#Toyota rav4 hybrid drivers

#Toyota rav4 hybrid drivers

The RAV4 PHEV doesn’t need to be this fast, but it’s quite amusing to discover that it is and you can, if you wish, give hot hatch drivers a bit of a surprise when the mood takes you. In most cars this doesn’t make a huge difference but here it transforms the performance and you suddenly feel every one of the 305 horsepower, as if your big SUV has suddenly gained rocket boosters. You could cruise around peacefully in the standard driving modes totally happy with the way the RAV4 PHEV goes but it also has a bit of a hidden trick up its sleeve when you select the Sport mode. Indeed, the RAV4 PHEV feels powerful and refined, the noisy howl of many Toyota hybrids silenced by the hum of electric assistance with an impressive 46-mile range available without waking the petrol motor. Thanks to the bigger battery the one assisting the 2.5-litre petrol engine up front is much more powerful and takes up a lot of the strain we detected in the non-PHEV version. Like fancier versions of the regular RAV4 the plug-in has electric motors front and back for, effectively, all-wheel drive. Which is appropriate for its target audience, though it can show a surprising turn of speed when you want it to and copes better than you might expect if you are in a hurry. The heavy steering feels at odds with the otherwise easy-going driving style of the car, the Toyota built more for comfort than speed and happier at a cruise than being chucked around. That also brings some advantages of its own, the extra 200 kilos or so the PHEV is carrying actually helping calm the harsh ride quality we criticised in the standard RAV4. The boot is a little smaller than the non-PHEV version of the RAV4 but is still pretty sizeable and less compromised by needing to accommodate a bigger battery than some rivals.

The rears also recline and standard leather upholstery feels tough and luxurious in equal measure. It does, though, have that sense of Toyota robustness that suggests it should be well up to the rigours of family life and those in the back will appreciate the space (unless they end up in the middle seat) and fact the generous spec includes such luxuries as heating for the outer rear seats as well as the front ones. Compared with the cool sophistication of rivals like the plug-in hybrid Volvo XC40 and impressive Korean alternatives like the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson the RAV4 has quite a ‘busy’ looking interior that’s generally well made but also has some cheaper fixtures and fittings.