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Driving the RAV 4
Apr. 28th, 2024 08:16 amIn New Zealand we rented a Toyota RAV 4. Actually we rented two of them. On both the South Island and the North Island (we rented separately in each location) we got a RAV 4. And I drove them over 2,000 miles total in 2 weeks. Between that and previous experiences renting a RAV 4 model I have some thoughts.
I've driven rented RAVs from different model years so I've seen the model grow and improve over time. Previous generations saw it grow larger, outgrowing the original "It looks like a rollerskate!" design. The current, 5th generation (sold since 2018/2019 depending on country) is improved over even the 4th generation. The previous generation was bland, allowed a lot of tire/road noise into the cabin and delivered meh gas mileage. Now the RAV4 is more refined, quiet, and economical. Yet it is still bland.
When I rented a RAV 4 in the US a year ago I found it lacking on power. This Australia/New Zealand model comes with an even smaller, less powerful base motor, a 2.0L engine making 169hp (the US model is 2.5L and generates 203hp). On New Zealand's slower roads the lack of power didn't bother me as much, but there is still nothing about this car's handling that conveys any sense of urgency or spirit. It gets you from Point A to Point B eventually, with no drama positive or negative. It's a transportation appliance.
As a transportation appliance it's comfortable and unsurprising in almost every way. The seats are good but not great, the ergonomics are solid, and everything is more or less where you expect it. This is a car you can drive for 5 minutes and feel like you've owned it for a year.
One thing that continues to bother me about Toyotas is their overactive set of electronic nannies. Many of them can be turned off, but not all. The most irritating one was the lane departure alarm. Every time I'd clip a white line on the road— which was extremely hard not do to pretty frequently on New Zealand's narrow, twisty roads— the car would chide me with a trio of chirps.
One of the cars we rented this trip was a base model (GX), the other a level up (GXL). That gave me a sense of what comes standard vs. what's an options package. The good news is the base model has a fairly high level of content, including Apple CarPlay. And Toyota's CarPlay works well— unlike, say, Renault's buggy implementation. OTOH, all those hyperactive nannies are standard, too. You get the good with the bad.
What's actually in the GXL that's not in the GX? There was only one difference I could spot after a week in each. It was a little one but also a biggie. Keyless entry. The GXL, which I drove first, had it, the GX did not. It's annoying Toyota makes keyless entry a premium feature. The transmitter system is obviously there enabling the keyless ignition in the base model, so it shouldn't cost too much more to connect it to the doors. But unless you spring for the higher trim level, you've got to press buttons on the key fob to lock and unlock doors every time you enter/exit the vehicle. That's a drag anytime you're wearing multiple layers of clothes and the key maybe isn't in the outermost layer, or anytime you've got arms mostly full of stuff and can't really go digging for they key but can easily spare a single finger to touch the door handle. I saw nothing else feature-wise in the GXL that was better than the GX, so I'd be pissed about having to spemd up to a higher trim level just to get this one feature.
I've driven rented RAVs from different model years so I've seen the model grow and improve over time. Previous generations saw it grow larger, outgrowing the original "It looks like a rollerskate!" design. The current, 5th generation (sold since 2018/2019 depending on country) is improved over even the 4th generation. The previous generation was bland, allowed a lot of tire/road noise into the cabin and delivered meh gas mileage. Now the RAV4 is more refined, quiet, and economical. Yet it is still bland.
When I rented a RAV 4 in the US a year ago I found it lacking on power. This Australia/New Zealand model comes with an even smaller, less powerful base motor, a 2.0L engine making 169hp (the US model is 2.5L and generates 203hp). On New Zealand's slower roads the lack of power didn't bother me as much, but there is still nothing about this car's handling that conveys any sense of urgency or spirit. It gets you from Point A to Point B eventually, with no drama positive or negative. It's a transportation appliance.
As a transportation appliance it's comfortable and unsurprising in almost every way. The seats are good but not great, the ergonomics are solid, and everything is more or less where you expect it. This is a car you can drive for 5 minutes and feel like you've owned it for a year.
One thing that continues to bother me about Toyotas is their overactive set of electronic nannies. Many of them can be turned off, but not all. The most irritating one was the lane departure alarm. Every time I'd clip a white line on the road— which was extremely hard not do to pretty frequently on New Zealand's narrow, twisty roads— the car would chide me with a trio of chirps.
One of the cars we rented this trip was a base model (GX), the other a level up (GXL). That gave me a sense of what comes standard vs. what's an options package. The good news is the base model has a fairly high level of content, including Apple CarPlay. And Toyota's CarPlay works well— unlike, say, Renault's buggy implementation. OTOH, all those hyperactive nannies are standard, too. You get the good with the bad.
What's actually in the GXL that's not in the GX? There was only one difference I could spot after a week in each. It was a little one but also a biggie. Keyless entry. The GXL, which I drove first, had it, the GX did not. It's annoying Toyota makes keyless entry a premium feature. The transmitter system is obviously there enabling the keyless ignition in the base model, so it shouldn't cost too much more to connect it to the doors. But unless you spring for the higher trim level, you've got to press buttons on the key fob to lock and unlock doors every time you enter/exit the vehicle. That's a drag anytime you're wearing multiple layers of clothes and the key maybe isn't in the outermost layer, or anytime you've got arms mostly full of stuff and can't really go digging for they key but can easily spare a single finger to touch the door handle. I saw nothing else feature-wise in the GXL that was better than the GX, so I'd be pissed about having to spemd up to a higher trim level just to get this one feature.
