A well-known used car expert has taken to YouTube to recommend a tough and spacious SUV that is widely available from around £15,000.
Adam Morris is one of the presenters for the YouTube channel, regularly fronting videos in which he recommends reliable used models and highlights common faults in popular cars.
In , Adam takes a look at the fifth-generation Toyota RAV4, an SUV that he stated can be made incredibly stylish and offers plenty of room.
He explained: "Even though the price might not float your boat, but surely the looks do. Okay, in the base spec with the smaller wheels and especially in white, it can look a bit fleet sales-spec. But, in these sorts of colours, with the 18-inch or 19-inch [alloys], what a transformation the wheels and the colour can make.
"Overall, I really love the design of these. I like all the sharp angles, I love the angry headlights, however it is a pretty big thing. Fun fact, this shares really similar exterior dimensions with the 90-Series [Toyota] Land Cruiser Colorado. It was quite a bit taller, but as far as width, length and wheelbase go, they're pretty close."
Introduced in 2018, the fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 is still in production, with a facelift in 2021 keeping it looking fresh and adding further technology.
Whilst buyers with a budget of £15,000 to £20,000 will not be able to get a RAV4 with the latest front end, there are plenty of pre-facelift models for sale with a low mileage and plenty of standard equipment.
All of the latest-generation Toyota RAV4s sold in the UK feature a 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain and an automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT), making them smooth and capable of averaging 48.7mpg.
Whilst some owners have stated that they are not entirely impressed with the way the interior was designed, Adam noted that the quality of materials used is impressive.
He continued: "The big complaint that we found was that owners felt the interior design was just a bit of a letdown. They did comment that the interiors are very resistant, this particular model has got over 40,000km (24,850 miles) on it, and it feels really good.
"There's hardly any wear and tear in here at all, even the fabric on the seats is wearing perfectly well. It might not look all that interesting, but at least it's tough."
Later in the video, Adam suggested that drivers who are interested in buying a used RAV4 should always make one brief check with the doors, that could prevent rust and electrical issues.
He advised: "This seems to impact quite a few modern Toyotas, there can be problems with water getting stuck inside the doors. Basically, the little drainage holes [within the doors] get clogged up and it stops the water from coming out.
"Just open and close the door and listen for any sloshing, this one doesn't. If it does slosh, it's not the end of the world though, there's a pretty simple fix. Just jump onto the owner's groups because there are plenty of good tutorials there."
