MM Annual Holiday Full-Review: 2019 Toyota RAV-4
#31
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#32
I haven't had the opportunity to test out a new RAV4 however a family member has a 2018 CR-V Touring. Normal driving of the CR-V one really can't tell the difference between a CVT & 8 speed, and gas mileage is excellent. I believe most people looking at these vehicles will compare equipment, style, gas mileage, etc., with power train somewhere down on the list. It will be interesting, however, to see if Toyota pushes a lot of these to rental fleets. Living by a major airport, I drive by large holding lots of rentals, mostly FCA products, with some Toyotas, Hyundai's, and Ford products. Never see Honda's in there.
If you look at it from European perspective, Toyota does not have real fleet program, a big minus for its dealers, while Germans and French sell significant portions of their vehicles at hughe fleet sale discounts (20-30%).
#33
by that measure, every large sedan looks exactly the same?
They are very different designs, new CX-5 is incredibly smooth and polished, it looks crazy awesome... where Rav4 looks more robust and chunky, and probably the best Rav4 looking ever (considering different versions).
They are very different designs, new CX-5 is incredibly smooth and polished, it looks crazy awesome... where Rav4 looks more robust and chunky, and probably the best Rav4 looking ever (considering different versions).
#34
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Yeah, I don't see how they look the same other than they're both crossovers...
#36
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#37
drives cars
Very nice review! I am curious just how this will be compared to the last one - seems like an improvement for sure, based on your review. I have gotten Uber/Lyft rides in a couple of last-gen RAV-4's and wasn't impressed with them - very hollow-sounding doors and hard plastic everywhere. However, they did at least have some nice design elements to look at, at least, on the interior. And I suspect the higher trims didn't suffer as much in terms of quality.
I wonder if the transmission is the same unit as in the Camry... I just had one as a rental for a full week, and it was the best-worst thing about that car. It stumbles sometimes at low speeds and takes a while to downshift - which is obviously just a fact of life when you have 8 speeds. But I thought the Camry definitely had nicer materials than the previous generation, especially the quality of the leather on the steering wheel, as well as the center console area. But back to the engine-transmission combo, I agree with what you said - it seemed adequate but not terribly impressive. Could have been a little more refined at mid-to-high RPM.
I wonder if the transmission is the same unit as in the Camry... I just had one as a rental for a full week, and it was the best-worst thing about that car. It stumbles sometimes at low speeds and takes a while to downshift - which is obviously just a fact of life when you have 8 speeds. But I thought the Camry definitely had nicer materials than the previous generation, especially the quality of the leather on the steering wheel, as well as the center console area. But back to the engine-transmission combo, I agree with what you said - it seemed adequate but not terribly impressive. Could have been a little more refined at mid-to-high RPM.
#38
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Thanks. Wish I could have done it sooner.....it took Toyota a while to get these to D.C.-area dealerships.
In general, compared to the old one, I'd take the new one, hands-down. The base version, though (as Jill also noticed on her inspection) could use some better interior materials inside....the bean counters definitely got to it.
There's a significant difference between the base and top-line-Limited version....IMO it is worth the extra $$$$$.
Modern 8 and 9-speed transmissions, particularly the GM 9-speed used in the transverse FWD models, and the troublesome ZF FWD 9-speed used in Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep and some Honda/Acura products, do have some shifting quirks under some conditions. That's partly because of the dog-clutches (mechanical teeth) and two-way operation of the clutches themselves, which help give so many gear ratios in the compact aluminum cases needed for transverse-mounting. The dog-clutches for some shifts (in the ZF unit, it's usually the 4-5 shift, and the GM unit decides by computer) cannot allow any slip...they have to engage absolutely perfectly so the teeth will mesh, so the computer has to play games with the input and output shaft, sometimes revving the engine some or cutting back the RPM tom perfectly mesh the shift. In addition, the GM unit sometimes (not always)hangs up for a second or so while starting up from rest on a hill, with the nose of the car up....you'll hear the RPM jump a little without the car moving, then feel a small bump. (this is different from the engine start/stop feature. I found I can get around that buy feather-footoing it. The Toyota 8-speed, of course, may have a few quirks of its own, but I am not as familiar with the inner-workings of it as I am the GM and ZF 9-speeds.
The main reason that these complex 8, 9, and 10-speed transmissions (and their quirks) were developed, of course, is that manufacturers are trying to meet CAFE fuel-economy requirements while giving customers both the low-speed acceleration and highway-cruise overdrive quietness they want. CVT transmissions also are efficient, but many customers (me included) don't like the motorboating and rubber-banding type of operation some of them have, though a few of them imitate conventional automatics, wth pre-programmed-ratios on the the belt-drives. With the FWD 8 and 9-speed transverse units, of course, all those gears and hardware have to fit into a small aluminum case, hence the complex hardware and trick-operation of the two-way clutches and dog-teeth. GM, overall, though, did an admirable job on its 9-speed. Although the 4-5 shift sometimes flares, and starting on a hill can have a bump to it, most of the shifts, most of time, especially when warm, are like butter....just like the Buicks and Cadillacs of old.
I am curious just how this will be compared to the last one - seems like an improvement for sure, based on your review.
And I suspect the higher trims didn't suffer as much in terms of quality.
I wonder if the transmission is the same unit as in the Camry... I just had one as a rental for a full week, and it was the best-worst thing about that car. It stumbles sometimes at low speeds and takes a while to downshift - which is obviously just a fact of life when you have 8 speeds. But I thought the Camry definitely had nicer materials than the previous generation, especially the quality of the leather on the steering wheel, as well as the center console area. But back to the engine-transmission combo, I agree with what you said - it seemed adequate but not terribly impressive. Could have been a little more refined at mid-to-high RPM.
The main reason that these complex 8, 9, and 10-speed transmissions (and their quirks) were developed, of course, is that manufacturers are trying to meet CAFE fuel-economy requirements while giving customers both the low-speed acceleration and highway-cruise overdrive quietness they want. CVT transmissions also are efficient, but many customers (me included) don't like the motorboating and rubber-banding type of operation some of them have, though a few of them imitate conventional automatics, wth pre-programmed-ratios on the the belt-drives. With the FWD 8 and 9-speed transverse units, of course, all those gears and hardware have to fit into a small aluminum case, hence the complex hardware and trick-operation of the two-way clutches and dog-teeth. GM, overall, though, did an admirable job on its 9-speed. Although the 4-5 shift sometimes flares, and starting on a hill can have a bump to it, most of the shifts, most of time, especially when warm, are like butter....just like the Buicks and Cadillacs of old.
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-31-18 at 05:17 PM.
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