I just bought a 24 hybrid xse, but it doesn’t arrive for a couple of weeks. Your video really helped me imagine what living with this vehicle might be like. None of the problems you mentioned are a terribly big deal to me, but it was nice hearing your thoughts and seeing your awesome car!

Lift the cap where the wiper arm attaches to the pivot and the rear wiper arm can be raised higher

We bought my wife a 24 LE last month. She’s loving it so far. I’m surprised you didn’t mention engine auto shut off. I know you permanently deactivated it by unplugging the hood sensor wire, but now you see that message in the instrument console. We’re trying to make pressing the deactivation button a habit after turning the ignition on.

I’m still trying to get use to turning exterior lights on/off myself. Had to think about it, but haven’t had to do this in 26 years and I’ve almost always bought lower trim level. I knew I had to use a key to start this Rav4 hybrid LE…I knew it had no remote starter and no heated seats. Can’t get them…period. On the other hand, it’s got adaptive cruise control, and blind spot monitor/rear cross traffic alert was added as an option. Also has heated exterior mirrors along with turn signals on sideview mirrors. 👍 So it doesn’t feel stripped by any means. Goes to show you how thorough you have to be even when buying brand new car. I’ll get use to it. Other than this, I’m very happy…so far.

My wife has a 2024 RAV4 and I have a 2023 RAV4, both cars were built in Canada. Both cars have an 8 mm gap between roof and rear door at center line. I opened both doors and there is zero debris where the hinges are located. Our cars are always parked in the garage though. I have also opened the hood a few times when I meant to open the gas door. I asked my wife how many times she had done it. She said never, she said she saw the two releases and saw the left was for the gas so she only opens it when she wants gas. I guess women are smarter than men.😁

I have the same car as you and the same garage door opener. My opener popped of the visor also. But I found a very simple fix, mount it on the side of the visor between the visor and the light. When my remote is clicked on the metal clip covers the word "generation" on the back of the visor.

Great video. I was looking at a RAV4 and I appreciate knowing these things. Also, the reason the front defroster resets to the off position after turning the ignition off and back on again may be that some cars have the AC compressor automatically come on when you activate the front windshield defroster. So if it stayed in the on position after shutting down the car, the startup/battery load would be increased by having to drive the AC compressor when starting the vehicle. That could shorten the battery life. Just my guess though.

Thanks I’ll be sure to check the rear tailgate for the wide gap before I buy a RAV4.

great video!

Another great video. Now for your rear wiper, at the end of the wiper there is a cover that hides the bolt. All you have to do is spread and lift the black cover and your wiper will go up further . And then drop your wiper back to the glass and snap back that black cover.

I have a 2023 Rav4 LE, and I completely agree about the windshield wiper speed! Also the lack of BSM on the LE I don't understand. To me that should be a standard safety feature.

To lift the rear window wiper you have flip the separate piece at the base up like a latch clip. This is how you’ll be able to change it as well. 9:43

I had a 2024 RAV4 XLE for a rental for a week. The Heated Seats were not very warm. Acceleration was sluggish when first hitting the gas and no digital oil gauge.

I have a 2024 and agree emphatically about wipers, the thick visor. I have an xle with delay wipers with rain sensor only because it came with a pkg. I didn’t want the so called convenience pkg but luckily twas last day of month and they wanted to move it so I got the convenience pkg, winter mats, cargo and seat back protection along with mud flaps and door edge guards for no charge. I told the salesman to not tell Toyota but I would pay?500 NOT to have a Moonroof!! I maintain vehicle like you will oil changes too! Yeah the hood thing I’ve done 2-3 times and only have 2k miles ha. Thanks!!! Well done!!!

The rear door gap in my 2023 RAV4 its about 1/2", I reported this to Toyota Advocate and I got compensated due to the design flaw.

The windshield wiper-speed limitation (exactly the same as on my base-level 2009 Corolla!) is not insignificant. It's really annoying and unforgiveable.

I agree, annoying you can't slow down the wipers more, even 1980s cars had more speeds. I put a tape label on my gas latch open lever to not pop the hood open. I like that the sunviser turns on a light when you open the mirror slide. If you park outside in a heavy rain the doors may collect water in them as the bottom seal won't let the water drain. I made a v cut on the rubber seal to stop that. Most annoying for me is the Rav does not track straight, I constantly have to correct the wheel left and right to go straight. I like your Honda Pilot and wish I could find a 2024 at a good price before the new 2025 changes come out. But it doesn't look like a good deal will happen in my area.

When you find something for the remote please share. I have a 2018 and I have not found a fix.

