Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

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Businesscasual
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Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by Businesscasual »

I'm in the market for a new SUV. Obviously a lot of great cars in the SUV segment but I value reliability and fuel economy so my top choice is the Rav4 hybrid (happy to hear any other recommendations). As I'm beginning to look, I see most dealers don't have many Rav4 hybrids and ones on the lots have a bunch of expensive options. How have people been navigating this and shopping around if there's so few and each dealer has different variations? I've thought about building my own and having a dealer order it but not sure how long that would realistically take given all the production delays.
Last edited by Businesscasual on Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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David Jay
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by David Jay »

Toyota certainly knows how to engineer hybrids.
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anil686
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by anil686 »

bought one in Jan of 2020 (if that counts as recent). Got a good deal for a limited Rav4 hybrid OTD with TTL $34000 in the DFW area - scoured ads for a while - had to deal with a dealership guy who tried to bait and switch the car and had to spend a few hours there - but finally got it. It has been a really good car. Had the same problem - took me three months to find a basic limited (I guess that is an oxymoron) but I agree, most of the limited's had a lot of extras on top of that....
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by BruDude »

Have you considered the new Wrangler hybrid? There are currently some pretty insane lease deals since it qualifies for the $7500 federal tax credit. I'm looking at getting a Rubicon one to replace my current Wrangler lease. Should come in under $400/month for 24 months/10k miles on a $59k MSRP car with nothing paid out of pocket except the first month's payment. That's about the same payment a Toyota dealer would want for a $30-35k RAV4, and the Wrangler will hold its value way better.

Here's a leasehackr mega thread on it - https://forum.leasehackr.com/t/order-pl ... tax/350767

I just got a Carvana offer of $35,293 on my 2018 Wrangler Sport S. That car's original sticker price was $38,500 and I paid $34k for it on the lease. Yes, they want to give me more than I originally paid for it brand new. Wrangler resale is crazy good :sharebeer
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (car).
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by Stinky »

Bought a top of the line 2020 RAV4 hybrid in December 2019. Didn’t want to wait for a lower trim line (and DW wouldn’t have been happy with it anyhow).

Love it.

Splurge a little. You can amortize the extra cost over 10 or more years.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by LadyGeek »

^^^ I also bought my 2020 RAV4 in December 2019, but it wasn't a hybrid. I can't compare it to a hybrid, but still love the car.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by Sandi_k »

I bought a 2019 RAV4 hybrid.

Toyota doesn't let you "build your own" so much any more. And different regions get different package combos.

I went outside of the NorCal region to find the Red one I wanted, with the panoramic moonroof that meant it was built in Japan instead of Canada. So we drove to Carson City, NV to buy it, and it went swimmingly.

I got a top of the line Limited, withe the options I wanted. And the color - interior and exterior - that I wanted. All good.

I regularly get 40 mpg with the car; my highest tank mpg was ~ 46 mpg, and my lowest was ~ 35 mpg. Totally would recommend this car.
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eye.surgeon
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by eye.surgeon »

I just bought a 2021 RAV4 Hybrid Limited a month ago for my daughter. She just finished grad school and got a job and I wanted her to have a new paid-off vehicle that would be safe, cheap to own, reliable, and last her 10 years.

It's a fantastic vehicle. Great powerplant, amazing mileage, high quality, will last a long long time. The non-hybrids are widely available, the hybrids are being sold before they land at dealerships. I bought mine 10 days before it landed at the dealer. They are hot sellers. They will negotiate but you're not going to get a ton of discounting. Probably the best mid-priced all-rounder vehicle you can currently buy.

The RAV has basically replaced the Camry as Toyota's go-to daily driver. This generation RAV4 hybrid had a couple problems early on (gas tank issue and battery drain issue, both now resolved) but are now pretty bulletproof.

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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by carolinaman »

David Jay wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:45 pm Toyota certainly knows how to engineer hybrids.
I agree. We have a 2014 Camry Hybrid and it has not given any problems so far. We recently replace the regular 12V battery after 7.5 years of use. Never had a regular battery last that long.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by protagonist »

FWIW my daughter lives in Portland, ME (the Land of Ice and Snow). I bought a conventional 2019 RAV4 for her new when she moved there about a year and a half ago. She loves it. Says it handles well in the winter too.

