2011 Toyota RAV4 V6 Off-Road Test. Is it a good Overlander?

[@jensschipull7993]

I got the Northwoods suspension kit installed in my 2008 RAV4 last month. Had the same trail planned out last week, but I chickened out! LOL. Thanks for the expertly made video. Now I’m encouraged!

[@CoolGuyClub]

Heck yes, just try to stay on the "overland line" out there because some trails can get super gnarly super fast.

[@zachf6256]

Awesome video! I love how your dogs are just chillin’ in the back - lovin life. What a great build

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thank you thank you! They love off-roading but they really wanted to get out and run

[@zachf6256]

@@CoolGuyClub Totally! Dogs will be dogs 🐶 I really like your rav 4 build and your sequoia build. One of the most appealing features about your rav4 is that you don’t have the spare tire mount on the rear hatch. Having a 2012 Tundra…I recently upgraded to the alpharex headlights and led bulbs. (Went with the pros). Based on your install and review. So thank you for putting that video together as well 👍

[@ambienteterrazas]

I had to fallback on my 2016 awd rav4 for while, I installed a northwoods 2'' lift kit and some trail terrain tires, I took my little rav to a lot of remote places in baja, I am not saying they are jeep material but with a little common sense and adventures state of mind they can definitely go outhere, I only wish my rav was full time awd.

[@CoolGuyClub]

Actually same! However for around town driving for the wife getting 20+mpgs almost 30 on the highway is a good thing.

[@Caleb0rocks]

Exactly the video I wanted - Love the content, keep it coming!

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thank you for watching!

[@Kiarabelle1]

Glad I found your channel. Awsome content. Proud owner of two Rav4's with the V6. KZbinr/Toyota Technician The Car Care Nut calls these "the rocket". Thank you for sharing.

[@Keepsix]

i love my 2010 v6 rav4, i go offroad and ice fishing in it all the time, i love how the back folds flat to sleep on and has over 6ft so im comfy in the back with my 2 Pitbull's

[@srdjanmatic7099]

Wait wait, really it folds flat??? I was looking at this model but with 2.2d engine, was interested in something for light off road/overland/camping rig that can get me to most places and could sleep in it (i am 5’9), it’s hard to find something that is good to fit that and busy city life since i am in main city of my country (lots of traffic so really big SUVs don’t fit nicely)

[@Keepsix]

@@srdjanmatic7099 it folds almost completely flat, I got a nice folding foam bed and it fits perfectly.. I’m 6 feet tall and with the front seats pulled forward and the back seat headrests extended it supports me “200lbs” and 1-2 of my pittbulls

[@woolengrappler]

I have a 2009 v6. It’s a rocket!

[@CoolGuyClub]

Such a rocket!

[@volodymyrbabiy4901]

Great Video! I have a 2011 Rav4 V6 with 4WD, the Northwoods kit, bigger AT tires, and a costume skid plate I cut out of a 1/4 sheet of aluminum, and it really is a great car for long distance on road and some off-roading. I've put almost 200k miles on it in 5 years and only had one major repair when water got into the breather valve of my diffs. But, it was my fault because I got it stuck in a deep rut while driving in muddy water above the tires. After about an 2 hours of my car being stuck and flooded, I finally found a truck to pull me out, and thankfully the Rav4 never stopped running. Funny thing was the lifted truck overheated while pulling me out of the mud, so I ended up towing him 15 miles through the off road trails with multiple water crossings to his house. Having the ability to tow 3500lb in this small SUV is great in addition to so much storage room because of the boxy interior design, low trunk height, and flat folding seats. I've even moved cross states and didn't even need to rent a U-Haul because I could just fit so much. It's not a true off-roader but it continues to surprise me because once I was trying to reach a remote lake with 4 kayaks on my roof and the short wheel base got me through the narrow trails easily while the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee following me were getting stuck time and time again. It really is a fun car off-road while at the same time being able to go 0-60 in 6 seconds and get 25mpg on road. Now, thanks to you videos, my wife wants to join the Toyota Club and get a Sequoia as our family overlander (A big upgrade from her Chevy Spark, haha). And these videos have already given us a ton of Ideas.

