2.5 VVT-h CVT Hybrid Opinions please.

[ninja365]

Hi all

Its been a while since i posted here as got rid of my T180 nearly 5 years ago and replaced it with a SEAT estate as didn't want to face a likely head gasket failure.

Time has now come to replace the SEAT and i would like to go back to a SUV type vehicle and having had a good experience with the RAV4 in terms of comfort, build quality (apart from engine!!) and practicality fancy another RAV. I don't want another diesel so want to go petrol and having seen the Hybrid am very interested to hear owners reviews and what to look for while finding a car.

My budget will run to a 2016-2018 car and i drive around 17-18,000 miles p.a. As a self employed IT engineer i travel around quite a bit and a lot of my journeys are on non arterial roads and relatively short distances which should suit the hybrid perfectly (imho).

Comments, pro's and cons gratefully received 🙂

 

[unclepoo]

Although I have not purchased a rav4 hybrid yet, on the test drives I`ve had, I found the rav4 very pleasant to drive, with a noticeable improvement in zip compared to our Auris hybrid.  On a 10 mile test drive, it was showing 40mpg, so running costs will be very reasonable for a suv.

Down side of a rav4 hybrid.....they are holding their value well, so a bargain is hard to find.

The paint looks easy to chip on the bonnet, so some paints could be expensive to repair...maybe a solid colour might be a good choice.

Good luck 

[philip42h]

I had an SR180 for 4.5 years followed by a 4.4 D-CAT auto for 7 years - neither ever missed a beat; no problems at all (while head gasket failure was possible it was never likely). And I now have a 4.5 hybrid - though, due to lock-down, it hasn't done too many miles yet!

The hybrid is a very acceptable alternative to a diesel. With each generation the RAV 4 becomes slightly less 'fun', a tad larger and more competent and comfortable. I'm very happy with my choice and, I suspect you would be too. I don't think that there is a downside ... 😉

[ninja365]

Thanks all for your opinions, I have it down now to a choice between a petrol Mazda CX5 or the RAV4 Hybrid. Decisions decisions......

There certainly aren't many bargains on the RAV and the Mazda is cheaper to buy but i do like the practicality of the Toyota having had one before. The Mazda does look a bit better though.....

Once we are let out to play again i will go and drive both.

Again, thanks for your comments.

[BigR1ch]

15 hours ago, ninja365 said:

Thanks all for your opinions, I have it down now to a choice between a petrol Mazda CX5 or the RAV4 Hybrid. Decisions decisions......

There certainly aren't many bargains on the RAV and the Mazda is cheaper to buy but i do like the practicality of the Toyota having had one before. The Mazda does look a bit better though.....

Once we are let out to play again i will go and drive both.

Again, thanks for your comments.

Hi. I came from a 2016 CX5 diesel to the lastest model of Rav4. 
Space wise the Rav4 is far bigger inside and is more comfortable. For example the arm rests in the doors are awful and hard as hell. 
I cannot comment on the Petrol CX5 but the Hybrid RAV4 is much better on the fuel than the diesel was, so i would assume that it will be leaps ahead compared to the Petrol.

Again it will be down to pesonal preference and a test drive. but I'm glad i moved away from the CX5 to the RAV4.

[ROCKETRON]

I also came to the rav4 from a diesel cx5. I always used to prefer diesel cars but once they all got dpf’s they lost their hardiness and it was advised not to do too many short local trips. My new rav4 is not only smoother and quieter than the cx5 it is also a lot more economical than my cx5 was. In traffic and on local trips the petrol engine is not on most of the time and so even that type of motoring is economical as is motorway cruising. I have averaged 54mpg in mine and I haven’t really been trying so could probably better that.

I had to call out Toyota rescue this week as I hadn’t used the car for over 3 weeks due to lockdown. They came out quickly and were very polite and efficient. It seems that if you don’t want to drive the car you can charge the 12v Battery from the traction Battery by getting it to READY and leaving it there and the engine will come on and off at various times to recharge traction Battery. I chose to drive the car for about an hour and the 12v battery seems ok now but don’t know how long before it goes flat again. How are other owners getting on with the rav4 battery with not using the car?

[FROSTYBALLS]

2 hours ago, ROCKETRON said:

It seems that if you don’t want to drive the car you can charge the 12v battery from the traction battery by getting it to READY and leaving it there and the engine will come on and off at various times to recharge traction battery.

Back in April Toyota gave advice on Battery maintenance during lockdown, but the same applies to other periods of little or no use:

Toyota: advice on battery maintenance during lockdown - General Discussions - Toyota Owners Club - Toyota Forum

[philip42h]

4 hours ago, ROCKETRON said:

I also came to the rav4 from a diesel cx5. I always used to prefer diesel cars but once they all got dpf’s they lost their hardiness and it was advised not to do too many short local trips. My new rav4 is not only smoother and quieter than the cx5 it is also a lot more economical than my cx5 was. In traffic and on local trips the petrol engine is not on most of the time and so even that type of motoring is economical as is motorway cruising. I have averaged 54mpg in mine and I haven’t really been trying so could probably better that.

