2003 Toyota RAV4 Review

Name: 2003 Toyota RAV4 Review
Brand: Toyota
Price: 1556 USD
Rating: 4.6 (154 reviews)

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Edmunds' Expert Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

Steers and handles like a car, thoughtful cabin design, well-built interior.

Cons

Small displacement engine for the class, noisy, most of the desirable equipment is optional.

What’s new

Already sporty-looking, the RAV4 compact SUV gets even sportier thanks to a new optional sport package that adds a new grille, a hood scoop, color-keyed door handles, heated exterior mirrors, tubular roof rack and gray-painted bumpers and overfenders. Inside, the package adds special sport fabric seats.

Edmunds says

A solid and pleasing package, if a tad underpowered.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio

$177/mo

$184/mo

Avg. Compact SUV

Calculate my fuel costs

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2003 Toyota RAV4.

5 (73%)

4 (17%)

3 (3%)

2 (5%)

1 (2%)

4.6

154 reviews

Write a vehicle review See all 154 reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

380,000 and Still Going !!!!!

Rav-Fan, 09/16/2015

2003 Toyota RAV4 AWD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Bought my Rav4L new 12 plus yrs.ago. Most dependable vehicle I have ever owned. Drove it for over 800 miles a wk for work. Starts in sub-zero weather, when our expensive vehicles would not. Maintenace cost almost nothing. Usual stuff....tires,got 109,000 out of one set, battery, brakes, wiper blades etc. this vehicle has saved me a fortune !!! I'm retired and now my trusted vehicle is …

An excellent vehicle

David Scott, 12/08/2015

2003 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

We owned this car for 12 years and it was as trouble-free as a vehicle could be. Basically, you never had to worry about something going wrong. Driver vision was excellent and seating was comfortable. We took it on four around-the-country trips and never had a problem other than a flat tire.

Toyota will pay for transmission repairs

bbeek, 12/30/2010

2003 Toyota RAV4 AWD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

I just found a link to an article that documents that Toyota will pay for ECM failures/transmission rebuilds. Here is the link:http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/toyota-extends-warranty-on-troubled-2001-3-rav4/. You can call the center in Torrance, Calif at 800-468-7814 for more info. I am going to get back my repair costs of $4300 for a rebuilt transmission and ECM module …

I wish I had known.

Dave C, 05/12/2018

2003 Toyota RAV4 AWD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

I was looking for a small SUV/crossover type vehicle to replace my older real estate vehicle. After retiring from real estate I didn't need a large SUV, so I wanted something smaller. I found a nice looking 2003 Toyota Rav4 that seemed to fit my bill. It ran good, the interior was nice and it seemed like it would do me well. I should have read some of the one star reviews. If I had, I …

See all 154 reviews of the Toyota RAV4

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2003 RAV4 Highlights

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$16,625
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	24 MPG
Cost to Drive	$177/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	29.2 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver4 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Side Barrier Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front SeatNot Rated
Back SeatNot Rated
Rollover
Rollover3 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of RolloverNot Rated

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Not Tested
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Not Tested
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Acceptable
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Poor
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Not Tested
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Not Tested

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2003 Toyota RAV4 Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2003 Toyota RAV4.

Trending topics in reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

380,000 and Still Going !!!!!

An excellent vehicle

Toyota will pay for transmission repairs

I wish I had known.

2003 RAV4 Highlights

Safety

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2003 Toyota RAV4 Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.

Most helpful consumer reviews

380,000 and Still Going !!!!!

An excellent vehicle

Toyota will pay for transmission repairs

I wish I had known.

2003 RAV4 Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2003 Toyota RAV4 info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Toyota

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}