If you can find a wiper switch at an auto salvage you can remove three screws, remove the plastic column cover the wiper lever has a tap lift it and just comes out put the other in and it’s upgraded.

One significant design issue I had on my 2023 RAV4 LE was there was very little lumbar support (upper level RAV4s have adjustable lumbar supports) and it was causing me significant back pain. And I did not want to buy one of those ugly back support cushions off Amazon. Luckily I found a KZfaq video that shows that the back of the seat has a zipper, undo the zipper and add more foam till you get the desired effect and zip it back up!

Hello, thanks for sharing your experiences with the RAV4. I ask you a favor: Could you mark the height where the door closes, then open and load the door 3 times (tilting the vehicle) and check the height where the door closes? In my experience, their hinges are so weak that the doors fall off with normal use. Don't worry if it bent a little, then you pick it up and it's so soft you can adjust it. On the other hand, in Hyundai Santa Fe year 2011, the door hinges are firm and it does not affect it.

I have the same car and the same trim. My pain points are: 1. Cabin windnoise 2. Auto Start / Off button has no memory and will have to be pressed each time you turn on the engine. 3. No auto headlights. Headlights have to be turned on/off manually every time.

Garage door opener in the sunglass holder and sunglasses on the visor?

My immediate observation was the wheels. Those wheels is something you would find in an entry level car

do you get the airbag light on for passenger on the controller?

I'm living on Canada, just one issue which bothering me it's noise during the low temperature outside, plastic inside on trunk door, it makes a lot of noise

There button for the back seat a/c light is on (green)when not in use and light is off when it’s In Use. Shouldn’t it be the other way around. I have the xle version

Great info. Also, if you hand wax your vehical, do not take it to a car wash. I'tll remove that wax. Plus, may get scratches on the paint from those brushes.

What about engine noise? A lot of people are complaining that the current generation 2.5 N/A engine is very coarse and noisy when picking up speed, and that the cabin should have been more insulated from it. Would you agree?

I don’t have a RAVE but I do have a Tacoma like yours and also a Camry. My main complaint is that neither vehicle has any room to put stuff. Yes the both have a glove box and a center console but I would like to see still more room.

Do you happen to know where your Rav4 was assembled? Mine was built in Canada. I just walked outside and my Rav4 has all the same gaps lol. Still love it though, so far.

Be careful when you wash your instrument cluster, it scratches extremely easily.

The hump on left and right hood block my vision of the ground.

Gas door issue. Or Petrol door as we would say in Australia lol - Just get a fluro or bright colour (yes we spell it with a U in Australia) round small sticker and stick to that so you know which one it is at a glance., fixed.

The cup holders. When u get a drink from a fast food place you hit the straws when you go to shift the gears. You have raise your arm up over your straws.

Use velcro tape for your garage door opener. I had that problem too. Velcro tape works greatml.

I wish they had manual height adjustment on the passenger seat, the seat is set kind of high

I was looking into a RAV 4 LE but what they wanted for it I wound up with a Subaru Crosstrek Sport

I have a Nissan, and I have some of the same problems. I have accidentally opened the hood at a gas station rather than the gas door. Debris gets stuck in a number of places on my front and back windows, and it is impossible to get out (although my gap is much, much smaller than your gap is which is why tree droppings get stuck in it). In any car I've owned, I've never had wipers that are timed for very, very small amounts of rain. As for the large gaps, I had a Toyota Corolla years ago, and the gaps where the door closed were so big in winter I never knew if I'd be able to get into my car in the morning. Often it would freeze up. I'd have to muck it up with WD40 to try and avoid that. I guess these are the problems with cheaper cars.

I totally agree with some, disagree with others, and have a few of my own. I agree with wipers not having two intermittent modes. I mean totally. This is ridiculous. I don't have the liftgate gap on mine but it's made in Japan while yours is likely made in the US I personally couldn't care less about sunglasses not fitting in the dedicated pocket but I tend to agree that it might be annoying I - again, personally - don't care about visor thickness simply because I don't have a garage opener and if I had, I would've found a workable solution I also agree with climate controls, and not only absence of setting memory but also counter intuitive layout. Why are there separate buttons for basically the same functions. Like fan up/down. Why not one rocker button? As far as gas/hood levers go, it's the same thing on a lot of vehicles including both of my 4Runners so I got used to it, and it doesn't bother me at all. The rear wiper not extracting all the way - yes, it is annoying. My oldest (2004) 4Runner has the same "feature" so I fixed it 20 years ago by just breaking the plastic tab off. My 2018 4Runner's wiper goes all the way up behind the rear spoiler so it's not the issue. What I REALLY have an issue with is "infotainment". The darn thing is of the 16th century in terms of functionality and interface. And finally, don't worship your honda too much - when you have a problem, good luck getting help from it. Don't ask me how I know and why I dumped my last honda in 2004, replaced it with a 4Runner and never looked back. In short, despite all - legitimate and not so much - issues, Toyota has incredible advantage over everything else in terms of reliability and longevity, and that - trust me - compensates all shortcomings.