I had to call out Toyota rescue this week as I hadn’t used the car for over 3 weeks due to lockdown. They came out quickly and were very polite and efficient. It seems that if you don’t want to drive the car you can charge the 12v battery from the traction battery by getting it to READY and leaving it there and the engine will come on and off at various times to recharge traction battery. I chose to drive the car for about an hour and the 12v battery seems ok now but don’t know how long before it goes flat again. How are other owners getting on with the rav4 battery with not using the car?

There's a handy "jump start" / charge point under the bonnet inside the fuse / relay box. I have been putting it on charge about once a month to supplement the trivial amount of running around that I have been doing. Looking again at the Toyota blog post (linked above), and based on your experience, I might well up that to 'weekly' ...

The auxiliary Battery is particularly puny - but then it really doesn't have much to do - but it must have sufficient charge to run the car's electronics when you need to start the car (as you have found out!).

[TonyHSD]

For all Toyota hybrids, if you don’t use the car regularly or use just for short town trips keep the car in ready mode for 30-40 min twice a week to recharge the 12v Battery. I do that every week twice since it’s lockdown and my car Battery is going strong, 10+ years now. You can also use a trickle charger if you have garage or suitable driveway. You can visit other posts from Corolla, Prius, Auris and Yaris hybrids for tips , the most common posts these days seems to be dead 12v Battery and poor mpg.👍🚙

[mikmikmikmik]

Can I lock the car with the spare key, and leave the normal key in it while it is in the READY state?

 

[philip42h]

6 minutes ago, mikmikmikmik said:

Can I lock the car with the spare key, and leave the normal key in it while it is in the READY state?

 

Theoretically, maybe; practically, no ... Rule 123 of The Highway Code states that drivers must not leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running - in Ready mode the engine is running and the petrol engine will fire up from time to time to keep the batteries charged. So while you may be able to do what you suggest, you would have to remain "in attendance" - presumably standing alongside the car.

I haven't tried but I assume that you could lock the car with one key whilst the other was still inside the car. Whether that is a 'workable' solution will depend on the keys and lock system on your model. If I were to approach my locked car with the key in range, and place my hand on the door handle, the car would automatically unlock! So the car could be locked, but there would be no security at all!

So, 'no' ... 😉

[Yorkboy]

If you slide the physical key out of the fob, then leave the fob in the car. You can then lock the vehicle with the physical key with no problems. 

[mikmikmikmik]

Thank you.

[ninja365]

26 minutes ago, mikmikmikmik said:

Can I lock the car with the spare key, and leave the normal key in it while it is in the READY state?

 

I don't think you can lock the car with a key in it. When i had my T180 i tried lock the car when the spare key was inside and it wouldn't lock, it did have keyless entry so i would guess that there is a clever system in place to stop you locking your keys in the car!

[Peaky Pete]

Hi I ordered my Rav 4 AWD Excel last December 2019 took delivery in late June/July 2020. All kinds of production issues in Japan apparently, I suspect they were primarily Covid related. Worth the wait yes yes  first impressions, the RAV 4 is huge on the outside however smaller on the inside and not as tall as my previous Kuga ST, do I miss anything well the quick clear windscreen was amazing, the Kuga cleared all the windows within minutes the RAV 4 especially the rear screen takes an age, take off is brisk quicker than my previous 18 month old Kuga ST mis-build, with the mpg 50 plus it beats the Ford hands down, the all leather seats have a short swab so for me I do lose out on thigh support but that aside they are comfortable and supportive in other areas. I wanted the pan roof however it would seem that I was incorrectly informed only available on the Dynamic, the Dynamic does not have all leather it's a plastic looking alternative leather which is odd for top of the range. OK inside the cabin it's quite quiet at urban speeds road/tyre noise minimal however put your foot down and the engine roars, my solution is to turn the volume up on the radio, oddly enough drove a Honda CV-V hybrid curiously or not this was as noisy when you accelerated, doors open wide enough for me, remote tailgate won't win any races but opens into a reasonable sized boot space. Transmission shift can be a tad jerky however to be fair this is my first CVT vehicle. As a result of lock down only covered 2,200 miles bits of motorway and urban so the MPG highlighted above is very good in my opinion. Not sure if the pearl paint finish is coated but the dirt disappears off the bodywork with full on garden hose pressure, obviously that does not include the alloys. Finally yes I like the unique body shape and it has everything in terms of safety features blind spot monitoring, lane assist, blind spot, cross traffic cycles/pedestrian braking, road sign recognition, adaptive cruise etc, as I mentioned previously a quick clear front screen would be the icing,  speaking of ice we have had ice on the outside and soaking wet icy inside front screen the last week or so which is slow to clear however the RAV 4 is still better than the Ford, I was hounded by the local Ford dealer, to order a new shape Kuga, which once again in my opinion is extremely disappointing which is little more than a tall Focus, only had the vehicle 6 + month's and lets be honest All vehicles have, Erm characteristics, very happy with the RAV 4 so far, any questions? I'm happy to offer my help/opinion. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Just to highlight that the OP is considering the previous generation Rav4 hybrid (sold until February 2019) - probably a 2016-2018 model - and not the current generation (on sale from March 2019).