[@CoolGuyClub]

Wow that’s amazing. The sequoia is SUCH a spacious vehicle. You’ll almost have too much space. I can’t wait to take the RAV4 out more this year and give it more adventures.

[@MalasPalabras]

Thank you for your story. I'm a proud owner of a RAV4 2012 with 4WD since 2016 and have made many memories with it myself as well.

[@FirstLightAdv]

Thank you I've been waiting for ages to see you drive the car!! As with you I have proper 4wd's - a 70 series and Prado. Would be keen to build my v6!

[@CoolGuyClub]

Yes! The RAV4 is so good at being a great all arounder but the Prado will be the offroad king!

[@unnumeroinfinito]

Me encantó este video! very good and encouraging for someone who doesn't know anything about this stuff!

[@enocknteza7494]

Your off-roading is our daily driving in Uganda😂😂😂 I literally drove that 3rd gen but the 4 cylinder to my home which is on a hill and every day it never disappointed.

[@CoolGuyClub]

That’s a good point. We didn’t go very difficult trails bc it was Emily’s first time driving off road

[@HansWurst-eg8xm]

I have a 2006. The RAV4 is one of the most versatile cars you can get. Driving mine in the alps. I'm driving the 136hp Diesel... Power is good, but torque is always more than enough. If we had the V6 in Europe, I'd probably drive that... because of better coldstart than the diesel 😉

[@cng7005]

Could you do an update video? I love your set up but nervous to do a lift and mess up my CV joints

[@chinoyhouse8247]

Love the look of it. Its Like a futuristic scifi dune buggy / dakar rally / planetary expedition vehicle look. And it looks like a fast off roader. Man, I have a gen 5 but that gen 3 with the spare tire on the back just looks so good. Btw, off road performance is great! Excellent video! Wishing you both a Safe and fun overlanding! 👍

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thank you for watching!

[@johnnumbat9782]

Thanks CG and company - I’ve owned many Subarus here in Australia but the post 2013 models like the Nissan XTrail (US Rogue) have major CVT and oil consumption issues - I’ve got a 4x4 Toyota Hilux now (you probably call it a Tacoma but ours are 4 cylinder 3 litre diesels) - anyway I would also like a runaround SUV as well for practically and general use but easy to get in and out of with some light off-road abilities - the more videos and research I do the more I realise the V6 RAV4 is one of the best on the market with conventional auto transmission and typical Toyota reliability and have learnt that the 2.4 engines have a lot of oil leaks/weak piston issues so it looks like the V6 is the better choice - did you have any CV/diff issues when you raised the vehicle or are the angles still OK as rpt not put too much pressure on the CV joints?

[@OutdoorsWithChad]

Love your setup with those tires and skidplate. I used to have a 2011 Rav4 -- was such a great car. We traded in for a Highlander because we needed the space but otherwise I would have kept it forever.

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thank you so much. They are pretty small on space for today's standards for sure, Highlanders are excellent options as well.

[@OutdoorsWithChad]

Yeah 3 car seats don't fit well in the back, plus we needed more towing capacity

[@266castillo]

I have an 2012 4 cyl 4wd I have been wanting to test but the v4 power has me on the fence

[@CoolGuyClub]

Yes the I4 power is hard to overcome but it’s a great wheeler.

[@patrickparsley4091]

Man- so tempted but I hear so many horror strories when you change the geometry of such a vehicle from how it was designed. but great looking job.

[@CoolGuyClub]

All the CV angles are within spec so you don't have to panic.

[@catsofthestreet9547]

@@CoolGuyClubdo you mind exposing what CV angles means? And what is within spec for this particular car? Thanks!

[@greeenteeee]

@@catsofthestreet9547cv joints are what lets the engine turn the wheels which move 3 dimensionally. I’ve never heard of “in spec” or any service manual w “spec’d” cv angles

[@MitchUSA]

moving to utah soon, looking for a daily driver, reliability, and cost efficient. ive heard lots of good things about the northwoods and was showing my wife right before clicking on this video. the skidplate looks super nice also, this would be great for work (snowy days) and taking the family camping in. thanks for making this video, i think ill go with this setup. great video also!!

