[runciter]

Still car shopping, but was curious how many (US) owners have the DRL option and what do they do for the $35 (or so) they charge for it? Do they all come equipped with it, but it is turned off by default?

And I'm sure this question has been answered a million times before the forums went down, but what type of mileage do you guys typically see? I don't know if winter reformulated gas is standard across the US, but I would assume MPGs go down in the winter so I'll take that with a grain of salt.

BTW, I have been looking in the gallery and you guys' comments are great! Very helpful to get owners' feedback.

 

[jerij]

Not sure about the DRL's, I don't have it.

I'm getting about 27+ MPG on the highway with AT and 3 fat cats.
My work loop gets me about 25-26.

jerij

 

[Jamal]

MPG

I have AWD and usually get 25 on the highway and 22 in the city. I can get better if I don't gas it.

 

[Ruff4]

I get between 27 and 29 mpg, mostly highway, with the AT and AWD, depending on how long I let it warm up, etc. etc. THe air conditioner doesn't really affect it too much. I've been pretty happy with the mileage, much better than my 99 Tacoma.

 

[Jeff]

DRL's (Daytime Running Lights) have become quite popular in the past ten years, becoming standard on most cars yet still optional on others. I had them on my Volkswagen, but I didn't bother with them for my Rav. I can explain the whole concept and why they are popular but I figure many of you know that already.

As for the Ravs, they don't come with DRL's standard, hence the $35 option. I believe the DRL option is just a relay installed onto the headlight wiring harness somewhere under the dashboard. It just makes it so the headlights (but not the parking lights) come on all the time when the car is running. By the way, while some cars have separate lights built into the headlights (or bumper) specifically for DRL use, the Rav (like many othe cars) just turns on the low beams of the headlights.

The benefits of DRL's are negligible, so it's just your personal preference that matters.

The MPG of Ravs is subject to much debate, as some people experience good economy, while others complain that its too low. With my Rav, I get 23/26 in the summer and 21/24 during the colder months of the winter, however at any time it can vary a few MPG depending on the usual factors. I have 4WD plus tires which have a slightly higher rolling resistance than stock, and a lead foot half the time.

For what the Rav is, I would give it an MPG rating of Good on a scale of poor/good/excellent.

 

[runciter]

Thanks everyone for their input!

Thanks Jeff... yeah I figured as I believe in Canada DRLs are required so they must not make it too difficult to "enable" on the US spec. I wonder why they aren't standard. Just curious if anyone has installed or got the DRL option... just curious if that is something I can do myself and/or save a few bucks. I'll ask the dealer if he knows what is up with that.

 

[Shar Pei Puppy]

Effective Jan. 1, lights are required to be on whenever conditions are poor, such as rain, fog etc, in the state of California.
I for one don't need to be told this, but judging by what I've seen over the last 2 weeks of rain some people should be required to have DRL on their cars.
Thinking about activating mine just so incase my wife drives the RAV instead of her Corolla, w/drl, she doesn't get a ticket.

 

[Slayer]

Actually, that California law doesn't really apply till July 1st. I don't know why. That's just what I've read. And I do agree that some people need to get a clue about turning on their lights when conditions make it hard for others to see you. I mean, geez, the past few weeks I've seen lots of people under hard to see conditions not turning on their headlights and causing near misses. Guess these idiots just made it easier for the cops to fill their purses.

 

[Jeff]

In the great state of New York, there is a law that's been around for many years that requires your headlights to be turned on whenever your windshield wipers are on, simple as that. Even with the law there are still a lot of boneheads that drive around in bad weather without their lights on...

I love when people play the game "let's see how dark it can get before I turn on my headlights". I passed someone on my way home tonight with only their parking lights on, and it was almost dark!

Little stupid things like that really fire me up, and I wish there were always cops around to punish people for being stupid. But the cops have too many other things to deal with...

 

[bmorton]

That game is also played here in Canada, except it's "let's see how dark it can get before I turn on my REAL headlights." So you see people cruising along in fog/rain/snow/near dark conditions with only their DRLs on, but no taillights. People get a false sense of security with DRLs and they've forgotten up here that there are times other than at night when you want to increase your visibility from behind, as well.

 

[j.Ngo]

how about the people who like to turn on their high beams? and especially here in new jersey everyone has to have a super big Suv or Sut.

 

[nouse4aname]

DRL's are usually the high beams run at lower voltage. Not the lows or seperate bulbs.

I think they're pretty idiotic. GM's pushing to make them required in the states. They include them as standard equipment on most of their cars to keep overall costs down and comply with Canadian law without having two different trims. But they complain that others don't do that.

Far prefer an auto on/off headlight(and taillight) with a light sensor if anything. My very basic Celica GT has both. So I was a bit surprised they weren't standard on an '05 RAV.

My 2000 Celica actually just got a recall for the DRLs. Because they're too bright. Why on earth they're worried about that in a car that sits on the freaking ground and automatically turns the DRLs off and the normal low beams on when it gets dark is beyond me.

My wife's auto '05 FWD Rav gets around 28-30mpg out of the mostly highway driving it sees. Getting just as good mileage as the Focus it replaced. :shock:

 

[nouse4aname]

In the great state of New York, there is a law that's been around for many years that requires your headlights to be turned on whenever your windshield wipers are on, simple as that. Even with the law there are still a lot of boneheads that drive around in bad weather without their lights on...

They must use Rain-X and don't use their wipers, heh.

"But officer, my wipers weren't on!"

 

[DHHerndon]

I am in the process of purchasing a new 2005 RAV4 4x4. I wanted DRLs because I feel that they are a great safety feature (making the car easier to see in the daytime). I had them on my last two cars. I found out from my local Toyota dealer, that the DRLs for the RAV4 are a factory-installed option and (for some reason?) cannot be added by the dealer. As such, I ended up ordering my RAV4 from the factory (7-10 week delay) just to get the specific options/accessories that I wanted and not having to pay for the options/accessories that I don't want.

 

[9G]

Not sure if it has been said before but having DRL will lower your insurance bill compared to a none DRL.

 

[Benny]

My experience has been that most vehicles' DRL are simply a matter of buying and installing a relay -- the manufacturers install it where required and otherwise leave that slot empty...

Does anyone have further info on how Toyota DRLs differ?

 

[RAV4Don]

My experience has been that most vehicles' DRL are simply a matter of buying and installing a relay -- the manufacturers install it where required and otherwise leave that slot empty...

Does anyone have further info on how Toyota DRLs differ?

I wish it was that simple. I know that a company called Painless Wiring makes a low price kit to retro fit some older GM vehicles with the equivilant of DRLs.

I don't recall the details but when I purchased my RAV in August I inquired with the parts rep at the dealer regarding adding DRLs. He did a search and found no Toyota part or parts to buy to retro fit the RAV. Since there did not seem to be a quick and easy solution I gave up.

 

[Benny]

Thanks for the information... That's really a shame -- I know that Ford products have a relay that burn the low beams at 70% power anytime the key is in the ON position; it's a simple plug-in mod.