Excel vs Dynamic trim

[Rigsby]

17 minutes ago, Jozel said:

That’s exactly what I have done….as (from prior bad experience) I would never, ever rely on just an inflation kit.

I was told by a Toyota sales person that my Excel model didn’t come as standard with a spare wheel, because it has the glass panoramic roof, hence both would effect Co2 / emissions rating, due to their combined weight?

Same with my Dynamic, I now carry both a space saver and the TRK so should be covered

[Heidfirst]

1 hour ago, Jozel said:

I was told by a Toyota sales person that my Excel model didn’t come as standard with a spare wheel, because it has the glass panoramic roof, hence both would effect Co2 / emissions rating, due to their combined weight?

True. & that means that it would affect Toyota's fleetwide average (which potentially has ramifications for them) & potentially taxation for the user.

[Au175]

Pearl White or Solid White in excel? 

[Au175]

Test drove the Design model today. Was impressed with the hybrid technology, got 46mpg on a mixed run of 30 miles. 
 

Now the things I wasn’t too overly impressed with;

- cvt; sounded quite whiny and throaty when putting foot down. Nowhere near as refined as the bmw 8 speed auto. This is the first time I’m thinking about a cvt, not sure if I can live with it daily. If I put music on I can’t notice it.

- ride; was ok, didn’t seem the smoothest tbh considering it was a 2019. I had the design model on 5 spoke standard wheels. There was also a small rattle sound in boot, think it was a space saver that hadn’t been screwed in properly.

- wind noise; noticeable on motorway and I don’t normally notice things like that. Driving in my bmw on the way made it quite a contrast and it’s not something I ever even think about.

- infotainment; looks average at best. Again, sorry about referring back to my bmw, but my pro nav system from 2013 is streets ahead in terms of slickness and aesthetics. I am hoping that Apple car play sorts this issue.

- standard stereo; extremely poor when played at medium to high volume, bass becomes very distorted. JBL is a must here imo.

More negatives than positives for me….it’s thrown me a bit to be honest as I am not usually fussy when it comes to cars. I also own a 2012 yaris which is my daily runaround, so it’s not like I am just used to luxury German brands.

[Yugguy1970]

It's not the gearbox making any noise it's the engine.   Engine goes to full speed when quick acceleration is needed then will go to idle or off when it's not.  It is noisy on full revs though yes.

It's not comparable to a standard ice engine and standard auto box car.

Interesting about the infotainment as we test drove a 2019 too and weren't impressed.  I wasn't bothered as I knew Android auto was available on the 2021 we were buying, but they've improved the 2021 system enough that I haven't felt the need to use Android auto.

[Au175]

16 minutes ago, Yugguy1970 said:

It's not the gearbox making any noise it's the engine.   Engine goes to full speed when quick acceleration is needed then will go to idle or off when it's not.  It is noisy on full revs though yes.

It's not comparable to a standard ice engine and standard auto box car.

Interesting about the infotainment as we test drove a 2019 too and weren't impressed.  I wasn't bothered as I knew Android auto was available on the 2021 we were buying, but they've improved the 2021 system enough that I haven't felt the need to use Android auto.

What’s the difference between the 21 system compared to 19 and 20?

[Yugguy1970]

Better software I believe.  It certainly isn't as clunky as the older one felt.

That said it's not the most modern of units but the nav does what I need it to do with traffic and dynamic routing and it can stream bluetooth from my phone.  These are all I want.

For me personally even the Excel trim wasn't worth the extra cost over Design.  Especially as the Design gets the spare wheel and not the pointless spray can.

[Au175]

6 minutes ago, Yugguy1970 said:

Better software I believe.  It certainly isn't as clunky as the older one felt.

That said it's not the most modern of units but the nav does what I need it to do with traffic and dynamic routing and it can stream Bluetooth from my phone.  These are all I want.

For me personally even the Excel trim wasn't worth the extra cost over Design.  Especially as the Design gets the spare wheel and not the pointless spray can.

I think the design trim looks very ordinary with cloth seats and manual seat adjustment. The leather trim makes a huge difference for me, Gives a more premium feel overall.

