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First of all, if this is not kosher, the moderator can delete the thread. I haven't seen many like it, and I'm a noob.
I went into the dealership today to ask a few more questions and take a look at a XLE model. After about four hours, I drove home in a Limited. Below are my initial impressions from a 45-minute drive home, mostly through mountain canyons, (between Santa Clarita and Palmdale, SoCal).
1.) With my tape measure, I was able to verify that I can sleep in the vehicle when necessary. The seats will need to be positioned forward, and I might have to sleep 'catty-corner', but it will be long enough. I'm 6'3", and when you add a pillow, I'll need about 80"-85" of length. With the seats forward and because the rear seats fold relatively flat, I'll be able to drive until I get too tired, then crash in the back.
2.) The highbeam auto-dim 'feature' is junk. That is the first thing I'm going to figure out how to turn off. Nice idea, but the high beams should not turn off when one rounds a mountain corner and head straight into the rising full moon that is just above the horizon. That's nuts! Reflective highway signs should also not trigger the off function.
3.) It is easy to understand the complaints about the harsh ride. It does not ride like my RX Lexus hybrid, then again, it isn't a Lexus and one should not expect it to ride like one. The RAV4 is a SUV after all and it should be expected to ride like one.
4.) Lane Departure Assist is cool. That will come in handy on my periodic long trips. Seems to work well and doesn't generate 'false positives' due to an intentional lane change. Well done, Toyota.
5.) Still trying to figure out Eco/normal/Sport mode. There is a definite difference between normal and Sport mode. Eco mode seems to make the car feel sluggish. Sometime soon, I'm going to set up a 100-mile test loop and drive it in all three modes to figure out the driving characteristics and fuel economy.
6.) Love how tight the car feels. Feels really solid. I like that.
7.) Audio system is incredibly complex. The sales guy got my iPhone Pandora to work. Turned off the car, finished up business, and went to go home. Just couldn't get Pandora to work again. I'll work on that because I don't think I'll like XM very much. Couldn't find the channels of music I like, (e.g., Dean Martin, Slack Key Guitar Hawaiian, showtunes, ragtime, etc.)
8.) Audio quality is awesome! Got the JBL version and the sound quality is every bit as good, if not better, than the Mark Levinson system in the RX. Very, very happy with that.
9.) Hardly any cubbies to hold 'stuff'. Other than the door pockets, there are just the two cup holders in the center console, a smallish triangular shaped cubbie, and the center console. That's it! Nowhere to put the tissue box.
10.) Wished the glovebox were locking. Must be a cost item. It could have easily been added. As is, there is no way to secure valuables when leaving the car with a valet or even for service at a dealer. Bad oversight.
11.) GPS navigation much, much improved over my 2006 Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV. But still, cannot use it when moving. Ya have to be stopped for searching and data entry. So, I'll continue to bring along my trusty Garmin unit.
12.) Center console/arm rest too low. It would be nice if it were about four inches higher. Not a biggie, but something I noticed. Related, the center console is big enough, and immovable that I can't quite yet get the hand of where to attach the seat belt. The seat belt latch is 'hidden' between your hip and the center console. You have to sort of contort yourself to buckle up. Weird and something that I'll get used to eventually.
13.) On the seats, very comfortable. But, they are not made for larger folk. The side bolsters rise up pretty far, resulting in a snug fit. People with wider bottoms than I would probably not be so comfortable. All the buttons on the driver's side are exactly the same as on my Lexus. But, no buttons on the passenger side? Huh? This is the high-end Limited, right? On the passenger side, there is just the old-fashioned manual levers and bars. On a Limited, they should give a few electrical adjustments.
14.) Not directly related to this specific vehicle, but I did some research on trailer hitch receivers today and discovered that the only receivers available for the RAV4 are the 1.25" sized receivers. No 2" receivers that I could discover. Might be, but a quick search didn't show any. It is understandable because Toyota doesn't want you to tow big stuff. What is means is that my hitch bike rack is no longer usable. I'll either have to get a 1.25" bike rack, (which wobbles a lot more than the 2" racks), or revert back to the car-top racks.
Also, the RAV4 hitches appear to be a DIY project that takes 15-20 minutes to install. It looks like the body is already drilled and tapped for hitches. No drilling involved. Nice touch, Toyota.
15.) Absolutely love the faux-manual shift mode. Going over the mountains on my commute to work will utilize that feature a lot. Not like the old "H" patterns, but I could 'feel' what gear I was in and adjust accordingly to what was required for any specific gradient. That is a really neat feature!
That's it for now. I left the Lexus at the dealer and will pick it up on Friday. Need to take the RAV4 back then anyway for the installation of the body side moldings. I also had added the foul weather rubber mats. Have those in the Lexus and they sure have come in handy at times. The car was spec'd with the carpet mats, so I'll have both. It also came with roof rack cross bars, the fancy radio, and the tech pkg as well as a cheesy door sill sticker that is supposed to help prevent the sill from getting scratched. Looks nice anyway, even if it won't last long.
All in all, I'm happy. I fully expect that as I get used to its uniqueness and the memory of the RX fades, I'll be totally satisfied.
