Would you buy 2013 Rav4?

[RAVXD]

It's a good lookin vehicle. We just purchased our 3 rd rav4 and we only purchased it because the wife is happy that we have never had any problems with our Toyotas in the past. We would more than likely purchase one of these new rav's if needed.

[ducky]

Originally Posted by DVS

Did your Sport come with run-flats? I've heard those can provide a harsher ride...maybe a noisier ride, too?

No they came with the quick wearing yokohama tires. Around town the rav is fine for road and wind noise but on the highway if you listen to the radio, you have to crank it up just to hear anything.

[doane2u]

I've got Bridgestone RFs and they don't sound any louder than non RFs on other RAV4s I drove when I was looking to buy this one but they didn't have Yokohama tires. I know that tire brands can vary quite a bit in road noise and it has nothing to do with being RFs

[bigbird1]

I just came back from test driving a 2013 Honda CR-V LX 4WD. Honda really has it together. Their 2.4L 5 spd auto was just fine. It had lots of pep and was very smooth and quiet. Their new version of 4WD is also seamless, unlike their previous version. The fit and finish was definitely better than my '11 RAV LTD V6 4WD. The doors and rear hatch all closed with a solid "thunk", not a bang like my RAV. If the 2013 RAV4 is anything like the CR-V I will be very happy.

[DVS]

One would sure hope/expect Toyota to leapfrog the CR-V, and not just clone it or shoot for "as good."

How many people were in the CR-V when you test drove it?

There were 3 grown men (myself included) in the 4-Cyl 2011 RAV4 I test drove first, and it was embarrasingly underpowered. Like, I was questioning whether merging onto the highway would be safe.

[clearview]

We will certainly look at the new RAV when we are ready to buy in a couple years or sooner, you know how new vehicle bugs bite ya! The 6 speed trans should really make the most of the engine, hopefully a great package. Is there a CVT in the future? Why be locked into a set speed? I have learned that you need to drive a vehicle to know how it fits our needs. An adustable seat and tilt/telescoping wheel are a must! Fuel economy is a major factor and I would like to see better.

[clearview]

Originally Posted by DVS

One would sure hope/expect Toyota to leapfrog the CR-V, and not just clone it or shoot for "as good."

How many people were in the CR-V when you test drove it?

There were 3 grown men (myself included) in the 4-Cyl 2011 RAV4 I test drove first, and it was embarrasingly underpowered. Like, I was questioning whether merging onto the highway would be safe.

Do you drive around with 3 grown men in the vehicle all of the time? If so then you might need a bigger boat Chief Broady! A loaded vehicle always drives differently than a lightly loaded one and it is up to the driver to operate it safely. I have never owned a vehicle that I would deem unsafe to operate loaded.

[bigbird1]

Originally Posted by DVS

How many people were in the CR-V when you test drove it?

2 X 200 lb = 400 lbs of cargo. Also, the CR-V was brand new. Once the engine breaks in it would feel even quicker. If the RAV4 is even faster, smoother, and quieter, it will be a winner. The only thing the base 2013 RAV4 won't have that the base CR-V does is heated seats. In Canada that's a real shortcoming. That alone could sway me to a CR-V.

[DVS]

Originally Posted by clearview

Do you drive around with 3 grown men in the vehicle all of the time?

No, I don't normally drive around with 3 grown men in the vehicle. Certainly not "all of the time."

But sometimes I do. Heck, sometimes there's even four of us.

Just by having 3 men in the 4-cylinder 4.3 RAV4 during my test drive, some of which was going up a normal freeway entrance ramp from an underpass under dry, daylight (read: ideal) conditions, more than proved to me that the 4-cylinder version didn't have enough power for its weight plus even moderate occupancy to be able to be operated in what I considered to be a manner that was safe enough.

It can be hard enough to merge with traffic even when you do have enough power to achieve the same speed as existing traffic.

But not having enough power to get to traffic speed makes it worse, or at the very least more complicated and thus more dangerous, for everyone in the vicinity.

Originally Posted by clearview

A loaded vehicle always drives differently than a lightly loaded one and it is up to the driver to operate it safely.

Agreed. Although if you've got it floored (as I did) and still can't keep up, what could the driver possibly do to operate it more safely? (Heh...toss someone out? ;-) )

That's why I'm thankful my test drive was under more-than-minimal load conditions, and they weren't much more than minimal and were by no means extreme.

It taught me what I needed to know in order avoid picking a vehicle that was clearly underpowered. I belived the 4-cylinder 4.3 RAV4 was borderline dangerously underpowered, at least under some very reasonable conditions. Toyota puts the same basic engine power in other vehicles, but I think at least most (all?) of those vehicles are significantly lighter than the RAV4.

It was (is) unacceptable to me to purchase a vehicle that even, say, 10% of the time would put my safety and the safety of my passengers and even strangers (other drivers) at higher risk due to lack of power to perform adequately on the road.

Maybe the new 6-speed transmission in the 2013 RAV4 4-cylinder will greatly improve that situation. And maybe the 2013 model will be noticeably lighter than the 4.3's, too.

I'd sure love to know what the 0-60 mph time in the 4-cylinder 4.4 is, particularly compared to the 4-cylinder 4.3. It would at least be indicative of improvement, which is what I'm hoping for, and expecting.

[quiksy]

Sadly Toyota dropped the V6, i'm currently an owner of a V6, love the power... for the new one i love the inside of the limited, the outside i like it but in my opinion the new 4.4 is the son between a Honda CRV and a Mazda CX7, just think about it.

but at the end of the road i've been an owner of the 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and possibly a 4.4 limited (missing the power of my 2007 sport V6)