My wife and I are looking for a new car. We've done a TON of research and I'm still undecided. Can anyone offer some incite on things that I might have over looked? With that said I know that range (car will be my wife's and used for daily errands) and cost are the too biggest differences ( roughly the same when considering the rebates) but given our situation they will not be an issue. With that said I come to the experts of prius chat and ask for your help in choosing our next car. Thank you so much for your help I really appreciate it!
I prefer a car over a SUV or truck. I like the size of the Prius. Your situation depends on family size and how it will be used. Neither is a bad choice.
I think we need a little more insight into how you plan on using it to offer advice. For instance what is your other car(s). Any extra info would be helpful.
All electric is definitely a big plus as long as the range works for you. Check that winter range works as well. Prius is a good, solid car with the best mpg you can get in an ICE. However, if price is not an issue, I would suggest a 60kWh Model S. more range than the RAV4 EV, and you have a Tesla service center closer to you than a RAV4ev qualified Toyota tech. Dublin | Tesla Motors
I completely agree with the car over the SUV because we already own an older Ford Escape 3.0 4x4. In fact we were very anti SUV but when we went to the dealership we drove both and were pleasantly surprised by the Rav4 (if only Toyota made an electric wagon!). As with the Tesla although we would love one but they are a little out of our price range and since it will predominantly be my wife's car she prefers a wagon over a sedan. As far as what the car will be spent doing, it will be my wife's daily driver so runs to Costco, to the pediatrician (we have a 5 month old), to the mall, and the occasional run to John Wayne (20 miles away) so all within the range of the Rav4.
So Cal? Not much, if at all I would expect. Your profile location shows Ohio? Are you in Cal? Sorry, scratch that, saw your previous post. Yeah, the Ravev should work great for that. As for form factor of the car IF the Model S were in your price range I would encourage you to take a look. There is a ton of space available in it. Since it isn't though, I highly recommend not doing so;-)
If your wife complains about noise and bumpiness, you might prefer the Rav4ev more as my wife did. Toyota insulated the Rav4ev a lot more than the standard Rav. Double the thickness in the front glass panel to reduce wind/road noise, plus more insulation all around. You can feel the doors much heavier. Also the rear suspension is multi-link instead of torsion beam. So ride is a lot smoother. As a result, the Rav4ev is really a luxury SUV without the ugly gas bill. For us, the $0.20/kwh rate is equivalent to 60mpg at $4/gal, which I like even more compare to our Prius. When PG&E changes to $0.10/kwh, it will become 120mpg equivalent. Plus getting "free gas" once in awhile is big positive.
Wait... you're serious? Winter in So Cal?? Please trust me: Not even something to consider. So... from a guy who has owned the legacy (2002) Rav4EV for 11 years, and has owned a Prius for seven years, my answer to the OP question is: It totally depends on what type of car you want! If you have the room, and can make do with the Rav4EV, then there's no question that I want you burning electrons instead of gasoline. If you want the form-factor of the Prius, then pollute a bit longer, and go that direction. My deal is that full-electric is the way to go - but I also understand that the form factor of the car has to fit your needs. Of course best is to do what my family does: Full electric for every-day trips. And a Prius for the once-a-month long trips.
Why did Toyota add extra insulation if electric cars are inherently quieter? Was it to help potential customers come to terms with the cost? Regardless, it's pretty nice thing to have.
I wouldn't be surprised if they did to go w/the ethos that EVs are quieter. May as well eliminate other noises too. If the range works for you and you're ok w/the cost of the Rav4 EV (after incentives, tax credit and CVRP), I'd probably go for the Rav4 EV. It's a tough call. It's WAY faster and much quieter while accelerating but see concerns below. Out of all the BEVs, it has the most range vs. all of them except the Model S. And, it's also the fastest except for the S. See bottom of Testing Electric Vehicles in the Real World. Only potential problem is the reliability and durability of the Tesla bits are unknown along w/the gateway ECU. Personally, some of the issues I've seen people hit at Tesla Motors Club - Enthusiasts & Owners Forum (many discussed at Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues) are troubling. Remember, Tesla's only been in business 10 years. The Model S is the first time they've had to built an entire car from the ground up so they don't have as much experience as all the major automakers. You can dig around at Toyota Rav4 EV Forum - Toyota Rav4 EV Forum for the Rav4 Electric Vehicle. Tony Williams seems to have gone from loving his (due to the range and power) to his being a lemon. See Toyota Rav4 EV Forum • View topic - My Complaint Rant. He had 2 Leafs before his Rav4 EV, that he paid "full pop" for. There were no Toyota incentives, at the time. A few others have run into similar problems w/the gateway ECU (Toyota Rav4 EV Forum • View topic - The Screen of Death... Check EV System !!) and motor noise (some from the gearbox). See Toyota Rav4 EV Forum • View topic - Rav4EV motor "HUM", can you hear it in yours?.
Reliability is something that concerns me especially with this being my wife's car. I love almost everything about the rav4 but this could be a deal breaker.
To be clear, most of the Model S problems reported on Tesla Motors Club have nothing to do w/the battery pack and powertrain bits that go into the Rav4 EV. They're all over the map from windshield stress fractures, external door handle problems (they extend and retract), supposedly loose fuses causes the door handle problems, doors popping open by themselves, etc. The external door handle problems are self-inflicted. Notice nobody (or virtually nobody) else does that? It illustrates some not surprising teething issues. As long as Tesla cares and has good processes in place, they will improve and learn many lessons. It just takes time and enough units and mileage accumulated in the field. But, to hear of some Rav4 EV folks getting their motors replaced and gateway ECUs is a bit troubling. As Tony noted, his heater failed too. Don't worry about the charge port melting issue, that was definitely a Blink and Rema issue. Rema made he J1772 handle w/faulty crimp that overheated during high loads. At the time they were deployed, almost all Blink EVSE users were Leafs w/3.3 kW on-board chargers (so there's no fatal overheating w/faulty crimps), not something that's 6 kW or greater, like the Rav4 EV. Tony did call the Rav4 EV fantastic in these posts: My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Cutting it close too often. Merry Xmas ! - way before he started having a whole bunch of probs My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Early Capacity Losses-Was(Lost a bar...down to 11) - after his rant If you have any warranty repairs where they have to keep it overnight or longer, they should provide a loaner. The quality of the loaners can be YMMV, ranging from a crappy Corolla to a (nice) Avalon Hybrid (IIRC).
Presumably the RAV4 EV may have many more years CA HOV access if that is important to you now or could be in the future. Read the thread/article about how some people think Japan is trending away from EV to favor hybrids, just for kicks to see if the negatives for EV sway your opinion. In CA, EV has a role to play due to smog etc. but Prius v is really nice family car.
I wish the Rav4EV was available here in NY along with all the discounts. Right now I am subscribing to the theory that my prius v will eventually be my family car for vacations and things requiring hauling more cargo, like children's sports activities or something. And in about 5 years I am hoping EVs advance to a point where I'm able to buy a couple reasonable priced vehicles with decent range for my wife and I to commute with and do our daily driving with.
I have shipped the Rav4 EV to NY three times now! Woppa, why wait! Anyway, I am reading this with lots of interest - I sell a significant percentage of the Rav4 EVs sold in the state and am always asked to make a comparison with other cars ie Prius, Prius v, and most of the time, PlugIns. If you'd like to talk this thru for a few different perspectives that I have gotten thru the past year, especially on Prius PlugIn vs rav4 EV, UTBuckeye, feel free to call me! You're very close to me anyway...