[@benwhiteley8595]

Does the drivers side aftermarket light already have condensation in it?

[@curtisbull1583]

Sure looks like it did to me. Once their taken apart, they rarely ever seal back up correctly.

[@benwhiteley8595]

@curtisbull1583 I saw the one where he disassembled them, then later he went ahead and replaced the whole unit. Looks like the one in this video is the whole unit, not the ones he disassembled, I think.

[@mldowning]

I needed to watch this today man. I’m in the midst of replacing my alternator on my V6 and find myself wanting to just upgrade everything else too. The cool feature of it oxidizing in the rear quarters stays my hand lol

[@CoolGuyClub]

The v6 awd models are so so good

[@FeGo81992]

Are there other videos in coming with the rav4?

[@CoolGuyClub]

Yes indeed. We are going to make our own roof rack

[@robertmoore119]

I like the newer upgrades that are being made for these types of sport utility vehicles. The upgrades are allowing people to take their Sport Utilities and put them in a class of vehicle I would call an Adventure Vehicle. As far as being an overland type of off road vehicle. I would say that these types of sport utilities are generally not the Overland Type. Overland vehicles typically have at least a 33-35" tire. Many have much more tire than that. Overlanding is a type of off road driving in which there are no roads, or even trails. You just pick a path and go. That being said, could you use a vehicle like this for overlanding? Probably, but you would have to be very careful about the paths you choose. For this type of vehicle, the off-road capability is determined by one, the tire selection, clearance does help, but the overall ability is determined by the traction control system. Many do not have a limited slip, so the traction control system must be very good. The last thing you would want to do with this type, which is common with vehicles that do have diff lockers or limited slips is turn traction control off.

[@noredcr]

it looks so good, now i want a rav 4. what a dference the wheels/tires/lift made!

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thank you thank you!

[@andraskorte]

I think my grandpas 2001 corolla is capeable for this playground. :D Anyway nice video :)

[@MrScoobieman]

Nice video, I have a 2010 rav4 v6 going to install a lift kit with 2” spacers … hopefully it will be ok without the full suspension lift kit . Any thoughts? Thanks

[@nwsights6301]

Such a sweet rav4 the thing looks in tip top condition with the paint! I need to lift mine for sure.

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thank you so much!

[@justinarcher5699]

I wanted to add that this is not the limits, i have a 4wd V6 and i did some crazy climbing and small crawling today through some power lines. The only timea i get stuck is deep mud. These things can do alot but from my experience it cant handle swampy mud at all

[@CoolGuyClub]

Totally agree with you.

[@MalasPalabras]

They get stuck in swampy mud but maybe with the lift and some good tires? And a winch? haha.

[@kickapooCam]

Well damn now I gotta order a lift kit and some tires

[@NoMaD_Crisp]

What infotainment system is that? Love the look of it i have a 2011 diesel.

[@dadanyow7202]

Cool rav4! I have 2.4l with front wheel drive only I wish I got the awd option instead.

[@spindrift2719]

Put a electric locker in the rear maybe ?

[@CoolGuyClub]

I wish someone made one.

[@milogotham965]

More RAV4 videos!

[@CoolGuyClub]

Coming right up

[@MalasPalabras]

@@CoolGuyClub Please. I live in Costa Rica and am a proud owner of a 2012 RAV4 myself.

[@buya_pr]

What radio is that? Do you have a link?

[@SotRib90]

Some questions guys: 1) Toyota gen3 2.0 are reliable...?? 2) Also they are thirsty for gasoline? 3) trunk space is big enough? Help your friend from Greece brothers, thanks

[@CoolGuyClub]

gen 3 2.0 the answer is .. meh sort of. Truck space is plenty big for a weekend camping trick especially if you use a storage box on top.

