RAV4 Prime - An Owner's Review | A Perfect Compact SUV For Camping 

We've got 11,000 on our.. We love it. We call him Brootus !!

That is so nice. Thanks very much! My wife is the star of the show!!

Aww.. that's so nice. Thanks so much. Worked hard trying to get some good info out there. We love our prime!!

Thanks so much. Wifey is the talent in the family !!

Congrats on the Prime. Yeah, we went to yellowstone last summer. It was awesome. Have fun with it !!

Wow.. that is so nice to say. We really do love this car. By far the best we've ever owned. We really need to do another review.. after a year and a half of ownership. We have moved on from tent camping, and are now using the prime as our tow vehicle for our A-Liner Camper. So for sure, we need to update the content based on it's new duties!! Our RAV4 Prime is called Brootus.. his partner in crime is called Vinny!! The perfect pair!!

I totally agree. Both me and my wife love it !! Thanks for the comment!

Awesome.

Thanks so much. I'm trying to do more car reviews. We do love our Prime though !!

Wow, thanks! I have another channel where I focus on autos.. Mostly my 2012 Nissan GTR and my RAV4 Prime. I also tinker with an old musting. Check it out if you get a chance youtube.com/@garage_studio

Wow.. quite a compliment. Thanks so much. Check out some of my camping videos. The prime really shines !!

@@GoldenK9Campers when did you purchase your Rav4Prime? How long did it take to find? Receive?

@@markmabina6789 I started calling/emailing dealers in July of 2021. Originally we're looking for a prime "without" a moonroof. Those are incredibly hard to find, as they only deliver those to Northeast Atlantic states (Massachusets, Maine, etc). I found one of those in either white or silver. Wife changed her mind.. and we decided to get the XSE Premium instead.. long story.. but mostly had to do with headroom. So started searching for XSE PP.. found a couple in silver and white.. but wife hated the twotone.. and said she would only accept grey. Started search again... to find a grey XSE PP, finally found one. It really only took a couple of days.. but was frustrating. Things are much more difficult now. If I was searching again.. I would focus on the North East states.. as they get the most.. and probably have the most availability. I got mine in Connecticut.. I live in Las vegas.. \

@@markmabina6789 Oh.. put deposit down in July.. We got our's in September. We we're on vacation in Jamaica.. and instead of flying home to Las Vegas, flew into Hartford Connecticut, and uber'd to New Haven.. and then took. a really fun roadrip home !! Thanks so much for the sub !!

Thanks Marty !!

Thanks. Best of both worlds. Pretty good performance, and great gas mileage. Go figure. Really love our prime

Right on! !! It's really an awesome vehicle. It also tows our A-Liner classic pretty well. We love the electric range.. and when in EV mode it's so quiet and smooth.

@@GoldenK9Campers And we have an A-Liner 2022 Ranger 12 that we bought last year. We will be pulling that with the RAV4 Prime. Happy camping to you!

@@stevejonas6333 So awesome. There are lots of A-Liner's out there with RAV4 Prime's. We should create our own little club !!

I just picked up my RAV! OMG, the more I learn about this car, the more I’m loving it!

@@sharonplan-macneil571 Congrats on the new ride !!

@@GoldenK9Campers I picked up the car just a week ago and, OH MY GOSH, it's an awesome car!

Congratulations. We love our RA4 Prime. Amazing car. Thanks for watching & commenting !!

Thanks so much !! We're still loving our prime!!! Currently figuring out towing as we just got our A-Liner Camper!!

Thanks!! Great cars.

That was a super fun video !!

Hey Bret.. That is so awesome. What color and trim did you get? When are you going to pick it up or are you having it shipped? I'm so happy that I helped someone out with this video!! Big Congratulations to you and for being patient!!

