PLUG-IN BABY

TOYOTA RAV4 PHEV Toyota has added a plug-in variant to its hybrid SUV so we sent Jim Mcgill to see whether the most powerful Rav4 is the best

With sales of new petrol and diesel cars set to end in 2030, even now, with nine years to run, there’s a of growing awareness among the car-buying public that change is needed. Hence the surge in manufacturers introducing plug-in hybrids. It’s the sop to tide buyers over to full allelectric driving. But what’s this? With an electric-only range of 46-miles, quoted fuel figures of 282.5mpg, and 302bhp on tap, Toyota’s new RAV4 PHEV certainly sounds attractive.

So, what’s it like? In many ways, it’s similar to the standard RAV4 Hybrid. Under the bonnet is a 2.5-litre fourcylinder petrol engine. That in turn is mated to an electric motor. Together they drive the front wheels through an E-CVT. The rear axle is then driven by a smaller, second electric motor thus ensuring all-wheel drive.

But there are some significantdifferences. while the petrol engine in the PHEV delivers 182bhp (up from the 176bhp of the standard hybrid), there’s a whopping increase of 62bhp in the output of the front electric motor, up from 118bhp in the hybrid, to 180bhp in the PHEV. On both cars the rear motor produces 54bhp.

But it’s the dual-electric motor setup and battery which take centre stage. Located beneath the rear seats, the large 18.1kwh battery helps lower the car’s centre of gravity and enhances handling. Total power then is rated at 302bhp.

Important to note — just in case you think I’ve got my arithmetic wrong — the engine and electric motors don’t produce maximum output at the same time, hence the lower combined figure and slightly baffling torque stats. That said, the RAV4 PHEV is still the most powerful model in the range.

As for charging the battery. Unplug the kettle in the kitchen, plug in the RAV4 PHEV, and it’ll take 7.5 hours to recharge the battery. In contrast, it takes just 2.5 hours if you’ve got a 7kw wallbox at home.

And there’s no denying that having a fully-charged battery is crucial in ensuring the PHEV performs to its maximum. More on which later.

In typical Toyota form, the

RAV4 PHEV is an exceptionally clever piece of kit. Essentially it drives through its electric motors nearly all the time. Only occasionally does the engine send drive directly to the front wheels. Instead it’s primary role is to generate charge.

On a day in which the skies again opened over Crawley, ensuring the 90-mile test route across West Sussex was awash with surface water, I settled into the carefully sanitised cabin to head off into the grey bleakness.

Push the starter button and, as expected, there’s total silence. From start-up, the RAV4 defaults to EV mode if there is enough charge in the battery. The driver can select from four modes: pure electric; EV/HV, which cleverly shuffles automatically between fully electric and hybrid power; HV, which delivers solely hybrid running (and it is a quick hybrid) and finally, charging mode. The latter, not surprisingly, ensures the engine tops up the battery on the move.

In pure electric mode, top speed is limited to 84mph. And

“There’s no denying that having a fullycharged battery is crucial in ensuring the PHEV performs to its maximum”

the RAV4 is set up to run its full battery charge at the start of any journey. Even if you hit the kickdown switch to accelerate swiftly, the petrol engine won’t kick in. Despite that, Toyota says running solely on battery power it’ll cover 0-62mph in 10 seconds. With the hybrid delivering, that time falls to six seconds. It’s swift.

Worth also highlighting that when you are in EV/HV mode and your right foot asks for quick acceleration, the transition from one power source to another is pretty much seamless. I defy most people to hear when the hybrid motor eases itself in. Sure, if you stand on the accelerator for 10 seconds or so, you’ll hear the change, but in normal, smooth driving, the switch is imperceptible.

Anyway, back to the driving. The first part of the route was a combination of dual carriageways, flowing countryside A roads and 20-30mph sections through villages. Without making a conscious effort to maximise the electric range — though I was in Eco mode, whichwasmorethanadequate for the drive, rather than being in Sport mode — the battery delivered 4 miles, rather than the official 46 miles, before the hybrid eased itself in.

Clearly, for the majority of people, whose daily drive is less than 40 miles, fuel costs would be negligible. Just plug it in at night; drive the next day, and plug it back in when you get home. Visits to a petrol station would become a thing of the past.

Even by the time I returned to Crawley, having completed my 90-mile trip, the onboard computer informed me I had averaged 78mpg. Okay, it’s not the “official” 282mpg, but these figures never represent real world driving. Happily, 78mpg for a large 4WD SUV, especially in miserable wet and cool conditions, has to be attractive.

There’s no denying the technology is impressive. The importanttrioofelectricrange, efficiencyandperformanceare allstrong.investinachargerfor home, and you’ll be laughing.

Throw in the fact, that of course the PHEV has all the additional, traditional benefits of a RAV4 — comfortable ride, smart handling, a well-equipped cabin, plus acres of space — especially in the rear — and a massive bootspace, and it’s clear it should be on the test list of anyone in the market for such a vehicle.

It is, though, not cheap. It starts at £47,395 for the Dynamic trim, which Toyota believes will account for around 70 per cent of the RAV4 PHEV’S sales. The Dynamic Premium — which adds black leather upholstery, heated and cooled electrically-adjustable seats, and a panoramic roof — raises the bar to £50,895. That catapults it into some pretty severe competition, including the plug-in Land Discovery Sport and Volvo XC60 T6 Recharge.

And whisper it: there’s also the Suzuki Across. “The Suzuki Across?”, I hear you ask. In a partnership between Japanese carmakers, Toyota and Suzuki, the latter has on its books the Across, a plug-in hybrid SUV with four-wheel drive and 302bhp.

No marks for guessing: it’s based heavily on the RAV4 PHEV. Sure it’s got a different front-end to the RAV4, but it is powered by exactly the same electrical powertrain with 302bhp and a 46 mile all-electric range. With leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats,aheatedsteeringwheel,a poweredtailgateandnine-inch touchscreen infotainment system equipped as standard, it costs from £45,999.

Nobody ever said buying a plug-in hybrid four-wheel drive SUV was ever going to be easy.