[@SotRib90]

@@CoolGuyClub here in Greece there are two types of RAV-4, 2.0 and 2.4 gasoline. The taxes per year for 2.0 are 630€..... For 2.4 are more. So the choices for real SUVs are not much: CR-V 2.0 2010 model, X-trail (Rogue?)2010, Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.0 2010. I am between CR-V and RAV-4....

[@juangago7999]

Is there any issue with the transmission if you change the tyre size? Great video!

[@KyleStrachan]

I’ve got the same lift kit and added some larger tires on my rav, also without the spare tire. What’s your spare tire plan? I was thinking about adding a swinging hitch mount eventually for those forest road adventures. Love those wheels too, thanks for linking everything!

[@CoolGuyClub]

We are gonna run no spare. I’d prefer to run plugs and patches than throw a spare and a swing out to the wife’s mini mobber

[@Berk-doesthings]

I’ve got mine standing in the trunk against the backside of the 2nd row seating. I got some of those heavy duty rubber straps hooked from the baby seat anchors to the lug holes in the wheel. Moves a small amount when I’m turning but more or less stays in place.

[@arthurmuly]

hello, what kind of audio system did you get?

[@BARBELLS-AND-BUDS]

Well that gives me hope then for buying one. I was looking at a venza as another option, but the gas mileage. I looked abysmal on paper

[@CoolGuyClub]

Venza is MUCH larger. If you have a large family venza is a good idea or v6 awd highlander. However, we love the size and capability of our RAV4.

[@BARBELLS-AND-BUDS]

@@CoolGuyClub The drivers seat felt too short and didnt slide back enough in the Rav4 for me to feel comfortable for long trips. I felt like I was at in my 4th grade desk as an adult pretty much. Im only 6ft, but knees were like 5" higher than seat. Also seat only went as far as mid thigh

[@reckerproduction9468]

This offloading is less difficult, than my everyday drive in Ghana

[@CoolGuyClub]

You’re right

[@leveluplife8585]

That's a nice pump you made!

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thank you thank you!

[@quakerome4594]

I believe it has the same motor as the V6 Camry. A really good N/A motor.

[@CoolGuyClub]

Thats' true and same engine as Tacomas

[@inthewoods6111]

Great video for the RAV4. Actually been thinking about getting one. A few questions. What years are gen 3? Which v6 is in it? Why was your TPMS light on? What is the name of the park where you ran this trail? ( I am inl Oregon). I currently have 2 Tundras, 06 and 13 and a gen2 Sequoia with 322,000 on it so something with a little better mpg would be great for me. Thanks, I enjoy your videos.

[@CoolGuyClub]

TPMS light is always on for these cars. Even with new sensors as I've installed with my wheel, the light never turns off. The name of the park is Tahuya it's in wester washington and it gets VERY difficult in some areas.

[@nserekodaniel7653]

Any chance you would test the Highlander? Any generation works.

[@ponyboyack00]

Pretty impressive. Clearly not what the car is built for. So, my concern would be issues after unintended use. I wouldn't build a vehicle for uses like this that isn't designed for and expect it to not have problems eventually. As opposed to a true body on frame 4x4. But fun video.

[@dgreen3135]

Do both front and rear differentials have a limited slip or just the front

[@CoolGuyClub]

Center diff only no locking diffs up front or rear sadly.

[@dgreen3135]

@@CoolGuyClubI gotcha. Thanks for the reply

[@yinonsofer]

Do you have a spare tire somewhere installed in the vehicle? Just got the sport model too and wondering what to do. 😮

[@CoolGuyClub]

We actually do not have a spare the same size of the rest of the wheels. We have plug kits and stitching just in case we need it.

[@MC4D.]

Your v6 rav gets better mpg's than my 2.4l rav lol. I love my 2008, i will only get rid of it when i get a v6 one lol

[@seanterry5411]

I just got my first V6 Rav a week ago and my first tank was 16mpg… my old 4cyl got mid 20s

[@CoolGuyClub]

16 is ridiculously low for us. Have you changed plugs and filters?

