Toyota adds RAV4 plug-in hybrid for 2021; pricing starts at $38,100
On the Road,
Toyota, the automaker who laid the groundwork for today’s growing crop of hybrid-electric vehicles, has now given one of its most-popular SUVS its first plug-in hybrid model.
It’s the 2021 RAV4 Prime, which Toyota says can run for up to 42 miles on battery power alone, and then be recharged from an external power source. It’s a serious upgrade to the regular RAV4 Hybrid, which remains in the lineup.
There are two versions of the Prime offered: the base SE ($38,100, plus $1,175 freight); and the uplevel XSE ($41,425).
Based on the fifth generation of the RAV4 compact crossover, the Prime is billed by Toyota as “the most-powerful and quickest RAV4 ever.”
Powering the RAV4 Prime is a combination of gasoline engine and electric motors that produces a combined 302 horsepower, which Toyota says can push the Prime from zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. It’s also the quickest four-door model of any kind in Toyota’s lineup.
That compares with a maximum of 219 combined horsepower for the regular RAV4 Hybrid, which is still plenty of power for a vehicle of this size and weight.
But we agree the Prime has remarkable power, and most of its torque is available right from the start, thanks to the electric
New for 2021 is the Toyota RAV4 Prime, the SUV’S first plug-in hybrid, which can go up to 42 miles on battery power alone.
motors. Electric motors, unlike gasoline engines, don’t have to spool up to reach maximum torque; it’s immediately available.
One thing is certain: the RAV4 Prime is no boring hybrid. But making regular use of the Prime’s hardy startup capabilities would tend to negate its most-important attributes: its electric-only range and its overall fuel economy. The harder you push any vehicle, the more power you waste. That’s basic physics.
The EPA’S fueleconomy.gov website gives the RAV4 Prime a combined city/highway rating of 94 mpg-equivalent when running on an equal basis of gasoline and electric power, or 38 mpg
combined when running on gasoline alone.
That compares with 40 mpg combined city/highway for the regular RAV4 Hybrid, which does not have the ability to run exclusively on battery power.
A big difference between regular RAV4 hybrids and the RAV4 Prime is the battery pack. The Prime comes with a lithiumion battery, but the regular hybrid has a lower-capacity nickel-metalhydride battery.
The battery is mounted under the rear floor, which helps give the RAV4 Prime a low center of gravity for more stability, and it does not detract from cargo space.
The RAV4 Prime has a modified version the RAV4 Hybrid’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine, but it does have the same 176 horsepower as the regular hybrid’s engine.
Prime and regular RAV4 hybrids have a second electric motor at the rear axle to give them four-wheel drive; normally, they are in front-wheel-drive configuration. The rear motor kicks in to add traction as needed, in a system Toyota calls Electronic On-demand All-wheel Drive. A bonus is that the rear electric motor kicks in automatically on startup to boost acceleration.
–Terry A: Don’t be a party pooper, Terry. She’s having fun. And she’s not doing any harm. As long as she hasn’t started wearing a racing helmet yet, I think you’ll be OK.
If your Outback had a manual transmission, you could argue that she’s putting extra wear and tear on the clutch, and that brake pads are cheaper than clutches. I’d still probably tell you to leave her alone, in the interests of domestic bliss, but at least you’d have a theoretical case to make.
But with an automatic transmission (or a continuously variable automatic transmission like you have), there is no clutch. In fact, your car doesn’t even have any gears. A set of belts slides up and down a cone-shaped device to increase and decrease the gear ratios “variably” as needed. The paddles on the steering wheel just “mimic” gears by causing the transmission computer to jump to preset gear ratios. So the primary reason the paddles exist is so you can have fun and pretend you’re shifting gears. And that’s what your wife is doing.
I understand that the sound of the engine can be a little annoying, Terry. But rest assured, no harm is being done. I’m guessing she’s just a little bored with your 2014 Outback and is trying to spice things up a bit. So if you want her to stop, try making more scintillating conversation when you’re in the car with her.