[SilverGate]

I have just begun my research towards buying a new 2016 RAV4 Hybrid and it will have an additional use of transporting 2 corgi dogs that will each travel in a carrier crate that is 20" wide and 28" long.

I know the RAV4's narrowest cargo space width between wheel wells is 43". Can someone please tell me the depth (length) in inches from the back door to the back of the front seats (rear seats folded down), and the depth to the back of the rear seats (in the up position).

Thank you!:smile

 

[neggy]

would it help if I told you my 2 dogs with a combined weight of 170 pounds plus fit just fine in the back of my non hybrid Rav4?

the seats also fold almost flat, much flatter than my Highlander

and the windows in the Rav are nicer, go down more ...good for putting heads out the windows

 

[SilverGate]

Yes... Thanks!

 

[rscot01]

I have just begun my research towards buying a new 2016 RAV4 Hybrid and it will have an additional use of transporting 2 corgi dogs that will each travel in a carrier crate that is 20" wide and 28" long.

I know the RAV4's narrowest cargo space width between wheel wells is 43". Can someone please tell me the depth (length) in inches from the back door to the back of the front seats (rear seats folded down), and the depth to the back of the rear seats (in the up position).

Thank you!:smile

To answer your question, with the cargo hatch closed, measuring at a height equal to the top of the back seats, the distance from the cargo hatch to the back seat was about 28.5" and on to the front seat (at the same level) was about 64.5". I measured from that height in the event your dog carriers are taller (FYI, the distance from the floor of the cargo area to the top back area of the back seat is about 19.5"). So if you had carriers taller than about 19.5", that's the amount of space you'd have to work with. However, obviously, if your had carriers that were shorter (I guess corgis are somewhat short in the britches!) then you would have a few more inches to work with.

Hope that helps!

c ya! :nerd

 

[SilverGate]

Wonderful!
Since our dog carriers are 20” wide, 27 ¼” long, and 18.5” high, it looks like they will fit nicely side by side on the cargo floor with the rear seats up, and of course, certainly with the seats down (assuming the narrowest width is 43” between wheel wells.
Thanks for these cargo dimensions (which I could not find while doing an Internet search earlier today)!:smile
BTW, the photo below shows the carriers on the back seat of our F-250 used to haul our Airstream.
Are there places to attach our straps with hooks to secure the carriers in the back of the RAV4?

 

[rscot01]

You're welcome!

I verified the distance between the wheel wells and it is, in fact, 43", so you're good there. Also there are four D-rings located in the cargo area, two just inside next to the rear hatch and two built into the wheel wells (actually about half-way, from front to back in the cargo area). So you might have to attach the cargo strap first and then slide the second dog carrier in beside the first to get them under the strap or not, depending on the actual clearance. But if the dimensions are as indicated, they should fit pretty snugly in there with the rear seat still up.

I don't have the Hybrid -- I considered it, but my driving (very little city driving, which is where the hybrid really shines, didn't really lend itself to the hybrid) -- but purchased the XLS with the "convenience package" (nearly all the electronic bells and whistles) almost three weeks ago and we really like it a lot! It's much easier to get my tired old knees and back into, and is a lot quieter and has a much better ride than the 2014 Camry SE I had before. So, IMHO, I don't think you can go wrong with the RAV4!

Have fun!

 

[SilverGate]

Thanks again, rscot01!

Glad there are 4 D-rings in the cargo area.

Now my research shifts to what you mentioned: would hybrid or gas be better for the type of driving that we do in the San Diego area (lots of freeway driving, but often stuck in bumper to bumper traffic).

Getting in and out of the vehicle is also increasingly important to us, now that we are retired... not as easy to get in and out of our 2001 Toyota Solara, (which now has 100,00 miles on it) as it used to be!.

As you can see, we tend to keep a car for a long time, so this RAV4 might be our last one and we will need to make the best choice (perhaps it would be better to get a proven gas model than a hybrid model that has only been out for less than a year now).

Thanks again for all of the helpful information (glad you like your RAV4 gas model)!

Bill

 

[neggy]

Well since I just sold my 2001 Solara when I added the Rav4 to the fleet, I can tell you it is a lot easier to get in and out of the Rav4.

with gas as cheap as it is in the rest of the country ( but not Commiefornia) the Hybrid is a hard sell unless it is to the die hard tree hugger.

It does not make economic sense for me to have one, so I will keep burning dinosaurs and filling the atmosphere with pollution.

Toyota has a proven Hybrid system, they are not prone to poop the bed, but they are not without problems (ask a Prius owner).

