Arriving Early March

[marlinleg]

Hi has the new RAV 4 Hybrid been re designed form the   Chassis up they look like they have got rid of the handbrake lever, also moved the Sat-nav screen higher 

Does anyone know if the sat-nav has had a overall ? 

It never was the best to find your way around it . The Rav 4 Excel.  is on my short list as is the Lexus NX and the Mitsubishi Outlander Phev Juro 

Any advice please would be much appreciated 

Thanking you all  

The Demo Rav 4 is due in the showroom start   of March Newcastle Area

[FROSTYBALLS]

See 

 

[Heidfirst]

Hi Philip, welcome to TOC 🙂

Yes, it is an all new model. The sat nav will be different from that in a 2013.

[marlinleg]

Thanks I am looking forward to the test drive, sales guy said early March . I was impressed with the showroom car But for me the colour wasn’t great 

[Catlover]

Re the colour, good job you will only be test driving the car. Presume they do other colours.

[marlinleg]

Hopefully  . The car was Obsidian Blue as we all know colour is very personal, but  for me that colour didn’t suit the car 

[JeffL]

Hi. Just come over from the Lexus UK forum. I bought a new Avensis 1.8 petrol auto (Torque Converter Auto) in 2003, loved it so much that I bought the very same spec again in 2008. Lovely reliable cars but I wanted some beige leather seats, bigger engine, a bit more luxury so bought a 2 year old Lexus GS 3.0L Petrol Auto (Torque Converter Auto) in late 2009 and it's been fantastic. Now thinking about an SUV for the higher-up seating position and have had a test drive in the Lexus NX Luxury and a 3rd generation RX Luxury (2012-2016). The NX doesn't impress me and the RX although really nice and comfortable feels a bit on the large size. So with Toyota/Lexus being the same company I've been waiting patiently for the new RAV4 and my local dealer now has one in stock so I'm going to have a look at it soon. The website says the leather seats in the Excel can be specified black, grey or beige/tan and the Excel seems to be the best spec for me. The new RAV4 has been discussed on the Lexus UK forum and it has been said that it appears to be superior to the NX in some ways, i.e. completely new car and engine and of course at a lower price than the NX. If I like what I see in the showroom I'll have a test drive to see what I think of the 2.5 Petrol Engine/CVT auto combination.  So I might be back in a Toyota in the not too distant future. Would love to hear from anyone else once they've had a test drive!

[marlinleg]

Hi Jeff can you post if you have a test drive. I have been looking at the Lexus NX and I am waiting for the all new RAV4 to come to my dealership the salesman at Toyota said the RAV4 has been designed from the chassis up , plus 5 year warranty also he was saying Hybrid Battery was 15 yr warranty ? 

[Heidfirst]

2 hours ago, JeffL said:

Hi. 

Hi Jeff, welcome to TOC 🙂 Although you are obviously an old hand with Toyotas.

i would imagine that at some point in the future Lexus will update their NX model (based on the RAV4 platform) same as they will probably update the CT (based on the Auris ) to use the new platforms.

[JeffL]

Hi Phillip and Scott. Yes the fact that it has been designed from the chassis up is very appealing and I forgot to refer to the 5 year warranty you mentioned. You are right about the Hybrid Battery now being 15 year warranty, same with Lexus, from January this year I think. The warranty is renewed for one further year each time that you have the Hybrid Battery Check, you have to have the check every year continuously I think. Yes there is talk of the NX being due for a complete update but the Lexus forum is surprised that the RAV4 got it before the NX due to the fact that they charge a higher price for the Lexus models. I know the Lexus models can be more sumptuous and that's why they have a price premium but I really do think that they lost the plot with NX. I like the body design but not keen on the interior. It also has a lift-up shelf when you open the tail gate, I much prefer the retractable type as on the 2019 RAV4. A lot of these things are personal preferences I know. If I get as far as a test drive I'll be certain to share the experience here.

[marlinleg]

Thanks Jeff 👍 aren’t forums great,like minded people helping each other . POLITICIAN’S please note 

[PeteB]

2 hours ago, marlinleg said:

Hi Jeff can you post if you have a test drive. I have been looking at the Lexus NX and I am waiting for the all new RAV4 to come to my dealership the salesman at Toyota said the RAV4 has been designed from the chassis up , plus 5 year warranty also he was saying Hybrid battery was 15 yr warranty ? 

Funny how things turn out - I had a test drive in an NX in 2014 and eventually decided against partly because the ride and seating were just too firm for comfort (odd for a Lexus - perhaps because it was the F-Sport version?).

I wrote up some notes at the time: http://www.biwel.com/pmb01/PeteBs Lexus NX Test Drive.pdf - they were aimed at a Prius owning audience to some extent so some of the comments relate to that.  At the time, I wasn't interested in a RAV4 for a number of reasons, but the new model does appeal, partly because as I get older my hips are starting to protest at how low the latest generation Prius sits to the road.

A big downer for me is the lack of a Heads Up Display - something I've grown to use extensively for the last 7 years and almost 100,000 miles.  One saving grace is the new digital dash on the RAV4, which means I can choose a digital speedo (I hate old fashioned dials - not had them for 19 years and over 300,000 miles), although I wish the speedo digits were as large as those on the Prius.  That's something I'll have to weigh up carefully once I get a test drive in an AWD RAV4.

It's a shame we don't get some of the features the US market gets (even at extra cost), like heated screen and washer nozzles, heated rear seats, ventilated front seats and digital rear view mirror that isn't blocked by luggage or rear passengers.

US reviewers have generally been complimentary about the ride comfort of the new RAV4, but said the road and wind noise at higher speeds is higher than they expected or would like.  Something else I'll be considering careful (and measuring with my decibel meter).

Once I get my test drive I'll try to post some notes here too.

•  

[Heidfirst]

1 hour ago, JeffL said:

 Yes there is talk of the NX being due for a complete update but the Lexus forum is surprised that the RAV4 got it before the NX due to the fact that they charge a higher price for the Lexus models.

But they need the volumes of the Toyota models for the platforms to get best return on investment (& maximise profit) . Look at the history of Lexus volume models (ignoring models like RC) & how they relate to Toyota models that they are based on.

& of course it also lets the Toyotas be guinea pigs for new platforms so that they can find any potential issues & resolve them before the Lexus variant - helps keep that #1 position for reliability. 😉

[marlinleg]

Great 👍

[HSDish]

27 minutes ago, PeteB said:

 

It's a shame we don't get some of the features the US market gets (even at extra cost), like heated screen and washer nozzles, heated rear seats, ventilated front seats and digital rear view mirror that isn't blocked by luggage or rear passengers.

US reviewers have generally been complimentary about the ride comfort of the new RAV4, but said the road and wind noise at higher speeds is higher than they expected or would like.  Something else I'll be considering careful (and measuring with my decibel meter).

Once I get my test drive I'll try to post some notes here too.

Agree!

I can't understand why there isn't hight adjustable passanger seats, either 

 

 

27 minutes ago, PeteB said:

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[marlinleg]

I never thought of it that way😮