How long do you want to keep the car and how much sun will the car be exposed to? Do you have a garage if you live in a place with a lot of sun? As you stated, red is the most likely color to fade.

 

I live in the Atlanta suburbs. The car is garaged day and night, unless I am out. I work from home, so no commuting. One goal is to drive cross country to visit the National Parks in the next few years. I hope to keep it for 10 years or more.

 

I would suggest to go with the red. Why not enjoy the fun color now and worry about the fading later? That's what I did and waited over six months to get my red RAV4. I really like the color. Maybe needs a bit more cleaning but gets compliments too.

 

I'm not a fan of this particular red (Mazda has a much better red) but it should hold up fine over time. I've always had black and dark gray cars but a family member had a red Camry for around 6 or 7 years and the paint never noticeably faded. If your heart is set on red, get it. You can have a detailer do a ceramic coating on the car (like Opticoat Pro+) which will protect the paint from rock chips, fading, etc. That will cost around $1500 but lasts for 10+ years. You could also opt for PPF (paint protection film) aka "clear bra" which also has UV protection and typically is on the full hood, fenders, etc but you could wrap the whole car in it if you wanted to.

 

Thanks for the info re: ceramic coating and PPF... I'd rather not spend another $1500! These babies are not inexpensive to begin with. I would be concerned that if only part of the car is wrapped, then will the non wrapped parts fade and look different over time? How does the film affect the washing/waxing?

 

I read a book years ago by the founder of Rivendale Cycles - a famous custom bicycle shop in California. He said to always buy a bike in a color you love - you will be more likely to actually ride it, and enjoy it while you do. I am not much of a cyclist, but that has always stuck with me. I think it applies to cars as well.

I have silver sky FWIW, and its a great color, but sort of wished I got something brighter.

 

In the Limited, there really is no bright option. White is light and I guess you could call it bright but not in the sense that I think you mean. Silver is the only other light color. Ruby is the only medium and about as bright as it gets. The magnetic gray is so dark it's like charcoal and almost as dark as the black and blueprint. Wish there were some other colors to choose from!

 

Ruby is nice. Gray and silver exterior are boring.

 

Yes, that's what I am feeling too. I have loved my Silver Sienna (mom van), but feel that maybe now is a good time to rev it up a little! I do not like very dark cars, like black or Blueprint, nor white. That only leaves Silver Sky, Magnetic Gray Metallic or Ruby Flare Pearl. The gray seems too somber for me, and is almost black.

So, it has to be either Same Old Silver or Rev It Up Ruby!

 

I am waiting delivery of a Ruby Flare Rav4 Limited with everything. I like Ruby and Redheads in general (the wife is a redhead)! With clear coat and minimal maintenance the red shouldn't fade at all. BTW my Rav is being made tomorrow in Canada! Hopeful delivery will be the first of the year.
Bill

 

What do you mean by 'clear coat'? Is that the expensive ceramic coating mentioned above? Or something I'd do myself? And what do you consider 'minimal maintenance'? Weekly carwash? Monthly? Waxing? I am not much into DIY.

 

I'm really surprised they dropped Electric Storm Blue and Cinnamon interior.

 

They went to flame blue with Mocha interior, but I think only available on the adventure. They had a couple on the lot when we bought.

 

I test drove the red and liked it but it had way more options than I wanted or needed. That red is a dark color that would take lots more work to keep looking clean. I ended up with a silver LE hybrid but then I like silver cars. I use Car Guys hybrid wax spray sealant infused with carnauba wax. Easy to use and lasts but it’s pricey. I’ve heard others suggest Turtle Wax Ice products work well and cost a bit less.

 

Love my ruby red and so happy I bought it. Buy what you like that makes you happy.

 

BOTH the ruby and the silver make me happy! Silver is so easy to keep clean, and i love my Silver Sienna. Ruby is such a fun and snazzy color but I worry I will grow tired of it and have trouble keeping it clean.

 

I like the nutmeg interior with the Ruby exterior. Nutmeg was extremely hard to find when I was looking, Toyota marketing people seem to think that buyers of the Limited trim are all conservative old guys. I am old but would have liked more color choice.

 

I like the nutmeg interior with the Ruby exterior. Trouble is nutmeg is extremely hard to find. I'm not sure why Toyota produces so few.

Our order paperwork for the 2020 Limited says, "Ruby Flare Pearl with Beige/Brown/Macadamia/Tan interior." Is that the same as Nutmeg?

 

I had ash in two previous Rav4s, it's pretty much the same as light gray, just a little darker gray, kinda got old after a while tho, cinnamon was a nice change, nutmeg would be a good choice if it was offered with silver, but it's not, goes great with RFP tho.

 

BTW, all my friends say silver is boring, and to go for a more snazzy color! I'm a young 62, fun loving, world traveling, single woman.

If that’s the case, chose silver so you won’t be wasting your fun time and travel money having your car detailed all the time. And listen to yourself, not your friends! If you like silver, go silver.

