Thinking of buying '22 PHEV Rav4

[Tom_w]

Hi All

I'm currently looking at the PHEV Rav4 and a 22 plate one has come up relatively locally that I'm considering.

Not driven one yet and new to Toyotas (been through a few Renault and VAG cars so far) but I was wondering if there's anything to consider or look for with the Gen 5 Rav4s?

Anything spec wise that might differ or any common issues?

 

Any other tips welcome.

Thanks

Tom

[Mike2222]

Differ from what, exactly? Do you mean differ between the trims/grades? I have a 22 plate phev, and from memory, I think at that time you could choose from 'Design', 'Dynamic', and 'Dynamic Premium', although the latter was withdrawn shortly afterwards - I think the concensus was parts supply was constrained, wiring looms and the like (turns out a lot of those for the modern automotive industry were manufactured in Ukraine), rather than any increased fault rate etc. 

 

I don't really remember what came with design, but I think majority of used examples are dynamic, but DP get you (over dynamic) heads up display, ventilated front seats (both have heated), memory setting for driver seat, special colour/leather/?pleather upholstery, and sunroof (or possibly official named "moonroof" - I don't know the difference). 

 

Having come from a car with headsup display, I now would miss it terribly, and having a >1ft height difference between myself and wife, DP became the automatic choice, but otherwise Dynamic would supply everything. Ventilated seats are nice, but not essential, and I rarely do anything with sunroof other than occasionally distracting toddlers when getting cranky. 

 

As far as faults, I've had none in 2yrs [*touches wood*]. Just make sure its had its recall work done - 2 so far, I think. The first a software thing about the stability control, and second is a replacement of the DC-DC inverter (the component that tops up the 12v Battery from the big lithium traction Battery when "idling"). 

[Flatcoat]

In a word there is nothing much to worry about. The only issue I personally have had is moonroof faults however that is the exception. I too was new to Toyota after decades of mostly VAG brands. The main criticism is some scratchy plastics in the boot and rear passenger compartment and ergonomics are a bit haphazard. Otherwise the economy is superb, the seats incredibly comfortable on very long journeys and for a 2 tonne SUV the handling pretty good. 

[Tom_w]

3 minutes ago, Flatcoat said:

In a word there is nothing much to worry about. The only issue I personally have had is moonroof faults however that is the exception. I too was new to Toyota after decades of mostly VAG brands. The main criticism is some scratchy plastics in the boot and rear passenger compartment and ergonomics are a bit haphazard. Otherwise the economy is superb, the seats incredibly comfortable on very long journeys and for a 2 tonne SUV the handling pretty good. 

Thanks, comfort is definitely a big driving factor with the move. The roads around us are terrible and my Seat on 19" wheels, skinny tyres and hard suspension is beginning to grate.
Most of my journeys are quite short so a lot could be done on electric only but we still need at least one car with the flexibility of an IC engine (wife has an ev) so the mix of economy and power hopefully means I won't miss my current car too much.

[Flatcoat]

The tyres have reasonably deep side walls so not quite as firm as some cars can be. We get real world mid 40’s mile range on EV. Can be lower in winter and of course your driving style and territory will have a significant bearing. On long fadt solo runs I am getting mid 40’s mpg. Up there with diesel economy. 

[Mike2222]

Unless you've been rocking a SEAT (Cupra) Leon from 2017, there's little chance of being disappointed in straight line acceleration/speed or overtaking ability, and even then the difference is 4.9 vs 5.8s to 60mph, not that that matters a great deal in most driving scenarios. Obviously a lower slung car would be more dynamic through the turns, but for a ~2 ton brick on wheels it ain't bad. 