[Yugguy1970]

Had leather many times.  Hot in summer, cold in winter.  MB artico was the worst for this, mind you that was actually vinyl fake leather.   Never really understood why it's considered premium. 

I'm the only person that drives the RAV and I don't change the seat at all so didn't need that.

My old car was high spec but most of the stuff I didn't use and didn't care about.  I had to pay 690 quid for the convenience pack with Park assist I never used just because I wanted the rear camera.

I'd have gone for a RAV Icon only I wanted the front sensors.

I don't like to pay for things I don't consider worth paying for.  I did pay for a colour as I really didn't like the standard urban khaki.

But it's horses for courses.  I might stump up for the AWD Design next time whereas others might not think it's worth it. 

 

[Cyker]

Yeah, never really liked leather seats - Stick to them painfully if you wear shorts and horrible temperature reactions (Lava in summer, ice in winter!). Only good thing about them is they are easier to clean than fabric seats!

The nicest seats I've ever sat in were in an old Pump Duse VW Passat - It was kind of a thick plushy material like the stuff soft toys are made out of. Very insulating so didn't feel hot in summer or cold in winter, and was sooooo soft and comfy! It was more comfy than some sofa's I've sat on!! And unlike leather seats you didn't slide around the seat on corners  

Seemed surprisingly hard-wearing too, but was probably hell to clean - Wish more manufacturers would offer that; Never been in another car that had it. Having experienced it I'd deffo pay extra if that kind of seat was an option!

 

[Yugguy1970]

To be fair, my nephew was a trim engineer for Aston Martin.  The leather in those is quite nice 😀

[Au175]

I don’t mind cloth in a runaround car but my main ride has to have a premium feel for me which means leather. I park mine in garage anyway so never get issues like overheating in summer. In fact that’s never even crossed my mind when it comes to leather.

[Yugguy1970]

My garage is my gym.   I'm not sure I've ever parked a car in any garage I've owned 😀

I think if I was choosing between Excel and dynamic I'd go Excel for the extra equipment rather than Dynamic for the looks.

But that's why they have the different trim levels. It's interesting though that Toyota has a very small options list.  Maybe cos even base spec is pretty good with all the safety tech already there.

[Au175]

Does the dynamic have real leather? I prefer the dynamic exterior wise but the excel internally. 

[PeteB]

I really like the leather in my Excel, and always get leather if I can.  I also think the tan interior option looks quite opulent, but again I know this won't suit everyone.  I appreciate the different preferences expressed about the leather, but can't say I've personally ever been bothered by it being cold in winter or hot in summer.

On a hot day I use the remote key fob to open all the windows while I walk towards the car so the worst of the heat has been let out by the time I get in (*).  I then drive away with the windows open to blow more fresh air through the car then close them and switch on the climate control.

Oh yes, and I wish the car would actually fit in my garage!

(*) note this feature seems to always be disabled by default can can only be changed by the dealer unless you have access to one of the devices that plugs into the diagnostic port.  On my recent Toyotas I've asked for this to be enabled before taking delivery.  For cars that have opening roofs this also opens the roof, and anything left open can also be closed by pressing and holding the lock button.

[Yugguy1970]

I asked the dealer to enable it for me before I picked the car up.  Daft you can't set it yourself really.

[Lawnmowerman]

My RAV was the run-out Design and I was lucky that they threw stuff at it just to clear stock of material. I 'won' elec. adjustable seats, heated seats, leather/Alcantara interior and Pitlane alloys. I also saved a hill of money as dealers wanted to make space for the 4.5 😁. Previous 2 Yetis had full leather and must admit I prefer the leather/Alcantara combo.

The key fob action to open and close all windows was a feature I remember that Audi had on their vehicles in the late eighties and (of course) no customisable features then.

Sometimes Toyota are in the dark ages though - why aren't all their vehicles fitted with w/washer reservoir warning? Bizarre! And don't get me started on their poor website!

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Lawnmowerman
Auto correct malfunction!

[robo1]

The Dynamic has Toyotas imitation leather. Last 2 RAVs were Excel with leather seats and haven’t noticed any difference.

I went for the Dynamic as I prefer black wheels and trim over chrome. 
Goes well with the grey but beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.

