How good is the RAV4 Hybrid

[Rob3188]

Hi guys, after quite a few years I thought it be great to come back to the Forum...

Having driven my Rav4 then moved on to an LC then down to an Avensis Tourer to end up back with a Rav4 I thought - after driving a german car and then a Kia, that it would be great to move back to the RAV4 again. Only this time I would like to try the 1st hybrid gen... 

Any honest tips out there regarding if this car is actually any good or if its just a gimmic ?

 

Look forward to your replies,

Wonder how many of the old RAv4ers are still about.. I see Anchorman - te resident guru still shows up every now and then....

 

Rgds,

Rob

[FROSTYBALLS]

The first generation hybrid ran from December 2015 to March 2019.

[Rob3188]

Thats the one I am on about  thinking of getting as the new one is out of my price range here in Germany 😉

[gavioliuk]

I bought a new 4th generation in March 2019.  According to the dealer it was the last 4th generation to be delivered by Toyota to a dealer.

I had Fords for over forty years.  I am so pleased I made the change.

After 17 months I have had no problems.  It is a real joy to drive and very comfortable.  Summer MPG is 50, dropping to 40 in the winter.  The drop is mainly because the heater is on and the petrol engine cuts in as the operating temperature drops.  The Hybrid system really works.

The only problem is deciding either do I drive, or my wife.  She has never shown an interest in the cars we have owned, but she regards the RAV 4 as special.

Please ask me any specific questions

[PeteB]

6 hours ago, gavioliuk said:

... The drop is mainly because the heater is on and the petrol engine cuts in as the operating temperature drops...

Another big factor, as with all cars, is colder air is denser and the Hybrid system has to work harder to push it out of the way - this is especially true for cars like the RAV with it's house-brick-like aerodynamics.

[scar]

Have owned every series rav4's. My current RAV is about  6 weeks old. I traded in a Honda CR-V petrol 4WD manual for it.

It was a CR-V hybrid or a RAV4 Hybrid but which one ? Both are great cars and I would have been delighted to have either on my drive. 

The RAV won on cost and thats the only reason I have one. The car drives great, the pull away from hill starts is reassuring smooth, I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

I would say the same about the CR-V as well. Had decent test drives in both.

When it came to spec we went for excel trim, decuma grey, light leather interior, pan roof and 2WD. To get the pan roof and light leather trim on the Honda put you in the EX trim level which was £39,000+ when you add metallic paint it was close to 40K. But you did get 4WD, HUD, and heated front screen.

So the RAV won the spec and cost war and it sits on the drive. I get an indicted 54.5 mpg ( reads 1.5 mpg high ) 

You said is it a gimmick, certainly not. We have been that impressed with the hybrid system since getting the RAV my wife has ordered a new Yaris hybrid to replace her car.

You might see a thread in the RAV section "shuddering stop" well that was my wife forgetting its an auto. Thats a contributory reason for getting rid of her manual box car.

We both like the BSM feature, never had that in a car before and it is certainly something I would recommend getting if possible.

If I had of been choosing the car just for me I would have picked the design spec 2WD, no other extras. I think thats the best value.

Would I be happy with the previous model RAV hybrid ? well I had the Diesel engine in that model with a manual box. I didn't like the car because of the Diesel engine, took ages to warm up and mpg was a bit disappointing. I would suspect the Hybrid would be ideal. But the Hybrid wasn't offered when I ordered mine. 

I think the shape of the previous model is more pleasing at the front and especially the wheel arches.

Good luck with your selection ROB

 

[PeteB]

12 hours ago, scar said:

...I think the shape of the previous model is more pleasing at the front and especially the wheel arches...

I'm with you there, I suspect the front of the previous model would be slightly more aerodynamically efficient than the very blunt current model.  However, judging by very many comments I've seen by amateur reviewers on YouTube, we appear to be in a minority in preferring the old model's frontal looks.

[Buff69]

What’s BSM please 

[PeteB]

Just now, Buff69 said:

What’s BSM please 

Blind Spot Monitoring.  When the car's sensors detect a vehicle to the left or right of the rear of the car, a symbol lights up in the door mirror on the relevant side.  If you then indicate to move in that direction, it flashes quickly.  I too find this very useful as a backup to good observation.

[Buff69]

Oh right yes that’s a great feature that we use, first car we have had it on to