Darrell, I'm getting the Supersonic Red in SE trim with the Weather package. I'm having the RAV4 shipped as I'm still working and the flight costs and time off work far exceed the price to get it shipped right to my door here in Moapa Valley. I'm getting the remote start added as well as the auto dimming rear view mirror with Home link to avoid the garage door opener hanging on my visor. I plan on putting OEM LED Driving lights/Fog lights as equipped on the XSE, Tinting the windows and Chroming the very nicely shaped 5 spoke wheels. I love the fact that your wife Nichole missed her Cloth seats of her Tahoe as that is the one major reason I wanted as loaded SE as I could get. I definitely wanted Cloth seats. I've had synthetic leather before and I, like Betty Crokker, do not appreciate BURNT BUNS. Having lived in Southern Nevada my whole life I've learned cloth is indeed your friend. Also, one of the great things Toyota did in 2022 was to put an 8 way power adjustable passenger seat in the Limited trim RAV4. I have feelers out for a wrecked Limited trim so I can install the Ultimate passenger seat. Thanks for answering as I really enjoy your videos and if you and your wife ever come to Moapa Valley we ,my wife Laura and myself, would love to have lunch at the Inside Scoop here in Overton with you to discus all things Prime. Have a great week and keep up the great job with your RU-vid channel.

@@bretstaley5496 Wow.. thanks so much!! I never really knew where moappa was so just looked it up. That ice cream parlor looks awesome!! We have plans to go camping at some point at the Valley of Fire, so maybe when we're up there.. we can take our doggies with us and meet you guys at the inside scoop?? That sounds like a great plan with the passenger seats. It's so annoying that our current passenger seat has no height adjustment to it! Thanks a bunch for watching my videos. I have a new one about fitness if you're interested. The channel name is "get shredded with darrell". Basically me doing a punch of squats, pushups and pullups. Again.. congrats. that supersonic red color is amazing.. my wife wanted that.. but it's so hard to know how the red will actually look in person.

@@GoldenK9Campers Sounds great Darrell, make it Fall as the Valley Of Fire gets it's name not only from the Red Rocks but also it's extreme heat. I'll keep you posted on the Passenger seat trade out. I already gave it a Test drive at Stephen Wade Toyota in St George Utah. Perfect just like the driver side. Me and my wife are 59 and 57 respectively so were pretty similar in age. I'm a Doctor of Chiropractic so I'm very into seat comfortable supportive seats.

@@bretstaley5496 I've got a lot of back issues in the lumbar. Herniations, bulges, facet disease.. you name it. Had GBS, that turned into CIDP.. My gait was all messed up.. but pushed myself.. which screwed up my back big time. Sucks.. Luckily.. I seem to be improving..

Our pleasure! Thanks so much for the compliment.

Oh yes. We love this feature!! I have a special place for my key.. and my wife keeps her's in her purse!! I think Brootus (our prime) is mine, and my wife thinks it's hers.. I do let her drive it more though..

Thanks for your thoughts on your new baby!!! I really agree. Focusing on all EV and the impact it has on the electrical grid and the infrastructure necessary to support all of them I think is a misstep. The PHEV is a great transition to full EV. You get the benefits of EV.. while also still being able to use gas when necessary. I live in Vegas and have Solar, so the prime is literally free for us to drive and has little to no impact on my electrical consumption. Congrats on your new prime !!

Thanks so much !! We love this car so much. Also really wanted to do a 0-60 run with my wife in the car !!

Didn't use an app.. Just my phone. I'm planning on doing a video using my G-TECH, and test multiple methods of getting the quickest accelertion on a prime. That should be good.

Look me up A1 Toyota New Haven, CT

Quincy and A1 is the best!

I am looking for a Prime. Located in CA.

@@kimwarton4894 Kim.. call A1 Toyota. It's a long trip, but worth it.

how many years to get one?

That's so nice. Really appreciate that compliment. We love our RAV4 Prime!! Such a joy to drive everyday!!

Such a great freeway cruiser.. with so much passing power.. really amazing vehicle. We love our XSE primarily for the memory seats, the additional headroom because of the pano moonroof, and the inverter. We couldn't live without the inverter for our camping trips.

I'd focus on the Northeast Region. They get the most primes. It's still possible to get at MSRP.. you just have to be patient and dilligent.

It is just so difficult right now. I do have a video up on how to find at MSRP. But a number of folks are commenting that even with the advice, they aren't having luck. The prime is such a great car.. it's just so hard to find. Good luck with your search !

Thank you for the advice. Elias

Aww.. thank you so much. I really appreciate it. We really need to do an updated video now that we have our small camper and the prime is our tow vehicle. So far so good.

@@GoldenK9Campers welcome sir🙏

She's usually right..

