The 2001-2005 Toyota RAV4 is one of the most fuel-efficient SUVs on the market after hybrids. With its sleek, sporty styling and great fuel economy, the RAV4 is a good choice if you need a small practical SUV. Available as two- or four-wheel drive, the RAV4 has a car-based unibody construction with a 4-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The 2001, 2002 and 2003 RAV4 came with the 148-hp 2.0-liter 4-cylinder DOHC engine with Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i). Starting from the 2004, the RAV4 received the 161-hp 2.4-liter engine. Both engines use a maintenance-free timing chain; there is no timing belt to replace. Both engines are reliable if maintained properly. The RAV4's full-time 4WD system uses a viscous coupling center differential to distribute power to the front and rear wheels. When front wheels start slipping, more power is transferred to rear wheels and visa versa. Although this four-wheel drive system is not designed for real off-roading, it will offer you some advantage on slippery roads.
The RAV4's interior is simple and comfortable. High driving position offers very good all-around visibility. Controls are conveniently located and easy to use. Fit and finish is good. The rear swing door glass does not open separately as in the Honda CR-V, but the low cargo floor makes loading easier. On the downside, the rear seat space is fairly limited and the driver's seat feels a bit small. Toyota RAV4 is agile and fun to drive. It handles like a car and has a fairly smooth ride. Tight turning circle makes it feel very maneuverable around town. The engine is a bit noisy and lacks highway passing power, but is very fuel-efficient. Sleek styling, versatility, fuel economy, car-like handling, fun to drive, reliability Front seats are not very comfortable, limited space, rear door glass doesn't open separately, lack of highway passing power, road noise, engine noise, rattles The RAV4 is one of the class leaders in terms of fuel economy. With mostly highway driving, the 2005 FWD RAV4 with a manual transmission gets up to 346 miles (557 km) on a 14.8-gallon (56 L) tank.
If you want an inexpensive used 4WD vehicle that is good on gas, there aren't that many options. The RAV4 is reliable, easy to maintain and widely available on the used car market. Thanks to Toyota reputation for reliability, the RAV4 holds value well and you won't have troubles selling it. Maintenance costs are pretty low compared to other SUVs. The 2001-2005 RAV4 didn't have too many problems, but there were some complaints about the automatic transmission shifting problems caused by a faulty ECM (engine computer) in the 2001-2003 models; read more on the next page. Still the overall reliability is above average. Among competitors, consider Subaru Forester or Honda CR-V; both are pretty good choices. Read about Toyota RAV4 common problems on the next page.2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid LimitedThe RAV4 Hybrid comes in two premium grades: XLE and Limited. The RAV4 gas version comes in four grades: LE, XLE, Limited and the new SE.Toyota anticipates to receive EPA ratings of 34 mpg city / 31 mpg highway / 33 mpg combined for both 2016 RAV4 Hybrid models.
The 2016 RAV4 has a sleeker, more dynamic look.The updated interior provides comfort for passengers.As a fuel-efficient way to haul a small family, the RAV4 Hybrid makes sense. In the RAV4, the Entune Audio system features a 6.1-in. touchscreen, Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity and audio streaming.2016 Toyota RAV4 SE AWDThe RAV4 has a 2.5-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine. The MSRP for the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid will be $29,270 for the XLE and $34,510 for the Limited.Toyota plans to sell close to 300,000 RAV4s in 2016.Extra trunk space is a nice added feature.2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLEThe 2016 RAV4 is the eighth hybrid in Toyota lineup.With the 60/40 split rear seats folded, that space expands to 73.4 cu. ft. Next Gallery: 2016 Toyota Prius first drive Toyota clearly has more hybrid models than anyone else -- eight of them, in fact. It’s almost easier to mention which models in Toyota’s lineup aren’t available as hybrids. For the record, those would mostly include trucks.