 

So are you saying that the silver doesn't need regular washing, waxing and sealing but the ruby would? I have never had a car detailed, only run thru a basic car wash now and then. I do vacuum the inside and dust and condition the dash area also.

Would a once a month car wash/vacuuming be enough to keep a new rav 4 looking nice? More? Less?

I have not bought a car by myself in over 30 years, nor had to really care for one myself either in many years, hence all these somewhat basic questions.

 

FWIW, you should buy a color you love to see on the car. Dont let other peoples opinion make your decision for you. Youre paying for it, driving it and looking at it. Personally i think Red belongs on fire engines and Ferraris, but who cares what i think? I just took delivery of silver sky XSE and think the contrast looks great. Silver looks clean even when its not ; and its not flashy. But neither am I. This is a daily driver for me so i want to be professional and not attract attention. Red catches peoples eye whether its hair, dress, car or whatever. If thats you; and you love it; go for it !!

 

I have a 10 year old red Prius, very inconsistent washing it, never wax it. When I do wash it, people occasionally ask me if it is new. so modern paints hold up well.

The comments about silver are accurate only in that silver doesn't show dirt as quickly.

 

My thought: Keep both options open, because they may not both be available with the features you want. If for some reason both are available at the same time, go with the one that the dealer will give you the best deal on. Finally, if both prices are equal (plus the small premium for the red) THEN and only THEN would I worry about which color to go with. Good luck!

 

Get what you like, not what we like.

The primary reasons I didn't get red were three fold, in no particular order. First--I like a clean car, and darker colors are harder to keep looking clean. Second--you tend to get swirl marks in a darker car's paint over time from washing, no matter how careful you are, and this bugs me. Third--I was concerned that if I had a minor accident or incident where a body panel needed to be painted in the future, metallic dark red is extremely difficult to match perfectly. Every once in a while I see a car on the road where you can tell that a door or fender has been repainted, because the match isn't quite right. Now, admittedly, I probably have a more critical eye OCD eye for this kind of thing than most folks.

I got boring silver because it was less hassle than red to keep looking clean, mostly. It gets fairly hot in summer where I live, too, so lighter colors tend to absorb less heat. White would have been best in that regard. Put your hand on a non metallic white car in a parking lot on a sunny day in summer, then do the same with a darker car. GM did a study on this a while back, and I can't remember the results as an exact percentage, but white cars absorbed a lot less heat than other colors, especially other darker colors. This, of course, only matters if you live somewhere that gets exceptionally hot summer weather. I traveled to Phoenix one time, and was amazed at the proportion of white cars on the road compared to where I live.

Silver has some disadvantages. It is boring. You come out of a store to a parking lot and see 27 of your car sitting there. You have to live with the knowledge that you are a lemming and bought a hive mind color. It is harder to see under some lighting conditions than certain other colors if you don't have DRLs on. Tends to blend in with the road surface to other drivers.

 

Silver is boring unless its paired with speckled gloss black like it is on the XSE.

 

Having a car the same boring color as other cars isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes you want to blend in and don't want to attract unwanted attention. To each his/her own.

 

This is true.

I suspect, given the sales volume of the RAV4 (over 400k units per year-USA), it's somewhat of a moot point...we'll all soon have relatively common colors. Even if a certain color only had a 5% take rate, that's 20,000 units per year rolling off dealer lots into the wasteland.

 

I'll throw something else out there. Ruby Red Flare may be the cool trendy color now, but all trends seem to go from cool to "ewww". I'm old enough to remember when metallic brown was cool. Ahh, the early 80's.

Also, no matter what color you pick, over time, the newness will wear off, and it won't seem any more special than regular colors like silver. The only difference then will be you have to deal with all the negatives of the Ruby Red (shows dirt, swirl marks, etc.)

Just food for thought: if you really want to switch it up from silver, why not consider white? It shows a bit more dirt, but is cooler in the summer, never goes out of style, and is pretty sporty.

 

Purchase the color you have the passion for, and silver isn't what you are saying! Go Ruby Red, it fits with Gone with the Wind (Atlanta). Besides, keeping your baby garaged makes it hugely babied over what, 80% other cars! No offense, since I am now 65, but in our 60's, if you don't follow your passion now, what are we waiting for. Keep it as clean as you can during the prime pollen months, when any car will be green if you don't at least rinse it often. You bought a Toyota to be practical, now go for your youthful color choice.
Plenty of places to get your car detailed once every 6 months, leave that to an expert and she will purr for you forever.

 

I had a red 2000 RAV4 for 18 years and the red never faded; the clear coat eventually failed (blame that on me because I failed to maintain it). I loved that car and would say it was a better red than the 2019 RAV4. I now have a red 2019 RAV4 because I didn't want the other colors. If your baby is mostly garaged, that's the best protection for your car. Extend its longevity with regular washes and apply wax or sealant as recommended, and something like 303 UV protectant on the plastics and vinyl. I believe I saw in the manual to NOT wax your lights though. The 2019 red does look very dull if the car is dirty, so just be sure to wash your car before it gets to that point. Enjoy!

