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RAV4 PHEV confirmed for 2021

579K views 3K replies 211 participants last post by  Dr. Dyno 
#1 ·
Just came across this article. No details on specs, but it says Toyota made the announcement ahead of the LA Auto show.


Edit: Looks like multiple outlets are confirming the same.



 
#5 ·
Love the teaser.... its a.... RAV4! With impractical fogs that will get replaced with the stock ones!
Nice to see that they will make a PHEV. I wonder how that will impact the trunk space or if they ditch the spare completely and give you just a patch kit. Big reason why we never seriously looked at the Prius Prime was the trunk was so small. This should be good competition for the Outlander PHEV. Unfortunately, based on the other PHEVs, I'm going to guess you will pay a 10k premium in canada for it.
 
#84 ·
I had the Honda Clarity (plug in hybrid) until someone backed into it at 35-40 mph and killed it. No injury's to me, side curtain bags deployed but being t-boned at the drivers side pillar did catastrophic damage and USAA offered me nearly what I paid for it so..... I had been missing my SUV style but loved the PHEV technology. Getting about 50 miles in the summer and 40 or so in the winter on battery only was absolutely great. It only had a 7 gallon tank but you could drive over 350 miles w/o refueling. And being retired w/most of miles less than 30 or so a day I rarely bought gas (and then not very much LOL). Depending on the specs, I'll probably trade for one. I still have my Level II charger in the garage.

I looked at the new Mitsubishi SUV PHEV but it only got about 25 miles on battery alone. That was a deal breaker. But if the new RAV PHEV gets close to 50 on the batteries, I'm onboard. NOTE: It qualified me for a $7500 tax exemption, so depending on the battery's kilowatt hours, this one should too.

Love the teaser.... its a.... RAV4! With impractical fogs that will get replaced with the stock ones!
Nice to see that they will make a PHEV. I wonder how that will impact the trunk space or if they ditch the spare completely and give you just a patch kit. Big reason why we never seriously looked at the Prius Prime was the trunk was so small. This should be good competition for the Outlander PHEV. Unfortunately, based on the other PHEVs, I'm going to guess you will pay a 10k premium in canada for it.
 
#9 ·
One article is saying that by "most powerful RAV4 to date" Toyota is including the previous V6 model in that comparison, which had 269 hp. It's wild speculation at this point but that would be huge if the PHEV would get that kind of powertrain!
 
#22 ·
Love everything about my first Hybrid, but I keep wishing I had more range on the EV mode. If price are good and there are no major defect, I will trade-in my Civic for one of these for sure! I'll wait at least a year though, tired of being a test subject. Here in Canada Qc, we get a really nice govnt incentive for electric or PHEV car... It will all depend of the price for me.
 
#31 ·
More on the environmentalist side, your everyday commute would use no gasoline. Over the long run paying a dollar for ~30 miles of range is much cheaper than $4 a gallon of gas here in California. There are also government rebates involved and over the long run if your commute is consistent the car should be able to pay for itself. Also Plug-in still qualify for HOV carpool stickers while hybrids no longer do. There is quite a lot of benefit for the folks out here especially if it can cut a commute time 20-30 minutes.
 
#36 ·
Do any of you remember the 2010 - 2011 Rav4 EV? That was a little joint venture Toyota outside/ interior with Tesla’s drivetrain/ electronics/ battery. Those came fully loaded $45k. I will see one once in awhile driving around Los Angeles. Cal Trans has a small fleet of them parked near my work.
 
#41 ·
I can’t see the electric version working for me as, being retired, I don’t have a daily commute anymore and most drives I take are more than an hour away. Add to that the very cold winters and the fact that in my area, I’ve NEVER seen a charge station. It unfortunate but true that you need a particular set of circumstances to make electric cars work to your advantage.
 