@@GoldenK9Campers 👍🤣

Calming.. that's a new one. Thanks so much for watching and commenting !!

Thanks Quincy!!

Thank You!! It's a great automobile. I need to do an updated video after a year of ownership.

Appreciate the comment!! The Prime is such a great car. Too bad they are just so hard to get.

Thanks so much !!

Thanks so much. We love our Prime. Just got back from a camping trip to the Grand Canyon!! It's a great camping companion!

Thanks so much Marilynn!!

Don't know anything about the volt. But I love this car!! We just got back from Yellowstone. Have put 18K of miles on this beast in only 10 months.

Hy Peter!! You probably get that a lot!! Thanks so much. I really need to do an update as I've had my prime for over a year now. But to make a long story short... I still love it!!

Yep.. that is a very cool feature.

It takes about 12 hours. We never really track how long it takes, just plug it in at night and it's 100% charged in the morning. The only time we charge on our trips, is to charge the battery if we've used a lot of it powering the camper. We'll just put it in charge mode as we're checking out the sites or heading to a hike.

That should be no problem.. Here's a video where a guy did this - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Pjbd4rHf-RY.html

We charge every night. Haven't noticed any deterioration at all. We've had our Prime for about 2.5 years.

Luv the Prime. Sold the GTR a few months ago. So sad.

Thanks so much. You can't go wrong with either !!

Get the NX450H+ if the price difference doesn’t bother you.

@@jml9550 I actually prefer the RAV4 body style. I also think you get more cargo space. Certainly the Lexus is more luxurious though.

@@GoldenK9Campers yes, both valid points. Buy what you need is the most important. For my wife and me, we don’t do camping trips nor need the cargo room. My wife is used to her RX350’s soft ride, the Prime maybe a little too spirited for her.

@@jml9550 No such thing as too spirited.. Just ask my wife !!

I probably won't know for a while. We do keep our prime stored in the Garage. And my wife's commute she also parks in a garage. So I don't think it will be impacted at all.

​@@GoldenK9Campersmost important thing is to locate and clean battery air filter time to time. It is somewhere under the rear seat.

Oh man.. i'm so sorry. For sure i'd focus my efforts on dealers back east.. perhaps even Northeast. Wishing you luck!!

Oh.. i'm assuming you saw my other video on finding your prime for MSRP. I had a google sheet on there with the largest dealers. That video has been watched like over 25K times.. so dealers might be getting annoyed at this point. Not sure. A1 Toyota came thru for me, and their still taking deposits on primes. But I think there wait list is now 6-9 months or so. I'd focus my attention on dealers on the east coast. They get the most of them.. perhaps even northeast states.

@@GoldenK9Campers im trying, i expanded my search North East yesterday and so far none, they all keep telling me that toyota in japan has closed its manufacture site of the prime right now... so no expected date of when they will start deliveries again.,

@@williamhustonrn6160 Dang it..

Thanks much for the info !!

What about the range? I can barely get 300 miles...

@@DUNGSTA I don't know anything about the Rav4 but that sounds unusually low!

@@UnseenSpirit I drive like 80mph so...

My rav4 has a key slot in the glove compartement. In your key fob there is a hidden key to open the front door when the battery of the key fob is empty. Use this little key to close the glove compartement.

Look at my EV Lease Loophole video !!

You just have to look. Really hard.

@@GoldenK9Campers Canada , people buy hybrids unlike the USA. RAV 4 Prime was selling 15 or 20 grand above list when you could find them. Now it's order.....wait ...2 years!

@@mikej238 It's a great car. But I would not pay over MSRP or wait 2 years. That's for sure. Us American's like to go fast and look good, which is why hybrids have never done well. The RAV4 Prime and newer electric vehicles have changed all that.

I haven't bought it yet, but I will. Toyota's, and RAV4's in general are legendary on reliability, but lots of new technology in the prime, and the cooling/heating system is crazy complicated. You can purchase the extended warrantee from any dealer. The best price I found was from Jennifer Taylor at Gowolverine Toyota. Just email her to get up to date pricing (jtaylor@gowolverinetoyota.com). You will need to purchase prior to factory warranty expiring. We've already put more than 24K on our prime, som i'm likely going with the 5 year, 125K warrantee based on all the trips we go on. Congrats on the prime, you're gonna love it !!

