In surveys that J.D. Power and Associates has conducted with owners of the Toyota RAV4, the people that actually own one told us what they like and don’t like about their car.

What Owners Like:

“Drives like a car, not a truck.”

“Car is fun to drive.”

“Incredibly responsive – handles like a sports car.”

“Excellent acceleration [for] passing, from a stop, merging into traffic.”

“Acceleration [and] handling are outstanding.”

“[I like the] handling. Responsiveness of acceleration, braking, steering, suspension.”

“[I like the] handling in bad weather [and on] icy roads.”

“Handling on ice and getting through large snow drifts.”

“Out-performs my old 4Runner in deep snow.”

“Handling is exceptional – very stable feel, even in snow and on curves.”

“New [four-cylinder] engine is peppy.”

“Gas mileage is great!!”

“Mileage is great for size of car.”

“Transmission [is] smooth and shifts at proper points.”

“Brakes [are] outstanding.”

“The [RAV4] is easy to drive, great vision.”

“Great front and rear…visibility.”

“Visibility – I have yet to discover a blind spot.”

“Low road noise, quiet interior.”

“Extremely comfortable front seating”

“There is a lot of leg room in the back seat area.”

“Seats [are] comfy/heated – love them!”

“I didn’t expect the comfort on a long trip [of] 700 miles.”

“Seats [are] incredibly comfortable, even after three hours straight.”

“Easy getting in and out, comfortable seating for a larger person.”

“[I like the] ease of getting in and out of [the] vehicle.”

“Love that we can carry 7 people.”

“Telescoping steering wheel is great for me.”

“Smart key – [it’s] great not having to take out keys to enter or start up car!”

“Easy to fold down rear seats.”

“Very versatile for both passenger room and cargo space.”

“Cargo room – it fits both kids and large pets.”

“Storage/cargo [space] is excellent.”

“Size [is] spacious, but not too big.”

“For a little car it has a lot of space.”

“Rear seats fold down flat.”

“[I like the] ease of loading and unloading [the] trunk/cargo area.”

“Love the look of my Toyota RAV4 the most.”

“Quality of interior workmanship is good.”

“Tight construction, no rattles.”

“I love the reliability of Toyota.”

“Reliability – Gas it up and change the oil. Typical Toyota!”

“We plan to keep this car for many years…and hope to have minimum repair costs.”

“[You] get a lot for what you pay.”


What Owners Don’t Like:

“Thought I would get better gas mileage.”

“City mileage – Not even coming close to EPA for the V-6.”

“Size of fuel tank too small.”

“Ride is somewhat bumpy.”

“[I don’t like] the way it bounces while driving. I can’t read and ride anymore.”

“Rough ride [with] run-flat tires.”

“Hard ride [from] suspension.”

“At low speed…steering is inconsistent.”

“Wind noise at high speeds.”

“Interior décor looks cheap.”

“Dashboard material looks unappealing, low quality.”

“Quality of interior is cheap.”

“Interior needs some wood grain on Limited models.”

“Carpeting is not very plush. Looks cheap.”

“Would prefer water resistant [cloth seats] like in Honda Element.”

“Black fabric…shows too much [dust and lint].”

“Top glovebox [is] not very useful. [They] should’ve made the bottom glovebox bigger.”

“Glove compartment not big enough. Center console not big enough.”

“Center console cup holders inconvenient to use.”

“Front cup holders not worth using.”

“Front cup holders are terrible.”

“Telescoping steering wheel does not come out enough.”

“I wish power seats were standard.”

“No memory seating for top-of-the-line RAV4.”

“Driver and passenger head rests are too far forward.”

“I have long legs and would like the driver’s seat to go back about another inch.”

“Need two more inches of driver’s leg room.”

“[I don’t like the] comfort of the third-row seat.”

“[I don’t like the] tire mounted on [the] back.”

“[I don’t like the] rear tire on back door.”

“[Cargo] door a little heavy with tire.”

“Don’t like rear door. Bad, bad, bad.”

“[I don’t like] the side opening tailgate door.”

“Hatch door opens sideways. I prefer upwards.”

“Inconvenient to have [cargo] door open sideways instead of lifting up.”

“[Cargo] door opens from left to right. Makes it difficult to load from the sidewalk.”

“[Cargo] door should open from the right side.”

“Rear hatch door opens from wrong side for U.S.”

“Rear [cargo] door [is a] pain in the neck [with] street parking.”

“Side-opening back door is scary on a hill.”

“Should have light in back…storage area. Not bright enough at night.”

“Very poor lighting in rear cargo area.”

“Does not alert you if you leave the lights on.”

“No notification to turn off headlights. [This] should be standard.”

“Can’t turn off running or driving lights when parked at night with motor running.”

“Door lock [button] not illuminated – impossible to see at night.”

“Hard to reach gas release when you are seated in the vehicle.”

“Radio stinks.”

“Radio [is] disappointing. Sound quality [is] poor.”

“Passenger can’t operate [navigation] while [driver is] driving.”

“No available Homelink system.”

“Bumpers [are] attached with plastic clips.”

“[I don’t like the] foreign-made tires.”

“Wish [Toyota] had a hybrid version of this vehicle.”