Living in southern California, I can tell you that although I was skeptical when the vehicle was new, we have not had any issues with kids in the back complaining. Ours being teenagers , they are not shy when it comes to complaining Having said that, I believe that I did notice that the new 2019 appears to have vents in the back, (not to mention another 20 HP)

 

although the RAV4 does have the vent for rear circulation in the middle of the dashboard

There are also vents under the front seats from what I remember.

But I would not recommend a RAV4 for kids though. It is just too small. Try putting a rear facing seat in the back. Your front seats would have to go forward a couple inches, and no reclining too far back for the long drives.

There is a very good reason why minivans are the stereotypical family vehicle. They are just big enough to be comfortable.

 

It can be a bit small with a baby at times for travel for cargo, stroller etc. but we’ve always gotten by. We have a 15 month old in a rear facing seat. It’s quite a big seat but my wife of average height (maybe even taller? At 5’7”)has no problems with the space in front of the baby seat with another notch to move back. I don’t think I could be comfortable myself though if the baby seat were behind me at 6 feet tall.

As to the ac. We’ve never had a problem. There are vents under the front seats that only blow when the foot setting is selected. Either way though it has been fine. Yes, I’m in Canada where it can be -35C in winter, but we also get above +35C in summer too. No issues. 4.4 ravs have very chilly ac.

 

We have not had any issues keeping the backseats cool either. We have a rear facing car seat and it even has the leg extension piece and still plenty of room.

 

...have two kids in elementary school.
Houston location, temps climbing up to 90's again lately.
I don't remember them complaining last year, but will place a thermometer on the 2nd row area and have them tell me what the thermometer reads when we go out anytime soon in hot weather, and relay the info back here.

the kids get the middle center vent, and one each of the side vents..angled to hit and "crawl" over the side windows, towards the 2nd row. I and my wife get one each of the left-center and right-center vents (and perhaps some of the mid-center air movement as it moves towards the 2nd row?)

i have "removable" tint sheets on the rear windows, so i can take them off in case i have to drive at night.
..have cut the sheets at an angle on lower corner (so i can still see clearer) when i glance over at 7/8 o' clock and 4/5 o'clock when changing lanes. the tint sheets bubble when put on really quick (but you can remove most of the bubbles if you really take your time), but most of the time i don't care about the bubbles.

 

Factory rear windows are smoked but don't offer any UV protection from what I've gathered. Front sides also offer no UV protection. Consider tinting your windows. Even if you go with the lightest percentage you still get benefits from things like 99% UV protection, reduced solar energy transmission and reduced IR energy transmission. Every little bit helps especially when it gets hot and humid here in the south.

I remember seeing a promotional video when the 4.4 Rav4 first debuted. Their was a brief segment of how/why the engineers designed the center vent. The vent appears to have a nice amount of flow, just make sure it's not closed. Would be interesting to find out which vent style is more effective, center vent vs rear with all the ducts. Side round vents can be used to direct additional airflow to the rear sides.

I've also seen those custom fit magnetic stick-on sunshades which were pretty cool but a little pricey. They have other stick-on style sunshades but I don't like them personally.

USB fans or other clip on devices might be of interest.

 

Father of a 4 year old and we bought the car when she was 2. Owned a Dodge caliber before this car and I hated how I'd have to have the seat so far forward for her to fit. I looked at the Rav, Mazda MX5, and CRV. I wanted a medium sized SUV and the Rav fit the bill better than most. As you are concerned with back seat room for car seats, it was probably one of the most important parts when I was buying my car. I put the car seat in all 3. The Rav was the last car I tried. I had done tons of online research when I was looking and had my eyes most on the Rav and MX5. When we got the kid in the rav and i hopped in the front seat I told my wife to slide her chair all the way back. She said it already was. I looked at the dealer guy and told him as long as this rides good you have a sold car. The CRV had a bigger trunk but back seat was a touch smaller. I LOVED the MX5 for myself but it was just too small. I really wish Mazda had a step in between the MX5 and MX9.

Temperature wise we have never had a problem. Between the vents under the seats and the other vents it just hasn't been an issue. I did have all my windows tinted along with my sunroof(which btw nobody thinks about but good lord did putting 35% on my sunroof make me have it open WAY more in the summer. The sun just beats down on me too much and it took that away)

 

I lived in Brownsville TX which is farther south than Miami and just as humid. Summer temps 10 months of the year are common. Mine is an older model but never once was there a complaint from the rear seats. If anything I was asked to turn the fan speed down on several occasions.

As mentioned above have the front door windows tinted, it makes a world of difference in comfort.

 

I used to own a 2015, now i have a 2018 xle. My daughter is 5 now, but in winter she is telling me is too hot or summer is too cold, then we never got a problem with the temp. Her car seat is positioned in the middle of the car. Regarding the room, i think is planty room in the car, including the stroller.

 

Thank you, all, for sharing your experiences.

It sounds like, for the majority of RAV4 owners, the back seat stays fairly cool. It also sounds like window tinting is generally recommended.

Thank you again!