Toyota RAV4 Forums banner

Does the hybrid also have 50/50 AWD "lock"?

38K views 98 replies 15 participants last post by  Kclark76 
#1 ·
To new Rav4 hybrid owners, does your vehicle have the same 50/50 awd split lock button (up to 25mph) as the gas model? Unable to find information about this anywhere. Different system so didn't want to assume.

Congrats on your new hybrids, I'm jealous and probably gonna bite the bullet and get one at some point.
 
#6 ·
I was told when picking up my Hybrid vehicle yesterday morning that if left in sport, 10% of the power will go to the rear axle/wheels. I am putting the vehicle in ECO mode and will be fitting the car with winter tires. :)

I will read the manual to gain more assurance though.
 
#5 ·
Huh, so in *theory*, the gas model should have a not-insignificant edge in certain conditions (i.e. low speed snow/ice/trail). Interesting I hadn't heard anything about this. Well, I guess you have to optimize for what you do the most (city/highway conditions). Hybrid is amazing there.

Thanks!
 
#7 ·
It seems you already know this, but it should be noted that the hybrid has no rear driveshaft to lock to 50% anyway since it has a completely separate electric motor.

I suppose they could emulate that electronically though.
 
#22 ·
That's essentially how I read it: the RAV4 hybrid AWD system will benefit you (send power to the rear wheels) as needed, basically provided that you are moving, or at the very least it won't let the rear wheels just spin.

I suppose maybe you can think of it mostly as "you can't turn traction control off for the rear wheels."

So if you're stopped in deep snow or mud or maybe sand, you may then effectively be driving a FWD RAV4, even though you have the "AWD" hybrid.

.
 
#23 ·
Again here people may be confusing terms. While the traction control system is part of the AWD system, they have different functions and those should be considered separately. Traction control can be turned off, which is appropriate if you are stuck and can't move. But the AWD system is always on.
Hybrid traction control systems are different than the ones found on the standard Rav4. Not better or worse, just different. They need to be able to prevent you from cooking your motor-generator or electrical system by spinning wheels. If you take the time to learn how it works and adapt your driving to its strengths you shouldn't have many problems.
 
#24 ·
I think folks need to rembember that just because you don't see the rear tires spinning if your stuck does not mean that power is not being applied to the rear wheels. Ideally you do not want to break traction when stuck. As soon as your tire begins to spin while not moving, your traction is reduced. In other words, static friction is much higher than dynamic friction. Folks who spin their tires in the snow or mud and continue to spin their tires faster are loosing traction, not gaining traction..
 
#99 ·
Ideally yes but in some real world situations wheel-spin is ideal.ex tundra I drove cut power to keep tires from spinning to get over a snow plow hump at a intersection hence I had to back up to get momentum to get over the hump or risk having my front end stuck in the intersection .had the wheels spun they would dig down the hump just enough so I could get traction and move forward .you can’t rely on a one solution for multiple situations ,even with traction control off the tundra still did the same thing ,they really need to design these newer cars and trucks to be able to let the driver choose when wheel spin is acceptable and allow for it .when you turn traction control off that should be a key indication to the computer that you want wheel spin.
 
#25 · (Edited)
I did some impromptu testing of my new Rav4 Hybrid yesterday including driving in snow/ice and some light off-roading. Here's what I found:

Test 1: Three inches of icy-snow over frozen ground: The AWD-i system sure-footedly negotiated the snow with no problems. Compared to a conventional 4WD system The Rav4 Hybrid seemed more sure-footed at sharp turning angles with less tendency to push (understeer) through the corners than a conventional 4WD system. About the same as a torque split AWD system I guess.

Test 2: Fire-roads with light snow and ice: The AWD-i system was up to the task. In some icy stretches, if stopped on the ice-covered hills, it would spin one front wheel and sometimes a rear while the traction control system modulated the brakes on the spinning wheel to transfer torque to the stationary one on that axle. Turning off the traction control system with the button above the radio stack tended to make the Rav4 just sit and spin.

Test 3: Steeper, rocky section of lightly snow/ice covered trail: The AWD-i system cannot compete in any way with conventional 4WD under these conditions. It feels and acts like the axles were made of rubber-bands and wound-up instead of powering over stones or other obstacles. Stopping with a front tire against a 5-6 inch tall stone in the trail the Rav4 requires quite a bit of accelerator pedal to begin trying to climb the obstacle. It then tends to spin the tires instead of smoothly climbing over the stone or other obstacle. Turning off traction control made it worse in my opinion. I did not try using the lowest effective gear range by selecting the D-1 position but I can't see how it would affect the rear wheels. All it seems to do is increase the ICE RPM in order to create a higher gear ratio and increase engine braking. The electric motors can provide lots of torque, but not lots of control over that torque. It's easy to get a wheel spinning and then you're stopped with no limited slip system on either axle. The traction control system's control of braking to try to stop the spinning wheel is inadequate for off-roading in my opinion - though it is a tremendous help in less demanding conditions.

Face it; the Rav4 Hybrid is never going to be an off-roader like a Jeep. But for most of us who rarely see unpaved roads it's fine.

Bob in Massachusetts
2016 Rav4 XLE Hybrid
 
#26 ·
Perfect, that's exactly what I wanted to hear, considering I too think it's inappropriate to try to use the RAV4 (hybrid or not) as a real off-road car.

Gravel roads, sure, but definitely not hardcore trails.

PS. I'm glad you tried the 6" boulder thing, if only for general interest. I would never subject our precious to that kind of abuse. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: FXi
#29 ·
PS. I'm glad you tried the 6" boulder thing, if only for general interest. I would never subject our precious to that kind of abuse. ;)
Well - it seemed like 6 inches but I'll bet it was less than that. I never touched down any hard parts during my impromptu off-road test except on a small pile of snow at the end of the trail. I dragged something underneath on the snow the plow had left but nothing that would damage my new baby.

Today I'll see how well it handles a 500 mile round-trip to a customer of mine in northern Maine. With temperatures in the lower 50's I doubt I'll have much chance to test out the AWD-i system though :wink
 
#28 ·
The AWD-i system works seamlessly both forward and reverse. In addition, it activates for regenerative braking even at speeds well above 35 MPH where it can no longer provide driving power to the rear wheels. This means the brakes will be used less than the Prius (which already goes 100,000 miles+ on brakes pads).

Overall I'm impressed. This is the first AWD hybrid I've owned but I'm no stranger to Toyota hybrids. This is my third (I've owned a Gen-II Prius and Gen-III Prius V wagon). I've got over 200,000 miles of personal hybrid experience.
 
#34 ·
I am with Bob on this one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive

Reverse gear (equivalent): There is no reverse gear as in a conventional gearbox: the computer reverses the phase sequence to AC motor-generator MG2, applying negative torque to the wheels. Early models did not supply enough torque for some situations: there have been reports of early Prius owners not being able to back the car up steep hills in San Francisco. The problem has been fixed in recent models. If the battery is low, the system can simultaneously run the engine and draw power from MG1, although this will reduce available reverse torque at the wheels.
 
#35 ·
Sure, we know that reverse works in this way. However, I was just not sure it worked like that in AWD-i mode. IOW, how do we know it's not just running in 2WD mode in reverse?

Note: We haven't gotten ours yet, so I can't check the screen info myself.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top