From the what-took-you-so-long department comes Toyota’s first-ever RAV4 hybrid. Debuting at the 2015 New York auto show, some 15 years after the Prius was born, the RAV4 hybrid joins seven other hybrids in Toyota’s vast lineup of green-themed vehicles and goes on sale this fall. The hybrid is part of an expanded and refreshed 2016 RAV4 model range.
The RAV4 shares many of its bones with the Lexus NX crossover, and as such, the hybrid borrows much from the NX300h. That means a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder, one electric motor at each axle, and a continuously variable transmission. Whereas the NX hybrid is available with front- and all-wheel drive, the dual-powertrain RAV4 comes only with four driven wheels.
When we tested a front-wheel-drive NX300h last year, we found it rather un-fun to drive, though it returned a respectable zero-to-60-mph time of 8.3 seconds. If the RAV4 is lighter than the NX300h, it could be a tad quicker. Fuel economy for the AWD version of the Lexus hybrid is 33/30 mpg city/highway, so expect the same or possibly a bit better for the RAV4 hybrid.
Unlike the oddball RAV4 EV, which used a previous-generation RAV4 body up until it was killed off last year, the RAV4 hybrid looks exactly like the gasoline-powered RAV4, which has been freshly updated for 2016 with new front and rear fascias, restyled rocker panels, and a new tailgate design. Toyota sleuths may detect slight differences between the lighting innards—which are replete with some blue-tinted bits for the hybrid, of course. The hybrid also rolls on a unique set of 17-inch wheels.
The RAV hybrid will not be offered in the base LE or the new SE trim levels, only midgrade XLE and top-shelf Limited. It benefits from the many standard and available upgrades that come as part of the 2016 refresh, including improved interior materials and a 4.2-inch TFT information screen in the gauge cluster. The center stack features Toyota’s display audio system with a seven-inch touch screen. The hybrid also gets an additional USB port, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and an available around-view monitor. Toyota isn’t saying how much it will charge to upgrade from a standard RAV4 to the hybrid, but we will surely hear more on that front by the time the 2016 RAV4 goes on sale this fall.
