New Rav, 4WD Hybrid petrol/electric

[Mike169]

Hi to everyone on this site, especially the management and all people that are clued up about Toyota Rav 4's.

I am contemplating trading in my 5 year old silver Rav 4 diesel automatic, only 13,000 miles on the clock, full sized spare, a very good car for a brand new Rav 4 Hybrid petrol/electric because as from today my needs of a car changes to only short runs to the shops as retirement from working has finally happened (Woopie!) for all in my household, my wife and I.

I know my all but immaculate Rav 4 D-Cat 150 diesel is not the car that will be best be suited for my 'new life' so I am really looking for comments about the latest hybrid Rav 4, must be 4wd and I am not sure what gearbox the hybrid Rav's have, the automatic I currently have has a silky smooth 6 gear I believe is a wonderful gearbox but I have read on this forum some Rav's are fitted with a MMT gearbox which is a big no-no as I have heard too many bad reports but saying that I think the hybrid's have a different gearbox that is ok, is this true?

Especially from say FrostyBalls, Devon and any other people that run this wonderful site so well I would appreciate comments on which model to buy, like I say most of my driving will be on short runs only, I don't want an electric car only so I have the option of doing longer runs when needed. Yes I am in a fortunate position to be able to afford a new car, on an online 'survey' Toyota have offered me a minimum of £10k for mine as they know it is in very good condition. Crafty dealers I put my reg. no. in, I had to, but the box where I had to put my phone no. in I put the local Toyota's number in so I didn't get hassled by phone calls but within 10 mins they phoned me on my mobile phone as the dealers just looked it up from my reg. number, but they know any more phone calls it will then be 'Goodbye Toyota' so to speak. They were literally asking to buy my car as they have a buyer waiting for it and I felt that comment was genuine.

I might keep my existing Rav if I don't get a good deal but I fancy spoiling ourselves!

Thank you all in advance, Mike.

[FROSTYBALLS]

As far as I'm aware, the Rav4 hybrid, in common with other Toyota hybrids, use an eCVT transmission, and the petrol automatics use a CVT. The diesel Rav is now only available in 6 speed manual and front wheel drive.

The only Toyota now using the Multi Mode transmission, albeit in a developed form, is the Aygo X-Shift. There were some of the second generation Auris manufactured with the MMT (eg for sale in Malta), but not sure whether these are still available or whether these have gone over to CVT's like the UK market Auris.

Petrol and hybrid Rav4's are available in all wheel drive, and I think list prices range fro around £32K to £35K.

One thing to be aware of is the VED rates - vehicles with a list price before discounts attract an additional £310 VED from year 2, and I think the list price would include any optional extras ordered. 

[IanML]

Obviously you are a convinced Toyota fan, but I think it would be advisable to compare to other offerings.  I think I am right in saying that the RAV4 hybrid does not allow you to recharge the Battery at home, whereas a "PHEV" does.  To my mind, that is a real advantage, as, with largely local mileage, you will be getting the bulk of your energy from relatively cheap electricity (no petrol duty!).  Of course, the Battery needs to have a decent capacity to reap the benefit, and I'm not sure how many really do that

Anyway, food for thought..

[Mike J.]

On 10/19/2017 at 11:08 AM, Mike169 said:

Hi to everyone on this site, especially the management and all people that are clued up about Toyota Rav 4's.

I am contemplating trading in my 5 year old silver Rav 4 diesel automatic, only 13,000 miles on the clock, full sized spare, a very good car for a brand new Rav 4 Hybrid petrol/electric because as from today my needs of a car changes to only short runs to the shops as retirement from working has finally happened (Woopie!) for all in my household, my wife and I.

I know my all but immaculate Rav 4 D-Cat 150 diesel is not the car that will be best be suited for my 'new life' so I am really looking for comments about the latest hybrid Rav 4, must be 4wd and I am not sure what gearbox the hybrid Rav's have, the automatic I currently have has a silky smooth 6 gear I believe is a wonderful gearbox but I have read on this forum some Rav's are fitted with a MMT gearbox which is a big no-no as I have heard too many bad reports but saying that I think the hybrid's have a different gearbox that is ok, is this true?

