Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid UK Review - Simply the Best PHEV? 

Good review. Note that the e-CVT is not belt-driven. It uses planetary gears and an electric motor to alter the gear ratios

As much as I really like there reviews, I really wish they would stop using the words "E-CVT" and "Belt Driven" in the same sentence. If you don't understand what a Toyota E-CVT is, please don't try to describe it to us!

The eCVT in this is not a belt driven gearbox. It is a single planetary gearset with 2 electric motors. A little more research wouldn’t be a bad thing

I've been driving mine for 9 months and 5120 miles. Very creditable vehicle and fun to drive. As I usually drive mid-engine sports cars I wanted something which was suitable for city driving, had the interior space my mid-engine fleet do not possess, and yet is not a slug. Enter the Rav4 Prime. As I live close to a city center the value of a PHEV with 40+ mile electric range is close to ideal. Commuting, shopping and gym are all available to me without ever turning on the gas engine. So I only use the gas engine when I go out-of-town (weekends and vacations). I don't understand the reviewer, however. The acceleration off-the-line is fantastic for an SUV. Overtakes are dead easy, especially going uphill. Even in pure electric mode the initial kick is surprisingly satisfying (and keep in mind I drive mid-engine cars, all with over 400hp available). If I want the full 302hp I can select a mode where the car is electric until you punch the accelerator, so I really don't understand his opening remarks on performance. In addition his comments about eCVT are completely wrong. The Prime has a planetary gear system in common with all Rav4 Hybrids (but with an up-sized electric motor). I can also get 120mph out of my Rav4 Prime (although not recommended) and it can easily sprint to 100+ mph if you don't plan on keeping your license. Overtaking punch is excellent at almost all speeds. I suspect the planetary gear system will yield longer life than the traditional belt driven CVT but only time will tell. The only useless electronic feature is lane departure. This is brain dead and really only works on the center lane of a divided 3 lane freeway with near-perfect road markings. Put simply you can't relax with this feature turned on. However adaptive cruise is excellent. Works well even when on curves with other cars around you. It is a shame that Toyota does not do more with the available electronics and feels compelled to charge extra for some of the (under-developed) features the system is capable of performing (especially in respect of theft prevention/recovery and accident recording). This was a missed opportunity to become a market leader. The display is low resolution and this irritates me more than the low-end screen size. Brightness is adequate but overall the AV/Map console system seems to be a generation behind. Phone integration was okay but you would think they would at least include a phone holder or shelf or attachment point. There is a single port you can use for Android/ApplePlay connectivity and it isn't exactly convenient to reach. The aftermarket wireless chargers work better than Toyota's offering too. Because the battery pack was located on the underside of the Rav4 the suspension is lifted compared to the stock Rav4 Hybrid. Here is where Toyota slightly let us down - the suspension really needed more attention to tuning as the Rav4 Hybrid drives better on-road than the Rav4 Prime. The brakes could also do with an upgrade although you get an immediate improvement if you replace the dismal (but efficient) tires that Toyota supplies as stock. The front does dive alarming under heavy braking which is unnerving after driving a Lotus Evora GT (as an example) which is almost flat on braking and is necessarily far more sure-footed. One surprise was that the suspension actually improves over time. The first 2000 miles were so-so but the vehicle got progressively better to drive (aggressively) over time. I thought I was imagining this so I recently test drove a showroom Rav4 Prime and yes indeed, the showroom Rav4 Prime confirmed my impressions. The Rav4 Prime suspension really does improve over the first few thousand miles - not just a case of familiarity. Seats are another issue where Toyota came up short. Mine, at least, did not have a power passenger seat and seat memory should be a standard feature on all vehicles with power driver seat. Ideally the same would apply to the mirrors. At the price Toyota charges for the Prime, I expected better. Finding good car seat covers was also a problem. With young grandchildren in the