Toyota RaV4 (2000-2005)

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Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
Aug 2000 Class: 4x4s/SUVs
New price: - Used price: From £1,750
On sale:
Performance:
Ride comfort:
handling:
★★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
Boot & Storage:
Safety:
★★★★★
★★★★
Reliability:
-
Total score:
-
Good build quality.
Easy access to the front.
Powerful and economical diesel engine.
No stability control.
Very much feeling its age.
Petrol engines are thirsty.
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in the range
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10.6 secs
0-62mph:
Most Efficient Model
2.0 D-4D XT-R Chrome Collection 5dr
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Combined fuel economy:
39.8 mpg
Cheapest Model to buy new
New price:
Overview
The RAV4 - the original ‘soft-roader’ - continues to be popular, and deservedly so. It’s compact
and easy to drive, and Although not suited to serious off-road use, it offers a high driving
position and good ground clearance. This version of the RAV4 was on sale between 2000 and 2005. It’s still fairly expensive to
buy second-hand, and there are still plenty of low-mileage examples around with good service
histories. The Honda CR-V is an obvious alternative, although there are fewer of these around. The
Land Rover Freelander continues to be popular, although it’s far less reliable and we wouldn’t
recommend it. The Nissan X-Trail is another good choice, even though it’s a little larger and
only offered as a five-door. The RAV4 is tough, reliable and dependable. On road, it’s a good all-rounder with
comfortable long-distance cruising ability. It’s practical, versatile and easy to drive. The RAV4 is not much of an off-roader, but then it was never meant to be. This model
is now feeling rather dated, and lacks key items of modern safety equipment, although it is
competitive against its contemporaries.
We’d go with the diesel, a direct-injection 2.0-litre, which is both powerful and economical.
Although more costly to run, the petrol versions - especially the front-wheel-drive models - are
cheap to buy. -
Cheapest Model to buy used
1.8 NV 3dr
Used price:
£1,750
Cheapest Model to Run (new)
New price: Running costs: (3 years/36,000 miles)
Owner’s View
Good allrounder, drives
like a car but much greater
flexibility, e.g. carriage of
larger items, 4 wheel drive
in winter and extra height
giving making easy access.
Not as big as rivals.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
On the road
How we test
The 2000-2005 RAV4 is an easy drive, with a well laid-out cabin, precise steering and stable,
confidence-inspiring suspension, though it does not have stability control. Performance
Performance
★★★★★
The 2.0-litre, direct-injection diesel engine has enough power for swift acceleration, even at
low engine speeds, and does not require frequent downchanges. The five-speed manual
gearbox is well-suited to the engine’s performance characteristics, and all the gears are
precise and easy to select. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Ride comfort
Acceleration (37-62mph)
7.8 secs
Rating
★★★★★
Ride comfort
★★★★
The springs and dampers are tuned on the firm side, but the responsive suspension is not
uncomfortable, even on poor road surfaces. The RAV4 sits well on the road and body roll is
well-controlled. The ride can be a little choppy in the three-door, however - and beware of cars
fitted with large aftermarket alloy wheels and low-profile tyres, as their ride comfort can be
seriously compromised.
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
We use the sophisticated electronic timing
equipment to record standing-start and
in-gear acceleration, and repeat each test
several times.
Rating
★★★★
Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of
thousands of miles in a myriad of different
models.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
On the road continued...
How we test
Handling
★★★★
Handling
Stability control is not fitted, but the RAV4 remains stable in critical situations and behaves
neutrally when cornering, even at speed. Permanent four-wheel-drive (in most models) gives
good traction on greasy road surfaces. The steering is very precise, and generally gives good
contact to the road, though surface irregularities are transmitted to the steering wheel. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Rating
★★★★
★★★★
Brakes
On-the-limit handling is explored well
away from public roads to ensure a fair
test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of
the harshest tests in the industry..
Brakes
The braking effect is satisfactory; emergency braking from 62mph takes 42m. The brakes
respond spontaneously and are finely metered; the ABS and EBD (electronic brakeforce
distribution) help keep the car on track. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Braking distance (62-0mph)
42.3m
Rating
★★★★
★★
Refinement and noise
Noise levels in the passenger compartment are not low, but are nevertheless unobtrusive; the
diesel engine does tend to vibrate at low revs. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Cruising noise
72dB
The Which? Car braking test measures
stopping distance from 62-0mph and is
repeated ten times in quick succession to
highlight any brake fade issues.
