good review but I think you skipped the potential combination of having a 1500W 120V AC outlet, large battery, and "CHG Hold" button that instructs the gas engine to recharge the batteries. what you have, and why we plan on getting an XSE with premium package, is a back-up generator. Depending on inverter efficiency, the battery should provide 24 hours at about 750watts, enough to power a chest freezer + refrigerator + some lights and TV/DVD. Then you push the "CHG Hold" button and if that uses 2 gallons of gas (just a guess), a 14.5 gallon tank means more than a week of electricity.
Beth makes the perfect point! when i'm in the passenger seat and my wife is driving i like to sit a little bit lower and have the feeling on long drives that i'm sitting "in" the vehicle not on top of it.
i want one so bad, ive been waiting for a reasonably priced, decent performance hybrid for years, this one also happens to be a plug in and an suv... this thing is a dream come true.
Im with Beth on the seats height thing, Toyota should offer up/down option not just here. That also happens on my 2016 Camry, I cannot sit on the passenger side because my head hits the upper-door frame. BTW Im just 5´10"
Great video! Just got a 2021 Rav4 Prime XSE with the premium package! Not a fan of the yellow stock lighting in the interior! Expected it to be LED! Also, in your video, at the end, your interior console (at night) the words for the drive mode are illuminated. I was curious if your door items (window, lock buttons) are also illuminated. Ours are not! Is there a day/night mode setting that I can fix in the settings somewhere? Just curious! Other than that, we love our prime! Thanks for your video!
Two points: I hate sitting low in a car, so the higher the seat the better. And I much prefer cloth seating because it’s more comfortable, being both cooler and warmer, obviating the need for heated and cooled seats. . I wouldn’t have leather seats in my house so why in the car? Good review of a very good car.
Leather seats don't keep me positioned in the same place. I slowly slide down from my preferred position, so I have to keep pushing myself back up. On long trips, leather seats give me a sore back. This has happend to me in a Lexus and other cars with leather seats. I agree with you; cloth seats are more comfortable and don't need heating or cooling.
I like having a spare and hope to never have to use it. Still it's nice to have. Toyota cars typically last for years. My daughter has a 1996 Camry and I still have my dad's 2000 Avalon as a second car. It was my daily driver until 2017 when I bought a Mustang.
Hi Matt, this is a great review. I am seriously considering the XSE although hard to find with COVID and also the price. Question for ya, if I go on vacation for a month and not use the car, does it still work? Can I start it up and drive upon return? Obviously you would never have the same problem with a gasoline vehicle. Thanks. I did not find the response on the Toyota FAQ’s.
We sat in a comparable Rav and my head literally hit the ceiling in the passenger seat. In an SUV. I don't know how a fixed height seat is even legal from a safety standpoint.
Passenger seat in front on this car is good, plenty of room for me at 5'11". I've heard legroom for a 6 footer may be a little tight in rear seats. Haven't had anyone back there that size yet, but very comfortable seats all around. My wife is about 5'5" and she's fallen asleep back there twice on one hour trips.
Hey Mat, In your other vid on the drive of the RAV4 prime, I forgot to ask you whether or not the rav 4 prime would lose its awd capability once the battery is drained such as on a long road trip etc? I understand that the rear wheels are driven only by an electric motor, not the gasoline engine. What are your thoughts? Thanks.
Toyota has set it up to ensure that AWD is always available. The gas engine can generate electricity if need be and the battery also keeps enough in reserve so that AWD always works.
Good job. I already love this SUV! But the 60 km battery is disappointing! I think most of people wants to drive the PHEV cars all the day electrically & gasoline only for emergencies! They should have shrinked gasoline engine components for the batteries capacity. It'll be on my list until they increase batteries capacity. & I hope they enhance the range even more with the upcoming sold state batteries!
You can't run an ICE once every 9 months and expect it to run, and the expectation that you can squeeze an electric motor with a larger battery and a much smaller ICE is ridiculous. You will end up with an engine that can only run on the highway. Relax on the expectations here, this is a bridge vehicle to an all electric RAV4
Cooled seats are just an A/C vent under the seat pointed at the bottom of the seat. Ventilated seats are A/C vents actually incorporated into the seat cushioning that blows through the perforated leather. There’s never been an A/C system made to date that immediately blows cold air the second you turn it on, what you’re asking for doesn’t exist unless you use the remote start and cool the car off before getting in. Some do cool off slightly quicker than other due to lighter colored leather and or larger vents in the seat but none of them will ever blow instant cold air
We weren’t looking for immediate cooling, just for it to get cold once the A/C does. The problem is they never get that cold, more like “cool” instead.