vehicle I wanted a decent set of car seat covers. However the Prime's seats are significantly different than the Hybrid version and most rear seat covers simply don't work on the Prime. The plastic luggage liner also interferes with most covers claiming to be Prime compatible. In the end I had a custom set made-to-measure by a skilled expert in California. Cost was significant but ultimately worthwhile. Front seats are less of a problem than the rear, but wouldn't you think by now that car manufacturers would've devised better ways to accommodate car seat covers? Not Toyota apparently. Clearly not a thought was given to car seat covers. Size and turning circle. Basically the Rav4 Prime has the footprint of a current generation Corolla which means it really isn't a genuine SUV. More like a tall car with excellent ground clearance and 4WD. Getting 2 baby-seats into the rear presented no problem despite some criticism I've heard concerning the rear doors not opening wide enough. The luggage space is excellent and with the back seats down I had not difficult transporting an in-wall oven and washing machine recently. If you need luggage space but don't need a full size SUV, the Rav4 is a great option. Personally I like that the bed is flat (no lip) but the rear bumper plastic is vulnerable - I'd recommend purchasing a stainless steel protective strip(s). As a result of the relatively short wheelbase, the turning circle is excellent. I need a maneuverable vehicle and the Rav4 Prime does not disappoint. My mother is 90+ so bending herself to get into a typical car is nigh-on impossible. The Rav4 Prime? No problem despite the increased ride height. A word on fuel consumption. What you get will depend on your driving habits and requirements. I live close to a city center so I can do almost all my local driving in pure electric mode. However, I like weekend getaways to the mountains so of the 5,120 miles I've driven, some 2,300 miles were out-of-town. Even so I've averaged 79.5 mpg combined (UK gallons) over the 9 months. Considering my most economic sports car gets no more than 25mpg if I drive like an old person (which I am) and my least economic gets just 9mpg, this is a very welcome improvement. The 4WD relies on a rear electric motor and has no limited slip differential. Much to my surprise this combination works really well in light mud and snow - definitely exceeded expectations. However a rock hopper it is not! By no means a serious off-roader but useful when an off-road excursion is required - camping and forestry roads come to mind. Someday I may buy a Ford Bronco but not right now. Engine. The gas engine is tuned for fuel efficiency and consequently has a relatively narrow power band. Fortunately the engine management system is excellent at optimizing the engine through the automatic transmission. I do not recommend using the 'sports mode' simulated manual shift option (yes, the shifter can do this if required) as it simply doesn't help. I say this as a huge fan of manual transmissions or at least flappy paddle shifters! I wanted to avoid turbos as these add complexity to an already complex system. In addition, turbos have relatively short lifespans and can be expensive to replace. Complexity is indeed a concern for long term ownership, however this is mitigated by running the car in electric mode. In essence, my car may have 5,120 miles on the clock, but the engine has seen less than 2,300 miles. I consider this a Good Thing. Overall the Rav4 Prime is fun to own and drive. I've had no malfunctions and consequently no unexpected trips to the dealer. The feedback from the steering could be improved and likewise the suspension and brakes. Torque steering at high power is also quite noticeable. Yet these shortfalls actually give the vehicle character and make it more fun to drive than blander, more sophisticated fare. The shame is that the vehicle is grossly overpriced compared to the USA. Toyota totally underestimated demand for this vehicle - if you want a Rav4 Hybrid and can afford the upgrade, you definitely need the Prime. It is, in every respect, a better hybrid than the hybrid version. On paper the Hybrid is more efficient than the Prime running in hybrid mode, however I found this to be untrue once you venture into the mountains. The reason is simple - on the downhill stretches the Prime can harvest more energy due to its larger battery. If you have the need for this type of vehicle, I thoroughly recommend the Rav4 Prime. Until electric vehicles get their range/recharge time/cost issues properly sorted, the PHEV option can work really well for you - with the Rav4 Prime a great showcase for the technology.

