Any Regrets with the New Rav4 (? gen)?

Bought at MSRP last year

The only regret was wind noise, but I had some sound deadening installed, and now it’s all good

I’ll have it for another 15 years, hopefully

To me, the real value in a Toyota doesn’t manifest until deeper into the ownership cycle, when problems typically manifest.

Well, this is the Rav4 Club, so we're all going to tell you to pick the best vehicle known to mankind. Subis are great, but it's rare to find a Rav4 owner that hates theirs.

I don’t know what wind noise is. We went from an 07 honda civic to 24 Rav 4 LE, no extra features. I mean… the civic RATTLED like a tin can full of rocks. There was nothing wrong with it and it was still so loud all the time. The Rav 4 is so quiet, so what the heck is wind noise??

My dad has a subaru outback and while it is more spacious (seats go back further), it’s like short. It’s not as tall as the Rav 4. The windshield cracks all the time. He’s had it 4 years and he’s on his 4th windshield replacement already. Our civic never needed a replacement. So far neither has the Rav 4. Before the subaru he had an 01 Honda CRV, never had a windshield replacement.

I bought a 2016 Kia Soul brand new snd vowed to be a Kia girl forever. Then after everything that happened with the oil burn, the thefts, etc… I was one and done

I’ll never give them another dime. Now I have a 24 XLE Premium

No, I will drive my 2020 Rav4 XLE into the ground

I bought MSRP in September 2023. But I love mine in regards to reliability, safety features and I actually like the new 2023 screen compared to the prior years in the current gen. I think Toyota gets a lot of shit for the tech, but with apple play now I feel like replaces alot of that.

just got a rav4, love it, no regrets. the only minor ding I would give it would be a confusing infotainment system. almost every other car i've rented has a better system. u might not care so much about it but it user experience is just lacking

2 years ago my family purchased our first ever brand new car, a Gen5 2022 RAV4 Prime (plugin hybrid). It's been awesome and no regrets with the purchase and we are still very happy with it today. For a family of 4, it's just big enough for us and those Costco/IKEA shopping runs or trips to State Parks with a stroller, cooler and some gear. It's not perfect, so far all of the imperfections are minor things, most of them already mentioned previously in other comments here so not going to repeat them, but the reliability and overall enjoyment of our RAV4 far outweighs those minor things and we'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a compact SUV that might not be the flashiest or most tech advanced, but will work without much fuss for many many years.

Happy with my rav24 hybrid overall

Not ecstatic tho as I feel like Toyota is far behind in tech and qol stuff other cars have /had years ago

Overall it's a solid car tho that seems reliable and gets you point a to point b which is the best important imo

I don't regret a thing. We got the XLE Premium Hybrid. It was what my wife wanted and it's miles better than the 2020 Forester Premium we had. I agree, I do miss the headroom, but that's it.

bought under msrp last year and the only thing i dislike is the beeping when you first start up the car, toyotas beep too much lol. otherwise i love it, plan to keep it for awhile. only traded my last car (accord) because we needed a little more room and we got more than what we purchased it for.

I was just about to go with a new Forester but Toyota just got me. We’re a subaru family with a Crosstrek but I feel like Subarus lives up to their name, adventurous and nothing above necessity.

I wanted power lift gate, 360 camera, memory seats, moonroof and Subaru just doesn’t have what I need/want. One thing I did like about it was that huge back window. It felt like everything was visible. The screen wasn’t great either. So in the end Toyota beat everyone out. Mazda, Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, Ford and Honda for me.

Sometimes when I’m going down the highway at 80 and weaving in and out of traffic, I want to check Facebook and Instagram. This makes the radio stop. That’s my only regret.

Insurance rates and theft ease of the rav4 (and other popular models) may be a consideration, depending where you live

https://www.ctvnews.ca/autos/drive-one-of-these-vehicles-you-may-pay-37-per-cent-more-than-average-insurance-costs-due-to-thefts-1.6906181 Canada car insurance premiums up due to theft increase | CTV News

I think the Gen5 has a noisy engine that is weak on acceleration and kinda too big

The infotainment sucks. It looks so dated and just not aesthetically pleasing to look at

I love my wife’s 2021 XLE, it’s not perfect, there are small things that are missed, but I wouldn’t want another car for her to drive 22k miles a year.