 

The Rav phev is brilliant for 0-30mph acceleration in pure EV mode (eg off the lights or around town), strong in 30-70 in EV, rapid 30-70 in HEV (motorway on ramp). Very strong 50-70+ in HEV for overtaking, but this is perhaps it's one Achilles heel in EV only mode, as the grunt from the electric motors can seem to flatten off slightly at times in those scenarios (more like 60-80 tbh) - acceleration is still instant, as in there's no waiting for a gearbox to kickdown, but the car will want to stay in EV mode all the way up to 84mph unless you tell it to use the ICE. Tho handily that is very easy - a physical button next to the gear lever. 

 

In real world driving, it is an incredible machine, especially when you factor in the strong real world ev range. 

[Torrox]

Yes I agree to Mike's comments above. The machine is superb although I have just driven over 250 miles on my new rav4 phev gr sport. The handling is certainly better than the previous rav4 phev as I did a few test drives on those before ordering. Based on my driving so far it report 49.2 miles EV on full charge. One thing I don't like is the rav4 seems to have a lot of plastic both on exterior as well as interior.

[GBgraham]

On 3/25/2024 at 3:42 PM, Tom_w said:

Hi All

I'm currently looking at the PHEV Rav4 and a 22 plate one has come up relatively locally that I'm considering.

Not driven one yet and new to Toyotas (been through a few Renault and VAG cars so far) but I was wondering if there's anything to consider or look for with the Gen 5 Rav4s?

Anything spec wise that might differ or any common issues?

 

Any other tips welcome.

Thanks

Tom

You are showing non UK, where are you based because the options vary, here in Greece we have 5 options of the PHEV

[HSDish]

Maybe put some mudflaps on if there isnt any already.

Big SUV stye tyres spreads a lot of dirt

[NASY]

Having had pretty much every kind of vehicle from tiny Caterhams through to big Mercedes, Jeep Wranglers, most GTIs, Porsche etc I can without reservation sing the praises of the RAV4 PHEV as the sort of car I could have put together in my mind to then realise the capabilities I so wished for were just not possible in one vehicle - but there it is. High economy, high power, completely relaxed in town, formidable grunt when required, reliable, affordable, great load carrying and decent 4 wheel drive when required oh and plenty of simple to use buttons rather than touchscreen overload. I'd only fault the factory fit tyres as being very poor in the wet otherwise it's just about as good an all round vehicle as you could get and by some distance.

[Flatcoat]

2 hours ago, NASY said:

Having had pretty much every kind of vehicle from tiny Caterhams through to big Mercedes, Jeep Wranglers, most GTIs, Porsche etc I can without reservation sing the praises of the RAV4 PHEV as the sort of car I could have put together in my mind to then realise the capabilities I so wished for were just not possible in one vehicle - but there it is. High economy, high power, completely relaxed in town, formidable grunt when required, reliable, affordable, great load carrying and decent 4 wheel drive when required oh and plenty of simple to use buttons rather than touchscreen overload. I'd only fault the factory fit tyres as being very poor in the wet otherwise it's just about as good an all round vehicle as you could get and by some distance.

I would agree with most of that. To me there are too many cheapo crappy scratchy plastics in vulnerable areas (boot for example), ergonomics are a bit scattergun and on the pre 2022MY cars the infotainment is rubbish, like something from 20-30 years ago. However I do like having real buttons for things like heating, lights, volume control and so on. Like with anything, buying a car involves some degree of compromise. 

[Hawthorns]

Hi.  I have not long had mine and have had Volvo XC70, BMW 218i, Toyota Auris and Prius and quite a few VAG cars previously.  I was attracted to the RAV4 PHEV by the very useful 40 mile plus range, but also, especially after a test drive, by the combination of capabilities, and useful 4 wheel drive if/when needed.  The road tests that I read were also complimentary.  The engineering and design/manufacture are right up there with the best I think.  Yes, some of the trim could perhaps be a bit less 'plasticy' but then being Japanese the design has been refined to save weight where possible, and it all fits together very well.  Having fitted a towbar and electrics recently, I was very impressed by the meticulous way the wiring loom and electrical components underneath the boot and sill trim panels had been fitted.  I enjoy driving the Rav too, and appreciate the driving safety features and instrumentation, though you need to work through the dash menus before you can find (in my case) where the tyre pressures are displayed!

