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Mr. Adventure · 07-10-2008, 07:59 AM

My first thought, offering an opinion about a vehicle I haven't looked at in 5 years, was that this wouldn't be such a good idea. But I just downloaded the brochure for the 2008 RAV-4, and here's what it says for the 3.5L V6:

Horsepower: 269
Torque:246 ft lbs
Wheelbase:104.7
Track 61.4
Curb weight:3675
GVWR: 5015
MPG: 19/26
Towing capacity: 3500

Assuming Toyota is rating vehicles the same way as in prior years (the owner's manual has the real answer), this would be a GCWR of 8517.

So, other than the wheelbase being a little shorter by a few percent (the 2008 Highlander, 4-Runner, & std Tacoma have 110", for example), these specs aren't all that much worse than the standard 2008 V6 Toyota Tacoma:

Horsepower: 236
Torque:266 ft lbs
Wheelbase:110
Track 63/63.4
Curb weight:3615
GVWR: 5350
GCVR 8100
MPG: 16/20
Towing capacity: 3500 (6500, GCVR 11,100 with towing upgrades)

With Toyota and TrailManor telling people that this should work, and lacking real world experience or knowledge of real world experience to the contrary, I don't think we should be telling people not to tow a TM with a 2008 RAV-4 (Prior year models have lower ratings, of course).

07-10-2008, 07:59 AM	#4
Mr. Adventure TrailManor Master Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Williamsburg, VA Posts: 668	Rav-4 My first thought, offering an opinion about a vehicle I haven't looked at in 5 years, was that this wouldn't be such a good idea. But I just downloaded the brochure for the 2008 RAV-4, and here's what it says for the 3.5L V6: Horsepower: 269 Torque:246 ft lbs Wheelbase:104.7 Track 61.4 Curb weight:3675 GVWR: 5015 MPG: 19/26 Towing capacity: 3500 Assuming Toyota is rating vehicles the same way as in prior years (the owner's manual has the real answer), this would be a GCWR of 8517. So, other than the wheelbase being a little shorter by a few percent (the 2008 Highlander, 4-Runner, & std Tacoma have 110", for example), these specs aren't all that much worse than the standard 2008 V6 Toyota Tacoma: Horsepower: 236 Torque:266 ft lbs Wheelbase:110 Track 63/63.4 Curb weight:3615 GVWR: 5350 GCVR 8100 MPG: 16/20 Towing capacity: 3500 (6500, GCVR 11,100 with towing upgrades) With Toyota and TrailManor telling people that this should work, and lacking real world experience or knowledge of real world experience to the contrary, I don't think we should be telling people not to tow a TM with a 2008 RAV-4 (Prior year models have lower ratings, of course). __________________ 2005 TrailManor 3023 2003 Toyota Highlander 220hp V6 FWD Reese 1000# round bar Weight Distributing Hitch Prodigy brake controller. "It's not how fast you can go, it's how fast you can stop an RV that counts."