Once again the Toyota RAV4 proves to be Australia’s favourite model that isn’t a ute, so is all that market fuss and demand warranted? James sums up his ‘ownership’ of the RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid long-termer.
- Hybrid drivetrain so easy to live with
- Well-featured and practical
- Fundamentally good at everything your family life will throw at it
- Some minor useability issues began to grate
- Black wheels on the Hybrid look naff
- Can you actually buy one? Looong wait lists
Once again, the Toyota RAV4 is Australia’s favourite car. A total of 35,751 were sold during the 2021 calendar year; a number that would have been higher if not for supply constraints as the waiting list for orders still stretches into the months.
The clincher on the RAV4, which elevated it from being a competent mid-pack mid-size SUV to a car that is arguably harder to buy than a Ferrari, was the inclusion of the hybrid drivetrain.
An effortlessly efficient, petrol-electric family wagon that looks just like a ‘regular’ one was seemingly the meal that Australians were hungry for. It was, after all, a pretty obvious product planning direction to take.
As you know, our car, a Saturn Blue 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid AWD, was in the Drive garage for a few months.
We’ve looked at its pricing and specification, day-to-day practicality, and overall liveability, so where did the RAV4 shine, and where could it use some polish?
| 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid AWD | |
| Engine configuration | Four-cylinder petrol with hybrid drive (three electric motors and 6.5Ah battery) |
| Displacement | 2.5L (2487cc) |
| Power | 163kW combined, 131kW @ 5700rpm (petrol only) |
| Torque | 221Nm @ 3600-5200rpm |
| Transmission | CVT automatic |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Power to weight ratio | 95.3kW/t |
| Fuel consumption (combined-cycle claim) | 4.8L/100km |
| Fuel consumption (combined cycle on test) | 5.8L/100km |
| Fuel tank size | 55L |
| Estimated range | 1146km |
| Sales category | Medium SUV (under $60K) |
| Key competitors | Mazda CX-5 | Nissan X-Trail | Mitsubishi Outlander |
First up, it still looks good despite being largely unchanged since its launch in 2019.
Perhaps never to be called ‘beautiful’, the RAV is an undeniably handsome car. The angular design gives it a really modern appeal, and while our car’s Saturn Blue paint looks good, the black wheels (a hallmark of the Hybrid) don’t do it any favours.
In a quirk of specification, non-hybrid RAV4 Cruiser models come with one-inch-larger silver multi-spoke 19-inch wheels, instead of the 18s shown here.
What we wanted to see, however, is the more ‘macho’ styling (and wheels) from the RAV4 Edge make their way onto the Hybrid model as for 2021 the Edge was petrol only. Wish granted, as announced recently, MY22 buyers can now do this – and yes, we would.
In terms of practicality, the Cruiser gets a tick for including a power tailgate, but boy is it slow.
What’s more, you can’t actually lock the car until the boot is finished closing, so if you’re grabbing your bag and doing a quick dash to get out of the rain, you can’t use the touch-lock function on the door and run to shelter.
A small thing, and not something limited to the Toyota, but just a sensible usability point that could (and should) be easily addressed.
| 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid AWD | |
| Length | 4600mm |
| Width | 1855mm |
| Height | 1685mm |
| Wheelbase | 2690mm |
| Turning circle | 11.0m |
| Boot volume | 580L |
| Tare mass | 1710kg |
| Wheels/tyres | 225/60R18 Bridgestone |
The rear seat room is good, especially when using your RAV4 as a family car. The seats can recline, there is decent leg and headroom, plus you have the convenience of USB ports and vents.
But there’s only one map pocket – which no-one really uses, but why mess with the symmetry? Plus, the leather trim in the Cruiser is not really that impressive, especially when you consider the car costs the best part of $50,000.
For context, at this price point, a Mazda CX-5 gives you nappa leather trim.
It’s kind of the Toyota thing, though. Offer up a car that is nicely equipped, well built and durable, but just not special. Useable, yes. Game-changing, no.
Up front, the RAV4’s funky exterior design extends to the cockpit and cabin layout.
