We all love a sleeper, an unassuming car with way more punch than its outward appearance suggests. Think Volkswagen Golf R, Ford Flex Ecoboost, and Cadillac XTS V-Sport, and you’re picking up what I’m putting down. These days, nobody bats an eye at a third-generation Toyota RAV4, but with the right boxes ticked, you could get it with enough power to outrun actual sport compact cars of the period. Oh, and it would do so in stereotypical Toyota reliability and with 3,500 pounds of towing capacity. Intrigued? Read on.
Flash back to the mid-2000s. The compact crossover boom as we know it today was really taking off, so the third-generation Toyota RAV4 had room to go bigger, offer more space, and pack a little more punch. At the time, you could get a Ford Escape with a V6, a Chevrolet Equinox with a V6, a Hyundai Tucson with a V6, a Jeep Liberty with a V6, and a Suzuki Grand Vitara with a V6. Guess how Toyota responded? That’s right, by offering the RAV4 with a V6.
Fundamentally, it’s the same 2GR-FE V6 Lotus saw fit to use in the Evora, a quad-cam 3.5-liter unit with variable valve timing and the convenience of a timing chain. In the V6 RAV4, it cranked out 269 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 246 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,700 rpm. Relatively peaky stuff for a family crossover, but when you’re dealing with parts bin stuff, you make it work.
This engine came hitched exclusively to a five-speed automatic transmission, and you could get a full-time all-wheel-drive system with a button on the dashboard to lock the front-to-rear torque split so long as you’re traveling 25 mph or less.
The addition of the 3.5-liter V6 engine definitely benefitted light-duty towing, as a properly equipped V6 RAV4 was rated to pull a reasonable 3,500 pounds, but there was another big benefit — thanks in part to a surprisingly reasonable curb weight of 3,655 pounds, the V6 RAV4 hauled ass. Like, actually.
Right out of the gate, Car And Driver managed a 6.3-second zero-to-60 mph time in a 2006 Toyota RAV4 V6 Limited, and while that might not be an earth-shattering time today, it’s still quick. Back in 2006, it was quick enough to outrun a Volkswagen GTI. No, seriously, Car And Driver clocked a zero-to-60 mph time of 6.6 seconds from a 2006 GTI, meaning when the fifth generation of Volkswagen’s archetypal hot hatch debuted, some variants could be outrun by a Toyota family hauler. Even more unexpected, the V6 RAV4 wasn’t just a ton of power in a platform that could only just handle it. As Car And Driver wrote, it was surprisingly competent in the corners.
A thick-rimmed steering wheel feels sporty and delivers sharper response at the helm than we’re accustomed to in a Toyota. Electric power steering is usually an omen for numbness, but Toyota has somehow infused the RAV’s motorized rack with real precision. A brainy all-wheel-drive system—with just 7.5 inches of ground clearance, the RAV is for all weather, not all terrain—helps here. It senses lateral g and ramps up the torque to the rear axle through its electromechanical clutch pack. With the rear end pushing, corners pass by at unexpectedly high speeds, thanks to the confidence inspired by restrained body roll and muted understeer.
You know, 0.83 g on the skidpad really isn’t bad given the comfort-oriented 225/65R17 tires and the tire technology of the mid-aughts, especially considering this is a compact crossover that was available with a tiny third row of seats best suited to emergency use. Oh, and that number isn’t for the Sport trim, with its slightly starchier suspension and 235/55R18 tires. It’s not hard to imagine what this RAV4 could do on a modern set of performance all-season tires, and that’s before you take a step back and realize the immense practicality and array of nice touches on offer here.
Fold the rear seats down and the V6 RAV4 will give you 73.2 cu.-ft. of cargo space to play with. You could move a studio apartment in one of these things, no problem. Oh, and all third-generation RAV4s came with an auxiliary input jack, so you can pick up a cheap 12-volt-powered bluetooth-to-3.5 mm dongle and stream music right off your smartphone in 2024. Add in two gloveboxes, a sizeable storage box under the cargo floor on two-row models, an illuminated ring around the ignition cylinder, and the implication that a V6 mid-aughts Toyota will just keep running until the heat death of the universe, and you get a great daily driver.
Best of all, not only was the third-generation RAV4 insanely popular, Toyota kept the V6 on sale from 2006 all the way through the 2012 model year. This means you have loads of examples on the market to choose from. Looking for a beater? Something like this 2007 RAV4 V6 Sport listed for $4,280 in Wyoming will do the trick. Sure, it has a minor hit on its Carfax and 191,845 miles on the clock, but it’s got plenty of life left in it.
Meanwhile, at the top end of the market, there are examples like this all-wheel-drive 2012 RAV4 V6 Limited, which is up for sale in Missouri for $16,998. That’s a lot of money for a 12-year-old car, but this one has a low 73,915 miles on the clock, and judging by the number of V6 RAV4s with more than 200,000 miles on the clock, it should be an incredibly reliable ride for years and years to come.