 

Thank you everybody!! I read and considered all your comments, wisdom and suggestions. I appreciate all the time you have taken to reply to my questions. And now....DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!

This afternoon, I put a deposit on my new 2020 Rav 4 Hybrid Limited with Weather Package and Carpet Mats!! And the COLOR IS...........................

RUBY FLARE PEARL!!! with gray interior.

I pick Ruby up tomorrow. She has 19 miles on her and she's so pretty! And I think I got a great deal on her!

Thank you all again!

 

Thank you everybody!! I read and considered all your comments, wisdom and suggestions. I appreciate all the time you have taken to reply to my questions. And now....DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!

This afternoon, I put a deposit on my new 2020 Rav 4 Hybrid Limited with Weather Package and Carpet Mats!! And the COLOR IS...........................

RUBY FLARE PEARL!!! with gray interior.

I pick Ruby up tomorrow. She has 19 miles on her and she's so pretty! And I think I got a great deal on her!

Thank you all again!

You rock TG! You won’t regret your purchase. I love the way mine looks....red is my fave colour

 

Personally I love a red SUV, and consequently I bought a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid in Ruby Red Pearl, why do I like it you may ask? Reminds me of the Simpsons "Canyonero". Coutry fried truck endorsed by a clown!

 

I went with Ruby Flare. It's not as vibrant and deep as whatever Mazda calls their red metallic which really pops. That being said Ruby Flare really pops in bright sunlight and has a depth that is unique to the RAV4 line at this point in time.

 

The Mazda red is called Soul Red metallic.

 

As far as detailing...if you’re going to pay someone to do it; make sure they know what the heck they are doing. To properly wash a car, there must be either a foam cannon gun and lots of water and then use TWO buckets with GritGuards in them. One bucket filled with the car shampoo/soap and one with water. You have to work top to bottom and some people prefer to start at the back. Less dirty than the front. If needed, completely change out the water before starting the front. Grit guards are essential! They trap dirt in the bottom of the bucket so you aren’t reintroducing contaminants back onto the paint scratching it. Wheels are last.
Using a clay bar, wax and sealant is a whole other conversation. There are many good tips on YouTube by professional auto detailers that explain how to truly properly wash a car.
The majority of the general public don’t understand that the chemicals used at the automated car washes actually destroy your paint’s clear coat overtime. I cringe when I see a brand new car with swirl scratches in it. It’s my pet peeve, and that’s why I also refuse to allow a dealership wash my car. They always introduce swirl marks into the paint because they don’t have any idea what they are doing!
Rule of thumb: if you must go to a car wash, either make sure it’s at least Touchless, or do it yourself in the wash bay. Never use those nasty dirty brushes to get the bugs off the front...scratch city!!! The brushes aren’t ever cleaned between cars.They sell spray on bug removers. Let it set, wait a few minutes to soften grime; and hose off.

Yes, all these steps take time if done right. The price in my area of a really good hand wash and wax is around $55-$65. If any paint correction needs to be done; and if done properly everything takes easily an hour or more. It’s difficult work, and that’s my most people can’t do it or don’t have the time to do it properly.

Automotive paint that is all ‘environmentally friendly’ and water based is nowhere near as durable as the old paints were. A true heavy duty wax and sealant are essential at least twice a year if the paint will remain in great condition.

 

Automotive paint that is all ‘environmentally friendly’ and water based is nowhere near as durable as the old paints were. A true heavy duty wax and sealant are essential at least twice a year if the paint will remain in great condition.

Not to be contrarian, but today's finishes hold up much better than those of old. Clear coats keep a layer of shine and protection never dreamed of on old finishes, even lacquers. The car finishes of old required far more maintenance to remain shiny than today's finishes. Used to be on the weekends in every 1950s or 1960s neighborhoods, someone was out in the driveway "Simonizing" their car. When was the last time you saw that?

I'll stick with modern automotive finishes, thnkyouverymuch.

 

LunarRock

The back of my Blizzard Rav4h shows much much more dirt than the front. Ditto my wife's Avalon sedan.

The fronts get bugs. The backs get what look like ground up tire tread particles when the ground is wet. Very black. In the case of the RAv4, the back window, as high off the ground as it is, gets just as dirty as the metal portion of the trunk.

 

LunarRock

The back of my Blizzard Rav4h shows much much more dirt than the front. Ditto my wife's Avalon sedan.

The fronts get bugs. The backs get what look like ground up tire tread particles when the ground is wet. Very black. In the case of the RAv4, the back window, as high off the ground as it is, gets just as dirty as the metal portion of the trunk.

Yea, hatches tend to collect a lot of dirt and road debris. It’s the nature of the design. Hence the need for the rear windshield wiper.