New Car Shopping-Rav4?

[4legsgood]

Is there a space for a spare tire if you buy your own? I'd grumble and buy one myself, but having no dedicated place to put it would be a hard no.

There's definitely no dedicated space. It comes with a 'tire repair kit'. Quite a few electrics and hybrids don't have a spare.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I don't think they're "holding them back" it's just the demand is high. Inventory on Toyota hybrids are extremely low. We ordered a Prius on 4/29/22 and are still waiting. So now we will get a 2023 Prius for the price of a 2022. The dealer let us know that they weren't building any the last four months of the year because they were retooling the factory and the dealers weren't told about it until recently. Our dealership has 7 on order, but only recently have they gotten any. We're ordering an AWD XLE, so we may be waiting a little longer. Good luck on the RAV4. We drove one as a rental and really liked it.

 

[CardsFan]

OP here. Thanks for all the input. For now, I will wait until the dealer confirms my car was accepted on their next order (should know in a week). That would put delivery late May (+/-). If it is not confirmed, I will start looking elsewhere.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

There's a reason why the RAV4 is so popular. I was looking to trade mine in (for a RAV4 hybrid) but decided to keep it. The trade-in value was high, and the thing is so reliable I never worry. The reviews I looked at were all very positive for the RAV4, both the one I have (2015 LE) and the ones I was looking at (low mileage hybrids).

 

[Bigbass]

If you're looking for something small and 4WD, I'd take a look at the Subaru Crosstrek. I was driving my wife's 2018 over the weekend. On a 160 mile round trip, we averaged 43.7 MPG, and this is not a hybrid.

Wow, I have a 2019 Crosstrek and I don't think I ever even come close to getting 35 MPG. What am I doing wrong?

Other than the sun visor, I do like my car. Every once in a while, I do wish it has a little more power as I'm merging onto the freeway though.

 

[dmpi]

Wow, I have a 2019 Crosstrek and I don't think I ever even come close to getting 35 MPG. What am I doing wrong?

Other than the sun visor, I do like my car. Every once in a while, I do wish it has a little more power as I'm merging onto the freeway though.

I drove our friends 2019 CrossTrek on a 1300 mile road trip last April and we got about 36 mpg overall. We had to actually go through some snow, about 80 miles of it, that takes a lot of concentration but the car handed well in the snow.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

We compared the 2020 RAV and 2020 CR-V for my wife. She preferred the Honda and so we bought that. The only gripe is that the DI injected turbo engine has issues with gasoline diluting the oil, especially if you do short trips in cold weather. When changing the oil when the reminder said it was needed, I sent in a sample for analysis and discovered that the recommended 0W-20 had thinned so much that it didn't even meet the spec for the 20.
Honda claims that either this doesn't matter, or that they have fixed the problem. They haven't.
I switched to 0W-30 oil at the last change, after discussion with the dealer service manager. When we do the next change, I'll see if our oil at least meets the 20 spec.

 

[Deuce]

I would compare prices against a Ford escape hybrid, or a Ford escape. PHEV. They rate very well.

 

[RetireEarly50s]

For a small SUV the Jeep Wrangler PHEV is a great option as well, also comes with a full size spare tire, great resale value and as a bonus is amazing off road.

 

[Bigal50]

Get a model Y. Not that much more with rebates. https://www.tesla.com/modely

 

[maingram]

After test driving several different models in 2021 I ended up with the Mazda CX5 and love it! Had top ratings for safety in Consumer Reports and it's just plain fun to drive!

 

[freedomatlast]

I drove our friends 2019 CrossTrek on a 1300 mile road trip last April and we got about 36 mpg overall. We had to actually go through some snow, about 80 miles of it, that takes a lot of concentration but the car handed well in the snow.

Yep, we get about 36 to 38 MPG on the wife's 2018 Crosstrek and have gotten as high as 46 in the right conditions. Incredible for AWD. We took it on vacation last year on an 2200 mile round trip and it was surprisingly comfortable.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

I wish to add my 2 cents about Subaru. First, I have owned 3 Legacy's in a row. I purchased them used and drove the first two until they were 15 plus years old and more than 160k miles. Very dependable. I live in a climate with a fair amount of snow.

The Crosstrek is a nice looking, dependable small SUV. At your stated 7,000 miles per year, it would last 25 years or so.

Consider the pros and cons of AWD.

Check the electronics. They were behind the times when I made my last purchase.

Forgot to mention my most recent Legacy purchase. It is now 6 years old with 60k miles. I have owned it for 2 plus years. No repairs. Still breaking it in! Mileage: max was 38.46. Average is 27.84. I mostly drive around town. 670 miles per month.

 

[pb4uski]

We have over 90k miles on our 2016 Outback Limited and I have yet to replace the brake pads! I have them checked with every oil change and they say they are ok. Now, I do use the paddle shifters to downshift and use engine braking on steep downgrades, but over 90k miles on OEM brake pads is unheard of in my experience. My prior might have been tainted by the fact that we lived on a steep hill so we're frequently using the brakes.

 

[shafer9]

For what it’s worth, my wife and I have had two Kia Sorrento SUVs over the last 12 years.

Drove the first one 8 years, 135,000 miles. Total cost of maintenance and everything else was $600.

The newer one I haven’t spent anything on.
Is it an exciting car to drive? Nope. But these things are bulletproof. And they cost less than Toyotas and similar cars, which I’ve owned in the past.

 

[aaronc879]

For what it’s worth, my wife and I have had two Kia Sorrento SUVs over the last 12 years.

