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SUVs Toyota RAV4 Toyota RAV4 Real World MPG
254 messages, Last post on Oct 12, 2009 at 5:05 AM
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Sorry for the mess above. Program wouldn't let me correct, spell check or punctuate. Kept asking for my pass word and then rejecting it. Let's try again. New 2009 Rav4 Sport with 2.5 4I engine. Front wheel drive. We broke it in locally as this puts the engine through it's paces without maintaining a given RPM for long periods as a trip would do. For the 1st 300 or so miles we kept the RPM below 3000. For the next 300 miles the same with occasionally giving enough throttle to allow it to shift at closer to 4000 rpm. After the clock passed 600 miles I let it gently get up to around 2000 rpm and then floor board it allowing the tach to red line at 6000 or so. Then let off the throttle and resume conservative driving. For local driving my wife is getting 24-26 mpg. She was getting 20-22 on her 20003 Cr-V. Which she traded for the Rav4. We have been refilling the tank at the half way mark and the gauge "Average MPG" has been pretty much on the mark. One time the gauge said we got 25.4, but when hand calculated we actually got 27+. That didn't surprise me as the fill up before that the nozzle didn't shut off and gas ran out the top of the filler pipe, so it was over stuffed to say the least. On this fill up we let the pump run on the slowest setting and removed the nozzle when it clicked off the first time, as we normally do. So there was a discrepency in the way the tank was filled those two times, resulting in a fairly large discrepency between the gauge and hand calculations. Generally the gauge is within 2/10 to 5/10 of hand calculations which is close enough that we have learned to trust it. This past Saturday, with 700+ miles on the odometer, we took a trip of about 102 miles one way. Filled the tank before we left. And Zeroed the gauge and trip "B". Temperature was 78ish, so AC was not needed until we were nearly at the destination. The first 17 miles were back roads, light traffic, and some traffic lights. Once on the express way I set the cruise at 58 mph (2000 rpm) and occasionally gave enough throttle to force a down shift and run up to 65+ mpg then let it go back to cruise at 58. Made one rest area stop and the last leg was about 5 miles of back roads. Stopped to eat during this leg. According to the gauge, the entire trip "GOING" delivered 35.7 mpg. This seemed very high to me. The AC had been on since before reaching the 1st destenation and stayed on for most of the remainder of the day. Temp was now in the high 80s. We did 15 or so miles of local driving after leaving the 1st destination. This involved a lot of starts and stops and visiting, with light traffic. As we left to start home I reset the gauge to zero. First leg on the return trip involved near 20 miles of back roads, one stop sign, and 2 traffic lights. Traffic was light. Once we got to the expressway, I set the cruise at 63 mph. Occasionally throttling up to 70. AC still on. Just before arriving home we stopped for gas. The gauge said we got 32.0 mpg on the return trip. Didn't surprise me that the return yielded lower mileage, with the higher speed and the AC on . But still seemed high. Filled the tank and did the hand calculation. The result was 33.5 mpg for the entire trip. (228 miles and 6.8 gallons). Pleased with the mileage and pleased overall with the ride and handling. The driver seat feels good for short trips, but after 15-20 minutes the middle of my back , between the shoulder blades begins to ache. Would think that between the telescoping and tilting of the steering wheel and the seat adjustments, there would be the perfect spot. But not yet. Getting closer though. The arm rest on the door and the console are a bit too low when the seat is the right height. Also, the head rest touching the back of our heads is distracting, but we are getting used to it. These two items may be the reason the seat seems awkward. Kip |
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Mostly Brooklyn local ocassional BQE occasional West Side HWY averages around 15 MPG (Rav4 calculated numbers) this is a new 2009 Rav4 Base currently  600 miles on the odometer
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Replying to: puneecar (Oct 11, 2009 3:16 pm)
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Replying to: guyverfanboy (Oct 11, 2009 8:20 pm) |
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Replying to: puneecar (Oct 11, 2009 3:16 pm) Best vehicles for city driving would be one of the hybrids. |
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that they ore overlooked. Read many "Reviews", and many "Reports" on different forums. There are a few items that seem to repeat as complaints for the RAV4. Below are our evaluations after ownership since the last of July 09 and near 2000 miles of all types of driving condition except bumper to bumper heavy stop and go traffic. Our comparisons are based on the driving experiences between our 09 RAV4 with the 4 cylinder , vs the 03 CR-V we traded in and the 03 Pilot we still own. Both Honda's were bought new in '03. Both my wife and myself are 5'6" tall. Drivers seat: For our comfort, Both Hondas required the driver seat be jacked up to their highest position for the best comfort. Pilot has 8 way electric driver seat and the CR-V had the mechanically adjusted 3 way seats as does our RAV4 Sport. So, we set the RAV4 seat to its highest position and went from there. Neither of us could get really comfortable with the RAV4 seat and my back would begin to hurt after just a few minutes. I tried some seat "Cushions" from Auto zone that made little to no difference. Just couldn't seem to get the seat back angle correct to get the head rest away from out heads and still be sitting up straight enough for comfort. Plus the door's arm rest was too far down for the elbow to reach comfortably. Tried the full telescoping and tilt adjustments of the steering wheel and putting the seat closer and farther away with little favorable results. Came to the conclusion that the "Smallish" steering wheel was part of the problem. After weeks of us trying to get comfortable in the "driver seat from hell" and balancing things on the door's arm rest and the console, to give our backs some relief, I got real inventive.  Lowered the seat so that the door's arm rest would support my elbow. Took 8 clicks down to accomplish that. Noticed also that the seat bottom cushion seemed to be tilting somewhat. Somehow the head rest is no longer an issue and the seat is comfortable for both of us. The below comparisons are based on the NEW RAV4 vs 7 year old Hondas with approximately 40K miles on them. Acceleration: The RAV4 seems smoother shifting and quicker accelerating than the the CR-V or the V6 Pilot. The RAV4 2.5 is a marvel of smoothness and strength. Road noise: Less Road noise than either Honda, both local and Hyway driving. Ride: RAV4 rides smoother and handles better than the CR-V, Handles better than the Pilot but doesn't ride as soft as the Pilot. I think the near 1000 pounds extra weight of the Pilot contributes to that. Seating: Pilot second row seats are more comfortable. RAV4 and CR-V pretty much on par for comfort but the "Sliding" 2nd row seat as well as fold flat feature earns points for the RAV4. I never did like the fold n' flip CR-V 2nd seat. Cargo Area. Load height is lower than the Pilot and about the same as the CR-V. Rear door/hatch: We both prefer the door. Spare tire: Neither of us like the "Look" of the spare on the back. Didn't like it on the CR-V either. However after removing the spare from the Pilot recently, the spare on the back would definitely be easier to deal with when dealing with a flat on the side of the road. If I had my "druthers", it would be the spare inside the car, under the floor, and a smooth DOOR on the back. In a nut shell, I would trade the Pilot for a RAV4, but don't need a second car note right now. Kip |
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