Refinement and noise
Rating
★★
The Which? Car experts use a decibel
meter to record interior sound levels
at common UK motorway speeds, and
combine this with subjective assessments
to arrive at an overall score.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
On the road continued...
How we test
Cabin and controls
★★★★
Cabin and controls
The driving position is good, with a height-adjustable steering wheel, and the instruments and
controls are all well-positioned and functional. The gauges are all well-positioned in the driver’s
field of view, and it is easy to acclimatise to the layout. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Rating
★★★★
★★★★
Visibility and parking
The large, heated exterior mirrors, the near-vertical side windows and the elevated driving
position make for good all-round visibility. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Turning circle
10.7m
We penalise cars with difficult controls,
and we look for things like backlit light
switches and easy-to-use heating and
ventilation adjustments.
Visibility and parking
Rating
★★★★
Visibility is a major issue for motorists
today, so each car gets a 360-degree
swivel view test to reproduce the driver’s
eye view and any obscured areas.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
Comfort and practicality
How we test
The RAV4 comes well-equipped, and is comfortable to ride in. It’s roomy front and rear, with a
big boot and reasonable versatility. The side-hinged tailgate may not be to everyone’s taste,
however. Getting in and out
★★★★
The front doors are large and high, allowing occupants to access the vehicle in an almost
upright position. Access to the rear seats of the five-door is similarly simple, although,
unsurprisingly, this is more of a scramble in the three-door. The door arresters are noticeably
weak, however, and the doors may slam shut when the RAV4 is parked on an incline. The sidehinged tailgate can also be awkward - it needs a lot of space to be opened fully, and again, it is
prone to swinging shut. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Seat space and comfort
Rating
★★★★
We take measurements all around the
driver and passenger’s door apertures
and note the height of the seat, door sills
and step down onto the car floor. The
best cars don’t require too much bending
or stretching to get in and out.
Seat space and comfort
★★★★
The height of the front compartment gives a feeling of spaciousness in the cabin, and the
driver’s seat easily carries someone up to 1.9 metres tall. It’s reasonably roomy in the back of
the five-door, too, while the three-door is less of a people-carrier and its rear seats are best left
to children. The surface of the rear seats is too low, and gives inadequate under-thigh support.
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Getting in and out
Rating
★★★★
We assess seat comfort subjectively,
using our road testers’ expert knowledge
and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head-, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to
see how well the car caters for people of
all shapes and sizes.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
Comfort and practicality continued...
How we test
Boot and storage
★★★★★
Boot and storage
The five-door’s boot is a respectable 430 litres, with up to 720 litres if the rear seats are
folded. The rear seats can be pushed forwards on their bases, folded completely, or removed
altogether, and their folding mechanism is easy to operate. They’re heavy to carry away,
however, and there’s not a lot of space to manoeuvre when installing or detaching them.
There’s not much by way of cabin stowage facilities, either, with a small glovebox and no rear
compartments for small items. Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Heating and ventilation
Boot space (seats up/down)
430 litres / 720 litres
Rating
★★★★★
★★★
The heating is adequate up front, but rather weak in the rear of the five-door - it takes quite a
while to warm up on a cold day, especially in the diesel version.
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Carmakers give official stats for boot
space, but our tests are more realistic. We
load the boot up with measuring blocks
only as far as the rear window line, so
that luggage is well secured and won’t
obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test
with the rear seats up, and folded down
(where possible).
Heating and ventilation
Rating
★★★
Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm
each car up from a frosty -10 degrees in
our climate chamber. Starting with a cold
engine, we measure how long it takes to
warm up the front and rear of the cabin.
Diesel cars usually take longer. We also
check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
Running costs and depreciation
How we test
The RAV4 is not the cheapest compact 4x4 to buy, but it holds its value well, and should
prove reliable and easy to maintain. Servicing, parts, maintenance and insurance costs are all
reasonable, if not super-cheap, and the diesel engine gives respectable fuel economy. Fuel consumption
Fuel consumption
The petrol engines are not particularly economical, but the 2.0-litre diesel is relatively frugal. Petrol (combined mpg, claimed)
30.4 mpg - 38.2 mpg
Diesel (combined mpg, claimed)
39.8 mpg - 39.8 mpg
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Urban (claimed/measured)
31.7 mpg/31.0 mpg
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Extra urban (claimed/measured)
46.3 mpg/46.3 mpg
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Motorway (measured)
34.0 mpg
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Combined (claimed/measured)
39.8 mpg/37.2 mpg
We test fuel economy under strict lab
conditions – using realistic test cycles – to
reveal the facts behind the figures. Our
figures rarely match manufacturer claims
as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold
engine, and on the motorway.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
Running costs and depreciation continued...