Hey Yakfish, Great videos! Thanks for taking the time. I was surprised to find your videos. I have the same EXACT vehicle. Same color, hubcaps, trim and everything. One thing I am disappointed in, are how short the defroster vents at the base of the windshield are. They only cover half of the windshield! Check yours to see. These short vents are inadequate in my Michigan winters. Poorly designed in my opinion. I love the vehicle overall and am especially pleased with the fuel economy. About the gap you mention at the hatchback. Mine is not that excessive (not trying to make you feel bad). Perhaps you should talk to your dealer about a warranty claim. A professional body shop might be able to make an adjustment and align things better. Maybe that is all it needs. Like your doors, it is removable and has specific adjustment requirements. I'm surprised that slipped through during the final assembly inspection. Maybe it was adjusted or played with after it left the factory? I would research and find out how much adjustment is possible. Anyway, thanks again for the great detailed videos! Keep up the great work!

I got 2023 xle premium is no problem I like it

You complained about none issue for a cheapest LE model. I could not put my sunglass in my holder on RX350 either. There is where the garage opener go. I had no problem with my AC control. It always started and turned on vent direction. I don't want defrost and seldom used on my car. My gas door lever is right next to my rear hatch lever and I had no problem with it because I never used the rear hatch lever inside.

I have the same visor problem in my '13 Scion tC. I ended up clipping my garage door opener on the "oh sh!t" handle on the driver side. Not perfect, but gets the job done.

All the things you mentioned make sense, I suffer from it too

That’s why it calls base trim. I prefer Honda CRV

I am curious if yours is Japan built or Canada built.

About the wipers, it probably dont bother most because, they either had the car "treated", or they use something like RainX. I use RainX and only use my wipers....sometimes, so it never a big deal to me! I swear by windshield treatment... You have a legitimate complaint(s) though.. BTW... I don't have the Rav 4 yet, but... I have one on order. I'm going with the silver too, and plan to Overland it out :)

The windshield wiper issue would drive me crazy. We live in the PNW! All types of rain. I have a base model 2014 Jeep Patriot with no electronics. Hand roll down windows etc. But it has 5 speeds of intermittent wipers before you go to full on! The defroster would drive me crazy too. All of the simplest settings in a vehicle don't need to be digital. Give me analog buttons and knobs.

Use like a turtle wax no streak detailer on your windshield and about every month or bi weekly and you'll be fin. Itll bead water like crazy.

Rear windshield wiper on my Prius has the same limited upward movement. I'm surprised you didn't complain about the wind/road noise. The RAV4 is terrible for that. Lexus NX is quieter (and more expensive of course).

Just place the garage control under the steering wheel, there is a plastic piece where it stayed without a problem, I do the same in my Venza.

Yes, rear wiper is possible to "open" it, you have to go to the base and hold to you the base, it is like a plastic protector, after that you can leave it fixed. It is the process when you have to change your rear windshield wipers

I also thought the hatchback gap is very odd. I has a baby frog rooming in mine. And also i can't tell you how many times i have mistakenly opened my hood thinking its the gas door. I'm missing my Mazda to be honest😊

I bought 2024 rav4 FWD from Canada. I had two conditions, no black or dark grey and it had to be FWD. They did their best to get me to buy a AWD and I had to go out of state to buy the FWD but it is worth it. The AWD drives are not worth the price and can be a bunch more in expense. If you think you need or want Awd buy the 4 wheel drive, they're worth it.

Regarding wiper speed, if Toyota watched this video and read the comments, what would they do? 1) include intermittent wiper in the base trim to attract more buyers, or 2) don't do anything, to make you buy higher trim? They have to decide if this is a deal breaker that would piss off their potential customers and they may go buy a CR-V instead.

That is a big gap. Maybe it's designed that way for water drainage ? Have you looked at the same model as yours to see if they have the same issue ?