#44 ·
Even for my driving a hybrid has a payoff of around 4 or 5 years. I consider it an affordable luxury. PHEV would take a while to pay off even at Vancouver gas prices (1.60 a litre or more). If you drive a lot, then that's a different story I guess. But on average it will take a while to recoup the price difference
 
#138 ·
I'm all for going green, but there's a cost. For many people the problem with figuring out long term costs over several years of owning a single vehicle is that vehicles are not what they used to be -- they are now equipped with excellent electronic infotainment and safety features, which, like most computer electronics, improve regularly by leaps and bounds. So you may be three years into your five year plan to break even on a $5-10,000 upcharge for a PHEV and suddenly feel like you're driving a vehicle with ancient electronics and that may not be as safe as currently selling vehicles. And you're still "under water" on the PHEV up-charge.
 
#46 ·
If they manage to make it faster off the line then a regural hybrid that would be the only reason for me to get one. 7.8 sec 0-60 is decent in hybrid but 6-6.5 like Mazda CX5 turbo would be awesome
 
#48 · (Edited)
Purchased the hybrid Rav 4 XLE 2019

I don’t need more power as Toyota is claiming in the PHEV Rav 4.

My Rav 4 hybrid accelerates plenty quick to merge and pass cars at freeway speeds and it zips along quietly just fine at 85 mph which will get me a ticket in my State.

the only reason you would need more torque (power) is if you plan to tow which should be delegated to a larger automobile.

My next purchase will be an EV and Toyota better get moving innovating if they want my EV business in the next few years.
 
#49 ·
My next purchase will be an EV and Toyota better get moving innovating if they want my EV business in the next few years.
Toyota knows this and said they are going with EVs in the next 5 years but you might be rushing with EV purchase in the next few years. We are probably a decade away before they will be worthwhile and cost effective. Plugins or hybrids are better options until then.
 
#63 ·
My wife and I have a 2019 PHEV (Kia Niro) and a 2019 Rav4 Hybrid. While I really like the RAV4 so far (getting around 45 mpg over 2500 miles, in Colorado), the PHEV is a much better vehicle for every day activities. With over 4000 miles on it, we’ve partially filled the gas tank 3 times since buying the Kia in May. Of course it uses some electricity, but we haven’t noticed a change in our monthly bill. We can drive 24 miles on an overnight charge, and if that’s not enough distance then the car goes into regular hybrid mode for a total range of over 600 miles. As a hybrid we routinely get 60 mpg. driving in the mountains is great. And in case of an oil crisis, we can run solely on electric. Yes it cost ~ $10k more than the regular Kia Niro hybrid, but with $9k in tax credits (US Fed + state), the net purchase price will be similar. As far as I can tell, there’s no downside to a PHEV unless the net cost is much more than the comparable hybrid , or if space is lost (as in the Subaru PHEV). Oh, I forgot to say that electric is so much smoother running/accelerating than gas!
 
#64 ·
I used to think plug-in hybrids were silly. Why would they only go 30-40 miles on electricity and then switch to gas? What's the point I used to say--just burn gas. But after doing the math I discovered that my wife and I were averaging 24 miles a day in the RAV4--and with mostly short trips the V6 wasn't getting very good mileage. So when I test drove my friend's Chevy Volt, and he told me how the 40+ mile range allowed him to commute to work, plug in, and go home without burning any gas, I was hooked. Plus, it was a smooth and excellent handling car, that gets 40+ MPG after the battery is depleted. I ended up buying a 2015 Volt last year with 31K miles and it has been fantastic! I filled up the gas tank in January, and then last Saturday I ended up putting another 3 gallons in the tank. That should last me for a while. It's very sad that GM discontinued the Volt just while other car makers are introducing their own PHEV vehicles.

When the RAV4 Hybrid came out, I was excited because of the extra power and efficiency. But now that the RAV4 PHEV has been announced, I am really stoked! If it can drive for 25-40 miles on EV power alone, that would mean that the majority of owners would be buying no gas most of the time. And if you go on a long trip, no problem--you can fill up the tank and go as far as you want without range anxiety and planning your trip from charging station to charging station.
 
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