USED Toyota RAV4 Crossover (06 - 13)

My car

We have not had the car long but my initial views are as follows.

I found the drive of the 140 2.2D very smooth and extremely torquey. We test drove the T180 but decided the XT5 would be better value for money, more economical and....it has a spare wheel!!

I think the RAV is more of a cruiser than an SUV and find the cabin very quiet and relaxing even at speed.

The leg room in the back is not that good considering it is supposed to be best in class, good job our back seat passengers are young.

The driving position and headroom are fine for me even at 6ft plus and the clutch and steering are extremely light. Some of the controls are a bit flimsy but are a easy to use.

Audio/Sat Nav set up with touch-sensitive screen well thought out.

Fuel consumption is as expected for a mix of town/motorway driving

Smart entry and start are clever and most useful. Should be good at towing but still waiting to get a towbar fitted as Toyota wanted £900!!

Got the car for well over a grand less than target price of £25,795 from a Toyota dealer so offers are available if you shop around.

My car

I've just had a demo weekend with the T180, and I'm impressed but disappointed at the same time.

I am impressed with the way it drives: very quick indeed,great handling with a firm and supportive ride. It made me want to drive all day and night. Inside the cabin is quiet and the spec. is very high, as it should be on a vehicle which reatils at £27000.

The disappointments? The quality of the interior is not what is should be, plastics are frankly plastic, and the leather feels more like imitation leather than genuine cow hide. Some switches and controls are fiddly too.

But the biggest single problem is fuel consumption. This thing just guzzles diesel. Over a Bank Holiday weekend having done 550 motorway miles, about 250 'A' road miles and 150 poodling about miles, average consumption was 30.2 MPG (about 28 MPG on the motorway!), versus an advertised combined figure of 40.4 MPG. I am willing to accept that my right foot would have been heavy at times due the sheer pleaure of driving this car, and that, as it only had 1200 miles on the clock when delivered that the engine would have been a little tight still, but a 25% difference is too much to accept.

So thanks for the demo Toyota, but based upon what I have found this weekend, no matter how good a drive, putting my sensible economic hat on I could not afford the fuel bill AND the company car tax bill that goes with a price tag of £27000.

My car

I've owned the XT4 diesel for 6 weeks now. Its the third RAV I've owned and without doubt the best. The road holding is much improved, the RAV's of the past never really "wallowed" that much, but this one is now a similar standard to "normal" saloon cars.

The interior is great. Given the comments from a previous reviewer, I'm glad I picked the XT4 as it seems to have a good balance in terms of specification. The in-dash CD-changer is a fantastic bit of kit.

We added roof rails and a style pack to our RAV and it does certainly make it look much more rugged, but then tastes as such a personal thing. The shape does really grow on you!

In terms of practicality, I've also got a new 5-Series and when it comes to ferrying the family around, the RAV's keys come off the hook first....

My car

Come on. Is Louette Race for real. There is no way you can get 47 mpg from this car even on the motorway because of its weight and 4x4 manual box. Even the dealer agrees that its 38 tops. Equally its ridiculous to suggest that a passenger cannot distinguish the engine noise from a petrol engine although I concede that most of the noise is at low gears. I've now done 3000 miles in 2 months and the car is growing on me except for the manual gearbox and the road noise. I'm happy with 37 mpg.