After my 2007 Rav4 was totaled I got a 23 Rav4 XLE. My biggest complaint is the rear door has to be manually opened which is difficult for me, especially if my hands are full. There is no button to push on the dash or remote. Seems like an XLE should have one. I usually put groceries in the back seat so I don't have to fight with the rear door. My 2007 was much easier. I have to scrunch up to get in or out of the car and I'm 5'5". My 2007 was easier. There are no bag hooks in the back. My 2007 had them. Buttons for AC, defroster and heater panel are horrible to find when driving. They are too small, hard to see and not labelled well. My 2007 was better. I despise the radio or infotainment system. Give me back the knobs my 2007 had. It wasn't always trying to sell me satellite radio. I've also opened the hood instead of the gas cap when filling up. Likes: I like the mileage it gets & it isn't a hybrid; 34mpg in town & 38 on highway. The backup camera is a great safety feature. I like keyless door opening with my hand and push button to start it. I couldn't test drive this car before buying it since there weren't any on the lots and I waited months for it to finally get here. What a disappointment. I miss my 2007.

I might buy one for my wife but I can't find any white Rav4 LE at any Toyota dealer near by.

Toyota could have installed a better fckn reverse camera man with that price and a better speaker

Your right the windshield speed stinks .on my Le if I push up on the handle the wipers will clean the windshield one time.

I have exactly the same trim model and color and all of those things you mentioned doesn't bother me. All cars get dirty over time. I had an older RAV4 which was black and the dirt shows up more than the silver color. My car has 4 intermittent speed modes. Maybe Toyotas made in Canada are different? The things that bothers me is if I don't slam the back door hard enough it wouldn't catch. Also the doors on the car have the handles too far forward so there isn't as much leverage when you close them thus you sometimes have to slam the door a little harder to close. However, I would say those things are minor.

If you don't have time to wash it, go to a automatic car wash, whenever it gets dirty. Preferably a touchless car wash. I never let my cars stay dirty. If you want to vary wiper speed, look up "intermittent wiper" in the manual, you can make it wipe as slow as you want. Stop-start system, everyone hates. Be glad it's a Toyota and gives you the shutoff switch. My Sisters 2020 Buick has NO shutoff for stop-start system. Enjoy the Rav4 !

The Wipers you should have checked out before you bought the car. When you did a test drive.

What bothered me the most coming from a smooth V8 is the rough engine and `not smooth acceleration also the shifts are very noticeable. That's what I think bothered me the most.

Hi Yakfish Taco, love your videos. I'm a Canadian 2023 RAV4 LE owner, and I'd add a) absurdly deep cupholders in the center console that make getting at a small coffee very difficult, b) not-great mileage in stop-and-go traffic (as you've illustrated, the highway mileage is great) and c) a grill just below the windshield where seeds from a tree above my parking spot have great success penetrating (not sure how to clean them out). Cheers!

does the le have tire pressure sensors

My knee hit against the center console. Not comfortable at all.

investing in ceramic coat would save you the bad dirty look of your color ;) and secure the black plastic parts from UV/sun.. doesn't have to be expensive one - even low price products will do the work (but ofc., the higher price, the better result).. and OMG, this brush is just making this whole thing about dirt worse... ceramic coat for the front glass will do the work for most of the rain/water as well :) good luck! the rest of observations - yeah, I agree with all of them in some extent :) on top - the glossy, but plastic screens - I'm a bit afraid they will become mat shortly... :/ I'm already searching a good cover for them (additional 9H glass perhaps)

That's strange about your wipers . I'm in Canada and my 21' LE AWD has completely different wiper speed settings . It has truely adjustable intermittent setting . It seems like Toyota took that away as a cost cutting measure .

the thing i hate the RAV4 is the F** auto stop start feature

Valid points. But, we *RAV4GE* 🤪

the rear wiper lifts up, but you have to pop the little plastic piece at the base of the arm all the way on the right side kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sMiXqdhpxsyVe5s.htmlsi=kD8E9hMRxTwHSQtR

Its not a trim level issue. I have a XLE and my automatic wipers doesn't perform as nice as Mazda did.

Looks like u need to clean the interior next 🤔

My 2024 RAV4 TRD Off Road has NO Stop/Start. I would not have bought it with that "Feature". How come some have it and others do not?

Use rain X. Then you never need to use your wipers ever!

About windshield wipers, I understand you. The thick shade is s😊o funny, why? These engineers are missing something their kid could tell them. About windshield wiper short lift makes easier a stronger hinge. Sunglasses compartment is where you put pens. Toyota is building the best car for cheap. About the two latches is funny. True. Upgrade.

Very little head room

That is a large gap in trunk area. Can't be normal.

None of your issues are my issues.

Only 7 ? I don't like anything about it 😅 actually 1: reliable

Try a black car. You will be cleaning it every bour😂

Get smaller sunglasses.

😢

Don’t think they make a perfect vehicle 🤔

Lol just wash it

Yeah, and I don't like my Mercedes because it's dirty.

TY. Sunglasses holder