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2004 Toyota RAV4 Compact Sport Utility Vehicle
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It's totally different this year
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The RAV4 started out in 1996 with a measly 120-horsepower 2.0-liter engine. It was adequate to get you around town and where you needed to go. But this new upgrade for 2004 is awesome.
Count on 161 horses powering a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine graced with Toyota’s own Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-I) system that gives the RAV4 better performance and power in highway driving.
The engine is married to a four-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel in depended suspension and full-time four-wheel-drive.
The styling of the RAV4 has been revised for the better. It’s sportier, and sports new front bumper, headlights, grille and fog lights in front, and a new taillight and spare tire cover treatments in the rear.
Inside you’ll find a more comfortable steering wheel and easier to reach and operate instrument controls and center stack. Much more equipment has been added to the standard list, including air conditioning, AM/FM cassette with six speakers, cruise control, power windows, door locks and rirros intermittent wipers and radio controls on the steering wheel.
Back to the interior for a moment. The rear cargo area is huge. Behind the rear seats, you’ll find more than 29 cubic feet and with the rear seats removed, you’ll see 68.3 cubic feet. Nothing to sneeze at, that’s for certain.
The rear seats are 50/50 spots with recliner, folding, sliding and are totally removeable. There are height-adjustable headrests in all outboard positions, front and rear cupholders (not enough, by the way), six grocery bag hooks and solar tinted glass.
Safety issues have all been addressed and well taken care of, so you can count on vehicle stability control with traction control, anti-lock brakes, driver and front passenger multi-stage air bags, side-impact door beams, and a tire pressure warning system.
There a couple of different packages to upgrade you RAV4, including a sport package and an L package, both enhancing and making your RAV4 a little more personalized.
The sport package will give you multi-reflective headlamps, hood scoop, unique badging, stainless steel-finish tubular roof rack, sport fabric seats, color-keyed door handles and power heated exterior mirrors.
On the L package, which costs a little more than a grand, you’ll see color-keyed hard spare tire cover, leather trim steering wheel, leather wrapped shifter, front fog lamps, tonneau cover, power color-keyed heated mirrors, privace glass in the rear and color-keyed door handles.
The RAV4 is a bargain for the guy or gal looking for a small sport utility vehicle that’s great on mileage and decent on price. It will hold a lot of stuff for just a little. Go take a look.
Pros: Capable, beautiful, best all-around SUV on the market. If you want diesel, this is the way to go. Towing should be stellar.
Cons: Price. But for those who can buy this car, price probably isn't an issue.
Ratings (1-10)
- Style: 8
- Performance: 7
- Price: 7
- Handling: 7
- Ride: 7
- Comfort: 7
- Quality: 8
- Overall: 7.2
More Data
Where Built: Toyota City, Japan
Major Options: Moonroof, Upgrade "L" Package
Seating: 5
Number of Rows: 2
Length in Inches: 166.6
Warrantees: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, 5 years/60,000 miles extended powertrain, 3 year/unlimited miles corrosion protection.
Weight in Pounds: 4,945 lbs
Cargo Capacity in Pounds: 901-1,144
Gross Maximum Vehicle Weight in Pounds: 4,041-4,087
Towing Capacity in Pounds: 7,716
Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 14.8
Destination Charge: $540
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