Rav4 (2000/2001) vs Sorento (2004/2005)

G Nalaka · November 20, 2023

Hi all, I have been a reader of this forum for more than 15 years, but this is the first time I am going to post something.

I am considering buying an SUV/crossover and my budget is around Rs 3.8 to 4.2 million. Based on this budget, my options seem to be the Toyota RAV4 (2002/2001) and the Kia Sorento (2004/2005).

I am specifically looking for petrol and manual variants as I believe they would be comparatively more trouble-free compared to diesel or automatic variants. I would appreciate your expert opinions on choosing a model, with a focus on reliability, maintenance, and spare parts availability. This will be my secondary vehicle, but I plan to use it for 2 to 3 long-distance trips (250km+) per month."

iRage · November 20, 2023

26 minutes ago, G Nalaka said:

Hi all, I have been a reader of this forum for more than 15 years, but this is the first time I am going to post something.

I am considering buying an SUV/crossover and my budget is around Rs 3.8 to 4.2 million. Based on this budget, my options seem to be the Toyota RAV4 (2002/2001) and the Kia Sorento (2004/2005).

I am specifically looking for petrol and manual variants as I believe they would be comparatively more trouble-free compared to diesel or automatic variants. I would appreciate your expert opinions on choosing a model, with a focus on reliability, maintenance, and spare parts availability. This will be my secondary vehicle, but I plan to use it for 2 to 3 long-distance trips (250km+) per month."

I am assuming you would be going for the ACA21, i.e. the AWD version ? In which case you will get the 1AZ-FE 2.0L engine.

I haven't had the Sorento but a friend of mine did in Diesel. The diesel variant had ship loads of torque compared to the RAV4 I had (field office car). However, the owner of he Sorento also said that the perol 2.4L variant was not as good or fun because the car is quite heavy and the engine is strained.

The RAV4 on the other hand...a bit lighter and pushes the same amount of power as the 2.4L kia engine (~140-145hp). The 1AZ-FE engine is a durable engine wih things going wrong mainly to do wih things like the EGR valve going bad (clogged up) and the engine idle getting strange. First variants of the engine was a bit picky when it came to bad fuel.

The Sorento comes better equipped than the RAV4 for about the same amount of money. However, like many Korean cars of the period, it feels all very dated and is prone to plastics, upholstery, etc..going bad and takes a lot of extra effort to keep in good shape.

The RAV4...interior looks dated and simple but there is something hardy about it. Also, the petrol variant is quite fun to drive because it was nimble and was the last RAV4 to come with a simple AWD system splitting power constantly towards the front and back.

I would put my money on the RAV4 but I might be biased as I am familiar with Toyotas a lot more than Korean brands and whenever I did use a Korean car it was not the best of (all-round) experiences.

In SL most of the RAV4 are 2WD which has the 1ZZ-FE 1.8L engine..this is the engine that came with the fun versions of Corolla Fielders/Corolla/RunX/Allex and the Celica, so it is quite a fun engine but in the RAV4 its a bit senseless (the engine is detuned from stock. fun and revvy in a straight line but chassis cannot handle what the engine can do on corners. So you willl be driving like a granny). SO try to go for an AWD variant. Make sure you get the car properly inspected and make sure that the rear diff and transfer case has had regular fluid changes and that there is no hissing or grinding noise coming from the rear.

G Nalaka · November 20, 2023

3 hours ago, iRage said:

I am assuming you would be going for the ACA21, i.e. the AWD version ? In which case you will get the 1AZ-FE 2.0L engine.

I haven't had the Sorento but a friend of mine did in Diesel. The diesel variant had ship loads of torque compared to the RAV4 I had (field office car). However, the owner of he Sorento also said that the perol 2.4L variant was not as good or fun because the car is quite heavy and the engine is strained.

The RAV4 on the other hand...a bit lighter and pushes the same amount of power as the 2.4L kia engine (~140-145hp). The 1AZ-FE engine is a durable engine wih things going wrong mainly to do wih things like the EGR valve going bad (clogged up) and the engine idle getting strange. First variants of the engine was a bit picky when it came to bad fuel.

The Sorento comes better equipped than the RAV4 for about the same amount of money. However, like many Korean cars of the period, it feels all very dated and is prone to plastics, upholstery, etc..going bad and takes a lot of extra effort to keep in good shape.

The RAV4...interior looks dated and simple but there is something hardy about it. Also, the petrol variant is quite fun to drive because it was nimble and was the last RAV4 to come with a simple AWD system splitting power constantly towards the front and back.

I would put my money on the RAV4 but I might be biased as I am familiar with Toyotas a lot more than Korean brands and whenever I did use a Korean car it was not the best of (all-round) experiences.

In SL most of the RAV4 are 2WD which has the 1ZZ-FE 1.8L engine..this is the engine that came with the fun versions of Corolla Fielders/Corolla/RunX/Allex and the Celica, so it is quite a fun engine but in the RAV4 its a bit senseless (the engine is detuned from stock. fun and revvy in a straight line but chassis cannot handle what the engine can do on corners. So you willl be driving like a granny). SO try to go for an AWD variant. Make sure you get the car properly inspected and make sure that the rear diff and transfer case has had regular fluid changes and that there is no hissing or grinding noise coming from the rear.

Thank you very much for sharing your insights and taking the time to write such a detailed response. I'm indeed searching the AWD variant of the RAV4. I'll be sure to pay close attention to the rear diff and transfer case during inspection.