Due to the good experience with our 2005 Prius, when my bride decided a "new" vehicle was needed, we added the RAV-4 Hybrid to the list. The competition? VW Tiguan "S" Four-Motion (I get a screaming low price on them) Honda CR-V AWD Subaru Crosstek and Forester Toyota Highlander Hybrid After driving all but the Forester at local dealers (our daughter had a Forester), the decision was quick and obvious - RAV-4 Hybrid XLE. The good part is we found a professional dealership who accurately represented their stock and prices, while having a good selection. We got a fair (but not great) deal! The bad... Apparently "local" Toyota dealers, believe that anything they sold in the last week, have on the lot, or is scheduled to deliver within two weeks counts as "in stock". Completely laughable and irresponsible at the same time. We wasted literally 6 hours driving to dealers who either showed stock on their web sites or told us they had what we were looking for, when they did not. The RAV-4 has a very similar architecture to the Prius with regard to the HSD system, with the addition of an electric-only RWD set-up, making the vehicle AWD. RAV-4 Advantages: - QUIET! - Great FE - Toyota quality - Known systems and operation - Comfortable seats in all positions - Good cargo room (seats up) - Safety (lots of modern safety stuff!!) - Good, but not exactly "sporty" handling - Good acceleration/performance - Many clever driver aids and good features (switch placement, ergonomics, etc) RAV-4 Detractors - No dual visors for even the driver??? WTH, this IS 2018! - Dealers... OMG, the DEALERS are HORRIBLE - Infotainment that is only marginally better than Sync (the worst) - Some very high pitched ringing-bell like intermittent noise - Roof racks that are, basically useless, except for styling accents Why not the others, what/where did they lose out? - Tiguan: NOISY and worst FE in the group, but AWESOME Dealer experiences! - CR-V: Just did not seem as solid as the RAV-4, lower FE and higher price, but AWESOME Dealer experiences! - Crosstrek: Too small, but FUN, great MPG and price! - Forester: Performance, but the BEST in the snow! - Highlander: $$$$$$$$ (did I mention $$$) for only a slightly larger vehicle with not a single added feature? So far we are VERY happy!
Absolutely! It's costs are now in the negative (it's saved us more gas $$$ than it cost to purchase).
Her first new vehicle and yup, she's happy! She did say that next time we purchase a new vehicle, we will not negotiate or tolerate ANY level of dealer BS. Good!
Congrats, and Thank you for writing up on new Rav4 Hybrid purchase. We are starting to look for AWD with good cargo space and hopefully good FE to replace our aging AWD Sienna minivan. Rav4 Hybrid is on my list, but I have not test drove yet. Did you consider Outback as contender? I just did test driven one, and really liked it. Only thing holding back is its not as FE as Rav4 hybrid. I am also considering Nissan Rogue Hybrid AWD.
The Outback was high on the first contender list, but also $10k more, so that was a major factor causing it to fall off the list. We ARE purchasing a used Outback within the next 6 months, it will likely be an older one and under $10k. We need the 3000# towing that the H6 provides and did not want a single "do it all" vehicle... we had that with the Expedition. For us, the known quality of Toyota and their Hybrids is unmatched in the industry, even saving about $5k on a Tiguan was not enough of a financial benefit to overcome the "buy it and drive it trouble-free for 10 years" you get with Toyota. In our eves, no other manufacturer has PROVEN they can equal, much less beat, Toyota at the hybrid game.
It's way more vehicle too. Our 2015 Outback Limited is probably one of the best vehicles we've owned (wife says the best). That our 4 cyl/cvt still matches the newer rav4hybrid highway mileage is nice because we got it as a family highway hauler (4 adult sized people plus large dog). We bought an original 96 RAV4 (trivia: RAV stands for Recreationally Active Vehicle) back in the day in the more economical and cheaper two wheel drive version in the very popular 90's trendy green color. Overall a great vehicle that holds the record for longest owned in our household. The biggest neg was the boomy road noise due to the boxy design and little insulation in that gen 1 build.
If we could have had the 3000# towing with the H4 Outback, we may have considered it, but my wife liked the looks of the RAV-4 better and with the 1500# towing limit on the H4 Outback, it was no longer a contender. The 5speed H6 models have the best towing reputations, later CVT models are limited and then require FREQUENT fluid changes (25k), even with light loads, so the FE benefit of the later H6 w/CVT will not be relevant for me. Honestly, the BEST seats I have ever seen are the electrically adjustable ones in the Outback and Camry. The RAV-4 seats are very good, but just not as good.
Being a career Mechanic it's about reliability and TCO first. Checked out every other vehicle in this category (except VW) and purchased the Wife a new 2017 RAV4 Hybrid Limited this Summer with all the toys. The only one that even came close was the CRV...but...they cost more relatively and drink more gas. So now we have 2 Prii and an HV SUV...that's also getting a hitch. How's that for just some old Texas "Red Neck".
Ditto! When you work on them all day, the LAST thing you want is "that call" from the S.O. with a broken vehicle or having to work on one when you get home.