Her car is better than mine or my wife's (laughing).
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by dukeblue219 »

carolinaman wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:15 am
David Jay wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:45 pm Toyota certainly knows how to engineer hybrids.
I agree. We have a 2014 Camry Hybrid and it has not given any problems so far. We recently replace the regular 12V battery after 7.5 years of use. Never had a regular battery last that long.
Makes sense, because the 12v doesnt have any role in starting the ICE. Usually people replace their 12v not when it's dead dead, but when it can't reliably start the engine (a huge load).
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by MnD »

I'm waiting for the Rav4 Prime to have better availability/pricing.

It has greater combined horsepower than the hybrid, 70mpge on straight electric and a greater towing capacity.
We want a) a nice, highly efficient and reliable medium SUV which will be our primary vehicle to drive and b) a second vehicle to tow our teardrop camper besides my truck (we camp about 50 nights a year) . For shorter camping trips where we don't need true 4WD we'll tow with the Rav4.

I saw the first one "in the wild" yesterday with temporary tags from a local dealer so there is some supply.
Supply is supposed to get much better this fall. It qualifies for the $7500 plug-in hybrid tax credit and Toyota has quite a bit of space left before they hit the 200K electric vehicles sold cap and lose that. Our state credit is another $2000. So we don't want to wait too long.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by ohboy! »

BruDude wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:04 pm Have you considered the new Wrangler hybrid? There are currently some pretty insane lease deals since it qualifies for the $7500 federal tax credit. I'm looking at getting a Rubicon one to replace my current Wrangler lease. Should come in under $400/month for 24 months/10k miles on a $59k MSRP car with nothing paid out of pocket except the first month's payment. That's about the same payment a Toyota dealer would want for a $30-35k RAV4, and the Wrangler will hold its value way better.

Here's a leasehackr mega thread on it - https://forum.leasehackr.com/t/order-pl ... tax/350767

I just got a Carvana offer of $35,293 on my 2018 Wrangler Sport S. That car's original sticker price was $38,500 and I paid $34k for it on the lease. Yes, they want to give me more than I originally paid for it brand new. Wrangler resale is crazy good :sharebeer
Sounds like a great deal, but only 20mpg? Also what is relevance of resale on a lease? You figure you can buy out at end of the lease and sell for more than the buyout? Interesting forum!

I like rav4 hybrid. Don’t own one but was at dealership admiring them yesterday.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by Flora »

Has the gas tank fill problem been corrected for the newest Rav4 Hybrid model year?
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by HotRod140 »

Got my 2021, XLE, about one month ago. Traded in my 2017, Rav4 Hybrid. The new look, is a much more nicer, rugged design. Not that rounded look. We love it much more. The milage rating are terrific and we find the electronics and the seats are a big upgrade. This one we wont be trading in
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by tdmp »

MnD wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:59 am I'm waiting for the Rav4 Prime to have better availability/pricing.

It has greater combined horsepower than the hybrid, 70mpge on straight electric and a greater towing capacity.
We want a) a nice, highly efficient and reliable medium SUV which will be our primary vehicle to drive and b) a second vehicle to tow our teardrop camper besides my truck (we camp about 50 nights a year) . For shorter camping trips where we don't need true 4WD we'll tow with the Rav4.

I saw the first one "in the wild" yesterday with temporary tags from a local dealer so there is some supply.
Supply is supposed to get much better this fall. It qualifies for the $7500 plug-in hybrid tax credit and Toyota has quite a bit of space left before they hit the 200K electric vehicles sold cap and lose that. Our state credit is another $2000. So we don't want to wait too long.
I think if people don't need rav-4 right now and can wait, then the RAV-4 prime is better value. With the tax rebates and all: might be about the same or maybe a little more than rav-4 hybrid, but you get a lot more: most notably: able to charge at home and decrease gas station visits, 0-60 acceleration at about 5.7 seconds.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by bubbadog »

Flora wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 9:37 am Has the gas tank fill problem been corrected for the newest Rav4 Hybrid model year?
I believe it is still an issue with RAV4 Hybrids but not an issue with the RAV4 Prime.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by bubbadog »

tdmp wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:50 am
MnD wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:59 am I'm waiting for the Rav4 Prime to have better availability/pricing.

