2005 Toyota RAV4 Consumer Reviews

A Great, Reliable Vehicle

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 AWD 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Purchased new in 2005. Good power and performance. Gas mileage was as listed until year 2-3. Now averaging 22-23 MPG, but not bad for an AWD. Now after almost 7 years and 69,000 miles, it's never needed anything but normal maintenance. Extremely satisfied with my RAV4. Brakes lasted almost 60,000 miles w/auto transmission! Paint and interior still in almost like new condition. The only issue is an exhaust "growl" at low RPM's. Not a big deal. Road noise is a bit loud, but the stereo works great to cover that. I love this car and would highly recommend it.
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Best Car

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

This was my first Toyota ever and I wished I had done it sooner! I now have reached 100K miles and it runs the same as when I bought it. I have never had any major problems with it. Front brakes around 50K and regular maintenance at recommended mileage. Original Tires replaced at 36K which is better than expected. BF Goodrich now have 64K and still good tread. I have never done a wheel alignment on this vehicle. I have tracked my mileage and it was exactly the 24 MPG overall that Toyota said it would be. It is only FWD so in winter I take it easy but this has been a very reliable vehicle for us. The utility has been great and removable seats are wonderful. I am very satisfied with it.
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One of the Best Cars I've Ever Owned

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

I purchased this car new and except for routine maintenance have never had a problem. My daughter was taking the car to college so I called a local Mechanic to see have the car checked out - I was concerned that the car had a serpentine belt that might need to be replaced. They informed me that the engine had a timing chain (lasts longer) and that the car wasn't scheduled for its first tune up until 120,000 miles! I purchased this car at the same time I bought a 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser - I made sure to purchase Toyotas that were made in Japan, not the U.S. (both were). I have had zero problems with both cars.
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Replace water pump!

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Bought my Rav4 brand new in 2004 which is a 2005. Have had no major problems with it except for replacing the water pumps constantly! They are made very cheap, and its not cheap to replace either. And rear breaks are for sure bad as well like previous reviews have stated. Also, when it rains the car does not stay put on the road.
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rav4 at 85,000 miles

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

I have had my Rav4 since 2006 and did not have to many issues at the time. At about 75,000 miles the alternator went out and is the biggest pain to get fixed due to the connector being a special piece from the rest. Since I got the car in 2006 it had a knocking noise in the engine that no one can seem to figure out. The gas has a severe hesitation and should probably be on a recall. It takes about 2-3 seconds from the time you step on the gas till the car preforms. Once it kicks in, it jerks very badly. Very easy to drive, almost like a go kart.
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Brake problem

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

My wife bought rav4 2005 from maplewood brach and it has a sever problem of brake during snow and cold weather. It slides on very little snow. Even if you are driving low and try to stop it skids. It doesn't stop immediately as you step on the break. It keeps going with a sound gggggg struggling to stop. So my wife is not happy to drive during snow time.
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Break Failure

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 AWD 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

My wife bought the 2005 Rav4 4 years ago, and has had to replace the rear breaks 3 times, going on four now. Everything else about the car she loves, but the constant issue with the rear breaks is causing us to sell. In their infinite wisdom, Toyota cheaped out on the rear breaks making them disk breaks, not drum breaks which they should be. We live in northern Vermont, 3 mile up a gravel road and my wife has to drive over a mountain pass everyday driving to work. Needless to say, we need working breaks, and the Rav4 has not provided it. The dealership has worked with us a little bit, but we still have speny about $2000 over the past 4 years on breaks alone. Very disappointed Rav4 owners!
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"Almost" Perfect....

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 AWD 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Not very comfortable for driver on long drives. Vehicle is listed at 21mpg city and 28mpg highway. After the first year my mpg went down to 18 city and 25 highway. I can barely get 280 miles from a tank of gas in the city. Dealership says nothing wrong. (dealerships are all rip-offs) Exhaust has a rattle at low rpm's. Other than that, I love this car. After 3.5 years and 37000 miles, it has needed NO repairs other than scheduled maintenance. The most reliable car I've ever owned.
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4 yr. review

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought my Rav4 in Feb 2005. its my commuter car. It's trouble free so far after 45000 miles. Manual tranny is great. I still get 25 mpg in Minnesota winters and around 28 MPG in summer. I take a seat out in summer and can put 2 road bikes easy. This vehicle has to be top 5 reliable fun to drive on consumer reports.
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Fun to Drive

Vehicle

2005 Toyota RAV4 Fwd 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I'd never heard of a RAV4 until my son showed me a photo the night before we went car shopping. It was love at first sight! We drove several small SUVs, but the RAV4 was by far the most fun to drive. It is zippy and handles great. I've enjoyed 65000 trouble-free miles. The ride is quite firm, but makes the driver feel like one with the road.
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