There are some genuinely cool elements like the rubber trim on the HVAC dials. In typical Toyota fashion, everything is easy to find and easy to reach, and of course there are some good, practical and thoughtful storage elements like the tray below the main dashboard and glovebox.
| 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid AWD | |
| Colour | Saturn Blue Metallic |
| Price (MSRP) | $46,415 |
| Options as tested | $675 (metallic paint) |
| Servicing 3yr | $645 |
| Servicing 5yr | $1075 |
| ANCAP safety rating | Five-star (tested 2019) |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
During our time with the car, it’s that practical layout of the interior that has worked really well with the RAV4.
You naturally move to put your phone on the charging pad. The two cupholders are deep and supportive enough for even tall coffee cups, plus the hard plastic surround makes it very easy to clean. And yes, we learned this the hard way.
We even got used to the infotainment interface by adopting a more ‘set and forget’ approach. Once you’ve set your key radio presets and paired your phone, you never really change things, so we tended to alternate between the energy-use screen and Apple CarPlay.
All of this is secondary to the real hook of the RAV4 Hybrid, the driveline.
If there’s a word that sums up what it’s like to drive a RAV4 Hybrid (assuming you can get one), it’s effortless. Get in, drive, and that’s it; real-world fuel efficiency in the five litres per 100km range is yours.
The hands-off petrol-electric switcho-chango of this car is what cements it as a real powerhouse on the Australian market, and even after a reasonably short ownership experience, it’s easy to see why the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is Australia’s favourite car that isn’t a ute.
We only wish there was more stock on hand, so it would be easier for you to buy one!
The true beauty of the Toyota hybrid system is that you don’t have to think about it or do anything new. You don’t have to plan. You don’t need an app or a boot full of cables. You don’t have to consider it when you plan your journey.
It just works.
And in return for the zero effort put in, you get real-world fuel economy. Over our few months with the car, we ended up averaging 5.8L/100km for mostly urban driving. I never came close to that when I owned a three-cylinder Mini, let alone a family-sized SUV.
As good as the driveline is, the RAV4 is not faultless.
Ride comfort is key for a family car and the RAV is not as plush as you would perhaps like. Around town, larger bumps and sharper hits are felt throughout the cabin, never in an unsettling way, but certainly not in a wholly cosseting way either.
It’s a mixture of the larger alloy wheels and Toyota’s desire to make the RAV4 feel just that little bit sportier than it has been.
Touring is far more comfortable, with the RAV4 able to eat up long distances without complaint from the peanut gallery and their Roblox games behind.
With all the technical stuff sorted, then, what was the RAV4 Hybrid like to live with?
Generally, for both myself and the rest of the Melbourne Drive team, it rarely puts a foot wrong. It is a very well-rounded car, just not a particularly exciting or special one. Toyota is as Toyota does.
There were a few minor frustrations, though. For example, when you come to a stop, the doors don’t unlock (this can be adjusted in a setting where you tell the car to unlock on park).
It sounds ultra-fussy, but for school dropoff, the RAV4’s natural environment, where your pre-teens are no doubt eager to get out of the car to go and learn, you have to unlock the door manually from the driver’s console before they can open their door.
Their handles don’t unlock, even if sitting in the front passenger seat, which is just a bit frustrating. It’s worse at night as the unlock doesn’t illuminate, so there’s a bit of a braille-reading experience trying to find which button to click to then undo.
Another thing, which is only really noticeable as we change drivers a lot, but the memory preset functions don’t seem to work reliably. I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong when setting, or someone’s resetting it when I’m not driving the car, but it hasn’t worked as well as it should have for a car at this price point.
And as much as I would like to give you a 50:50 balanced pros and cons approach to the RAV4 Hybrid, this car is very firmly weighted in the pros category in terms of fit for purpose.
Quite simply, it does everything right. It may not be the ‘best’ at doing it, but it’s an incredibly solid all-rounder.
As such, it is easy to see why the Toyota RAV4 is Australia’s most popular car that isn’t a ute, and why there are still solid waiting lists for these.
It’s practical. It’s reasonably affordable. It does everything you need. And the hybrid drivetrain that you don’t even have to think about? It just works, giving you everyday efficiency and economy without lifting a finger.
If you are interested, get an order in as early as you possibly can, or shop around without a preference for colour.
MORE: Long-term report one: Introduction
MORE: Long-term report two: Practicality
MORE: Long-term reports
The post 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid AWD long-term review: Farewell appeared first on Drive.
0 Response to "2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid AWD long-term review: Farewell"
Post a Comment