[@zyl8tr]

Yeah 16mpg is too low. I get 23mpg on my v6

[@oatesandmessina]

@@seanterry5411 ours averages around 23-24. You're getting close to Land Cruiser MPG! Your RAV might have some problems. I hope you can get it figured out because the V6 Rav4 is Toyota's best kept secret. It's a grocery getting sleeper.

[@MillennialInMedicine]

Where did you get those door handles??

[@CoolGuyClub]

a.co/d/048ubpG

[@leraru2]

Headlights link?

[@BARBELLS-AND-BUDS]

Have you done anything to the car to get 29 mi to gallon with the V6 RAV4? According to the internet, I will drive V6 RAV4 is supposed to get 2 6 on the highway if you're lucky...

[@CoolGuyClub]

Did absolutely nothing. I just drove relaxed and stayed the speed limit

[@2GR4L]

You're running 245/65/17s? Do you think 245/70/17s would fit a 3rd gen?

[@CoolGuyClub]

Yes totally, we plan on upping our size to that. Lift kit will be needed along higher offset wheels (higher than 20mm)

[@ianpilsner4949]

Are your wheels +20mm offset? I just bought the same truck and want to put 17x8.5 -12mm . Just not sure if it would be past the fender or rub? I could go +12 mm too. Whats your opinion?? ​@@CoolGuyClub

[@dietzness]

Like I suspected the headlights were not a great success from what I can tell by the moisture. I think you should have kept them stock. I really really do like the lift and the wheels and I can only dream of a V6 RAV4 (sadly no manual) here in Europe

[@CoolGuyClub]

There aren't any good upgrade options here in the states and the "stocks" aren't as high quality as the lights you get in Europe.

[@jaz5059]

You are making me sell my LS430 and getting a Rav4 haha. I need the extra ground clearance and trunk space. How is the mpg in the highway? Between 75-90 mph?

[@CoolGuyClub]

I honestly don’t cruise that fast. I wish I could tell you but you can see what we get at 65-70 mph

[@otahu26]

Best left to maintained Dirt roads. Love my v6 rav. a top speed of 137 mph. It's one Fast sleeper. . but I loved my 4runner better for the fact it has a low range and crawl control. Rav is ok ish on longing road but With the tranny being the vulnerable part and the tin thin rocker pannels. I wouldn't take it into rocks or bump the rockers. You'll destroy them.

[@mirrorface3]

Anyone have experience with a 4cylinder rav4 in similar conditions??!

[@lucasmorris64]

This was hilarious, not even close to a test for the Rav 4. Too easy up your off-road game. I have a stock Rav 4 same gen...

[@V8orNoCar]

I'm sure the V6 is definitely a better car but when I had to drive a 2011 RAV4 4 cylinder it definitely has many drivetrain flaws to it

[@burtbeimers9405]

whats an overlander ??

[@charliebrown30060]

Car camping

[@Draw4Dame]

7:30 Liked for Jeep slander

[@DivinityHealings]

Not much of a trail, most stock cars will make it through.

[@donniejacobs7]

Ummm you got your Rav dirty man 😢 lol 😂

[@CoolGuyClub]

You’re right. As you can tell we couldn’t get tooo wild out there. I plan on doing more tests w/o Emily driving.

[@mercurials54]

36 psi 😮

[@bagel411]

Neat

[@raviolitrail]

My v6 rav4 does better with disconnecting the sway bar.

[@Kingpolo-sv4yf]

I’m gonna let you know this right now I don’t give a damn about that RAV4. I want to know about the red Corolla that you have hidden in the corner

[@CoolGuyClub]

ahahah we got plenty of videos on the channel about the ae86. Good eye for noticing.

[@Kingpolo-sv4yf]

@@CoolGuyClub I have one in Puerto Rico that I’m having shipped over here. I can notice one of those cars from 5 miles away and when I see of yours it’s a beautiful vehicle.

[@MegaKalkas]

Seriously? I can do this track with my '99 SEAT Ibiza.

[@CoolGuyClub]

then do it