Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views

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Fri 20 Apr 2018 20:13
Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views - Steveieb
Too late to buy a friends Rav 4 which was traded in for 11500 and is for sale at 15000. With 44k miles
Intended use is for urban work with very little fast runs.
With problems reported with the Dpf on HJ reviews doesn't look promising.

Grateful your views?
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Fri 20 Apr 2018 20:32
Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views - madf

A 4x4 with 2wd seems all show and no go.

For people who wish to impress the neighbours only .

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Fri 20 Apr 2018 21:46
Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views - badbusdriver

I'm not very clear on what exactly you are asking?, is the 1st sentence regarding a car you didn't buy relevant?.

If you are asking whether or not it would be a good idea to buy a diesel RAV-4 for short urban journeys, the simple answer is no. As you have already read about DPF issues for this engine (presumably?), i'm surprised you need to ask.

Whether or not it is fwd or 4wd is utterly irrelevant though, especially given that the vast majority of SUV's will never be used off road. Why waste fuel driving 2 extra wheels when they are not going to be used.

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Sat 21 Apr 2018 08:50
Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views - nellyjak

Like BBD, I find the post a tad unclear...but if the question is "should I buy".?...then my response would be "I wouldn't".!

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Sat 21 Apr 2018 08:57
Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views - Steveieb
Sorry to be so vague.

The car has been traded in to the Main Dealer and is now up for sale with a mark up of 3.5 k

I viewed it yesterday and although I liked the car I have come to the conclusion that it is not suitable for urban driving following reading the HJ Reviews . And it appears the DPF is not covered under the warranty.

Many thanks again for your contributions.
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Sat 21 Apr 2018 09:04
Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views - SLO76

A 4x4 with 2wd seems all show and no go.

For people who wish to impress the neighbours only .

Or for people who want the space, safety and high seating position of an SUV without the high purchase price and poor economy of a 4wd perhaps?
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Sat 21 Apr 2018 19:50
Toyota Rav 4 2.0 diesel 65 place 2WD - May I have your views - jthan

It's not the answer to your precise question, but there's more choice than just this one in used RAV4s. In case you consider others, my experience is as follows:

I have, from new, had a 2014 4wd petrol CVT and I am very happy with it (although not with the local dealer). Not a single thing has ever gone wrong (if you ignore a squeak in the first year, which I eventually tacked down and sorted myself). It is a comfortable, lazy drive (but not dynamic, and certainly not for the sporting driver though) with all the room you could wish for - especially in the back seat and the boot.

MPG isn't great (overall average 28 to 30mpg), but this reflects a lot of short runs in town. Mind you, it rarely beats 36mpg or so, even on a very long run.

When in agony with my back 18 months ago, I could still get in and drive it to work (unlike the Picanto), even though I struggled to walk.

The car is still immaculate (the higher stance seems to suffer less from stone chips, although the few there have been suggest to me that the paint is thin) and I remain hopeful of keeping it that way for quite a few more years.

Width is a downside - it took me quite a few months to get comfortable with the extra width compared with my predecessor C class estate. And although the large boot is great for holiday luggage (much more space than the C), the interior length is shorter and I've found it much less suited to carrying 3.0m lengths of 4"x2" timber.

Upholstery cloth is poor quality - but easily resolved with a set of tailored seat covers.

And I would repeat that it's not dynamic. The C was a comfortable (indicated) 80mph cruiser, whereas the RAV4 feels more strained above 70mph. Perhaps that's the difference between a diesel and petrol engine though.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the RAV4 - and impressed with Toyota's standard of build.

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