[Homeuser]

Ok, it has come down to the wire now. I pick up my car on Monday (3 days from now) and I still have a choice of either the 4 cyl or the 6 cyl. I test drove both and the 6 cyl by far has awesome power and take off! My only worries now are:

1. MPG- what's the difference in MPG for the 4 or 6? is there much?
2. Is it cost effective for the 6 in the long run?
3. If I have to do any repairs, is the 4 cyl cheaper than the 6? or are they pretty comparable?

I am sure I want the 6 cyl. but am a little reserved on if it will be ok, down the road, for my wallet.

I was hoping for some people that have the 6 cyl, to give me some input as to what they are experiencing............

Thank you in advance!

 

[Carbon]

Many have posted such experiences including the big http://www.rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16665 thread above. I suggest you try the Search function to find some of the threads. Or look upward a line or two on the list. Hint: V6 is s 6 cylinder and I4 is 4 cylinder engine.

 

[rav4two]

Can't tell you about cost effectiveness over the long run or any engine repairs. Our Rav is eight months old and about 8000 miles, and nothing's broken.

I posted this in another thread:

Just wanted to report what I think is pretty incredible gas mileage. I drove 182.6 miles today in moderate to light traffic. I filled up at a gas station right next to the freeway with 91 octane gas and drove I-5 from the Portland area to the Seattle area, where I got off and immediately hit a gas station within two blocks. To fully top off the tank took 5.676 gallons, or 32.17 MPG. Conditions were cool so I was running with the A/C off the entire time, and was running about 3 MPH over the speed limit, which was mostly 70 MPH. There was a slight tailwind, and there was some traffic to get a small amount of drafting off of. I was on the cruise control probably 80% of the time. I have the roof rails but no crossbars, and I've turned off my DRLs so electrical drain is minimal. Because of an emphasis patrol, I knew I would be driving pretty sedately and so tried to get the best gas mileage possible but never tailgated so that anyone would think it was out of the ordinary. I run 36.5 PSI in my front tires, 35.5 PSI in the rears. I think the transmission was locked in 5th gear practically the entire time. There was only me in the car and about 15 pounds of other stuff.

I've since made that trip another time and got 31 MPG so it's not a fluke. It is hard to imagine the I4 is going to be that much better.

 

[edward]

8) would never trade my v6 for anything.....power is awesome

 

[RTexasF]

We have TWO V-6 RAVS, Nuff said.

On the highway the V-6 will match or surpass the I4 in MPG. In city driving the I4 will be the winner but not by a huge margin.
No repairs needed on either of ours. The V-6 is more complex than the I4 so it's likely engine repairs would be more expensive, changing a water pump pretty much proves that.......six cylinder engine has to come out, four cylinder does not. Keep in mind that the four cylinder is a new model but the corporate V-6 has been around for some time and used in many models.

 

[RAV4Don]

There is really nothing that we can say to make this decision for you.

You need to assess your needs. We can only tell you what has met our needs. I have the V6 and love it, but that doesn't mean that the I4 isn't an excellent choice either. I had an I4 in my 05 RAV and it work just fine for me (with a manual tranny FWD 4.2 lighter body style). The question comes down to if you want to pay extra for the power of the V6 and get slightly less fuel economy. If so go for it. If not, then get the I4 and join the ranks of plenty of happy I4 owners on this board.

 

[Homeuser]

Thank you all for your opinions and posts. As for searching for other posts, I found them, but I wanted to ask new questions, to get as many new posts as possible, as I make my decision real soon...like today....lol

I am going with the V6!!

 

[bakers211]

Wise Choice!

 

[AWDios]

V6 only looses 1 or 2mpg
V6 will resell for more later
maintenance on a V6 will be a bit more.

 

[JohnDoe11b]

There has been more than one occasion where the V6 has saved my life where braking or turning wasn't an option.

 

[Homeuser]

Excellent!! Thanks again!! I can't wait to go get it...I'm like a kid at Christmas.....

I'm actually going to Springfield Mass to get it, as none of the CT dealers could give me a good price..I'm actually getting the V6 for the same price I could get the V4 in without any goodies..

V6 Limited

 

[Myxalplyx]

I heard the V6 maintenance costs are 33% more since it has an extra two cylinders. Is that true? :lol:

 

[Homeuser]

I don't know...Im sure its a little bit more..but don't tell my wife...she's ok for me to get it, but if she finds this out, I'm back to the I4.......

 

[SeriousBlack]

It's an I4

 

[Homeuser]

Fixed it..I didn't think it mattered..I thought it was the same..I guess not...

 

[Carbon]

I heard the V6 maintenance costs are 33% more since it has an extra two cylinders. Is that true? :lol:

Changing spark plugs will be a lot harder on the V6. So that might cost double compared with the 4. Fortunately it does not have to be done often.

 

[keeton]

I heard the V6 maintenance costs are 33% more since it has an extra two cylinders. Is that true? :lol:

Changing spark plugs will be a lot harder on the V6. So that might cost double compared with the 4. Fortunately it does not have to be done often.

According to the maintenance guide, spark plugs should be replaced every 120,000 miles. I don't think that cost item should make a difference over the (very) long haul.

 

[Zeoth]

Ok, it has come down to the wire now. I pick up my car on Monday (3 days from now) and I still have a choice of either the 4 cyl or the 6 cyl. I test drove both and the 6 cyl by far has awesome power and take off! My only worries now are:

1. MPG- what's the difference in MPG for the 4 or 6? is there much?
2. Is it cost effective for the 6 in the long run?
3. If I have to do any repairs, is the 4 cyl cheaper than the 6? or are they pretty comparable?

I am sure I want the 6 cyl. but am a little reserved on if it will be ok, down the road, for my wallet.

I was hoping for some people that have the 6 cyl, to give me some input as to what they are experiencing............

Thank you in advance!

1. Yes there is a difference. With my driving, I get around 22-24mpg and most of it is on the freeways of northern california (hilly freeways)
2) Options are never cost effective. Anything you upgrade on your car is just another part of the car that will lose value.
3) 4 cylinders in general are cheaper to maintain. Just go to your local shop and they even list prices based on cylinders. Even insurance is more expensive (in general) for the V6 over the I4.

With that said, given my use of the car and how I love power, I would never buy the I4. I generally pick the car with the largest engine option.

 

[GIJoe]

I test drove the 4 cylinder and it was okay until I hit a few small hills and it was sluggish, although capable. The V6 on the same hill and larger ones: I never even feel it slow any. And with today's drivers (I guess that's what we call them) you need the power to get out of their way, especially when merging. It that regard some people consider the extra power as a safety feature. If the MPG were like 5 less of so then that may make a issue, but really it's the same, give or take 1 MPG.
I had a 3.5L in my 2004 Monte Carlo and it was awesome, imagine the same motor minus a ton of weight. Greased lightening! And unlike a lot of overpowered smalll front wheel drives I have yet to experience torque lock. Go for it!

 

[Homeuser]

Done!

Thanks for all the replies...The dealer just called me and I'm all set to get it on Monday...I'll post back, like you need to hear it, on my drive home!