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Adventure model, mountain highway performance

7.5K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  luciavid  
#1 · (Edited)
Hello everyone,,
I'm coming from a 2015 Toyota 4Runner limited to a 2019 Rav4 Adventure model.

I was wondering, has anyone driven these on winding mountain highways?
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I'm asking because for my job I have to go through West Virginia a lot on I-79.

In my 4Runner, those drives can become a bit fatigue-inducing because the 4Runner wasn't really meant for that kind of driving. I mean it did fine, but you could really feel the body lean around the curves.

I'm hoping the Rav4 is a bit better on the highway.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Much better in a Rav4. Sport mode is great for steep and winding paved mountain roads. You can dial in the settings for the dirt/forest service roads. You won't have near the body role that comes with a 4Runner.

Maybe look in to renting one for a couple days to make sure it suits your needs.
 
#6 ·
I have a Tacoma that has a similar "truck frame" driving dynamic to the 4Runner. The RAV4 is very car like, VERY car like. I would put it somewhere between my old Corolla and my mom's Avalon. While my RAV4 will never be a sportscar, I think the long distance highway comfort will be better than my Tacoma.
 
#7 ·
I was wondering, has anyone driven these on winding mountain highways?
I bought the Adventure because of the AWD. With Sports mode and AWD the Rav4 Adventure is a lot of fun to drive. The engine doesn't have a lot of torque (184 lb.-ft. @ 5000 rpm). But the eight speed transmission helps make up for that. The engine needs to rev higher for maximum horsepower (203 hp @ 6600 rpm). In that regards its a lot like the four cylinder engine in my Porsche 914.

For a SUV the Rav4 is pretty light. So if you keep the RPMs up and your speed constant you can have a lot of fun with the Rav4 Adventurer's AWD going in and out of twisting road. The inner wheel braking system and the AWD makes the Adventure feel relatively sure footed. Even around town when the roads were wet I tried to break road traction in normal or sport mode and it wouldn't do it. The AWD of the Adventure makes it a completely different vehicle then the two wheel drive ones.
 
#8 ·
Listening to the head product development guy for the TRD off road project, which is basically just a suspension and appearance package over the Adventure. Their goal was to make it handle well on fast, fairly smooth, gravel. His comparison was think rally car rather than rock crawler. I'm still getting use to mine, but it seems pretty sure footed. Not wishing for any more snow this spring, but I will throw on a dedicated set of snow tires next winter and am curious how well it will go in the snow, my guess is it might be one of the most capable snow cars you can buy as long as you are talking packed snow, or nothing over 8"
 
#11 ·
In the below review they talk about how the adventure's torque vectoring surprised them with its performance in the figure-eight test which should be an indicator of the ability to perform well on twisty roads.

 
#12 · (Edited)
Suzuki does present this one as more of touring motorbike than an off-road vehicle, and it exactly matches the description. However, one of the primary reasons the V-Strom has been doing so well is that it is one of the cheapest option one can find in the adventure motorcycle category. And a good one at that too. Neither does it compromise on the power, nor the manoeuvrability. You are thereby making it an excellent choice for a beginner to the game. forpc.onl jiofi.local.html
 
#13 ·
No problems driving our 2020 Rav4 Adventure through the Blue Ridge mountains up I-81 North. Don't be afraid to rev the engine. It has plenty of oomph to accelerate and pass up steep grades. Activate Sport mode for better handling since it will keep the AWD system activated above 50 mph. It will definitely handle better than a 4Runner on-road.
 
#14 ·
I agree but the 2019 AWD system activation/deactivation point is 20MPH. For some reason Toyota made this change for the 2020 model. Just to restate, my gas only Limited has the same AWD system as the Adventure.

Here's an excerpt from TSB (T-SB-0067-20):
163784
 
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