schwein

What do you like about the Rav 4 Prime so much, serious question?

For me, if the GX goes into more of a soft onroad type vehicle, it'll probably be a "never buy" for me.

MrTorgue

There’s a lot. Here’s a few points.

1. A ton of interior space for the size
2. A plugin hybrid means I can get 35-50 miles in all electric mode which is 40-50% of our miles which means that’s much less petrol to use and more $$ in our pocket.
3. The performance is pretty insane considering it’s a RAV4. (0-60 in 5.5 seconds with eco tires)
4. The amount of net $$ savings over driving our GX470 I sold is rather significant.
5. Much more of a relaxing driving experience on long trips.
6. Solves the high elevation and steep grade issue a petrol engine has.

The GX is actually a very capable off-roader. It’s anything but a “soft roader”. Why do you think the rest of the world including Africa and Australia use it (called the Land Cruiser Prado everywhere else)? It’s designed to go literally everywhere where there is a road or not.

schwein

Thanks for that, the Rav 4 sounds MUCH better than my experience with it in the past, I have not sat in anything newer than 2010. My Dad is actually looking for a Hybrid / Electric car as his next vehicle and maybe i'll have him look at these in his search ..

In terms of the GX, the current vehicle (I own one and love it) is definitely not soft agreed, I more meant that if the next gen is more of an onroad / softmobile i would probably not be interested in that.. This said, I think i'll have to come to grips with the fact that big V8 SUV's are going to slowly become a thing of the past...

Kisel17

I better get the current generation model while I still can, thanks for posting!

MrTorgue

He should look at the RAV4 Prime or Lexus NX450h+. I would of bought the Lexus but I do not like the electric door handles inside the car and the front grille or just too large and gaudy.

The RAV4 Prime surprisingly does well off road, but I do not think Toyota will soften that new GX much of any. Ground clearance and tires matter a lot so it won’t be doom and gloom even if it’s AWD and not 4WD. It just won’t be a beast.

CFAI

The article, fwiw, indicates it will be body on frame on the TNGA-F platform. So unless we are defining not having a V8 as soft (which would mean every LC150 is soft), then there is nothing to worry about. :-) I also would love to get a GX that has a similar powertrain to the RAV4 prime.

Seanzky

The older hybrid RAV4s that were FWD with an electric motor for the rear only to assist, similar to how the AWD algorithm works in most cars, and to save MPG felt okay at best. Does the new hybrid RAV4 do this differently today? I agree its an efficient and definitely an outside-the-box way of implementing hybrid, but at least in the older RAV4 models, it was not that impressive. Perhaps this was because the ride/comfort overall was also lacking. It felt like a tall Camry and the engine struggled (loud, lacking in power, etc.)

My guess would be that the next generation GX, if hybrid is an option, will follow one similar to the Tundra.

I saw this, which mentions the Tundra. Taken with a grain of salt, of course.

MrTorgue

The current 2019+ RAV4 hybrids and the Prime have an electric motor in the back for added traction making it AWD. The Prime is tuned to use that for accelerating and when using the “trail” mode for off pavement. It works pretty well. I’ll be testing it on our annual road trip in the summer. Overall the regular hybrid have 2 electric motors and the Prime has 3.

Seanzky

Yeah, I can't speak to the new RAV4 hybrids. I'm sure Toyota has since refined the drivetrain as well as the comfort and interior. The only saving grace for these older RAV4 hybrids is that they're still on the road. Both my aunt's and my friend's are still driving with well over 100k, my friend's has closer to 200k, though he's had visits to the dealerships for the batteries and other hybrid-related stuff. I'm a fan of Toyota's hybrid myself, I used to own a Prius, and it was what I wanted with the upcoming Tundra TRD Pro had I not bought the GX.

ASE

Technology aside ... the RAV4's for me ride like an "Econo-Box" ... sub-standard suspension, and way too much road noise translating into the cabin.

situman

That is true of the non-Prime variants. The made in Japan RAV4 Prime is a few levels up all together.

Acrad

MrTorgue

If they go the V6 route it better be a PHEV and not a dumb turbo platform. I hate turbo 6’s (and I4’s). Electricity > turbo(s).

jlficken

Its extremely unlikely that it’ll be anything except a detuned version of the LX600 engine.

MrTorgue

That’s quite disappointing. Toyota is really missing a great opportunity. They are supposed to be gearing up for an electric lineup by what 2030? They need to get busy and start doing more PHEVs to slowly convert their customer base. A V6 TT just seems like a waste.