3:29 | 6:11 e-cvt is not belt driven FFS

E-CVT is NOT BELT DRIVEN. It’s planetary gears & electric motors. Same mistake on all Toyota hybrid videos - Corolla, RAV4 & Yaris.

It’s a pity Toyota doesn’t educate all of these reviewers on one of the best and brilliant points of their hybrid vehicles, the planetary ECVT, ITS NOT A BELT DRIVEN CVT.

A very good SUV. It is reliable well engineered and Toyota customer service is very good. Better than the German brands. Very good review.

The E-CVT is belt driven is the funniest thing I've heard in a very LONG time! 😂😂😂😂😂

Look at how the Toyota and Ford eCVT works. It's not a band and pulleys. It's extremely cleaver. It aims to run the engine in the most economical mode.

As always a very good review thx.

your description of how the eCVT operates is wrong

The reviews on this channel are no less than 10 out of 10. They don't leave any stone unturned.

By far the best reviews on RU-vid ❤️

Professional and informative. Subscribed

Thanks for such a detailed review 👍 Great Job

Amazes me the amount of work that goes into these reviews, shame they let themselves down by saying it's a belt driven cvt which others have pointed out it isn't, he also says the steering wheel is heated, well it's not on any of the Rav4 phev's, for some bizarre reason you can only get this desirable feature on the Excel Hybrid, who made that decision ???

In milder weather the electric motor will take you 56 miles. It really does deliver over 50 miles in electric form. It is NOT belt driven, as outlined by others you are wrong. Why haven't you done your homework ? I am surprised as normally this channel is so good????

Spot on and intelligent. Thanks for your effort.

No wonder he only has 28 comments, he deletes the ones he doesn't like. Way to get a following.

*No temperature gauge in case the car overheats???*

Are the cat converters hard for thieves to access on this model?

Please explain your phrase of "more smokey" re emissions!

E-CVT has nothing to do with belt driven gearboxes.... pity but i turned off at that comment.

Good review barring a few things. Firstly, as others have mentioned the ecvt isn't a belt and pulley transmission but rather a planetary system that 'imitates' a cvt. Secondly, the reviewer mentioned that the engine lacks torque. He quoted the engine torque output that Toyota quote however, with the hybrid system it's difficult to measure total system torque. I've driven the non plug in Rav4 hybrid and subjectively it feels like around 350nm-400nm. So I assume that the plug in, with greater torque fill from the larger electric motors, should feel closer to 450nm-500nm

The rav4 phev does not have a belt driven transmission. It is pure electric drive from two electric motors generator units and a clutch for the engine to drive directly

The best car reviewers!

Would you pick this over the Hyundai Santa Fe Phev?

I have a question. Can you please help me? Please see if this analogy is correct: “inside” a RAV4 PHEV there is a RAV4 HEV: why is it that when the first charge of the PHEV version runs out (the charge that was made in our home socket) the vehicle will automatically start acting as if it were a RAV4 HEV, that is, the car itself will manage the recharging/usage/recharging of the battery while it is moving. Is this correct?

Yaris Cross =zzz I20N= Excitment. Traded in the latter for the former and actually enjoying drivering again lol.

No heated steering wheel on uk spec?

NOISE issues sort it out

That’s what you call a Review 👏

The CVT box is not belt driven.

Smart phones have downloadable maps to use when off line.

I drove one of these yesterday, I had it for the day while my car was in for mot. I found it was terrible, I don’t know what spec it was but it had leather seats and seemed to be fully loaded. The gear shift was super clunky when moving between neutral and drive/reverse, the gearbox was horrific when trying to accelerate, the engine noise was terrible, basically the whole experience was terrible

No satnav no sale. If you work in remote areas you can't rely on cellular network. Excellent car but no satnav is a bad omission.

IT'S NOT BELT DRIVEN!!!!!! Please get your facts right.

No passenger seat height adjustment. Massive fail that for a car at this price point.

Hard to take a review seriously coming from a guy who doesn't even know that the eCVT is NOT belt driven.....

RAV4? dynamic handling? u lost me on that one mate...

And what happens to the old fashioned lithium ion batteries in a few years ? People are buying into this without thinking ahead but so long as its trendy to show off to the neighbours and on Facebook or whatever, all is great yes ?

🍎🖤🍎 Rav4 🍎🖤🍎 . 22 👁️🗿👁️ ✴️ . . 🕺🏻 👄 🕳️ . .❤🏁❤ Toyota ❤🏁❤

No it's NOT a belt driven gearbox. It is a single planetary gearset with 2 electric motors. Shame you don't know you stuff when it comes to the important stuff.

Who needs to drive faster than a 179km/h and what for? Not even a medical emergency allows for it.

Only spoilt by the very sad face ! looks as if it's been told off and is about to cry LOL, especially on the white and black grille version !

I watched to point when you said the car had a belt drive e-Cvt. If you can't be bothered to do some basic research I can't be bothered to watch. Such a shame, sorry & goodbye.

Not sure what review he is making instead talk about car him self he compare other too one he should talk not happy at all waste a time revirw

This mon starts to bore me after 5 mins of continuous talk.

this is the sort of vehicle we should be avoiding!!!