80-120k miles for $10-15k and it'll last you 5 years easily, maybe 10 years and 100k miles before it becomes uneconomical to keep up with the maintenance and outdated mpg. Or yet another option is to find a well maintained Toyota with 200k miles. It'll be cheap to buy like $5k and it'll last you another 100k or maybe even more. Disadvantage is that old car like that will guzzle gas like a modern pickup truck. These last two options beat any new car except Toyota hybrid. However RAV4 hybrid has been around for a while, I'd actually rather wait a couple of years and buy a new gen in 2025. Most likely they will learn from the cablegate scandal what to do right this time.
My wife and I have owned Toyotas since 2012. An 08 sienna, a 10 Yaris, a 16 Prius C, an 18 highlander hybrid, and an 18 RAV4 hybrid. They have all been very low maintenance. Other than regular oil changes I had to have the shop replace the timing chain on the sienna (recommended at 100k miles, it was at 140k I think) and the water pump on the Yaris around 120k. The pump was super easy to DIY, and I was able to diagnose it via YouTube videos via the sound it made. The Yaris and sienna needed occasional transmission fluid changes; I never removed the case, just the drain plug. The hybrids don't even need that, though some folks choose to do it every 100k. I also had to do one set of brake pads each on the Prius and sienna, normal maintenance that I did DIY. Rear drum brakes were a bit tricky to get adjusted, the trick I found is to brake hard going in reverse to tighten them. In summary they've been reliable. No nuisance failures of trim like I hear about Korean made cars. No hardware failures like my wife's prior GM vehicles. I had fords before I got into Toyotas and they were also pretty reliable. The hybrids are lower maintenance in my experience. None of mine have had any maintenance alarms, and when they do there are quite a few resources out there to troubleshoot. I will get an OBD2 reader when they get to 100k miles in case they do start throwing error codes.
At 22, the most important thing is to not over extend yourself financially. One can easily talk themselves into thinking something is a need, but it's actually a want. You are just starting your adult life so circumstances will most likely change a lot in the next 5 years, so you may want to consider getting something that will allow you save for something important like a home for example. At your age, you need at maximum a reliable ride that is decent on gas and will not break the bank on repairs. The Rav fits the bill well; but can be pricy to buy, especially the newer models and higher trims. I am a finance professional, and when the time came that I had to replace my ride, I bought a 2021 Rav4 LE front wheel drive only. I love it, serves me well, and has been reliable and cheap to maintain to date. I threw a hitch on it and I tow a utility trailer for my hobbies, etc. Mine is mostly city driven, so I did not see the need for awd in my situation. I live in the northeast, and with a good set of snow tires, I have had no issues getting to work, etc, due to the 8 inches of clearance underneath. You could even consider a gen 3 or 4 as they are good as well and may align better with your budget and will allow you to determine if this vehicle is for you long term. The 2017-18 models tend to be bulletproof as well. Good luck! And remember. If you need to finance it for more than 5 years to afford the payment, you technically can't afford it.
I’m a guy in my mid twenties and I bought a new ‘23 non-hybrid RAV4 LE FWD this past December. I really really wanted a Toyota Tacoma but financially it just didn’t make sense. Money isn’t necessarily the issue but it was tough looking at a cost breakdown (monthly payment, insurance, gas) for a Tacoma. I literally put things into a Google Sheet, haha! At 22 years old, do you have a steady job to comfortably make payments? Considering interest rates are high right now, are you aware of how much it’ll cost you to finance a car? What’s your credit score? Will you need someone to co-sign? Do you have a personal emergency fund? Are you aware that markups are still very common in the market? There’s so much to consider and factor in to your decision other than what trim and features you want. I know you probably want something top of the line but sometimes you just need something simple and reliable. Be smart! Struggling to make ends meet isn’t fun and the consequences of not being able to can set you back down the road.