I have the latest Rav4 hybrid, and I love it, but my biggest complaint is the lack of knobs for interacting with radio function. instead I have to look at the screen to press a button to switch from one radio station to another. As you can tell that can be pretty dangerous while driving on the road.

Look around. Lots of dealerships by me are doing cars at msrp even when it comes to cars that are in production

got a 2024 rav4 hybrid xle for msrp. had it since october, it has 20k miles on it.

it’s boring. it’s slow. it’s got wind noise. i have on more than one occasion tried to get into the wrong rav4 at target.

and i love it. it’s an excellent econobox getting around 40mpg highway/local (actually, mostly highway so it’s actually pretty impressive). and tbh it has some huevos in sport mode. 10/10 would make the same decision.

I couldn't find any small suv that drive like a sports car. That's my regret haha.

Drive a Camry Se and it's just so fun to drive. Rav4 drives like a work truck. It's fine, very predictable, very boring.

We’ve had three in the family so far, here is my latest post, I fully support the rav4.

I had a 2014 Honda CR-V, which I initially disliked but came to really appreciate. My daughters got their drivers licenses, I passed the car onto them to share. And got a RAV4 2022 XSE hybrid. I test drove Subarus and found them to be solid cars, but I found that the steering wheel kind of weird, like it was harder to navigate. I didn’t like the road noise from the RAV4 that we test drove, but my husband talked me into it anyway. I have never been so happy with a car in my entire life!

Bought a 2021 hybrid XLE at the end of 2020. No regrets at all.

Only problems/issues I've had to date:

AM radio problem that apparently is a known wiring issue of some kind so waiting on a part.

Speaking of parts, had to wait a month for a door handle because parts were in short supply (someone broke the door handle in a failed break-in.)

Headlights seem too bright or else aimed too high and blind oncoming drivers. The auto-adjusting setting is extra bad for this because it seems to leave the brights on too much and really blind oncoming drivers.

Stereo speakers aren't that good. Not sure about the entire entertainment/info system since I use Android Auto and Google Maps.

Other than that I don't have any complaints, and certainly no regrets. I kind of wish it had a built in dashcam and alarm system but those can always be added after. Overall I am really happy.

Note: one complaint I have heard from others is that they find the seat uncomfortable, so definitely do a test drive.

I want to keep the car forever but the cable gate issue is a massive design failure if it really needs to be replaced every 5 years once you past 100k and you have the issue it’s just as bad as replacing a hybrid battery out of pocket. But I’m crossing my fingers with the 2019 I just got no issues so far very comfortable ride

My wife and I have a 2020 hybrid that we got certified pre owned almost two years ago, just eclipsed 100k miles in the last week. It’s her daily that replaced her Silverado, my daily is an F-150.

I think it’s surprisingly spacious for its size. It’s nice to be able to park like a compact. I’ve owned smaller cars in the past so it’s a nice return to basically never having to worry about parking space size. The fuel economy is great.

Things I don’t like:

the driver’s seat and control ergonomics seem weird to me. My wife isn’t much shorter than me but has longer legs/shorter torso so maybe it’s just her seat height but I feel almost claustrophobic in the seat. If I wear a baseball hat, the brim collides with the visor at least once every time I drive. It just feels a little cramped and gets worse once you have drinks in the cupholders too.

As others have mentioned, the road noise can be a bit much.

Infotainment is typical Toyota lagging behind the pack in terms of usability, boot up speed, etc. My ex wife had a mid 2010s Tacoma and this feels almost the same. Sound quality sucks too.

I think my biggest issue as a car enthusiast is that it’s entirely soulless. It has never made me smile. I get no joy out of driving it. But, I understand that not everybody wants or needs a fun car and not every car needs to be fun. My F-150 makes me smile and that’s enough for me.

My wife loves hers. She got it for her birthday.

Idk if I have regret more than just nitpick things:

Wish the hybrid seats folded flat (it’s been fine though)

Glad I got an SE for sport suspension. Couldn’t deal with the sway

A turbo would really be wonderful

Probably going with a smaller car eventually bc I don’t need the space all the time.

Otherwise it’s a really great vehicle

Almost bought a Kia and dipped because I eventually hated it for all the annoying new tech and weird seats + not as good a rep as Toyota

Newest gen 24 SE hybrid

2019 gas adventure trim. I don't like how tranny shifts in low gears, lack of android auto, wind/noise.

