hello guys and girls , my missus is going on about wanting a rav 4 , she has only an auto licence , can you guys shed some light on what engine is in the rav 4 automatics i think its 3sfe not sure , i'd like to know mpg,performance,road handling in corners,do they have permanant 4w drive or switchable , if switchable does it become rear wheel drive or front .any problems with models on a m and n reg i should look out for when buying.servicing i presume is on the same intervals as the celica being it the same engine ???.having looked at a few they seem really very tidy for their ages as do all toyotas - any answers greatly accepted thanks - marc, happy motoring to you all.

30 people read this and not 1 person can help ??? come on guys

Based on what I know about the specific model Year you mentioned;

It has Car like handling a trademark of the RAV4 and is stable at motorway speeds, off-road is capable but not outstanding. Not having a low ratio gearbox limits its abilities. Ride is slightly jarring.

The Car has a permanent four wheel drive system so no switches to mess around with.

Auto performance figures are 12.3 secs to 60 (123bhp) and an average mpg of 28.

Servicing is every 9,000 miles

thanks for that mate.

[color=blue]I'll pitch in too

Yep, it's a 3S-FE so very reliable. Performance is ok rather than good, better on the three door I hear.

I would say you are looking at less than 28mpg, I normally get 28 to 32 in my manual. But then again, I would imagine the three door is slightly better.

They are permanent four wheel drive, with centre differential lock on the manual versions. I believe it's automatic on the automatics. (bit of a mouthfull that).

I'm very pleased with mine, and to be honest would have liked an auto myself. If you can I would recommend going for a 98 model of that shape cause they were facelifted then, which made quite an improvement and there's also some good limited edition models with wide arches etc like the freesport and reebok.

Only real problem is soundproofing. They aren't the most refined of cars, but that said they do drive like a car therefore hold the road very well. I would say the plus sides far outweigh the minus sides. You may even enjoy the odd drive in it youself!! [/color]

money depending she may listen to me ( doubtfull ) and go for a newer model. i had a suzuki vitara not too long ago , it was fun off road but you had to learn to drive again on b-roads and corners sometimes hairy on corners at the wrong mph i can tell you.THANKS ALOT let the quest continue.