It's in the description - it's a Curt 60x24 Hitch Cargo Carrier Fixed Shank - 18152. Fits the Prime nicely.

We go on camping trips all the time, so that's not an issue for us. Supposedly Toyota has engineered the prime in such a way that it will automatically turns on the engine when it determines it's necessary. They supposedly do that with the hybrid as well, but have heard some nightmares about stale gas on the hybrid. So don't know if i'd trust that. Best idea is to drive in hybrid mode probably at least once a week or so to burn off some stale gas. I'm really not qualified to answer this though. Just an owner..

Agreed, but not a big issue apparently, my 2021 XSE manual actually suggests going no more than 5 months without running engine! But gasoline does go stale, and I don't want to hassle putting Sta-Bil in the tank, so I run gasoline engine every week or 2. Engines want to run, even modern close tolerance fuel injected ones, not as big an issue as older cars with carburetors, but a good idea to get all the parts moving regularly. I love this car, and $11,000 in total rebates here in CA made this car the same price as a local dealer was trying to charge me for conventional hybrid in 2020. Add in sticker to drive solo in car pool lane and not having to get stuck for $6/gallon gasoline out here, and I have no regrets.

@@dalab9716 We go camping all the time and take long trips.. So i'm always using the engine.

Thanks for the correction.

@@GoldenK9Campers It's all good. Great video.

@@whatchuwant77 Thanks.. Love our little prime. We call him Brootus !!

I never test drove a standard RAV4.. I did test drive the Hybrid. I really liked the Hybrid, it was a fun little car. felt really zippy off the line with the electric engines. Was lighter than the Prime. But at the end of the day with the $7,500 tax incentive.. it just made sense for us to go with the prime. I have never felt the cockpit of the prime confining.. but do know what you mean about the plastic on the knees. I've taken lots of 8 hour drive in our prime, and I've found it to be one of the most comfortable highway cruisers. I know what you mean about the seatbelt thing... it goes crazy when you don't put the seatbelt on.. too funny.

Hm.. I haven't noticed this. Is this a 2023?

Yes that's right, 2023. Did the earlier models not exhibit this behavior?

I haven't see it on my 2021. Must be a "feature" with the new entertainment system. That sucks...@@jeffrankin7624

The dealer I purchased from didn't install (couldn't get the parts in time). After I got home to Vegas, called multiple dealers to find the best price (prices we're all over the map). Then had a custom shop install the 4 pin to 7 pin adapter and mount where the 4 pin was located in the bumper.

MSRP. Dealer added in all weather floormats.

At Big Sur our battery was almost empty. And from the campgrounds to a town we visited was about 30 minutes away - lots of hills, and by the time we we're about halfway back from the trip, it was charged as far as it would let me. You can't "fully" charge using charge mode, I think you can get up to 80% or so. Hope that helps.

@@GoldenK9Campers got it. Thank you for the response!!

It was a Pet Barrier we purchased on amazon. Video about it is here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d2ytckzNALY.html

The class action you speak off is not related to the RAV4 Prime.

Hm.. sorry to hear about this. I'll look into it. Thanks for sharing.

I looked at a couple of threads, and it seems it won't fit a full sized spare.

Yeah, a little bit. The lexus would definitely be quieter.

Of course the Lexus RX450+ plugin hybrid will be much quieter, it's a luxury vehicle with the price to go with it. I see them currently for sale for $77,000, which is much more than the RAV4 Prime. The Lexus is at least $30,000 more than the Prime after applying the $6,500 cash lease rebate for the Prime. I'm thinking about getting rid of my 2023 Tesla Model Y LR since the Toyota has at least double the total range. Tesla has only a little more than 200 mile real world range. It will be nice to get more than 500 miles on a tank plus the EV range on the Toyota. Looking at the 2025 Prime models when announced soon.