[Tom_w]

56 minutes ago, Hawthorns said:

Hi.  I have not long had mine and have had Volvo XC70, BMW 218i, Toyota Auris and Prius and quite a few VAG cars previously.  I was attracted to the RAV4 PHEV by the very useful 40 mile plus range, but also, especially after a test drive, by the combination of capabilities, and useful 4 wheel drive if/when needed.  The road tests that I read were also complimentary.  The engineering and design/manufacture are right up there with the best I think.  Yes, some of the trim could perhaps be a bit less 'plasticy' but then being Japanese the design has been refined to save weight where possible, and it all fits together very well.  Having fitted a towbar and electrics recently, I was very impressed by the meticulous way the wiring loom and electrical components underneath the boot and sill trim panels had been fitted.  I enjoy driving the Rav too, and appreciate the driving safety features and instrumentation, though you need to work through the dash menus before you can find (in my case) where the tyre pressures are displayed!

Well the good news is I obviously didn't need much of a push and I'm picking one up at the weekend.

Having owned a few Renaults where everythings plastic the Rav4 is miles ahead and the few bits of plastic seem to be placed in places it doesn't matter and the bits you touch have a fairly solid feel. The menus are certainly a bit unintuitive and the inbuilt screen does look quite dated but nothing I wasn't expecting and I use Android Auto anyway.

I'm interested in the tow bar fitment, did you have that done with Toyota? One of the bug bears with my current car was it not being type approved to tow. Generally I get most use of roof racks but having scope to tow is always handy, especially if I can convince the mrs a 3rd car for track purposes would be a good idea 😇

[Flatcoat]

I had a factory tow bar from new. I hope you haven’t towed with your current car!! The PHEV can tow upto 1500kg and with a nose weight of 70kg. We have towed extensively including as far as Austria and tows very well with excellent economy. 

[Nick72]

I've got a 2021 RAV4 PHEV Dynamic Premium. It has been the best car I've had, all things considered, and I've had a new Merc AMG, a Peugeot PHEV, old bangers,  and all kinds of stuff previously.

It's so good I'm getting another one as I have to swap cars every 3 years for a new one as part of my company exec car scheme. I've looked at everything else under the sun. Best car to meet my requirements is still the PHEV. I'm going for the GR Sport. Plus I get a third off what amounts to a type of lease because of the company car tax benefit in kind situation.

Most of my irks which were minor are all sorted on the GR Sport. Better infotainment display, all digital drivers display, handling and ride quality is good but expecting to be a little stiffer and more to my preference on the GR Sport, and a decent reversing camera coupled to 360 cameras versus the VHS Long-play like camera on the model I have.

Almost all the bugs like the DCM module not shutting down correctly and draining the 12V Battery are fixed in software updates. The cable corrosion issue also fixed. Many other issues fixed. And there are a huge number of them in the world to iron out issues. It's the USA best selling SUV (the RAV4 generally) for a reason. And 4th overall for all categories and the 3 ahead of it are trucks.

What makes the PHEV special for me is the drive train. As a very experienced engineer I can say with confidence it is a masterpiece. Seamless transition between EV and Hybrid modes with the ICE. Max power on demand through the instant torque twin electric motors and the ICE CVT gearbox. As fast as a Civic Type R 0 to 60 and faster than a Toyota Supra in many acceleration tests including 50 to 70mph. Yet still incredibly frugal even when hammering it on occasion. I'm getting over 50mpg (real) and c. 50 miles per charge averaged through the year without trying. Just my normal driving.

 

So what is there not to like about the past and new version?

Wind noise is high in motorway driving. Fixed on the Lexus PHEV which uses a lot of the same major components but at the expense of more weight and cost.