[Rav4ster]

2 hours ago, Au175 said:

Does the dynamic have real leather? I prefer the dynamic exterior wise but the excel internally. 

Dynamic has the artificial leather, Excel has real leather.

[gavioliuk]

7 hours ago, Lawnmowerman said:

My RAV was the run-out Design and I was lucky that they threw stuff at it just to clear stock of material. I 'won' elec. adjustable seats, heated seats, leather/Alcantara interior and Pitlane alloys. I also saved a hill of money as dealers wanted to make space for the 4.5 😁. Previous 2 Yetis had full leather and must admit I prefer the leather/Alcantara combo.

I feel lucky like you.  I purchased a 4.4 in March 2019.  The dealer claimed it was the last Design 4.4 delivered to a dealer.  I got a good deal plus 3 years 0 interest.

They are trying to sell me a 4.5 but you have to go top end to get the features you mention including led headlights.  I can't see where the 4.5 has the hammock in the cargo area, so useful.   But most of all my wife and I really like what we have got/

[Lawnmowerman]

2 hours ago, gavioliuk said:

I feel lucky like you.  I purchased a 4.4 in March 2019.  The dealer claimed it was the last Design 4.4 delivered to a dealer.  I got a good deal plus 3 years 0 interest.

They are trying to sell me a 4.5 but you have to go top end to get the features you mention including led headlights.  I can't see where the 4.5 has the hammock in the cargo area, so useful.   But most of all my wife and I really like what we have got/

Yup, the hammock is very useful 👍

[Au175]

I drove the Lexus nx300 yesterday. Whilst the interior was outdated, I felt the ride was far superior to the rav4. No issue with road noise and the ride was smoother as well and this was the F Sport model. I wouldn’t have expected this much of a difference between the two in terms of ride quality given that they both use the same hybrid engine. This is making me think maybe the rav4 I drove was a bit iffy…..it was a car they had on sale, 19 plate, with 20k miles on it. Making me think that I maybe should go to another dealer and try their rrav4 demo to see whether the first one was just not a great example, as I was not overly impressed with the ride.

[philip42h]

1 minute ago, Au175 said:

I drove the Lexus nx300 yesterday. Whilst the interior was outdated, I felt the ride was far superior to the rav4. No issue with road noise and the ride was smoother as well and this was the F Sport model. I wouldn’t have expected this much of a difference between the two in terms of ride quality given that they both use the same hybrid engine. This is making me think maybe the rav4 I drove was a bit iffy…..it was a car they had on sale, 19 plate, with 20k miles on it. Making me think that I maybe should go to another dealer and try their rrav4 demo to see whether the first one was not a great example, as I was not overly impressed with the ride.

That sounds like a plan. It's probably also worth remembering that Lexus is Toyota's premium brand, while Toyota badged cars are built for the masses ... 😉 

[Yugguy1970]

It all depends on your use case.

I like PCP and the idea of rolling a new car around every 3 years so no additional cost over the PCP monthly but there is a definite monthly limit I'll never go over as it is dead money in that sense.

I like my RAV, I won't abuse it but it will be used.  It will take us on family holidays full of stuff.  It will go to my obstacle race runs and the boot will get muddy, it will take the dog crate when we go to the beach.

For this use I don't want to be doing what my inlaws do and spank £500 quid a month on an NX, or even a higher spec RAV.

We drove a 19 plate RAV on our test drive, thinking back it must have been an Excel and it seemed quiet and smooth but then I was coming from a Focus STLX which was lovely but had a deliberately growly exhaust.

[Au175]

My use case is to buy outright and own for 8-10 years. I don’t do many miles across 2 cars, maybe 10k combined; 70% motorway, 30% city. Coming From a bmw I do have certain expectations as well but equally mindful that u can’t compare like for like on brand, type and level. Key driver for the change is wanting a suv, so that’s a big positive for the rav4 but I also realise I’m not going to get the luxury and refinement of a bmw. Ideally I would love to keep it luxury German and get a x3 but the prices are ridiculous and their hybrid options are even more expensive! Even on my current bmw I have only done 27k miles in 8 years.