RAV4 EV leaves range anxiety in rearview
You have to hand it to Toyota. Despite most every other global manufacturer, big and small, bringing all-electric models to market, the mighty Japanese automaker has, some would charge, refused to embrace the gas-free technology.
True, its luxury arm Lexus does have an EV compact crossover in the works, however the UX300E will only be sold in China, Europe and Japan. And, also on the plus side in terms of zero emissions, the hydrogen-powered fuel cell Mirai is now in its second generation.
Criticize the automaker all you want for not plugging into the EV Revolution, but it’s difficult to find fault with its logic in extolling the virtues of hybrid technology. It’s Prius model revolutionized powertrains more than two decades ago, and there are no less than eight hybrids in its 2020 Canadian stable — or the same number of SUVS/CUVS and pickup trucks combined.
And this all-new plugin hybrid is the best of the bunch. Heck, the RAV4 Prime has got my vote for 2021 Vehicle of the Year. Believe it or not, that high praise has nothing to do with the fact that this grocery hauler is faster than the Toyota Supra between eight km/h to 96 km/h, or that it is technology packed. Nope, the reason is that for the average urbanite, the RAV4 Prime is a fully electric vehicle.
With a full-charge range touching 70-kilometres and a top speed of 135 km/h on pure electric juice, you can drive to work and back, pick up some dinner on the way home then take the kids to soccer without once turning over the 2.5-litre four-banger. Plug it in overnight — even to a run-of-the-mill 120-volt outlet — and you’re good to do it all again, emission-free, the next day. Plug it into a 240-volt charger, and in less than three hours the 18.1 kwh battery pack is topped up (thanks to an onboard 6.6 kw charger. The base Prime comes with a 3.3 kw charger).
I did just that for a week, though in the interest of fully testing all aspects of the crossover I did burn some carbon. Suffice to say all-electric running is quieter in the cabin and smoother over the blacktop, but having that peppy powerplant under the hood (179 hp, 199 lbs.-ft. of torque) does do away with range anxiety, and when combined with the two electric motors fitted fore-and-aft this puppy produces a German-luxuryCuv-like horsepower output of 302, or 83 ponies more than the 2020 RAV4 Hybrid.
It’s a good thing the RAV4 Prime has this kind of grunt, however, as it tips the scale at a few kilos shy of 2,000, or some 262 kg more than the Hybrid model. In terms of a price comparison, the wellequipped base RAV4 Prime, badged the SE, is just $2,200 more than the top-of-the-line RAV4 Hybrid, with a starting price of $44,900. (Note that the RAV4 Prime qualifies for a PHEV federal rebate of up to $5,000, plus provincial rebates of up to $8,000 in Québec and $1,500 in B.C.).
Our tester, however, was the XSE, the second and premium trim in the Prime stable, and one with a standard list of safety, technology and comfort features more than capable of a positive comparison with those aforementioned German sport-utes. The XSE starts at $51,590, which adds to the SE features things like 19-inch alloy wheels, a nine-inch screen, a black roof with power moonroof, a power back door, a digital display autodimming rear-view mirror, a wireless charging system for personal electronics, a, black interior with red stitching, an anti-theft alarm system and illuminated entry. Add on the optional $5,400 Premium Technology package, which our tester had, and the sophistication and style goes to 11, including a panoramic moonroof, an 11-speaker JBL Premium display audio system with navigation, a five-door smart key system, auto headlamp leveling and the adaptive front lighting system, full Softex-clad sport seats, a driver’s seat memory system, four-way power adjustable front passenger seat, heated and ventilated front row seats, a kick-sensor activated power back door, and a 110v/1500w power outlet. Additional safety technologies on this package include Head Up Display, Bird’s Eye View Monitor, Intelligent Clearance Sonar, and the Rear Cross Traffic Brake system.
Needless to say, the RAV4 Prime XSE with this package leaves very little wanting from a creature comfort perspective, nor if you like your vehicle tech-laden.
My complaints are mere quibbles — the battery pack does shave a few litres of storage space from the cargo hold, however passenger space is the same as the Hybrid — but I do have a strong opinion about the exterior. To my eye, there are too many body and grille lines working at crosspurposes, resulting in a body style that is neither sexy nor stylish. Thankfully, the interior, like most Toyota cabins, is well laid out, sensible and the controls are very intuitive. And a big thank-you to whomever insisted on having a proper gear shifter rather than a steering wheel stalk or, horrors, a push-button transmission.
Once you have it in gear, the RAV4 Prime never feels underpowered, the handling and performance indicate chassis engineers did their homework accounting for the extra weight, and while leaning more to soft than tight suspension dynamics, cornering is sure and solid.