2021 Toyota Rav4 | LE FWD

A review of the Toyota Rav4 LE FWD.
A value packed Toyota Rav4 when in base trim.
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[menguardingtheirownwallets]

The nice thing about getting Front-Wheel-Drive is that when you get a flat tire and you need to buy ONE new tire, you only have to buy 1 or 2 new tires, you don't have to buy 4 new tires. if you only need the tire on the rear, you can buy only one tire. If it is for the front and the old tires are worn down significantly then you will need 2 new tires to avoid the traction control from thinking that one tire is constantly slipping on ice due to the smaller diameter of the old vs new tire. Plus, after 8 years of Canadian salted roads, the centre support bearing of the driveshaft to the rear wheels usually goes out and needs replacing. There is no way to replace just that one small bearing, you have to replace the entire driveshaft, and the new driveshaft is $2, 000 plus another $600 for labor, so almost $3, 000 with taxes just to fix that problem. So you save $3, 000 in cost if you are planning on keeping your RAV4 past 8 years.

[jlousy]

Thanks for the Base model FWD review. I'm in Toronto, Canada and have gotten by with winter tires on FWD cars here, no problem. Next vehicle will be this model and this trim!

[jamescdean]

Just bought the exact same model last week, delivered from online (carv) dealer. So far, so good, and I love Toyota reliability. Another car in the family is a 2005 Solara with 200k on the clock. She starts right up and has never left us stranded. Won't sell her because it's worth more to me to have it than what I would get by selling it. Great Video

[vidhyarranyan]

Great review! Thank you mate. I was in a dilemma now this review helped make the decision. Booking it next week 👏🏻 happy new year

[saraaronzon]

Finally a base model review that is real! Thank you

[jagdeepsandhu]

Excellent review! Probably my next car purchase but on a higher end model to get the nicer seats. I'd say my only real issue with it is that on acceleration the engine sounds really rough compared to some competitors. I hope they'll isolate it better on the mid cycle refresh

[christianhall]

Great review. I recently bought a 2022 Base model Rav 4 LE with fwd it is honestly a solid choice! Just want to get from point a to point b in decent style and even the base model is really good for the money.

[martinz]

Great review, FWD is lighter and smoother to drive than AWD, where it's only necessary for acceleration and no difference in stopping distance

[abbyhunker]

I have 21 RAV4 LE fwd in ruby flare color so far it’s good suv

[jollyp]

Very good review although we are in 2023 now and they no longer make fwd which is ok with me because the awd now is msrp of 32, 150$ which is pretty good 2 years later.

[johnbentley]

This seems to be the video I was looking for. I live below the snow line, but was looking for comparisons between the FWD and AWD in the ice and snow. I know they offer packages with "snow mode" and all that, but I was genuinely curious how and if people were driving FWD in the ice and snow, because surely not everyone up north is driving AWD.

It's kind of iffy on whether or not you actually want or need the AWD on the Gen5 Rav4, because it only delivers 50% power to the rear on demand. So you have to think "how often would it come into play?" The traction control system is really good on it's own. I have original tires from the factory at 72, 000 km (45, 000 miles) and when I peel out onto the road after going through a car wash, the traction is smooth to correct it. So I can only imagine how the traction will handle when I put new All-Terrains on.

Personally, I'm happier with the base model, because it give you the best of both worlds. The latest in design reliability, with less things to break and replace over time.
After owning mine for the last year, I can see why it's the number 1 selling (non-truck) three years in a row.

[AcousticJamDad]

Ok, first off, who buys an SUV without AWD and why would they even bother making one? An SUV without AWD or 4x4 is actually harder to control in sticky situations like snow, mud and rain…center of gravity is higher than in a car and to me it just doesn’t make sense.