It has greater combined horsepower than the hybrid, 70mpge on straight electric and a greater towing capacity.
We want a) a nice, highly efficient and reliable medium SUV which will be our primary vehicle to drive and b) a second vehicle to tow our teardrop camper besides my truck (we camp about 50 nights a year) . For shorter camping trips where we don't need true 4WD we'll tow with the Rav4.

I saw the first one "in the wild" yesterday with temporary tags from a local dealer so there is some supply.
Supply is supposed to get much better this fall. It qualifies for the $7500 plug-in hybrid tax credit and Toyota has quite a bit of space left before they hit the 200K electric vehicles sold cap and lose that. Our state credit is another $2000. So we don't want to wait too long.
I think if people don't need rav-4 right now and can wait, then the RAV-4 prime is better value. With the tax rebates and all: might be about the same or maybe a little more than rav-4 hybrid, but you get a lot more: most notably: able to charge at home and decrease gas station visits, 0-60 acceleration at about 5.7 seconds.
I agree with tdmp. I bought a 2021 RAV4 Prime SE in Dec. 2020 out of New York State. It was not as hard to find as I initially thought it would be. MSRP was about $41,700. I paid MSRP. A comparably equipped "regular" RAV4 hybrid had an MSRP of about $35,000. After my federal tax credit of $7,500, I spent about the same amount as I would have for a RAV4 hybrid. For me it was a no brainer. I get 42-47 electric only range and 100 more horsepower for about the same purchase price.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by anonenigma »

I needed last month to replace my 21 yo car that needed a clutch. RAV4 XLE (LXE) Hybrid was our first voice but rare as hen’s teeth. Ended up with a Camry Hybrid LE, with which I’m quite satisfied. Got a great deal between Costco discount and manufacturer rebates.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by coastalhiker »

We just bought a 2021 Rav4 Hybrid XLE, with the Convenience package (moon roof, powered rear hatch lift). So far we really love it; we are especially happy with the adaptive cruise control. Light years better than our 2007 Prius (which we loved and drove for 13 years and 167,000 miles).

We are lucky to live in an urban area with lots of dealers, so we were able to shop around and locate the package we wanted without much effort (not in our first color choice, but it looks fine). But they are in short supply, so the dealers aren't budging much below MSRP, and offering no incentives.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by smitty1515 »

We have a 2020 xse Rav4 hybrid. It’s our first Toyota and we’re very happy. We live in a cold climate w plenty of snow; I’m ecstatic about the winter handling and overall fuel economy. The tech features and quality interior has also been a plus.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by smitty1515 »

Flora wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 9:37 am Has the gas tank fill problem been corrected for the newest Rav4 Hybrid model year?
Mine had the issue. I took it to my dealership and it was fixed 48 hr later.

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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by OldBallCoach »

DIL bought a 2021 XLE, the car has 7500 miles on it now and she loves it. Gets 40 MPG and is terrific in the snow. The tank issue she said is fixed for 2021 so thats all solid. I drove it the other day and I have to say its got some pep and sure is quiet!!
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by impatientInv »

bubbadog wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:47 pm
tdmp wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:50 am
MnD wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:59 am I'm waiting for the Rav4 Prime to have better availability/pricing.

It has greater combined horsepower than the hybrid, 70mpge on straight electric and a greater towing capacity.
We want a) a nice, highly efficient and reliable medium SUV which will be our primary vehicle to drive and b) a second vehicle to tow our teardrop camper besides my truck (we camp about 50 nights a year) . For shorter camping trips where we don't need true 4WD we'll tow with the Rav4.