The V6 Toyota RAV4 won’t stand out in a lineup, but secretly, it’s pretty great. With plenty of power, plenty of space, and a solid track record for reliability, this thing’s daily driver material that, should you choose, might surprise a couple of people down the eighth mile. If you’re looking for a practical secondhand daily driver that can haul both the family and some ass, put this thing on your shortlist.
(Photo credits: Toyota, Autotrader sellers)
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This is a nice thing. If you need it to tow or something like that.
Had a 09 Venza with this engine and trans.
16-18 mpg in city, driving like a grandma.
24 at best on the highway on constant cruise control.
A lot of fun, this engine.
But plugs, and other stuff make the V6 a bitch to work on.
And the mpg is just too low for my cheap, poor ass too.
YMMV as always.
My dad owned a 3rd Gen Rav 4. The sharp angle of the trim piece by the door mounted window controls was awful for a tall person like me.
We shopped the 07 Acura MDX which IIRC has the same engine. Ended up with a Subaru Tribeca BC the wife liked the interior and the awd Subaru legend. The Subaru turned out to be a fine car although not the Lexus/Toyota Gibraltar build.
MDX would have had a Honda J series in it, likely a J36, which would be unrelated to the Toyota 2GR. Same displacement and transverse-V6 layout though!
The Lexus RX350 would have been the closest thing with the same V6 as this Rav4
A Spicy Crossover for me and my buddies to road trip in? Sign me up!
There is only 1 really annoying thing about these RAV4’s… apparently, changing the water pump is a BUGGER (I believe the manual says engine-out). People have figured out how to do it engine-in, but there is not a lot of room under there. Still beats the NA V6’s that Ford threw in the Edge/Flex/Etc. that had a timing chain driven water pump that spilled into the oil pan, but still.
Yeah I think that was the reason I chose to trade mine in rather than repair. I had a good mechanic but it wasn’t worth the cost.
I’ve done it once, without pulling the engine, but it was HORRENDOUS. Only doable with friends helping from above the engine while I was below, with a jack on the engine and one mount removed. Almost every single bolt required an extension and wrench-by-feel. Nothing was easy or intuitive, but at least step-by-steps online were pretty thorough.
Turned out not only was the WP dead, but a head gasket blown too, so after all the pain and strife it got scrapped anyways. Wanted a better outcome for that poor thing, but my friend who owned it made the call.
I had a 2007 in Sport trim. It was a hoot to drive. It had more room than my 2000 or 2014 Grand Cherokee and it was relatively decent on gas for commuting.
I think it had about 20k miles on it when I bought it but I did not buy it from a Toyota dealer so I think it was a lease return cast off. I kept it until 80 k miles when it developed a coolant leak and started rusting under the driver’s door – I also think it was in an accident that didn’t show up on the carfax. IIRC the tire pressure sticker was missing on the door jamb.
So I did not have the typical Toyota experience with the first one I bought…
Weird, I thought the second to the last photo was a Subaru. Had to take a closer loo at it for the Toyota badge and the rear quarter window.
My sister in law had one of these around 07-08. It was terrifying to ride in with her as she swerved and weaved through Dallas traffic.
Yeah, and it’ll outrun a GTI in the longevity dept too 😛
The GR Rav4 All-Trac!
It’s awesome until it needs spark plugs or some other reason you need to get to the back of the engine 🙁
Spicy Rav 4’s are still available. The Prime is quicker than a 2.0 Supra. It runs a 14.0 in the quarter, which is solidly spicy. It’s just about as fast as a Giulia.
Back when I had my Giulia, I unknowingly lined up next to a Rav 4 Prime at one of those red lights where a few hundred feet after the intersection the lanes merge into one. Dude driving had to be deep into his 60’s. I was in the merge lane. I figured “I’ll give it half-beans to get ahead of this geezer on his way back from bingo, don’t wanna be stuck doing 10 under for the next 5 miles”. He was having absolutely none of that and took me straight to Gapplebee’s, then proceeded to do 60 in a 35 for the rest of the time I was behind him. The blood red Italian sports sedan with it’s fancy red calipers and sexy 19″ wheels with summer tires was thoroughly embarrassed by the old man in his Toyota CUV. The Giulia has a notoriously slow throttle. By the time the engine responded and it started building boost Grandpa was already a car length ahead of me, probably grinning ear to ear.
That’s a good story of an obvious Autopian! Love it!
2006 Toyota Sequia SR5 V8 can haul also major butt at a stoplight, full of 5 people no less!
Once we pulled up next to a new/newer Chevy crossover at a 2 lane stoplight in front of a long stretch that later merges into 1 lane. My dad looked over, that family’s dad looked over, and the race was on. Needless to say, we won. The Chevy put up a solid fight, but it was no match for Toyota V8 goodness.