The HUD will give you turn directions when you are doing GPS navigation. It will also read speed limit signs and display them next to your current speed. It's one reason I bought the XSE with premium package. However, it is rough to read with certain sunglasses on, especially polarized, and also in certain light conditions, even when adjusted for full brightness. One reviewer complained that it seemed slightly blurry, but I don't mind the clarity. I am speculating that it may be a tiny bit distorted because it is projecting onto a windshield that is not completely vertical like a movie screen, but that could probably be corrected by engineering in the future, it doesn't bother me, I still really like it.
Hey Matt! I'm looking into purchasing a SUV in about a year. In your honest opinion, should I go with the RAV4 XSE Hybrid or the RAV4 Prime XSE? I like both of them...lol
I 100% would get the Prime over the regular hybrid. In the driving review tomorrow I go into more detail about why I love the Prime setup. I honestly want one myself haha.
@@MattMaranMotoring Cool! I was actually going to test drive the Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring Reserve this weekend. However, this RAV4 Prime is real nice as well.
Gotta go Prime, this is a much better ride and you get a $7500 federal tax credit, and maybe a state tax rebate that you won't get on the regular hybrid. It's worth a few extra thousand to get the extra power, really fun to drive.
If I fill up the battery and a tank of gas and I hit the highway and I do 600 miles what can I mpg for the whole tank of gas and the electric battery will I get?
If you fill up the tank and hit the road on one charge, you will get 42 or so miles of battery range and about 400 miles or more of gasoline range before "low fuel" warning comes on, but you could probably do another 40 to 80 miles based on fuel level warning on most cars, you should have a gallon or 2 left when it comes on. These are not exact numbers, but I charged 4 times and got 560 miles out of my first tank of gas. I filled up at that point when low fuel warning came on. The manual says this has a 14.5 gallon tank, but I filled up at that time with 10.2 gallons. Someone commented that 2020 hybrid model was advertised at 14 gallon capacity but actually tank was smaller, so I'll have to experiment. I think it has at least a 12 gallon tank. Anyway, great range, power and fun to drive.
Your review is very good but a bit miss leading on the vehicle review. You should clearly state the trim levels at the beginning. Your reviewing a prime xse with tech package... That little tech package comes in at 7000 CAD. Still, it was a very good honest review on the product.
The premium package added to the XSE was about $5800, it gives you the HUD and some other perks, well worth it if you want a car with all the bells and whistles that you will keep for awhile.
The only issue I have with the Prime is the placement of the battery pack....just concerned if you hit something on the undercarriage it might damage it....also with water wading it might be dangerous
I also always have a big problem with toyota front seat high seating position especially the front passanger seat it feel like you seat on the car. The corolla hatchback that passanger seat is a turn off. High seating position is very uncomfortable if you not driving
I don't think they could do anything about production numbers this year. And I paid sticker, but I had to research, I found out about this car on RU-vid and put down a deposit in January 2020. They started taking orders in December 2019.
It would not be a factor, badass air conditioner with vents for rear seat passengers. Remote A/C start from button on key fob if you don't want to get into a hot car.
@Tyrel Tolliver what are you talking about? Only the back seats have one stage heated seats but the fronts on the SE Prime are two stage, high and low. On the XSE Premium it comes with three stage heated seats as well as three stage for the ventilation. Do a little homework before you question an auto manufacturers cost cutting measures. In terms of the features, you get what you pay for. No other car in its class offers you all these features in one vehicle. Do some homework and you'll see...
@@crxracer805 Get the Lexus, this RAV is about performance, mileage and fun to drive, not leather seats and luxury. Plus rebates totaling almost $10,000 in my case. I'll take this any day for 40k over a Lexus and I can tow with it, take it camping and do light off road.
You have to let your wife drive the cars too , she's has very interesting thoughts , on interiors. Also buy her , her own manual sports car , so she can learn stick.
I currently drive a RAV4 hybrid 2016, nice car but the two things I hate are the lack of a power seat on the passenger side and that leather is not available, for that much money I would expect to have these items available!
@@richardhawkins7634 I hate leather seats. Leather seats don't keep me positioned in the same place. I slowly slide down from my preferred position, so I have to keep pushing myself back up. On long trips, leather seats give me a sore back. This has happend to me in a Lexus and other cars with leather seats. Cloth seats are more comfortable and don't need heating or cooling.
@@c_b5060 this Rav 4 is my5th hiBrid and without a doubt the worst seating in the line up. The plastic seating has me questioning ever by I g another Toyota “the availability of leather would’ve make my decision, I detest cheep plastic upholstery, its such a low class alternative not to mention that’s nothing you can do will make it more comfortable!