Plus you have to factor in the up front cost, and the cost of battery replacements down the line.

 

[rdgrimes]

As you can see, we tend to keep a car for a long time, so this RAV4 might be our last one and we will need to make the best choice (perhaps it would be better to get a proven gas model than a hybrid model that has only been out for less than a year now).

Thanks again for all of the helpful information (glad you like your RAV4 gas model)!

Bill

The choice for HV or gas isn't really about cost or MPG or what type driving you do. The HV will save some gas regardless of your driving requirements, but that's not the real reason for getting it. People get a HV because they want to do something for the planet. Lowering your carbon footprint and so forth.

There's nothing mechanical in the HV that hasn't been in use for years, and most of the hybrid system is covered under special warranty that you don't get in a gas model.

Get the HV because you like the extra power, or get it because you like the planet, but don't get it because of what type driving you do.

 

[rscot01]

SilverGate: You're welcome again!

My wife and I are also both retired and about a year and a half ago, we bought a Camry (mainly because I thought my wife was going to drive it, which she never did). We (and especially me!) had occasional problems getting in and out because of bad knees and back. Had I known my wife wasn't going to drive the Camry, I would have bought a RAV4 then! Hindsight is always 20/20! And while I liked the Camry just fine, when some friends of our showed up in our driveway with a new 2016 RAV4 and gave me the opportunity to sit in and test drive it, I knew I had to make the change and we haven't regretted it one bit.

Both neggy and rdgrimes make good and valid points, although I do have to disagree a bit as to buying a hybrid or not based on the type of driving you do. If the vast majority of your driving is flying down the highway, you'll not see much, if any, difference between the hybrid and the standard gas engine. Both are rated by the EPA at 31 mpg highway. However if nearly all of your driving is in the city (or stop-and-go on an overcrowded freeway!), the RAV4 Hybrid is rated at 34 mpg city and the gas engine RAV4 is rated at 24 city. Obviously a substantial difference. Also, I don't know what gas costs in California, but I'm sure it's higher than here in Central Texas ($1.70 per gallon today and that's up from $1.30 or less a few months ago!), so a lot of city driving, hybrid vs gas, would be a pretty big difference in your annual gas bill.

In my case, I considered the hybrid, but decided on gas simply because I do very little city/stop-go driving. We live out in the country, our "town" has one whole stoplight (and we just got that a year or two ago! It used to be just a blinking light.) and I simply couldn't justify the additional cost of the hybrid as I'd never make up the difference, as neggy said. Also, I didn't drive the hybrid, but as rdgrimes says, it has more horsepower, faster 0-60 time, all that, but my gas XLE seems to have plenty of pep in her step, I haven't felt like I was in any danger of getting run over out on the highway, and it gets us everywhere we need to go in an expeditious and comfortable manner!

Personally, I don't think you'd be disappointed with either! So good luck and let us know what you decide!

C Ya!
Ron

 

[SilverGate]

Thanks, neggy, for verifying that it is a lot easier to get in and out of the RAV4 than our 2001 Solara and that Toyota has a proven hybrid system. As you point out, gas is more expensive in California ($2.60/gal. today), and prices could jump up at any time depending on world politics and events.

Thanks, rdgrimes, for mentioning that the hybrid system is covered under a special warranty and that getting a HV could be a “feel good” thing (doing something good for the planet by supporting smart technology that is environmentally friendly). Yes, I would also get the HV because I like the extra power to get up and over our nearby mountains (which is why I have a F-250 SuperDuty to pull our Airstream trailer).

And a special thank you to Ron (rscot01) for taking the time to measure and report to me cargo dimensions as they relate to our dog carriers (post #4), and for sharing with me your journey in finding out the RAV4 is the best vehicle for you and your wife.

Also, thank you, Toyota RAV4 Forums for your display of collective knowledge and experience, along with members willing to take the time to share in a helpful manner (I also experienced this with AirForums (Airstream), where my handle is also SilverGate).

So now that I’m inclined to get the hybrid model, I have to decide whether it will be XLE or Limited…………..Hymmmm:wink

 

[Quickdtoo]

FYI: Some of the non-Hybrid owners like to compare fuel economy of the FWD gas model with the Hybrid which is only available in AWD, the AWD gas model is rated 22 city and 29 highway and the Hybrid is rated 34 city and 31 highway, so let's keep the MPG comparisons apples to apples. :wink


Review: 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited AWD- The 33 MPG Honey Badger - Torque News


2016 Toyota RAV4 Mileage=