Drove the first one 8 years, 135,000 miles. Total cost of maintenance and everything else was $600.

The newer one I haven’t spent anything on.
Is it an exciting car to drive? Nope. But these things are bulletproof. And they cost less than Toyotas and similar cars, which I’ve owned in the past.

You must not consider oil changes or tires to be maintenance because either one of those would likely cost more than $600 over 135,000 miles. Possibly brakes as well.

 

[shafer9]

I don’t consider regular maintenance an unusual expense. EVERY car has to have it if it’s gonna run well.

The $600 was the total it cost me above regular maintenance over the course of 135k miles. I forget what it was for. Little stuff.

I’ve owned 3 Beemers. That’s a whole ‘nother story. Lol

 

[xlf11]

Corolla Cross Hybrid with AWD just came out starting $27k and it may worth checking it out.

 

[CardsFan]

OP here with an update:

The Rav-4 is out. Can't get one close to what I want for months. Toyota rejected the dealer's latest request for what I wanted (or the dealer had another buyer for a more high end car).

So, looked at the Mazda CX-5 and CX-50 today. Like them both. The CX-5 would be a little cheaper, but liked the CX-50 a little better. Both drove well, had plenty of room for us. The CX-50 is a little wider and lower.

Anyway, they are also in stock, with 0.9% financing and a $500 rebate. My only compromise was interior color. Wanted grey, settled for grey/black.

Haven't pulled the trigger yet, but will next week.

Side note: While prices are close to MSRP, one benefit is there was very little pressure. Very pleasant experience, at least with the test drive.

 

[Lsbcal]

Just thought I'd mention that one thing we liked about the 2023 Honda CRV is the grey/black seats. Might be a bit better in warm weather.

 

[Chuckanut]

Interesting comment on a local radio station today regarding automobiles and the future of EVs and hybrids. Buying a new car is easier today than it has been in over two years in terms of price and selection (note they did not say you could bargain much). The exception are Toyota hybrids, especially the Toyota hybrids. 45 mpg on a Camry. Amazing. When I was a youngster the original Honda car N600 got about 42 mpg.

 

[Out of Steam]

I wish to add my 2 cents about Subaru. First, I have owned 3 Legacy's in a row. I purchased them used and drove the first two until they were 15 plus years old and more than 160k miles. Very dependable. I live in a climate with a fair amount of snow.

The Crosstrek is a nice looking, dependable small SUV. At your stated 7,000 miles per year, it would last 25 years or so.

Consider the pros and cons of AWD.

Check the electronics. They were behind the times when I made my last purchase.

Forgot to mention my most recent Legacy purchase. It is now 6 years old with 60k miles. I have owned it for 2 plus years. No repairs. Still breaking it in! Mileage: max was 38.46. Average is 27.84. I mostly drive around town. 670 miles per month.

I'm driving a '15 Legacy with over 160K miles right now. Weirdly, it had some issues between 60K and 100K miles, but reliability has been rock solid since. I understand that most of the issues weren't a factor after 2015. Almost 120K of those miles were run up in a long distance highway commute in the first four years.

I bought it in part to deal with snow and ice on the long commute, but the AWD is barely useful where I live now. I still like the neutral handling the AWD provides, though.

I've had the transmission fluid changed twice, but the poor economics of transmission replacement gives me some hesitation about running a CVT vehicle to 200K miles--which is where I seem to be headed.

My mileage with the Legacy was running at 29-31 mpg, with up to 33 on long trips, but has fallen to 25-27 recently. While it has not turned on the "CHECK ENGINE" light, I plan to replace the upstream oxygen sensor (original) preemptively.

 

[mojavesue]

We just bought a 21 Lexus NX 300 AWD which is based off the Rav4 I believe. It is Lexus CPO certified with 19k miles. Car is in like new condition with one owner and all maintenance done at the Lexus dealership. Much more comfortable than the Crosstrek we had. I felt the seats in that car were getting harder the longer we had it! It's basically the exact same size as the Crosstrek. After 25k miles the Crosstrek rear differential started making a whirring noise and the dealer refused to repair under warranty. So we sold it back to the dealer last year for more than we paid for it. We looked at a couple of CRVs one gas and the other a hybrid. The Hybrid has no spare tire so that was out. The gas model just didnt feel good. Seemed like it was down on power.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

We just bought a 21 Lexus NX 300 AWD which is based off the Rav4 I believe. It is Lexus CPO certified with 19k miles. Car is in like new condition with one owner and all maintenance done at the Lexus dealership. Much more comfortable than the Crosstrek we had. I felt the seats in that car were getting harder the longer we had it! It's basically the exact same size as the Crosstrek. After 25k miles the Crosstrek rear differential started making a whirring noise and the dealer refused to repair under warranty. So we sold it back to the dealer last year for more than we paid for it. We looked at a couple of CRVs one gas and the other a hybrid. The Hybrid has no spare tire so that was out. The gas model just didnt feel good. Seemed like it was down on power.

Your comments about the Lexus NX 300 and a new noise in DW's 2011 Rav4 got her to look at the NX 300. DW's concern is loss of storage capacity due to putting the spare tire under the rear floor. 2011 had the spare mounted on the back. Is space an issue?

Minor question: Can you connect your Android phone to the screen and have it display what is on the phone or do you have to use the paid programs on the car?

 

[Lsbcal]

Our 2023 CRV (gas) at 190 horsepower has plenty of power for us. Turn radius is also great. Much better then our 2004 CRV but not a surprise.