Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Review
The car built to be driven and designed to stand out which leads you to all the benefits of electric power.
Verdict - 8.1 / 10
Good
- Very spacious interior
- Good fuel economy
- Quiet and comfortable ride at high speed
Not very good
- Noisy acceleration
- No through-loading from boot into the cabin
- No washer for rear parking camera
Introduction
Today we got our hands on the best selling SUV of the year - Toyota RAV4 that has passed 10 million sales landmark during its history. The one that we particularly drove is Toyota RAV4 2.5 Hybrid in Lounge trim which is in the middle among the 6 available: Live, Active, Lounge, Style, Black Edition and Premium.
Performance and Ride
The Hybrid version is equipped with a petrol inline 4 cylinder engine having a volume of 2487 cc plus an electric motor and a battery which combined develop 214 bhp and 221 Nm. With all this power our front-wheel-drive RAV4 can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 8.4 seconds while AWD version can do it a little bit quicker, taking 8.1 seconds. This better performance of the AWD, despite an extra 121 pounds, is due to an extra electric motor that drives the rear wheels.
Even on the 2WD version the start is punchy enough to sprint past slow moving vehicles. The only disappointment during a quick start is the noisy gearbox during a hard acceleration despite a very quite ride at speeds up to 50 mph which is always maintained around 60 dB.
Compared with the previous generation, this version of hybrid RAV4 brings a really enjoyable driving experience. Thanks to new TNGA platform the vehicle has a more precise steering and a much more comfy ride. Like many hybrids, the brake pedal feels a little unusual due to the energy regeneration system, but you get used to it pretty quickly.
Being at the steering wheel you can select Eco, Normal or Sport modes using the buttons, on the left side of the gearbox stick. These settings change the RAV4's behavior, but just as little as needed to be noticeable. Throttle response is quite slow in Eco mode, but in Sport it feels much faster and responsive. There is also EV mode available that allows the car to be driven just with its electric motor, but it works on very short distances.
Exterior
The new RAV4 looks much more interesting than previous version with big wheel arches to offer enough space for 18 inch wheels which come as standard for Style, Black Edition and Premium trims. All trims are equipped with "Follow me home" headlamps with washing system as standard. As well we have a rear parking camera for all trims but unfortunately it does not have a washer and it even does not hide during driving. As a result it gets dirty after 5 minutes drive on a wet road and is nearly useless after that. The standard headlights give you an impressive white beam of light with a very good angle to illuminate road margins. With dipped beam you can easily spot any obstacle or pedestrian who prepares to cross the road, at the distance that gives you enough time to prepare for the maneuver.
Interior
Immediately as you get inside the car you notice loads of headroom and 2 large displays. One 8 inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard and another 7 inch driver's display. Seats are impressive as well with a lot of adjustments for driver's seat, in our case all of them being electric but without the memory setting which is available just for Premium trim. Under the dashboard there are 2 USB ports and a 12V socket. You can get 2 bottles up to 1 litre each into any of the front doors.
When getting at the back the first thing we noticed was that the driver's seat does not have the back pocket, a strange thing for a car in this price range. When i seat behind myself there is 900 mm of legroom that is more than enough for someone who is 5 ft 9 in tall with enough headroom and plenty of space to slide the feet under the front seat even whet it is set as low as possible. You can get a 1.5 litre bottle into each of the back door and have 2 cup holders in the folding armrest. You can find as well 2 USB ports between the front seats.
Toyota RAV4’s boot is quite generous having 580 litres with a wide opening and low floor that allow easily to load heavy luggage. Boot door is open high enough even for those who are higher than 6 foot so they do not risk to hit the door with their head. The disadvantage of this is that it opens higher than top line so if you have a low ceiling garrage you have to keep the door with one hand not to damage it hitting the ceiling.
When the back seats are dropped down, the Toyota RAV4’s boot grows to 1,690 litres with a flat floor despite the seats are few degrees higher than the boot area floor. In the boot you can find another 12V socket, a small pocket on the right for some liquids used for maintenance and a bit of plastic floor on the left and right designed for dirty things to avoid getting mud on the carpet. But unfortunately there are no hangers for your shopping bags.
Ownership Costs
Starting price for RAV4 Hybrid in USA is $ 28,500 and tops up at $ 37,030. While the non-hybrid version starts at $26,050. For this setup Toyota claims a range of 41 miles per us gallon in the city and 38 miles on the highway. At today's average price per gallon - 2.243 $ it means you can drive up to 18.3 miles per Dollar.
Based on Toyota's recommended servicing intervals the first scheduled maintenance service at 10 000 miles will cost you around $100 and the second a little bit more than $500.
Carzall Verdict
If you are interested in a car from this class then you definitely have to consider the new RAV4 as it is an affordable and spacious family SUV in a beneficial price range.