Rav4 Hybrid 17" vs 18"

[KenMon]

Hi,

Long term lurker, 1st time poster.  

Currently driving an Auris Hybrid and looking to upgrade to a RAV4 hybrid.

Looking at the Icon or Excel but wondering if it is worth it from 1) ride comfort, 2) MPG & 3) tyre replacement costs to pay ~ £900 extra to get 17" wheels fitted rather than the stock 18"?

Can anyone shed any light?

Thanks

Ken

[myriagon]

Depends what your priorities are... if you want the car to look better in many peoples eyes, then go with the 18" wheels and accept the increased costs and possibly poorer ride. If on the other hand you prioritise ride and reducing costs, then the 17" wheels are the ones to choose.

Personally I prefer the 17" wheels as I don't care what others think and prefer a more comfortable ride at a lower price.

[KenMon]

Thanks

I'm one of these people that doesn't care what my car looks like or what other people think.  Obviously I don't want to look ridiculous (or covered in dents/scrapes etc.) but I don't stand outside my car for hours admiring its sleek lines ;-)  I'm very much practicality/performance over aesthetics.

[FROSTYBALLS]

According to the official fuel consumption figures, a Rav4 hybrid fitted with 17 inch wheels is 1.8mpg more economical for the combined and urban cycles, and 1.1mpg less economical for the extra urban cycle. So it looks as though the difference in mpg is negligible. 

Suppose the one thing to bear in mind is how your insurer will view the modification to the standard spec - whether they will accept the change, whether they will charge an additional premium, etc. I would be inclined to pose the question before deciding which way to go.

Have you test driven a Rav4 shod with 17 inch wheels and one shod with 18 inch wheels? Possibly a back-to-back comparison may be useful in determining any difference in ride quality for yourself.

[KenMon]

MPG is part of it, ride comfort is important too.  Hadn't thought of the insurance angle & will double-check that - thanks.

Re test drive - still trying to get anything longer than down the road & back organised in the dealer's demo hybrid.  Really want to take it for a long drive as we regularly do 2-3hrs in the car for work & 7-8 visiting family.  Ideally 24hrs (which is what we did with the Auris Hybrid) but so far no joy.

[786s13]

I Recently brought the rav4 hybrid, done 700 miles in 1 week so far. 

I think the ride is better and feels more stable on motorways than the none hybrid one i test drove. On normal roads you do feel the pot holes a "little" more but nothing that would have stopped me buying the excel version with 18" alloys. 

Mpg, havnet looked into this just yet but ive done around 430miles on a tank. Motorway and A-B road mixed, slightly spirited driving just to see what the car was like.  

Insurance, ive got TSS so insurance was cheaper than the older Rav4. 

Hope that helps.  

[KenMon]

Thanks

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

On 5/30/2016 at 10:01 PM, KenMon said:

MPG is part of it, ride comfort is important too.  Hadn't thought of the insurance angle & will double-check that - thanks.

Re test drive - still trying to get anything longer than down the road & back organised in the dealer's demo hybrid.  Really want to take it for a long drive as we regularly do 2-3hrs in the car for work & 7-8 visiting family.  Ideally 24hrs (which is what we did with the Auris Hybrid) but so far no joy.

Hi,

If you do find you have any issues with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line. I'd be only too pleased to try and help.

Regards,

Dan.

[grasshopper]

Took delivery of a new Blue Crush 2.0 Icon (not hybrid and partly due to 4 month waiting list). It might be because it's a new car but I think it drives like a dream, comparing it to our old 2006 RAV4 with 17's not much of a comparison but I am really surprised. And looks alone, the Icon IMO looks the dogs with those alloys, part of the reason why I didnt go for the Excel, let alone those Pleather seats...

On a side note, have you read the awful reviews about the hybrid handling because of the extra weight? And I think it only works up to 1 mile at a time up to 30mph, so what's the point I wonder.

[Heidfirst]

6 hours ago, grasshopper said:

And I think it only works up to 1 mile at a time up to 30mph, so what's the point I wonder.

I think that you will find that is in EV mode only - but it rarely works in EV mode only. The point is find another 2.5l petrol SUV that can do the same mpg outwith running as an EV (the 2.0l Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV can do even more if you are able to use the plug-in facility & stay within it's ~ 30 mile EV range for much of the time). 

[KenMon]

I'm driving a hybrid just now (Auris) & EV ONLY mode is not great, but let the car choose between petrol & Battery is fine, esp. in slow/stop-start traffic