Hi all, been reading the sub for a while, finally got ours.

• 2026 RAV4 Woodland Everest (Mineral SofTex)
• Moonroof
• Simoniz Glasscoat
• We traded in our 2020 Prius Prime XLE

First off, we decided we wanted to change cars because my wife wanted more height. The Prius was too low, tired of getting in/out of the car.

Driven couple of Hondas and Toyotas, we generally liked Toyotas more so RAV4 seemed to be a fit. We didn't want any options, base Woodland seemed perfect and in fact cheaper than adding options to XLE Premium. We wanted SofTex as we have a puppy. (She's just under 10 pounds and not getting any bigger.)

Apparently another customer ordered this particular trim/color/options and could no longer finance it, so the dealership had been going down the waitlist. I happened to be home available to go in, so ended up buying it. Oops? LOL

Likes

• The color. We really got put off by all the review videos on YouTube. I think most reviewers are doing a disservice by terrible color corrections. Some even looked neon-ish metallic green. Yes, it appears to change color depending on the light, but it's a darker and muted color that matches the forest feel while it does have pearls. It's the color we hoped it was.
• Moonroof isn't want we wanted. We've always had light (white-ish) interior cars so even Mineral was too dark for us, but moonroof seems to help, I guess it wasn't bad after all?
• It was difficult to understand from the website, but it looks like almost all features of Safety Sense 4.0 is included. It's really a lot to take in, but essentially it's a half automated driving cruise control. As the steering wheel appears to be touch sensitive, I just need to lay my finger and keep my eyes open, instead of jiggling the wheel (which is dangerous IMO) like I had to in my Prius.
• Drive Record is nice, I don't need to install a dashcam. Also this gives me 360 camera when I stop or drive slow.
• BTW, my Prius Prime got traded in for $19,000 with scratches/dents and a missing wheel cover. Pretty good for a dealership, no?
• Heated steering wheel. I feature I didn't know I needed, even though it's not winter!

Don't Likes

• Price. Well, obviously, it's not what we wanted. I don't think the options are worth the benefits. I don't think the dealership gave us any discounts. (They allowed us to put 10k on credit card for points! At least, sheesh!)
• Navigation. Come on, not even basic. So unlike the 2020 Prius, hybrid optimization or Efficient Drive no longer works unless you subscribe. Didn't come with a trial for Drive Connect.
• Lights are too dark. Both headlights and room lights. Am I just getting old? Or is this common for higher height SUV? Or the high color temperature LEDs? Like, I really hate this pale white color! At least it's got fog lights for the outside, but I know that will annoy other cars. For interior, I got a book reading LED clip light with warmer colors, much better!
• Cheap feel. Our 2020 Prius was waaay better. Doors all sound cheaper when we close them. The interior plastic, glove compartment all feel cheap. Why?

Maybe, IDK

I'd happy to hear your opinion on these!

• Simoniz Glasscoat I think is a gimmick. The whole car inside and out has slippery surface so I'm sure the coat is there. How long does it last and how well does it work? I've read the real deal is the lifetime warranty. Hope I don't forget to re-register upon my 10 year anniversary to keep this warranty. At least I have a pet.
• Dunlop GrandTrek A/T 30T. So appearently it's OEM custom model. Manual says no chains allowed. This is our first SUV and obviously we wanted Woodland. But how does this work, for example going over Donner Pass to/from Lake Tahoe? I thought carrying chains were mandatory in CA? I grew up in snow country somewhere else so I know how to drive, but it's my first M+S tires, are these any good?
• Roofracks. It's been a really long time since I last had one of these. I assume I can't go drive-thru car washes anymore? Any good use for us who don't surf (unless we're in Hawaii for vacation) or ski anymore?
• Keys, keys, keys! So a key fob, a card key, the app, and iPhone Wallet key. So many, it's rather confusing what is working or not? How is everyone making use of these?
• So many subscriptions… any that is worthy? And for what?

Edit: added Likes item.