Towing was a major issue for us too when selecting a new car. The first criterion was hybrid engine, second, towing and third storage space. Then there was a friend who had bought a Camry, a neighbour who is a mechanic who services them and has three toyotas of his own, and being attracted to hybrids on economy grounds + affordability + range and expecting sooner than later a petrol spike would make efficiency a big consideration - this was 18 months ago in Sep 2020!
I came to the conclusion quickly that a Toyota would be the best hybrid given their long design history , and historical reputation for reliability and longevity. But which one? given our former preference of a small car being an Opel Astra.
We first considered the Corolla. However the tiny boot eliminated that. Next was a Camry (or a more expensive Prius) which looked to have a huge boot, excellent economy (fuel and price) and be big enough to tow our small trailer (tare 250 kg). But try as I might I could not find tow ratings for any of these. I finally found the Camry is rated to tow..... 300 kg gross??!!
The why for this I couldnt determine though I did find it was no different for a RAV4 hybrid 2WD or a Prius either. In fact I dont think the latter is rated to tow at all. I have yet to find a coherent explaination. However my guess is the brakes are finely tuned for recharging and 750kg additional weight on the back will confuse them terribly unlike with a conventional ICE engine (explanations welcome here).
Anyway after finding out the complications which apply to older Camry's too we went back to the dealer the next day to try something else rather than buy the Camry that was on the shop floor and I think readily available. After a little digging I found the only option in a hybrid was the RAV4 AWD versions. This meant another 8K AUD more and becoming an apostate of my former religion - rejecting urban assault vehicles which are a menace on inner city streets where we live. But there simply was no other credible choice, the Honda/Kia/Hyundai hybrid equivalents not being available.
The RAV4 AWD on the other hand was rated here to tow 750 kg
unbraked and 1500 kg
braked (see post number 2 video which is really informative).
Experience so far (unbraked only)..... no problems....trailer + mower = 500 kg approximately .... going up and down a steepish hill on an 90 km round trip no problem.
Some parting points:
- I have no regrets 'selling out' and buying the RAV4.
- The boot storage is way larger and easier to access compared to the past when stowing stuff was always a 3-D puzzle leaving the question of where to squeeze in passengers.
- Hybrid fuel consumption during the latest petrol crisis is virtually a non issue and such a contrast to our friend's gas guzzler ICE land cruiser - not much more room and 4 X the consumption.
- Safety and automatic features - these came more standard than the North American models and they are indispensible.
- Parking - with the reversing camera it will fit into the same size spaces as our old small Astra.
- Footprint - I did a comparison with the Corolla sedan (not the new crossover though I think the same applies). The only real difference was the RAV4 is a few cm wider. All the extra bulk/space is in the elevation...... and the benefit of being less intimidated by trucks on the highway.
In short, it cost a bit more than intended but the fringe benefits have been worth it. And it does the towing job. As they say you get what you pay for.