I saw a recent story about this issue. I originally thought that when Toyota reached there 200K threshold.. that the tax credit would phase out. Turns out.. that after they reach the threshold.. the credit doesn't phase out for two quarters from that point. You'll likely have at least until the end of September before the tax credit reduces by half. Hope this helps. - www.edmunds.com/car-news/toyota-will-soon-lose-ev-tax-credit.html?fbclid=IwAR2ld8e4aQFBZWcUbJhYD8rEoJ2szlynaYCboVOGRkZiVW_DMPaD9ovIQN4

You need a tow hitch and a 7 pin wiring harness (Uhaul can do this for you). Then you need a wireless brake controller. I use the Tekonsha Prodigy RF controller. Works great.

I just had a hitch with full wiring installed by Toyota. Now I guess I just need a brake controller?

@@mrsmacschlep743 They likely just installed the 4 pin connector. You will need to have a shop (uhaul can do it) add a 4 pin to 7 pin adapter, and the need to run power from the battery in the cargo area to that connector. then you just need a wireless brake controller. I recommend Tekonsha Prodigy RF.

@@GoldenK9Campers thanks!

Thanks so much Serge. Any questions.. don't hesitate.

I'm assuming so. The rear hatch is electronically controlled. Hopefully they've addressed this issue with the newer generation.

You are so welcome! Thanks for viewing!!

Not that i've seen. Got an oil change very early.. and will still do oil changes every 5k.

Thanks.

The amazon link for the product is in the description. It's a Weather Tech Pet Barrier.

Oh.. thanks so much for the subscribe !!

I did. I really liked the extra space, and especially the extra towing capacity. Didn't like that a plugin.hybrid wasn't available (we really like not using any gas at all on commutes). Also, if we wanted to get all the goodies we wanted - pano moonroof, outlets, etc., the MSRP was at 52 and without the tax rebate and was a lot more expensive than the RAV4 Prime. And with the platinum package we had to get the captains chairs which really wouldn't work well with our dogs. With the more equipped models with the base moonroof, headroom was really affected by the moonroof and the notch in the roof, so we'd have to go to the top trim with pano, or only get the LE model without moonroof for more headroom. And lastly, as silly as this seems, the drivers cabin was so wide, and the door armrest so small, that I couldn't easily rest my left elbow on the armrest when driving. That's a pet peave of mine, and on long trips I would not be comfortable. We take lots of long trips. That about sums it up.

@@GoldenK9Campers Thank you for the thoughtful comments! Much appreciated! I'm going through a very similar decision making process myself. Best...

@@garfieldirwin I don't know if you live in a location where you can easily drive a Rav4 prime. Probably closest thing is the Rav4 Hybrid - similar.. but certainly feels different - Prime is.a little heavier.. but crazy fast on full throttle, quieter, rides better - more comftorable. Should be able to test drive a highlander hybrid pretty easy. May also be able to find a lexus nx 450H+ - think that's the one that has the same drivetrane as the prime? I tested almost everything out there before choosing the prime.

@@GoldenK9Campers Thanks, your comments on the ride/comfort of the Prime caught my attention as I wasn't all that impressed with the standard Rav4 when I test drove one a while back. Unfortunately all of these vehicles are virtually unobtainable -- here in Ontario, Canada you can't even order any 2022's so you have to wait for the 2023's or even 2024s on some models. Crazy times.

@@garfieldirwin Yep.. and things are changing so fast with so many more EV's coming to market. Good luck my canadian friend !

I didn't. The foot sensor didn't work that great anyways, and i've never had one before. So no big deal. I didn't even ask the dealer to address this when they did the install. I've seen videos that showed how to bypass it.. but many dealers won't even install the hitch, and the workaround seemed iffy at best.. I got a great price.. and I don't miss it.

Dealers do usually contract out the work, and I have been unable to find a dealer or independent installer to re-route the sensor coil around the hitch opening in the bumper. I ordered the premium package because I wanted some of the items, the hands free hatch opener wasn't on the list, but now I kind of like it and would like to preserve it. It does work well once you get the hang of it, you have to kind of quickly kick under bumper like you are kicking a football off a tee. There is a good video on YT from an owner who was able to re-route sensor. Hopefully more installers will get educated on the process, it shouldn't cost that much more to move the sensor and secure it in place when installing a hitch.

@@dalab9716 I heard that it's becoming much more common knowledge among dealers on how to install the hitch, without disabling the sensor. I just had to do mine quickly because of camping. And.. I kept kicking the bumper.. and was pissing my wife off !!

