New RAV-4 Hybrid owner!

On my last visit to a Toyota dealer for my Prime's 10K service, I took RAV4 Hybrid for a test spin amid snow storm. I was very impressed with the way this car handled snow despite having stock all season tires. The problem was 10.2 MPG I was getting from it. Is this normal MPG on this car on bad snowy roads? I drove 45 miles on Prime on that day to and from the dealer, and my average mileage was well above 60MPG.

 

I expect a couple of things skewed the results. On the RAV4 one could expect terrible mileage on a short trip in the cold, especially if there was a warm up period where the vehicle was stationary.

On the Prime I'm sure you were helped by the longer trip length and the plugin capability. Cold weather is murder on MPGs. IMHO a normal Prius is not going to get 60+ MPG in the snow. The Prime is surely one of the very best vehicles you could buy for MPGs. The RAV4 will be good for what it is but it isn't going to compare to your Prime.

My Camry starts out getting terrible mileage (around 20 MPG) but as it warms up the trip average will eventually rise up to 50 MPG or so on a typical commute. On a short trip the car would not have time to overcome the initial low figures. All cars are like this but we seem to really notice on our hybrids.

 

05PreeUs...You must have been visiting someone up north, because fortunately for those of us living anywhere near the I-20 corridor between Shreveport and DFW...the reality of deep snow and sub-zero weather is rare...at best.

 

There were a lot of references on this blog to Subarus, I bought 3 new ones since 1999, two blew the head gaskets, when I talked to my mechanic and several others that said: Blown head gaskets are a common problem on Subies. From personal experience I'm done with that brand!

 

Wow that is some powerful mechanic! Just talking to them blows head gaskets.

 

I recently made the switch from a Prius and we had a day or two of light snow. You're right, it rides pretty nice. The MPG obviously not as good but still not bad all things considered. Looks like you were in Sport mode so maybe that dropped the MPG's a couple more. 10 MPG does seem low so not sure what was going on there.

I've already started modifying mine.

Rav4 Android Radio by CoolPrius posted Mar 23, 2018 at 11:04 AM

 

Thanks for your reply. We haven't decided on our purchase yet. At moment, we are managing with one car, but soon or later we would like to add another car. 35.3 MPG after 3 fuel-up is decent for AWD vehicle. I just can't decide go with RAV4 hybrid or Subaru with boxer engine. I may end up waiting till next year for the all new RAV4. BHW, that's a cool Radio you got on your car. Is it aftermarket unit?

 

I just went thru that process. I own a 2014 Prius hatchback, and did own a 2012 Camry Hybrid until we got our new Forester 2.5i on 2.28.18. I really wanted to like the Rav4 hybrid, but just did not. 2nd place for us was Honda CRV.Probabally 3rd was Rouge and Rav 4 was 4th. Only 750 miles so far on Forester but 30.5 mpg(calculated) varying rpm's like crazy for break in. Have a almost 3000 mile trip soon so I will have a better idea what I will get for MPG after that. The new 2019 Forester is to be unveiled next week on Wednesday, so you will see what is new on it and the new Rav 4 before long. Good luck on your choice.

 

It's good when there are plenty of options to consider. Like Dave said with the new Rav4 details coming out in a week or so and the possibility of the newly released Corolla hatchback getting the Hybrid drivetrain, the future looks interesting. I even read somewhere that Subaru might offer a Toyota hybrid engine option (or some borrowed synergy components?) in a vehicle. I'm pretty sold on the Synergy Hybrid system at this point. Also of note, there will be plenty of sales incentives from now into next year, the largest closer to fall I believe. I got $5k off MSRP with very little negotiation. I was reading others online getting up to $7k off so keep that in mind.

I specifically went for the base radio because I knew the stock system wasn't going to live up to expectations. It didn't in my Gen3 or Gen4 and based on reading other forums it's the same across the board with many of the current Toyota lineup. Weak dash speakers and a head unit that has unbalanced non-adjustable amplifier settings with low output to the rear. Good news is it's easy to remedy with some aftermarket components. From what I understand the Rav4 is popular overseas and some of their aftermarket stuff works in our cars. The unit I installed is from China and is a complete kit with all the cables needed for a truly plug and play option. Not bad for about $370. Added bonus is it comes with the CANBUS module so you get on screen display of climate control and can change the light and door lock settings on the unit. I'm still learning the unit and Android system but it has been performing nice as a radio and USB music player. Do be aware that since the units are from China you could run into issues with quality control or customer service. Here is a video I took showing how it works.

 

Rumors are Subaru is going to introduce a hybrid, model and info not known yet. Toyota has a 17% or so ownership in Subaru, according to reports I read.

 

And a parallel hybrid system might work better with their current AWD one.

 

Congrats! Its always good to know prior customers are retained and enjoy the models we have in Toyota. Toyota is trying to have a hybrid model equivalent to most our gasoline counterparts. There has been talk of a hybrid Sienna as well in the next two to five years from now. Exciting and of course enjoy the RAV4. They havent sold a lot mainly because of low advertising. Its easier to sell Prius and Camry Hybrids than sporty RAV4 and some Highanders. So again enjoy and if you have any problems let us know.

 

Subaru is known to have head gasket problems, two of the three new Subies we purchased (a 2000 and a 2005) both had head gasket troubles. When talking to mechanics about the problem they said that that was normal in the 4 cylinder Subies form 2000 on. Admittedly that is just my experience but....

 

Used my 2010 Prius to haul my top and bottom roll-away with tools and other personal items twice. Once using this 5'x10' and once using this 5'x9'.

Our 2017 RAV4 Limited Hybrid is rigged for trailers now and I guarantee it will do it...and better.