RAV4 Owners & Aficionados

Interesting. My buddy has a 2023 Prime plug In Hybrid and it does not have a spare tire.

 

After owning 2 Camry hybrids, when it came time to replace my Tacoma last year, the RAV4 hybrid was at the top of the list. After I saw the Woodland edition in Calvary blue, I knew which direction I was going. I’ve put almost 27 thousand miles on it in 17 months.

 

Stupid TPMS versus Smart TPMS.

My wife's 2020 RAV4 XLE is not tagged as a Premium, but it has most of the Premium options. Heated seats, heated steering wheel, front window defrost, Lane Departure that will steer you back into your lane if you don't turn on the directional, automatic HVAC with individual settings, seat fabric pattern as used in the Premium, and OEM remote start. We bought it off lease and the dealer even had the hood repainted because it had a couple of scratches that couldn't be buffed out. She loves it and once in a while I get to drive it.

Anyway, on to my story. She told me the other day that the TPMS light was on. Since the temperature had dropped over the previous couple of days, I checked the tire pressure and brought all four up to the recommended 36psi cold temperature. I then found out how to reset the TPMS light and did that. Then I went to look for the tire pressure display as I have in my 2019 Tacoma SR5. Nope, nothing there. I went through all of the menu items and there is no display that I could find.

I did some research on line and it appears that RAV4 come with either dumb TPMS which is the light only, or smart TPMS which shows the tire pressures for all four tires on screen.

It's odd that such a well equipped car doesn't have "Smart TPMS." The other odd thing is that it doesn't have an auto dimming rear view mirror. It's a 1970s style with the little lever you have to move to get into night mode. MY Tacoma SR5 has the automatic as well as the smart TPMS.

Toyota sure does weird things sometimes. We bought this in Mass. before the move to Texas if that makes any difference.

 

I've told so many friends of mine out shopping for a vehicle to check for a spare tire, most look at me funny until I explain this.

Then I tell them that the can of slime ain't gonna help if you shred a sidewall.

 

I ran over a pipe/ ratchet handle with my minivan once. Had a hole in the tire as wide as my pinky, and a metal pipe holding it open.
I was so glad to have a donut spare that let me get home safely! After that happened, I have to have a real tire for a spare.

 

I'm pretty sure her RAV4 has a full size spare. Then again I have to move 5 metric tons of crap to get to it.

 

I hit a pothole and demolished the sidewall on my old truck. Only time I ever called AAA to change my tire, I felt like a fool sitting there waiting but being that I was wearing my best suit I wasn't going to risk ruining it over a tire.

Our 05 did, when they had the tire cover on the back. Think her 14 does as well..and same re the clutter of her vehicle..

 

If someone is looking for a cheap upgrade to their fog lights on their 5th Gen Rav4, the LED fog lights from the 5th Gen 4Runner fit without modifications.

 

I got around to checking the wife's RAV4 and it has a donut spare. But at least it has a spare.

 

The gas fill pipe on my 2024 can be wiggled around at the fill port. It seems to be securely wrapped with a rubber-like material, but it will move around a bit when you pump gas. Is this normal ?

I plan on bringing it to the attention of the dealer. But, I thought I’d ask here first.

 

Our 14 is similar in that it has a little flex, I just keep my hand on the pump gun when fueling up just for safety's sake.

 

Checking tire pressures today while it's still 55 degrees here in NC. Quick shot of the spare that came with our 2020 RAV4 XSE. Not quite full size, but not the typical tiny donut either.

 

For fun: https://wilcooffroad.com/products/hitchgate-solo

I was actually pretty impressed with the Rav4 donut wheel: that painted alloy has got to be one of the nicest spare wheels I've ever seen, and it js the correct diameter.

I wonder if there is a replacement tire that will fit that rim and width, without the limitations of a donut tire?

 

Yes, much nicer than the typical spare mounted on a small, steel wheel.

 

Also, we're only talking about a 2.5" difference, you could easily add some 2x2s or something and raise the closed floor height to fit a full-size spare, if you want to keep it out of the elements.

Digging through all of your crap on a trip to get to your spare sucks, though, so there are other benefits to a hitch / bumper mount.

 

Hey cool! A RAV4 thread. Shortly after we bought a weekend/eventually retirement house in the mountains, a friend moved to Mexico and sold us their 13 RAV4 for cheap. A low miles base model with AWD and in great condition. It lives at the mountain house and we use it as a second car when we're there. It's phenomenally uninteresting to drive and so humble I don't even have a picture of it. It's time to shine comes in winter, when I remove the Michelins, and put on the Blizzaks. When there's snow or ice on the road, I'm taking the AWD RAV4 over the truck every time. That's when I love that thing.

 

My wife has a 14 we got in 2019 with 15K miles. She loves it. If I wanted a SUV I'd be hard pressed not to get one.

 

It's just amazing how well it handles in snow and ice conditions for the ski day runs, with some decent rubber (CC2s). That, and EV levels of acceleration (on the Prime). Makes going up to the slopes super easy, and the Tacos been retired from those runs unless I need the cargo space.

 

Wife loves her RAV4 (see signature). My timeline for buying a hybrid AWD one moved to the next fall. Unless Toyota adds the Corolla Cross Hybrid to the VSPP list. Then it will be a Corolla Cross hybrid. And I will have to deal with not having a spare tire. But it is 38/35 MPG vs 45/38 MPG for the Cross. And I need a commuter car.

 

Having picked up our 24 SXE back in September, we haven't had a chance to use it in snow yet.

From what I'm hearing, it should be a standout performer in the snow even with the Michelins on.