Our youngest just got the XLE version of it and absolutely loves it! Her sister has been driving an older version and still loves it.
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Thatās good to hear! Thanks, Bunsen!
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Two friends have RAV hybrids and really like them a lot
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Thanks, thumper! Seems super-pricey to me but Iām not the one paying or driving (and glad to hear itās a good car!)
We recently got an XSE hybrid, with as few options as possibleā¦ which is next to impossible because Toyota keeps sending only the ones that have the expensive packages. In any case, we love the car, but the dealerships have more leverage during the negotiation phase due to the high demand. Try getting one through Costco since that gives a set price before you go in. Also, even with the Costco price, get the salesperson to quote you the expected OTD (out the door) price before you come in. I tend not to agree to come in unless an OTD price is agreed upon. They will do all kinds of things to sell you the extended warranty plan (which may be something you want) but you do not have to buy it at the time of sale. (Ours lied to us and said it was only available then).
My link above which used to show the Toyota allocations across dealers isnāt useful presently. (The link works, but the spreadsheet has not been updated for weeks). The issue is that Toyota has limited the access to that information for some reason. If it comes back up, you can search across the country for a set of options/packages that youād like, and see the expected arrival date for it.
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We used Costco in the past with great results, but the last RAV shopping was a bust. Costco sent us to the closest dealership that had every RAV āadornedā with dealer-added crap. The dealer stated they canāt order and sell a car without these options. Costco pricing rules say that dealers still can sell you that stuff! We found another rural dealership an hour away that did not do this kind of stuff. They gave kid a small discount on a car (without any add-one like door protectors) compared to the āCostco priceā and were absolutely great to work with.
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Toyota hybrids are ābulletproof.ā 
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Actually Getting That All-New Tacoma With A Manual Is Not Going To Be Easy explains why āorderingā an unusually-optioned Toyota can be more difficult than doing so with some other brands of vehicles.
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Fascinating to hear about possibly getting a RAV4 through Costco - I had no idea! I will mention to my son (with the caveat that it might not be a good option at all Costcos- thanks!).
He is planning to get the āfancyā model with all the options - makes me nervous that the end ticket price is sooo expensive - but again, his $, his choices, his budget, not mineā¦!
Glad to hear they are bulletproof! I felt that hybrid seems like a kind of new technology so wasnāt sure if theyād be solid for the long haul - glad they are!
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I drive a 2016 RAV4 hybrid. Iāve been very happy with itā¦absolutely no issues. I upgraded to get the 360 degree camera and it was an excellent decision for me. I use it for primarily suburban driving with round-trips into Chicago roughly once or twice a month.
Edited to add:
Looking at the pros/cons and the comparisons, I agree with the overall assessment of the vehicle.
Also I havenāt shopped recently for a vehicle (I plan to keep mine for quite awhile), so canāt help with more recent developmentsā¦Iām unfamiliar with any changes in the market for RAV4 hybrids and comparable models.
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Costco has certain dealers. You go to their locator, put in your model, they tell you which dealers are eligible and theyāll call you / email you anyway. The dealers pay Costco for having business driven to them.
Itās not necessarily the best price but itās a way to get a decent price. And the accessories most dealers add (a few thousand dollars), Costco limits the mark up. Ceramic paint sealants, etc.
Youāll get a good, fair price but not necessarily the best price. One will do better, for example, on a CX50 (too much inventory) than a Rav 4 - where Toyota doesnāt need to discount as much.
Also check the dealerās on line price. Some OEMs allow discounting on the website (not all) and sometimes youāll see an even better original price than Costco - but then when you get the actual price they mark up the accessories like crazy whereas with Costco they are given a limit.
And all dealers have doc fees - usually $400 to $1000 (but like trader joes ending in a 9 - like $799) and other junk fees so check those too.
Costco is a good way to get a fair price - is what I would say - but you can do better in many instances. But it requires more work.
Good luck.
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This is what my brother/SIL said. The Costco route for them (used Subaru) in NYC was a good route because it just simplified the whole finding/exploring/trying/negotiating process. And make the process not so difficult in a difficult city.
I believe I have mentioned before that we used Costco pricing for the last several cars. What this does is give us a set price without the haggle. BUT, when I purchased my last SUV 13 years ago, the dealer we were working with could not get the car with the trim and color I wanted; they only traded within our state and a few others. I got on the phone and called close to 50 dealer in 5 or so states, before finding the car I wanted. Over the phone I spoke with a salesman, asked for his best price, gave him the Costco price, which he beat after a tiny bit of negotiations. My husband few up that weekend and drove home with the car. The process was not difficult at all, and I am prepared to do the same if needed with my next car. Some dealer will bring the car to you, but the dealer I purchased from was in a state that was not allowed to deliver to my state.
The hoops I will jump through to get what I want! 
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Youāll have to let us all know what you wind up with.
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Some friends recently purchased a new Buick SUV (I think Enclave but not sure). Their troublesome backs felt much better in its seats than their very old Honda Odyssey (no surprise) and also much better than the new Odyssey.
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Weāve only bought one car since joining Costco (we keep our cars a LONG time), but we used it as the initial price to cross-shop. The Costco Toyota dealership we went to offered a very low price for my spouseās trade-in, such that my spouse didnāt want to deal with the dealership at all. But I had looked at one of those car valuing services (Blue Book or Edmunds or similar) that lists fair price, good price, and great price. When we went in to the dealership, I said that we wanted a car at the great price and said that we didnāt want any kind of a trade-in considered. A couple dealers passed, but one gave us the price we wanted. After we agreed, they happened to give us a trade-in offer that was double what the Costco Toyota dealership had offered us, and we took it. This was for a Toyota Sienna.
Of course, the dealership also benefited because we always take our cars to the dealership for servicing. Being Toyotas, however, they donāt need tons of servicing. 
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Thanks so much for the additional RAV4 feedback and Costco car-purchasing tips!
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Iām jumping in late to the Miata conversation. In 1992, I was graduating from law school, and my sister was graduating from college. I arrived at her graduation about 80 miles from home, insanely hungover with 4 hours of sleep. After a painful early morning grad in no air-conditioning, we walked around the corner of campus. There sat two Miatasāthe black limited edition with tan leather interior and a white oneāgifts from our parents. I got the black one which was super good looking. I drove it home, still hungover.
My sisterās car is long gone, but my parents still have my black one garaged and my dad drives it a few times a year.
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Very cool! 
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