Comment by soared
1 day ago
Agreed - check out for example a Toyota rav4 le. This is the base model with effectively zero modern “subscription-esque” fancy features. It’s got a touchscreen and power windows, but otherwise it’s all the reliability/etc of Toyota and that’s it. About half the price of what most rav4s are listed at and $20k+ cheaper than a 4Runner.
It has a Data Communication Module - it spies on you. If you try to remove that, you lose audio in the front right speaker.
Oh no, across the line Toyota still tries to sell you a subscription service that's required for things like remote start.
So? Why would people buying the cheapest possible model care?
Remote start is a luxury feature. Just ignore the subscription offer like a luxury trim option.
Remote start isn't a luxury feature unless you also classify remote unlock as a feature. Toyota (and many manufacturers) used to use the key fob to also start the car but they disabled that so they could charge for it as part of the subscription.
It depends. What else is included in that subscription? Mirror and seat heating by any chance?
Can you buy a Toyota that isn't always online? Because having remote start available, subscription or not, sounds like you can't.
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In the United States (USD, MSRP):
* 2026 Toyota RAV4 LE (base trim) - $31,900
* 2026 Toyota RAV4 Limited (top trim) - $43,300
* 2026 Toyota 4Runner SR5 (base trim) - $41,570