2024 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 8A)
I traded in my 2016 Toyota Corolla (42k miles after 8 yrs!) for the RAV4 XLE Prem SUV. On the surface it looks great, drove it around the dealership parking lot was great. My hubby has a 2016 Tacoma, my son has a 2019 Camry, his wife has a Prius, and my daughter has a 2018 Camry. My mom had an Avalon, she's had a Corolla, and a Camry. And my very first car in 1983 was a 1974 Toyota … Celica. Lots of Toyota vehicles in our family. Toyota WAS built to last and out preform American made vehicles like Ford, Chevy, GM, etc. So I was happy with buying another Toyota vehicle, thinking that Toyota took pride in their products and reputation. Thus far all the Toyota vehicles in my family have been worth every penny.
But this 2024 RAV4 XLE I purchased 6-25-2024 has been one disappointment after another. #1) The first red flag I missed was at the dealership, the salesperson plugged in their Iphone to show me the "technology" package. They never mentioned that it's limited to only certain Android phones (check the compatibility list on the website). So now I have to buy a new phone! There is no update available to the "technology" package / Multimedia. No way to remove apps that were preinstalled, no way to update the preinstalled apps, and every time I log into Toyota.com on my desktop computer, my laptop, or my tablet it says "Sorry, our site is
temporarily unavailable" ... it's been that way for over 2 months! As for the Apps ... Toyota App and Android Auto, lots of bugs / glitches. Sometimes the Toyota app works, sometimes it doesn't. Android Auto only works by plugging in your phone to the dash USB port. And it's the only way you can use any GPS. My hubby's 2016 Tacoma has GPS included in his "technology" package / Multimedia package. It can easily be updated once a year and is convenient and easy to use. Which is what I told the salesperson I wanted as the top priority. My 2016 Corolla had no GPS screen, only way to hear GPS was through blue-tooth and the only way to see the GPS map was on my phone ... mounted to my dash. Which often failed in the HOT Texas heat. So I wanted a dash screen, like hubby's Tacoma, that had GPS installed. So when the salesperson pulled up with the RAV4 for me to test drive, they already had their phone pulled in and GPS was on the dash screen. So I just naturally assumed there was GPS installed on the dash screen like my hubby's Tacoma. I also assumed the Salesperson had their Iphone plugged in for the test drive (for their personal safety and the dealerships insurance purposes) because that is what salesperson implied. The salesperson deceived me, never said anything about having to plug in my phone for GPS, never said a word about compatibility requirements (that it works best with Iphone, not Android), never said a word about having to pay a monthly subscription for Toyota's multimedia package, salesperson ONLY mentioned Sirius subscription being a free trial period. There's more, but you get the idea ... to use the multimedia package, you have to be tethered to your phone (plug into USB port / blue-tooth and location and data all have to be turned on too! So why the need to plug in too?!?!?). You have to pay for it monthly, and there's no way to update the technology nor is there anyway to remove the pre-installed apps. (insert eye roll emoji)
#2) The engine turns off whenever you come to a complete stop. When you take your foot off the brake, the vehicle jumps/lurches ... it's suppose to be some emission control feature, it's a futile and un-needed feature, plus it's dangerous! I have a feeling it will be a future Toyota Class-action lawsuit or Recall. There's no way to permanently turn it off / de-activate it. It causes unnecessary wear and tear on the alternator, the starter, the battery, and the engine. And it's been a long known fact amongst Master Mechanics that you never ever run the AC or heater without the engine running here in Texas.
#3 There's no giddy up and go. So if you need to move out of the way quickly to avoid an accident ... (insert Shrug emoji).
#4 It's top heavy, feels like you're going to tip over on turnpikes / sky bridges / mix masters ... so do not drive on freeways/hi-ways/ tollways 15 yards above ground level in winds above 15mph. (insert Shock emoji)
#5 Not very good or enough noise cancellation or installation to silence or minimize exterior noise and/or driving noises.
#6 Headlights tend to blind on-coming traffic. And on the front sides, for drivers (me), there are "blind spots" (no light to see) on right turns .. can't see the curb (haven't check left turns).
#7 Poor front windshield design ... the visors have the side pull out to block the sun. But you can't really use them, they're just a decoration? To use them, you have to pull the visor in towards you and then pull the visor extensions out, but they block the rear-view mirror! And you can't push the visor back behind the rear view mirror and pull the visor extensions out because the windshield center console is there. Plus the windshield angle / slope is bad ... lets lots of sunlight in over top of the visors.
#8 Not very good gas mileage (self explanatory)
#9 Very poor dashboard design and center console, and the cup holders are too close together - can only have one drink at a time in the holders. Cups can't have a wide mouth or a handle. In order to have 2 beverages (1 for driver and 1 for passenger) you can only use cylinder styled containers. Which is good I guess if you only drink out of beer cans (cylinder container) while you drive! (insert LOL emoji) Or can sodas, but sipping out of a can obstructs your view.
#10 .... there's more but I've barely driven the RAV 4, it had over 40 miles when I bought it, now it has almost 300 miles ... it's been over 60 days. I've been so disappointed in the RAV, that I haven't driven it very much. And I contacted the dealership within 72 hours, telling them I wasn't happy and I wanted my trade in back based on all of the above ... because of the ransomware attack in late June at the time I bought the RAV4, they hadn't even finished the paperwork. When I said I didn't want the RAV4 and I wanted my Corolla back, they claimed it was too late, etc. Basically, the dealership personnel lied and blew me off. Toyota Corp too! The Toyota "advocate" claimed that I am the ONLY person who has experienced the jumping / lurching. So I told her about the service center tech ... he said he has had numerous customers mention it and ask for it to be permanently disconnected to no avail. And I told her about the 300+ Toyota vehicle owners posting about it on the Toyota website!
And trying to speak to anyone at Toyota Corp that comprehends modern technology or how to get in touch with the Toyota App Dev or Toyota webmaster has been a futile endeavor.
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