I went into the dealership today to ask a few more questions and take a look at a XLE model. After about four hours, I drove home in a Limited. Below are my initial impressions from a 45-minute drive home, mostly through mountain canyons, (between Santa Clarita and Palmdale, SoCal).
1.) With my tape measure, I was able to verify that I can sleep in the vehicle when necessary. The seats will need to be positioned forward, and I might have to sleep 'catty-corner', but it will be long enough. I'm 6'3", and when you add a pillow, I'll need about 80"-85" of length. With the seats forward and because the rear seats fold relatively flat, I'll be able to drive until I get too tired, then crash in the back.
2.) The highbeam auto-dim 'feature' is junk. That is the first thing I'm going to figure out how to turn off. Nice idea, but the high beams should not turn off when one rounds a mountain corner and head straight into the rising full moon that is just above the horizon. That's nuts! Reflective highway signs should also not trigger the off function.
3.) It is easy to understand the complaints about the harsh ride. It does not ride like my RX Lexus hybrid, then again, it isn't a Lexus and one should not expect it to ride like one. The RAV4 is a SUV after all and it should be expected to ride like one.
4.) Lane Departure Assist is cool. That will come in handy on my periodic long trips. Seems to work well and doesn't generate 'false positives' due to an intentional lane change. Well done, Toyota.
5.) Still trying to figure out Eco/normal/Sport mode. There is a definite difference between normal and Sport mode. Eco mode seems to make the car feel sluggish. Sometime soon, I'm going to set up a 100-mile test loop and drive it in all three modes to figure out the driving characteristics and fuel economy.
6.) Love how tight the car feels. Feels really solid. I like that.
7.) Audio system is incredibly complex. The sales guy got my iPhone Pandora to work. Turned off the car, finished up business, and went to go home. Just couldn't get Pandora to work again. I'll work on that because I don't think I'll like XM very much. Couldn't find the channels of music I like, (e.g., Dean Martin, Slack Key Guitar Hawaiian, showtunes, ragtime, etc.)
8.) Audio quality is awesome! Got the JBL version and the sound quality is every bit as good, if not better, than the Mark Levinson system in the RX. Very, very happy with that.
9.) Hardly any cubbies to hold 'stuff'. Other than the door pockets, there are just the two cup holders in the center console, a smallish triangular shaped cubbie, and the center console. That's it! Nowhere to put the tissue box.
10.) Wished the glovebox were locking. Must be a cost item. It could have easily been added. As is, there is no way to secure valuables when leaving the car with a valet or even for service at a dealer. Bad oversight.
11.) GPS navigation much, much improved over my 2006 Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV. But still, cannot use it when moving. Ya have to be stopped for searching and data entry. So, I'll continue to bring along my trusty Garmin unit.
12.) Center console/arm rest too low. It would be nice if it were about four inches higher. Not a biggie, but something I noticed. Related, the center console is big enough, and immovable that I can't quite yet get the hand of where to attach the seat belt. The seat belt latch is 'hidden' between your hip and the center console. You have to sort of contort yourself to buckle up. Weird and something that I'll get used to eventually.
13.) On the seats, very comfortable. But, they are not made for larger folk. The side bolsters rise up pretty far, resulting in a snug fit. People with wider bottoms than I would probably not be so comfortable. All the buttons on the driver's side are exactly the same as on my Lexus. But, no buttons on the passenger side? Huh? This is the high-end Limited, right? On the passenger side, there is just the old-fashioned manual levers and bars. On a Limited, they should give a few electrical adjustments.
14.) Not directly related to this specific vehicle, but I did some research on trailer hitch receivers today and discovered that the only receivers available for the RAV4 are the 1.25" sized receivers. No 2" receivers that I could discover. Might be, but a quick search didn't show any. It is understandable because Toyota doesn't want you to tow big stuff. What is means is that my hitch bike rack is no longer usable. I'll either have to get a 1.25" bike rack, (which wobbles a lot more than the 2" racks), or revert back to the car-top racks.
Also, the RAV4 hitches appear to be a DIY project that takes 15-20 minutes to install. It looks like the body is already drilled and tapped for hitches. No drilling involved. Nice touch, Toyota.
15.) Absolutely love the faux-manual shift mode. Going over the mountains on my commute to work will utilize that feature a lot. Not like the old "H" patterns, but I could 'feel' what gear I was in and adjust accordingly to what was required for any specific gradient. That is a really neat feature!
That's it for now. I left the Lexus at the dealer and will pick it up on Friday. Need to take the RAV4 back then anyway for the installation of the body side moldings. I also had added the foul weather rubber mats. Have those in the Lexus and they sure have come in handy at times. The car was spec'd with the carpet mats, so I'll have both. It also came with roof rack cross bars, the fancy radio, and the tech pkg as well as a cheesy door sill sticker that is supposed to help prevent the sill from getting scratched. Looks nice anyway, even if it won't last long.
All in all, I'm happy. I fully expect that as I get used to its uniqueness and the memory of the RX fades, I'll be totally satisfied.
