Heated windscreen 2019 onwards

[Trackpad]

Hi all, 

has anyone bought the 2019 onwards Rav 4 with the heated windscreen? If so, was it worth it? 

Only available in the "Lounge" version here which I believe is "Excel" in the UK? 

I am still dithering over buying one and if so, It'll be either Lounge or Style Selection  🤔

[Stivino]

I've had it in two previous cars, a Mondeo and a Jaguar.  It clears the screen quickly but at night the little wires in the screen twinkle under any light that hits them and it's like driving with a starburst filter on.

Now that I don't need to get up early for work, I don't see the point in having it and it's not something that I would like to have again. 

[Trackpad]

I should have clarified that I have previously owned cars with this feature and found it useful - I still have to work! 

However it is a new feature on a Toyota I believe, and my question was more if it actually functions as I expected. Also the car I sat in with the heated windscreen did have the elements running the full length of the screen. Not just at the base where the wipers park. 

cheers 

[Stivino]

1 hour ago, Trackpad said:

elements running the full length of the screen.

Ahh, the good old starburst effect, like the Ford and Jaguar 🙂

[robo1]

Don’t think the heated window screen is an option on UK RAVs only Front wiper de-icers. 

[Yorkboy]

Before I retired, my company used to provide hire cars for my occasional trips. I noticed that every time I had a Ford Mondao, I had an headache.   Then somebody pointed out the fine wire screen heater element..After that I always asked for a non Ford vehicle and never had an headache.

As anybody else had the same problem? 

[2bikes]

As above ,uk excel only has heated lower part of the screen to de-ice wipers ,not heard of a Rav 4 in any country with a full heated windscreen .

[PeteB]

5 hours ago, 2bikes said:

... not heard of a Rav 4 in any country with a full heated windscreen .

A major sore  point with me.  It cost me over £20k to upgrade from a latest Gen 2016 Excel Prius to a latest Gen 2019 Excel RAV4, and not only did I lose a number of nice features the Prius had that the RAV doesn't (including a couple of important safety features), but there's a fair few things that US and Canadian RAV4 owners can have that I couldn't get on my UK model at any price!  - including a fully heated windscreen!

I used a rented Ford Orion with a heated screen for several months some years ago and I liked it a lot, and didn't notice the wires in the screen at any time.  (The only thing that gave me a headache was the very noisy engine at 70 mph on the M25!)

North American models can be obtained with:

• Camera-based rear view mirror (not affected by rear passengers or luggage in the way, and wider view than the rear pillars allow with the conventional mirror)
• ventilated front seats with 3 stage heating
• heated rear seats
• heated front windscreen
• heated washer nozzles
• cordless phone charger
• kick sensor to open/close boot
• paddle shifters

The only one of those that I could take or leave was the paddles - I'd have paid a couple of thousand for a pack including the rest of the list.

My 2016 Prius Excel had (safety in bold):

• all four window switches illuminated (and switches on passenger doors)
• a more ergonomically designed switch layout on the driver's armrest, on the RAV I keep knocking the mirror fold switch to closed when shutting the door - 
  mirror adjustment control was a large knurled knob that worked like a joystick and twisted to select left/right - it was easily found and used without looking
• roof switches that were easy to find by feel and also illuminated
• illuminated glovebox
• "rain repellent" front side window glass that was surprisingly effective
• sound deadening laminated front side windows - I didn't appreciate how useful these were until I got the RAV that doesn't have them and hear a bit of wind noise from the mirrors at speed and more noise from diesels and cars with thumping music in traffic queues
• a Head Up Display of speed, Hybrid System Indicator and safety warnings - a major safety aid that has been on the Prius since 2009!
• Auto braking when reversing if sensors or cross traffic detected obstacle
• wireless phone charger (that's why I bought an expensive new phone!  Grrr)
• the best self parking system I've yet seen, made parallel parking in particular a quick affair as once selected it advised every time one passed a space the car would fit into (and could get you back out too)
• a poor SatNav but at least it didn't revert to North Up every other time the car was started and numerals were on the same screen as alpha characters when inputting addresses (plus it remembered the previously chosen view the next time the car was started)
• ability to use Playlists on USB music

[Trackpad]

Hi again all, I live in Germany and the car (Lounge Edition) definitely had the wires running through the windscreen. (Frontscheibe beheizbar means heated screen in the attached picture ) 

seems odd it's available here but not the UK as generally cars are better specced (and cheaper!) there. 

Just for info the Lounge starts at €46400 for the 2wd model here. 4wd is 3k more!! 

I also agree with the previous poster about the options available elsewhere. I would like the HUD too. No doubt it will be available in a few years though... 

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by Trackpad
poor quality of the picture

[PeteB]

1 minute ago, Trackpad said:

... seems odd it's available here but not the UK as generally cars are better specced (and cheaper!) there...

I saw a review of a German RAV4 on YouTube when the 5th Gen first came out and that also had the digital rear view mirror which is something else we can't get.

The UK RAV4 PHEV in top spec does have a HUD option, but at over £50,000 (€57½k) it doesn't appeal, especially as it only comes with an all-black interior (makes me feel like I'm preparing for being in my coffin!) and has a panoramic sub roof (which I absolutely don't want) and unlike the US/Canadian RAV4 Prime models doesn't have a spare wheel in the UK which is an absolutely insane decision (IMHO).

[FROSTYBALLS]

52 minutes ago, Trackpad said:

seems odd it's available here but not the UK

It is down to the individual importer to decide what features and specs they sell - presumably Toyota GB have decided against including the heated front screen in their specs, whilst Toyota Germany have decided to include this feature.

[Trackpad]

Totally agree Pete, there seems to be a lot of wierd combinations of what you can and cannot have depending on your location 

[Trackpad]

1 minute ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

It is down to the individual importer to decide what features and specs they sell - presumably Toyota GB have decided against including the heated front screen in their specs, whilst Toyota Germany have decided to include this feature.

Very true, we don't have the option of the khaki or bright blue colours here either! 

The German market is dominated sadly by a sea of blacks, whites and grey/silver and if the importors only supply the darker options then nothing will change! 

[Avalon]

On 4/11/2021 at 1:21 PM, FROSTYBALLS said:

It is down to the individual importer to decide what features and specs they sell - presumably Toyota GB have decided against including the heated front screen in their specs, whilst Toyota Germany have decided to include this feature.

That kind of begs the question of what someone was thinking with the two tone 4.2’s 😄