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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Nice powerful V6, sure — but this model year RAV4 suffered from Toyota’s budget cutting and decontenting initiatives. Cheap plastics abounded and worst of all the center of the hood would more than occasionally vibrate at highway speed — something the dealer called “oil canning” and claimed was completely normal. It was my third and last RAV4, both for Toyota cheaping out on it and the horrendous gas mileage. Was lucky to get 20mpg from that thirsty V6, no matter how hard I tried to save otherwise.
everything with a 2GR is practically a sleeper, just slap a turbo / sc onto it and speeeeeed away
I rented one of these when I took my nieces to NZ for a week back in 2010. Really impressed with the whole package. Back in the US and I immediately go shopping for one. Only requirement was the V-6 because I live on a farm and have to haul stuff. Installed a hitch and that thing pulled my Kubota tractor like a champ. Good gas mileage. comfy ride and durable. Kept it for 11 years and 125,000 miles – never in the shop for repairs, 1 set of brakes and regular oil changes and new wiper blades. Might have been considered “boring” by others, but damn what a vehicle.