And up until now, the Toyota RAV4 compact crossover was one of them. Toyota plans to sell close to 300,000 RAV4s in 2016 and expects the RAV4 Hybrid to make up about 10-15 percent of them. The new RAV4 is the only compact crossover in this class available as a hybrid, so it’s fairly unique. pared to the old RAV4, this new one has improved sealing and NVH countermeasures like increased sound- and vibration-damping material on the floor. The rear suspension has new mounts and more spot welds to stiffen up the structure and, according to Toyota, better isolate rear seat passengers from road irregularities. All four corners receive a retuned suspension, too. The RAV4 appears a bit more butch on the outside, with a new nose and raised hoodline to appear a little more aggressive.The RAV4 Hybrid follows Toyota’s conventional hybrid powertrain arrangement. In fact, the powertrain has been pulled, virtually unchanged, from the $40,000 Lexus NX300h. However, the RAV4 is slightly lighter, so here’s a case where the less-expensive model is probably a little quicker.
Under the hood is a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder, that when paired to the 105 kW electric motor, generates 194 total system hp and 206 lb-ft of system torque. That power flows through a planetary gear set CVT with six “speeds” in sport mode, and on to a second electric motor that drives the rear wheels when needed. The nickel-metal hydride battery pack sits behind the rear seat and is the same one used in the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Cargo capacity is compromised slightly by the pack. But that’s one metric where the RAV4 has always been near the top of its class. So, even though the maximum cargo capacity is reduced by around 3 cubic feet, it still has a cavernous 70.6 cubic feet to haul your stuff. The updated interior provides comfort for passengers. What’s it like to drive?Around town, the RAV4 Hybrid is a sweet-natured crossover with a comfy and quiet ride. The hybrid’s EV mode makes for silent running up to 25 mph. Drive with a gentle right foot and the system can maintain electric-only operation up to around a half mile and return a solid 33 mpg combined, up from 25 mpg combined on the conventional all-wheel-drive RAV4.
Dig deeper into the throttle and there’s enough torque for most everything this hybrid will ever be asked to do. Still, this is no machine for the hot-blooded horsepower junkie. After all, even though the hybrid system shaves about a second off the acceleration times of a gas RAV4, the stroll to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds still isn’t very quick.On the wonderfully twisty ribbon of Orange County, California, asphalt known as the Ortega Highway, the RAV4 Hybrid was reasonably composed but with a fair amount of body roll when pushed hard. The RAV4 has never been the sportiest choice amongst its compact crossover peers. And adding 300 pounds of hybrid hardware doesn’t make it feel any more agile. Driven hard back to back with a gas RAV4, the hybrid feels heavier and somewhat ponderous. However, slide the shifter over to sport and the faux gears in the CVT do a good job of slowing the RAV4 on the downhill sections along with the regen brakes. Speaking of the brakes, they feel very much like those of a generation ago hybrid system, somewhat wooden and lacking the more blended and natural feel of say, the new 2016 Prius.The Hybrid is only available in the RAV4’s top two trim levels -- XLE and Limited.
So there’s no shortage of soft-touch materials or equipment. A 7-inch touchscreen is standard on both models. And Limited models wear larger 18-inch wheels, heated leather seats and are equipped with blind-spot monitoring and Toyota’s Safety Sense suite of technologies. The Advanced Tech package also includes a new Bird’s Eye View camera system, which expertly stitches a 360-degree view together and allows a perimeter scan of anything that might be in the car’s way. 2016 Toyota RAV4 SE AWD Do I want it?One benefit of having eight hybrid models under the Toyota umbrella and another half-dozen Lexus models is that this large volume drives down cost of the components. And that’s very obvious here. A RAV4 XLE Hybrid is a mere $700 more expensive than the regular 4WD XLE. So, for around the same price as, say, optional rubber floor mats and running boards, you can get a hybrid powertrain. That’s a good deal. Base Price: $29,270 XLE, $34,510 Limited Drivetrain: 2.5-liter Four-Cylinder Hybrid, AWD, CVT