Motorised boot could do to open and close faster albeit at the expense of small child decapitation risk.

Stereo could be better. Sounds also like a further downgrade from the JBL I've got versus the new UK models which doesn't get the JBL AFAIK. The JBL isn't great to start with but it's not so bad.

Tyres could be better. I plan to put Michelin CC2 SUV on my new one in September. Better wet grip and significantly better snow and ice grip. That said I've never had an issue with the Yokohama on the 2021 and I've been off road up and down steep muddy banks. Rather, it's more of an insurance policy just in case I'm up a mountain and it snows. Or want to go up a mountain and it has snowed.

Interior looks a little drab so the sunroof is essential for me to get light into the dark interior.

Some aspects seem flimsy like the unnecessarily oversized electric filler cap.

 

But all this is very minor. There is no other car with a PHEV drive train like it or even close. BMW and Volvo included. They're gas guzzlers. Very heavy cars. And an unnecessary premium for me. Not an affordability issue per se, rather, I don't like to waste money.

P.s. I had a Peugeot 3008 hybrid4 300GT PHEV. Despite a few brilliant innovations like a completely folding flat passenger sport seat which made a table or let me get a whole tree in the car on one occasion, or the cooled glovebox to put your pane au frontage in etc., high on paper specifications, looked great, but, it was the worst car I ever had. So bad I sent it back after it spent most of the 8 or 9 months I had it literally in the garage. Many different problems. Terrible drive train, and very misleading from Peugeot on EV range performance according to their own data I managed to get a copy of, think under 18 miles in winter and that was trying hard to drive economically. Versus their original 37 miles claim which was only remotely possible at a specific temperature, speed, etc. and any deviation from that by say 5mph or 5C caused a dramatic fall off in performance. We are talking 25% and more. 

I'm not a fan of my local Toyota dealership but they are at least better than Peugeot.

 

 

[Nick72]

On 3/25/2024 at 1:42 PM, Tom_w said:

Hi All

I'm currently looking at the PHEV Rav4 and a 22 plate one has come up relatively locally that I'm considering.

Not driven one yet and new to Toyotas (been through a few Renault and VAG cars so far) but I was wondering if there's anything to consider or look for with the Gen 5 Rav4s?

Anything spec wise that might differ or any common issues?

 

Any other tips welcome.

Thanks

Tom

The other good thing, whichever year of PHEV you get, is this forum. Helpful friendly, direct, and fun. Best car community forum I've been a member of. Plus a great moderator.

And if you want to chance it the USA RAV4 forums (RAV4 World I think) are pretty good too and there's a heap load of folks on there with solutions. Just don't use sarcasm, irony, or analogies. Only the Canadians will get it. Our American friends mostly won't. Been there. A few lost in translation. 😂

[Tom_w]

52 minutes ago, Nick72 said:

I'm not a fan of my local Toyota dealership but they are at least better than Peugeot.

 

 

Which dealer is that? I'm in the same county and have a couple Vantage ones close by I think but RRG not too far away.

I've past experience with RRG from the Skoda side and the service was ok, though they ended up costing me 4 figures to try fix a roof leak and failed I'm not sure that was their fault so much just unlucky to have had a car that was a bit of a lemon and just out of warranty...

[Nick72]

56 minutes ago, Tom_w said:

Which dealer is that? I'm in the same county and have a couple Vantage ones close by I think but RRG not too far away.

I've past experience with RRG from the Skoda side and the service was ok, though they ended up costing me 4 figures to try fix a roof leak and failed I'm not sure that was their fault so much just unlucky to have had a car that was a bit of a lemon and just out of warranty...

PMd you.

[Flatcoat]

Interesting comparison from Nick. However the reduced tow weight limit kills the GRS for me. Next car shortlist is used Highlander or Lexus 7 seater, for new a Skoda Kojak PHEV if it comes with 7 seats.