So far repairs that I've needed , coolant bypass, and the roof rack leak which I think is common for 2019 models specifically?

Other than that, love the car. Gonna drive it into the ground.

I owned a 2013 Forester (base trim) prior to purchasing my new RAV4 Hybrid XLE this year.

Here is what I like about the RAV4:

• Fuel economy
• Robust engine design (no oil consumption issues and 10k mile intervals for oil changes)
• Cargo space & practicality
• Reliability (to be determined but everyone says Toyotas last forever)
• Inexpensive to maintain/repair
• Retains resell value well

A few minor annoyances:

• Wind noise above 50MPH - it's far worse than any car I've ever driven
• Stock speakers are horrendous - if you care about audio, spend the extra 200-300 bucks to upgrade the dash and front door speakers with something from Crutchfield (JBL, Kicker, etc.) and install it yourself.
• Lane assist isn't great - inconsistent sensitivity/sensing
• Blindspot monitoring only alerts via light signal on side mirrors, no sounds.
• Doors need to be slammed to actually close

The main issue with my Forester was that it had the classic oil consumption issue from what I would imagine is a blown head gasket. I had to top off with about a quart of fresh oil every 500 miles towards the end of my ownership and it only had 95k miles on it. I'm not sure if the issue has been fixed in newer Foresters, but it was enough to lose me as a Subaru customer (in addition to Subaru's lack of innovation in recent years around hybrids and EVs).

As far as pricing goes, I insisted on getting mine MSRP with no add-ons. Not sure about you and your needs, but I felt that most of the usual bells and whistles (power liftgate, moonroof, roof racks, park assist, etc.) were not needed and often drove prices to upwards of 3-5k above base MSRP. I bought mine (barebones 2024 XLE Hybrid) for $34,585 MSRP (just under 38k after taxes and fees).

Just curious OP

Mind explaining and detailing fixes to dampen wind noise. Any possible guide would be amazing!

Xle premium and zero regrets :)

Subarus are notoriously leaky and burn oil etc. Anyone buying Subaru is taking a big risk with those boxer engines...

Yes run!

I have a 2017LE with 52k that I bought new. It's still new. Favorite car of my lifetime.

I've had a 23 RAV4 hybrid for a little over a year, traded in a 16 legacy with 280k miles for it. Completely honest I miss the legacy. The RAV4 has better gas mileage and easier to load stuff in, 2 biggest drivers for me to get it. I get 44mpg so far with the RAV4 and got 32 over the entire life of the legacy, so there is a big difference there. No issues yet with the RAV4, only issue with the legacy was a wheel bearing at about 30k, covered by warranty, nothing else but oil, brakes and tires for 280k miles. Other than the mpg I definitely miss the legacy, the RAV4 is fine and I only have 1 true complaint (whoever decided to put the traction control button next to the heated seat button is a moron) but overall it's just eh... I don't see me keeping this anywhere near as long as I did the legacy. If I had to choose again today it would be a tossup, take mpg out of it and I'd choose the legacy hands down.

TLDR: what's most important to you? If it's mpg get the RAV4, if it's anything else I'd get the Subaru.

The auto stop-start & CVT are why I went with my RAV4 instead.

I’m almost 6 years into owning my 4th gen with just over 150k miles on it. I’ve only done planned maintenance and lightbulbs. They are rock solid and last forever, hence why they cost more. If you plan to keep the car a long time, go with a Toyota. If not, there is no point in paying for that longevity. 

I will say though, if you live in a place with road salt, I would be hesitant to buy a hybrid due to the HV cable issue. The redesigned cable is still not robust enough to deal with road salt.

I personally would remove KIA from your lineup of options. We're paying for that sweet sweet Toyota reliability and phenomenal resale value in case you change your mind. I was also between '24 rav and Subaru (I do like the interior on the Subarus better) but ended up going with the new hybrid XSE because I really do think that hybrids are the future. I'm super happy with mine coming from a gas guzzling '20 4Runner!

Get the RAV4 if you can. Having owned both, Subs are great in the short term. Will eventually develop nagging issues or things cheaply made fall apart in my experience. Nothing that would seriously affect the car usually, but annoying. Kinda boring, but like the quality of Toyotas.

Do not buy Kia/Hyundai/Subaru. Just don't.