How we test
Emissions
Emissions
Emissions from the petrol engines are high, hence expensive tax bandings, but the diesels
give a lower carbon dioxide output. No particulate filters however. Petrol (CO2, claimed)
175g per km - 224g per km
Diesel (CO2, claimed)
190g per km - 190g per km
Model tested
diesel 2.0 D-4D (116bhp) manual 5-dr (2003)
Emissions (claimed/measured)
190g per km/209g per km
While testing fuel economy, we also
collect exhaust gases to enable us to
measure the amount of carbon dioxide
(CO2) emitted. We also check whether
particulate filters are effective at removing
sooty emissions from diesel engines.
Safety
Safety and security
The 2000-2005 RAV4 did not go through the Euro NCAP crash tests and its front seats were
rated only ‘marginal’ for whiplash protection in tests by Thatcham. It is structurally tough and
solid, however, and safe for its time. We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP
crash test scores (where available),
alongside our own comprehensive safety
checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results
from our accident avoidance test – after
all, it’s far better to steer around a crash
than rely on the airbags...
Euro NCAP score
No results available.
Which? safety rating
Active (crash avoidance)
Passive (crash safety)
Child
Pedestrian
55%
72%
57%
57%
Security
Most models (all apart from early entry-level ‘Granite versions) scored well in security surveys;
five stars for ‘theft of’, indicating that it’s hard to drive a RAV4 away without the right keys, and
four for ‘theft from’, showing a good resistance to break-ins. Theft of car: Theft from car:
★★★★
★★
Security
Security scores come from the security
experts at Thatcham, who break into
hundreds of cars each year. Most modern
cars are very difficult to drive away, but
are still too easy to steal from.
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
Which? Car Survey results
About our survey
The Which? Car Survey is the UK’s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In
2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous
12 months (that’s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique
feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars.
Note: Star ratings below are from 1-5 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages
shown under ‘Most common faults’ indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem
in the past 12 months.
Brand
Sample size: 4,313 people
Toyota ratings
Overall owner satisfaction for this brand
Brand reliability
Dealer Servicing & repair
Model: Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)Sample size:
92 people
Ownership ratings
Overall owner satisfaction for this range
Ease of driving
Comfort
Dash layout and controls
Practicality
Value for money
Running costs
In-car technology
-
Everyone who takes part in the Which?
Car survey tells us about their car and
the dealers who sell and service it. We
analyse this feedback across all cars to
give top-level satisfaction ratings for each
brand, including the brand’s reliability
record over the last eight years. All star
ratings are out of five.
Model ownership ratings
★★★
★★★★★
Dealer Sales Service
Driving enjoyment
83%
Brand ratings
These show how owners score this car
in 12 different areas, from performance to
heating. Owners’ ratings are subjective –
so may differ from Which? Car test scores
– but they give a good idea of what the
car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars
are scored against other cars in the same
class (e.g. for space).
80%
★★
★★★
★★
★★
★★★
★★★
★★
★
-
Owner’s View
Day in day out it is
comfortable and reliable
and easy to live with - I
was recently driving in the
Black Mountains in snow,
the RAV coped easily on
ordinary tyres.
Owner’s View
Comfortable with highup driving position and
all round visibility. 4
wheel drive great for
bad weather conditions
or towing and plenty of
power. Good space for
passengers or luggage and
sports equipemnt. Well
Which? Car review
Toyota RAV4 (2000-2005)
4x4s/SUVs
Which? Car Survey results continued...
About our survey
Reliability ratings
Reliability ratings
-
Overall Reliability
Petrol cars
Reliability
Breakdowns
Average annual repair cost
Diesel cars
Reliability
Breakdowns
Average annual repair cost
All cars
Reliability
Breakdowns
Average annual repair cost
Up to 3 years old
4-8 years old
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts
need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where
the car has been on sale for some time,
and we have numerous survey responses
from owners, we also split scores by the
age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are
out of five – the more stars, the more reliable the car.
Most common faults
Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months
Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12
months
Most common faults
Up to 3 years old
-
-
-
4-8 years old
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year
Want to know what’s most likely to go
wrong as the car gets older? These are
the five most common faults reported by
owners, grouped by age into new, recent
and older cars. A score of 40% means
four out of 10 owners reported problems
with that part of the car over the previous
12 months. Engine electrics and non-engine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause
more headaches than mechanical parts in
most modern cars.