Thanks so much. Who knew that making videos was so hard..

It kind of depends on the wind. I've got as low as 20 mpg with a 30-40 mph headwind. Typically get around 28 though. The real battle is the roof rack. Terrible aerodynamics and a big headwind kills the MPG. If we didn't have our dogs i'd stuff most of the stuff in the back instead of on the roof.

@@GoldenK9Campers I have a Prime and if I was in your shoes, I would invest in a hitch mount rack instead. I'm willing to bet the MPG would be a lot better. I have a basic Harbor Freight hitch mount rack that I use to transport my trash and other "dirty" items but if I had a lot of camping gear and a long trip, I think my preference would be to spend the money on a nice hitch mount. In fact, one of the first things I did was remove the roof racks that came with the Prime to hopefully help with efficiency.

@@chrisE815 I do have a Hitch Cargo Basket? It's a really large one (60 x 24). At least the largest one I could find that would fit on my prime. That will all go away when I get my Aliner.

@@GoldenK9Campers Dude, you gotta do a review of towing after you take the Aliner on a few trips. It would be very valuable to the RAV4 community. Do a review of the Aliner as well- sounds awesome!

@@chrisE815 Definitely will do. I'm going to create a lot of content around the Aliner. There's lots of folks with Aliner's that have Rav4 Primes too.

I paid MSRP. Went to Connecticut, and I live in Las Vega, NV. Epic road trip ! Lots of dealers on East Coast don't markup.

@@GoldenK9Campers gosh. Thanks. Let me do that too. Omg that's crazy. Just got a quote $13k over.

@@GoldenK9Campers appreciate your quick response. By the way I forgot to mention, great ownership RAV4 Prime video content. Really helped me decide what to get and where to get my Prime as well.

@@msb46688 I created a video about strategies for getting a prime on MSRP. Hope if helps - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yn3m9KSBr9I.html

thanks.

Traction control was off

@@GoldenK9Campers yes I know. I was wondering what the difference was with it on :)

@@UnseenSpirit slower

@@GoldenK9Campers yes I expected that to be the case already. Hence why you turned it off for you test lol. I was hoping you had a time for the 0-60 mph to be reached with traction control on but I'll try to find it on another video somewhere. It's good to see real world videos and not just whatever is stated on a website for me. Have a good day :)

@@UnseenSpirit My test was very unscientific. I'd go with what toyota says and the car magazines. I think most of the car magazines turned off traction control and turned hybrid on to ensure the engine was warmed up. I used to have a G-Tech when I had a Mustang Cobra to measure 0-60 times. Now I have a GT-R and don't measure 0-60. Sucks getting old!!

Oem hitch and wiring harness installed by dealer

(Factory) Hitch installation is kind of a pain. I did it myself but it was time consuming. The aftermarket options result in a lower hitch height but significantly less installation work. The wiring isn't too bad since the 12v battery on the hybrids is located in the "trunk." This car tows trailers like a dream. I think it helps that it is over 4000 lbs- The couple times I have towed, it's like nothing is back there. WAY better than any other crossover I have towed with.

@@chrisE815 I agree.. The dealer that did the install said they'd never do another one, or charge double. They did a good job, but it was the first one they did. My only concern on towing is going on a long uphill climb. That engine/cvt combo does make a bit of noise on uphill climbs.. and towing can only make it worse. Should be fine though... I'll be going slow..

@@GoldenK9Campers I have only towed locally on short trips and well under 1000 pounds. Worst case 9% grade for a mile, rolling hills. I'm not sure how it will do on mountainous terrain at capacity but I trust Toyotas ratings. They are very conservative.

@@GoldenK9Campers BTW, great review!

Hey Michael.. Thanks a bunch. Seems fate is telling me to create more RAV4 Prime content. So that's what i'm working on. Thanks so much for subscribing !!!

Yeah. I know. I really need to work on my video editing skills and become a little more ruthless on the edit!😁

It's still eligible for the full $7,500. But I think only for the rest of the quarter - probably end of June? Then I think it goes down by 50%. I think.. Gotta find one quick though ! Go back east.. New York, Connecticut, maybe North Atlantic states.

Check state rebates as well, I got an extra $3,500 in 2020 here in CA.