I saw the first one "in the wild" yesterday with temporary tags from a local dealer so there is some supply.
Supply is supposed to get much better this fall. It qualifies for the $7500 plug-in hybrid tax credit and Toyota has quite a bit of space left before they hit the 200K electric vehicles sold cap and lose that. Our state credit is another $2000. So we don't want to wait too long.
I think if people don't need rav-4 right now and can wait, then the RAV-4 prime is better value. With the tax rebates and all: might be about the same or maybe a little more than rav-4 hybrid, but you get a lot more: most notably: able to charge at home and decrease gas station visits, 0-60 acceleration at about 5.7 seconds.
I agree with tdmp. I bought a 2021 RAV4 Prime SE in Dec. 2020 out of New York State. It was not as hard to find as I initially thought it would be. MSRP was about $41,700. I paid MSRP. A comparably equipped "regular" RAV4 hybrid had an MSRP of about $35,000. After my federal tax credit of $7,500, I spent about the same amount as I would have for a RAV4 hybrid. For me it was a no brainer. I get 42-47 electric only range and 100 more horsepower for about the same purchase price.
How do you like your purchase so far? I plan to buy RAV4 Prime soon. Did you consider other Plug-in vehicles? 40+ mile daily range is more than enough for daily usage.
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by Sandtrap »

Businesscasual wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:43 pm I'm in the market for a new SUV. Obviously a lot of great cars in the SUV segment but I value reliability and fuel economy so my top choice is the Rav4 hybrid (happy to hear any other recommendations). As I'm beginning to look, I see most dealers don't have many Rav4 hybrids and ones on the lots have a bunch of expensive options. How have people been navigating this and shopping around if there's so few and each dealer has different variations? I've thought about building my own and having a dealer order it but not sure how long that would realistically take given all the production delays.
I recently test drove one and it was very nice and the dealer was motivated to sell but we ended up wi the larger Honda Passport Elite AWD that fit our needs better. But, I was very close to getting the RAV4 Hybrid and the dealer was very nice about making the sale.

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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by bubbadog »

impatientInv wrote: Thu Oct 28, 2021 2:47 pm
bubbadog wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:47 pm
tdmp wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:50 am
MnD wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:59 am I'm waiting for the Rav4 Prime to have better availability/pricing.

It has greater combined horsepower than the hybrid, 70mpge on straight electric and a greater towing capacity.
We want a) a nice, highly efficient and reliable medium SUV which will be our primary vehicle to drive and b) a second vehicle to tow our teardrop camper besides my truck (we camp about 50 nights a year) . For shorter camping trips where we don't need true 4WD we'll tow with the Rav4.

I saw the first one "in the wild" yesterday with temporary tags from a local dealer so there is some supply.
Supply is supposed to get much better this fall. It qualifies for the $7500 plug-in hybrid tax credit and Toyota has quite a bit of space left before they hit the 200K electric vehicles sold cap and lose that. Our state credit is another $2000. So we don't want to wait too long.
I think if people don't need rav-4 right now and can wait, then the RAV-4 prime is better value. With the tax rebates and all: might be about the same or maybe a little more than rav-4 hybrid, but you get a lot more: most notably: able to charge at home and decrease gas station visits, 0-60 acceleration at about 5.7 seconds.
I agree with tdmp. I bought a 2021 RAV4 Prime SE in Dec. 2020 out of New York State. It was not as hard to find as I initially thought it would be. MSRP was about $41,700. I paid MSRP. A comparably equipped "regular" RAV4 hybrid had an MSRP of about $35,000. After my federal tax credit of $7,500, I spent about the same amount as I would have for a RAV4 hybrid. For me it was a no brainer. I get 42-47 electric only range and 100 more horsepower for about the same purchase price.
How do you like your purchase so far? I plan to buy RAV4 Prime soon. Did you consider other Plug-in vehicles? 40+ mile daily range is more than enough for daily usage.
I love our RAV4 Prime. We haven't had any problems/issues with the car. We didn't really consider any other plug in vehicles. Our EV range has actually gone up from the quoted 42 miles to around 50 miles. That was a nice surprise. No need for gas unless we take a road trip. I would highly recommend one. I think they are harder to find now. Best of luck
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Re: Anyone buy a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid recently?

Post by highercall »

I don't have a Rav4 but purchased a 2022 Tucson hybrid blue 2 months ago and really like it. Nice ride and average 37-40 mpg each tank full. Great warranty also.
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