19 Rav4 Hybrid

I really like our Prius v (wagon)'s "single dial for (almost) everything" setup. It was a little awkward at first but once you know how to use it I rarely need to look down to make adjustments.

 

Yeah, very interesting:

 

Haha I knew you would dig up a picture. Good work!

Anyway, it is actually very intuitive to use....something I find lacking in many vehicles these days.

 

I'm with you. Love the v's HVAC controls. And the wheel is so grab-able. I leave it in auto 99% of the time. But for that one percent, I am so used to it I can make changes without a long distraction sequence.

 

Gen 4 is sort-of similar. It's in AUTO or OFF for 99% of the time. The only adjusting I do is the temp occasionally between seasons, and hit the DEFROST buttons if necessary.

 

Interesting.. I rarely have it in auto. I like to adjust the fan manually. Auto never seems quite correct to me.

 

I find Auto goes to vent too much, when I'm more likely to like high/low or heat/defog. Too: I really wish Toyota would offer one more mode, just all the air to the windshield (besides that hell's-a-popping, AC activating, front windshield defog button).

And really, just putting all the modes on a dedicated dial (or slider), with detents at each stop, it is SO easy to get the mode you want.

 

Yeah maybe I'm old-school, lol. I guess what I'm saying: there's these modes

vent (air to face)
high/low (air to face and feet)
heat (air to feat)
heat/defog (air to feat and window)

and there should be this one:

defog (all air to window)

And yet, it's an awkward, eyes-off-the-road excercise to select them manually. And it shouldn't be. It didn't used to be. If the only work around is to leave it in Auto, it's just to difficult to do otherwise, I think that's a fail.

The old way of selecting was either a slider or a dial, with distinct detents, and with 5 max options, 2 at either extreme, it was very easy to select what you wanted, without taking your eyes off the road at all.

 

Wife and I just bought a rav4h yesterday. Seemed a no-brainer. Her 9 year old sedan needed replacing and she wanted higher seats for better visibility and easier access (we aren't getting any younger) and the safety features of a modern vehicle. We bought the xle with the convenience package for just over $30k OTD at a rural dealership about 40 miles away (the local dealership plays too many shell games). Very happy with the purchase (the exception being NO ANDROID AUTO!) and the price. Our trip home from the dealer netted 50 MPG (although not a big enough data sample to be meaningful) so I expect that number to come down.

Only an $800 hybrid premium, more horsepower and 40 mpg (average) vs. the ICE model, plus a decent discount over MSRP. Who in their right mind would buy the ICE-only version?

PS - I used to avoid auto AC in my Prius because I was sure I knew best. Now it's auto AC for me full time.

 

This was in a report today:

 

I think Toyota finally got the hybrid pricing correct. In other words, close enough to the non-hybrid price where it makes the gas savings that much more attractive. I'm thinking it must be attracting people who otherwise would not have even considered it.

Edit : Hmm...I just looked at the MSRP's and they are not as close as I thought.

Edit #2 : Ok now I get it...you have to compare the Hybrid model (where AWD is standard) to the AWD ICE-only model. If you do that, the hybrid is only a few hundred more. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

 

I believe that the hybrid system (including the hybrid battery of course) costs Toyota more than $800 over the gas AWD model. They get the cost down by substituting an additional motor on the rear axle for the drive shaft operated AWD system of the gas only models.

That is why the price differential is higher on the Camry where there isn't that savings.

For most drivers the Rav4 hybrid setup is better because it actually increases acceleration and regenerative braking but some serious off roaders may prefer the (gas only) drive shaft AWD setup. The hybrid does have a "trail" setting which uses braking to create a non slip differential like effect but not as many AWD settings as the gas models.

Here is a link to a video review that describes the set up and trail mode:

 

The hybrid is the more powerful trim in the Rav4, and, like Europe, smaller car with trailer may be more of a thing in Australia than in the US.

Yeah, Toyota is charging $3000 more for the Corolla hybrid here, and a FWD Rav4 hybrid isn't an option for us.

That said, prices I've seen for the upcoming Escape hybrid are $1200 to $800 more, regardless of whether it's FWD or AWD. The lower trim has a steeper price. Which makes sense if Ford is using the margins of the extra features to hide the cost. But until equipment details come out, we can't say if the lower trim ICE and hybrid are a like comparison. They have slightly different trim names as oppose to the higher trim name being the same between the two.

 

I believe a lot of the hybrid demand comes from the media bashing of the regular Rav4 being noisy and not as powerful as the hybrid. Anybody reading this media stuff will go straight to the hybrid, increasing their demand.

In California the hybrid versions are selling at MSRP. It's a big money maker for the dealers, no discounts

 

Aussie prices:


Note that in each grade there is a petrol Auto 2WD, a Hybrid 2WD and a Hybrid AWD.

 

I rarely see any car with a trailer - other than tradespeople. Nothing like the proportion of unused tow-bars which get installed on cars and trucks.

Yes, some boats and the occasional caravan. It's one of those things which seems to be a myth - "I need a big V8 to tow my trailer" used to be the story.

 

So it is not possible to make a direct comparison of a petrol AWD model and a comparable hybrid AWD model.

Also, with petrol prices being higher there, Toyota can charge a higher premium for the hybrid.