Here's the RAV4 just as we got it, it's a base model 4wd, 3.5 V6 with 3rd row seats.  

It's a US model (Long Wheelbase) that we currently have in the UK with us.

One of the first mods was to add a tow hitch and the wiring required. Additionally, the UK requires a rear fog light, so I got a brake light receiver cover and wired it to be the rear fog light.

 Several minor items were added as well, to include a K&N panel filter, mud guards, rear bumper protector and full carpet set (front and rear seats and cargo area).  We noticed that the RAV (like many new cars today) had pretty bad wind pressure reverberation with the rear windows open.  So I put on the weathertech in-channel wind/rain deflectors.  They don't completely eliminate it depending on the window positions, but it's very much better and very useful as it rains here quite often.

For times when we may have to move a lot of cargo, I have a cargo basket for the tow hitch.  The rear door clears it perfectly when empty and there is a Rola cargo bag (not pictured) that can strap onto the basket to keep everything secure and dry.

To improve the sound of music inside, enabling iPod capability and reclaim a little space for cargo, a Pioneer head unit was installed and used an adaptor from crutchfield which added a storage tray.

Wanting to be able to drive to mainland Europe, there are several emergency items required when driving there.  Like a warning triangle, reflective vest, fire extinguisher, etc.  For somewhere to put all these things I wanted something out of the way and not too outstanding.  Toyota Europe has an attache bag that is available as an accessory, that attaches to the rear door and is removable, which I added.

The rear cargo area is poorly lit by the single bulb located on the rear door (as seen above).  Most of the light produced does not even project into the cargo area when the rear door is opened.  To fix this two LED lights were added to the access panels on both sides of the interior just inside the rear door.

The UK often has thick fog (hence the requirement for the rear fog light) and the base model does not come with front fog lights.  The Toyota retrofit kit is very expensive, so I ordered an OEM style kit that has everything to install them independently.  However, I wanted it to operate like the OEM fogs so I wired them in like the OEM fog lights.

Before fog lights:

After fog lights installed:

We have cats that we need to take to the occasional vet appointment and soon will be moving back to the US with us.  To make it easier to move them, we decided it would be nice to have a pet barrier.  There are very limited options for suitable ones that actually stay in place an don't leave marks of the interior.  Luckily, Toyota Europe again had an accessory that is not available in the US, a dog guard/barrier.  It's available in full or half screen options (we got the half one).  It installs in existing mounts at the top and comes with two brackets that get installed on the 2nd row seat outer rail mount bolts.  The brackets have an arm that you can rotate out of the way when the guard is not installed, leaving the cargo area unobstructed.

We love our RAV, it perfectly suited our needs of awd, space, seating, power and milage.  However, one thing that was apparent immediately was the ride.  Don't get me wrong, the RAV handles very well, but the suspension on it seemed very poor.  It felt disconnected from the road, you knew the vehicle was driving perfectly straight and stable, however inside it was constantly pitching and bouncy.  Granted, we live in an area with poor roads and sharp corners.  However, the ride would occasionally make you feel car sick, something none of us were really prone to.  So I set out to fix the suspension.  First on the list was the outer front corner feeling like it wanted to "tuck under" on several of the corners and especially in roundabouts.  Now, this was something I was familiar with right away, as I've fixed this one our previous cars (Nissan Skyline and Mini Cooper S).  I found a front strut tower brace made by Ultraracing based in Malaysia.

This tightened up the steering response and made it much more stable in cornering at speed.  This was something immediately felt for us due to the roundabouts here and the winding roads.

Next was to fix the bouncy/pitching ride.  For this, it was a matter of finding springs that suited what we wanted.  There are lowering springs available, however we want to keep our ground clearance, or if anything raise it.  Looking for standard height of taller springs was interesting as there are VERY limited sources.  King Springs in Australia has 35mm raised springs, however there are no international distributers, so the cost wound be very high.  Luckily, ARB had just designed Old Man Emu springs (raised 30mm) for the 06+ RAV.  I immediately ordered them (OME 539 for the front, OME 540 for the rear).  Just comparing them to the stock springs, they even look more suitable/stable than the standard ones.

Front Spring comparison:

Rear Spring comparison:

As far as the "raised" part.  People will see different results based on which model (base vs sport, 4cyl vs, V6 and 2 row vs 2) they are installed on.  On our RAV, there is a little lift there, but seems to average about 1/2" to 3/4."  Which is why if someone is wanting to buy them purely for lift I tell them no to.  Luckily, our reason wasn't for lift, but for the ride handling.  Which, these springs made a world of difference.  It completely eliminated the "disconnected" feeling of the ride... stopped the pitching around that we'd feel often.

Still there was one list thing to do... The rear end (assuming due to the added weight of the 3rd row seats) was very prone to sagging when heavily loaded.  Enough that we'd blind oncoming drivers when loaded.  To fix this issue I decided on the Firestone Coil Rite air bag spring helpers that are inserted into the rear springs.  The inflation of the bags can be adjusted to suit the load.  

Additionally, the rear still had what felt like a little too much sway left despite the improved springs.  I found that leaving the airbags at 10psi all the time greatly improved that.  Now the RAV rides and handles exactly like I think it should have in the first place.