Toyota RAV4 (2000 - 2005) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I love my Rav4! That's why I want to get another one only with 4WD. It handles great, gets great gas mileage, is easy to park and to get into and out of. The back seats fold up to make more cargo room if needed. Very comfortable for long trips or just around town. This little car has great get-up-and-go for a 4 cylinder. It's fun to drive.Oct 28, 2012

Too short in back to sleep in for 6'-3" person. Best vehicle ever owned in 50 years of driving.... including Audi, VW, Ford, Chevy, 4Runners Exceptional handling on hiway and off....will go up steep freeway grade like PHX to Flagstaff at 80mph in 4th gear. Gets 26mpg at average 65mph on freeway....22mpg in town. Loaded, Sunroof, all power, cruise, privacy factory glass tint.Jul 07, 2012

I loved this car for its reliability, smooth ride, comfort, economic use of gas. She has never been a worry or a let down. lots of storage space in the back. she did have a little struggle with snow as she is front wheel drive vs 4 wheel drive. But never got truly stuck unless I couldn't dig her out of a snow bank. Nice cd and radio system. Everything works. She has miles to go. May 10, 2012

its simple and real. it may be an I4 small suv, but its got a punch and attacks corners well and actually quite fun. i feel like PART of the car, like i know what its going to do next. the engine is bullet-proof and at 126,000 miles+, it still runs smoothly. styling is actually fairly nice, not too cute and has a slight aggressive stance. a great car =DJan 26, 2010

Good gas mileage. Dependable performance. Very inexpensive maintainance. No major issues in 7 years of ownership. Good in the snow with the all-wheel-drive. Flexible cargo area and fold down rear seats. Fun to drive. Holds its value. Has the 'sport package' trim. Had to pay $500 extra for the rear spoiler but think it adds to the sporty look of the vehicle. Good visability due to height of vehicle.Sep 26, 2009

The seat is small but it okay to fit in and have some room. What I don't like is my foot to push the panel on gas getting sore but it okay need more room for my leg for where the gas panel is. This RAV4 has a good gas mileages in around 27 standard city/hwy. What I like very mush is all wheel drive that best on snow and heavy rain, nice ride and also nice with high wind is pretty good still run and it had do with shape body car. So far I like it so better get a brand new 2008 that one very nice and lot of room. I recommend buy a new or use on RAV4.Oct 04, 2008

I owned a RAV4 back in 01-03 and it proved to be a great car in Boston: fits easily in tiny parking spaces, has 4wd, can carry plenty of crap and fit my bike fully assembled with one seat removed. Plus, it's fun to drive with the manual transmission (shame! Toyota for messing this up) and returns decent MPG. On the outside, the RAV4 has a sporty look, and my L version has painted over-fenders, a spoiler, tinted windows and a hard spare tire shell. Over the look is clean and uniform. The L also has fog lights standard, a nice feature. Under the hood is a 4-cylinder, efficient engine. I return between 19 and 26 MPG, the lower number in all city driving. 4WD is permanently engaged, surely keeping MPGs lower than if it was defeatable. The manual transmission has 5 gears, and clutch engagement is decent. The shifter is not rubbery, either, however the 1-2 shift is somewhat finicky and can cause discomfort to passengers. My Accord did not suffer this fate. In 2004, Toyota made their Star Safety system standard, which includes Anti-Lock Brakes, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Traction Control, Vehicle Skid Control and Brake Assist. All of these features were not on my 2001 RAV4. My particular vehicle also has side impact airbags. Overall I feel very safe in this car. On the inside, all of the controls are well laid-out and are of high-quality materials. The dashboard has high-quality appearance hard plastic. The seats fold down, recline, slide forward and backwards, and remove completely. As I mentioned I can completely fit my bike inside with just one seat removed...even placed on top of the other rear seat as they are split 50/50. The front seats are comfortable, and the driving position is great for my 6'3" frame. The steering wheel is smaller diameter than many I've seen, and is leather wrapped creating a sporty feel. Driving dynamics are pretty good, but definitely not BMW-quality. The ride can be somewhat harsh, especially with engine buzzing at high speeds. A sixth gear would be a godsend. The steering is not overly tight, but not Toyota-loose. Overall, it's a great compromise of ability and performance, in addition to utility and 4wd. Aside from my dream car, an IS (no AWD with manual - SHAME!), the RAV4 does well. It's really a shame that Toyota bloated up the 06+ RAV4's and removed the manual transmission option. They removed me from the RAV market by doing so.Jan 05, 2008

I bought this car in 2001, when the new fleet came to Puerto Rico. I just love it. The handling, the performance, and everything else is great. Like some people say, Toyotas never die, if you now how to maintain it. I try to keep up with the maintenance, and only once I had to make a serious repair, but it was done due to bumps and holes in the road. Overall, it is a really great vehicle. I recommended to anyone! I JUST LOVE MY RAV4!!!!Dec 22, 2007

I have been driving my family's Rav-4 for over 3 years. They had an earlier model and then renewed their lease with an updated version. The Rav-4 is an excellent combination of a roomy SUV with a more versatile driving ability. I'm able to drive my friends and our snowboarding gear up to the mountains, yet I'm still able to parallel park the car with ease. I like the new sleek look of the 2006 model, but I think that it is much bigger and therefore pushes the Rav-4 squarely into the SUV camp, reducing its appeal among the people who want a smaller but roomy car, and also causing it to compete with larger SUV's who have been in that particular market for longer. Now instead of being compared to the Honda CR-V (over which it clearly wins in my opinion), it competes with the SUV's of Lexus, Nissan, and others. However, the RAV-4 has been a consistently comfortable and competent car that I continue to enjoy driving. Oct 26, 2006