I too have moved towards hybrids, but the priority was reduced size and so I chose the Yaris. Why not try out the C-HR as the new RAV4 is massive (to me). The C-HR can be bought as a hybrid (very smooth CVT gearbox) and with 4WD but, for some odd reason not together . An alternative would be to keep the old car and get a small town car - perhaps a full EV such as a Renault Zoe or BMW i3.

[unclepoo]

The Rav4 hybrid has the synergy drive transmission, like the prius and auris and now the c-hr. So no need to worry about mmt gearbox problems. The c-hr is only front wheel drive, and if you must have 4wd then only the top of the range hybrid has the rear wheels driven by an electric motor, but the total power output is the same as a 2wd hybrid rav4, and the 2wd will give 5-10% better economy and the same performance.

As for phev 4wd....probably the outlander springs to mind....the fantastic mpg is more like just a fantasy,  It makes sense as a company car or if you charge over night on a cheep tariff, but a 20 mile range is about the best you can expect in EV, then it`s petrol and the ice engine is not as efficient as the toyota Atkinson cycle design by a long way. So on long journeys it means charging every stop at the services, and they`re not free any more. So you come full circle and you`re back looking at a rav4.....but is it a new one or you keep your existing rav..???

[16_Auris_HSD]

Also realistic fuel consumption is in mid 30's so it's more of a statement car. It is nice inside though, bigger than Lexus NX but similarly well built.

[Mike169]

Hi All, my existing Rav, known as a 4.3.5 I believe being a late Dec 2012 model and I am a tall guy and I find the driving seat ideally I would like it to go back say another inch or two, does anyone know if the latest Rav's are actually physically bigger dimensionally inside even is the whole car bigger generally overall as I do thing the car I have, as good as it is a tad on the small size. Of course I only have to go to the dealers and sit in one but it would be nice to know peoples opinions before I go. Stuart commented about a PHEV and I do like the look of the car and i feel this may be a larger car. My two local car dealers are Toyota and Mitsubishi and i feel both are good cars and where as makes like Land Rovers or call them as you wish, yes they have a good reputation in some ways but are not known for their reliability and the nearest dealership is miles away so that's not an option.Thank you all for your opinions oh and like i mentioned it must be 4wd or have this facility as my drive is quite a steep slope and a RWD car i had couldn't drive up it in snowy conditions and FWD's i have had weren't much better.

Regards, Mike.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The current Rav4, depending on spec: 

Length 4570-4605mm (previous model 4315-4395mm) : width 1845mm (previous model between 1815 and 1855mm); height between 1660-1705mm (previous model 1685-1720mm).

[andyfr]

I got a new Rav4 Hybrid 4WD last year. The eCVT gearbox is a dream with great linear acceleration. The majority of driving is done on 60 and 70 MPH A roads and motorways, very little town driving. I am getting an average of 42 MPG, brimming the tank at every fill and noting the mileage then entering into a spreadsheet.

[Mike169]

Hi All. I am off to go and look at 3 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV's tomorrow, all ex. Mitsubishi pre owned, that means those who get company cars get a new one every 6 months so they sell the old ones off to the dealers at a silly cheap price and sell them to the public for just under £28K and I know I will be tempted. My local Toyota dealer phoned me, as they knew I was thinking of changing my car and offered me £10K for it no matter what car I get instead as they know it is a good one, tyrol silver, 13,000 mikes, registered in December 2012 and it's coming up to 5 years old. They were almost begging me for it as they have a buyer waiting for a good 4.3.5. So if anyone wants to cut the dealer out and get themselves a good Rav D-Cat 2.2 automatic and can put their hands on £10K then get back to me as obviously the dealer is going to put their slice on top. Usual extra's on it including a full size 5th wheel and all matching Yoko tyres. Of course i might not buy a 6 month old PHEV but I don't think i'll pull out of the deal as I only have to come up with the extra £18K which is not a problem. Full main dealer service history. Mike.