Toyota RAV 4 PHEV

Toyota takes plug-in hybrid range to another level with the RAV 4

Andrew Walker gets to grips with another ‘new entry’ to the PHEV ranks, the Toyota RAV 4

Toyota – the ‘Kings of the self-charging hybrid’ – finally launched a PHEV last year, in the form of the RAV4 Plug-In.

On the down side, it’s expensive, with the range starting at £46,495, so this may not be the retail car for you. On the plus side, it’s class-leading, with Toyota claiming a 46-mile pure-electric range. Couple this to CO2 emissions of just 22g/km, which attracts a BIK of just 7%, and corporate customers should be salivating at the thought of buying one as this clever car really makes financial sense.

The RAV4 PHEV is offered in a choice of three specs. Plug-In Design, which retails at £46,495 and features, 18” Grey Machined-face five-spoke alloys, 9” Toyota Touch 2 multimedia system with Smartphone integration, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, remote controlled dual-zone automatic air conditioning and a 32A Mennekes fast charger.

Plug-In Dynamic from £47,395, with 19 Black Machined-face five-spoke alloys, a black bi-tone roof, wireless mobile phone charger and the 32A Mennekes fast charger

Or range topping, Plug-In Dynamic Premium, which costs £50,895 and adds a Toyota Skyview panoramic roof, JBL Premium Sound System, driver and front passenger air ventilated seats and also comes with a 32A Mennekes fast charger.

Engine

The Plug-In RAV4 is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine developing 182bhp and an 18.1kWh battery, which powers two electric motors. The front motor offers 134kW (176bhp) and the rear 40kW (53bhp). The engine and electric motors don’t produce maximum output at the same time, so peak power is 302bhp, plenty enough for a 0-62mph time of just 6 seconds. Top speed is 112mph or, in pure electric mode, 84 mph.

Most of the time the plug-in RAV4 drives through its electric motors, only occasionally driving the front wheels. The engine is there to mainly generate charge and it will only occasionally send power directly to the front wheels. The driver can flick through three modes – EV for pure electric running, EV/HV, which shuffles between fully electric and hybrid power automatically, and HV for solely hybrid running. There’s also a charging mode through which the engine tops up the battery on the move. You can select this option from a button next to the gear lever, which is easy to do and a bonus when in many other plug-ins, you need to scroll through numerous touch screens to select this option.

Electric and combined range

If there’s enough battery charge, the RAV4 defaults to EV mode, only switching as required. Home charging means it takes 2.5 hours to charge to full on a 7.2kWh wall box, (http://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging) which, when compared to many other plug-ins, is quick.

Toyota claims up to 46 miles of pure-electric driving is possible. We averaged 36 miles; that’s lower but is still, in the immortal words of Wayne Campbell, ‘way’ better than most other compatible plug-in’s pure electric range.

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The trick is to save the EV charge for urban driving, go full hybrid on the motorway and utilise EV/HV in slower moving traffic.

The RAV’s digital display shows you just how well or how bad you’re doing in this regard and improving on this becomes a bit of a challenge for each journey as you try to do better then the previous one.

Toyota claims fuel economy of 282.5mpg, which is nigh-on possible to achieve. On a wet and windy May drive of 300 miles on combined roads, with 200 miles of that on the motorway, we averaged 56mpg. Plug-in on a daily basis, drive locally or in town, and this could easily reach 70mpg.

Exterior

There’s not much to differentiate the PHEV RAV4 from its hybrid sibling. There’s dark plating at the bottom of the car, a dark mesh grille and ‘Plug-In’ has been added above Hybrid on the badging, but that’s about it.

Interior

We were testing the range-topping Dynamic Premium, which comes with a pair of comfortable red-stitched front leather seats and some matching dash trim. Toyota’s general build quality on fixtures and fittings has certainly improved and almost all of the plastics you touch and feel in the RAV4 are of good quality. Cheaper plastics are used on the door pockets and lower down on the centre binnacle.

The latest Toyota infotainment system now offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which are both simple to access through a USB. And our Dynamic Premium test car also featured a Wireless Mobile charger in front of the gear stick, where you can leave your smart phone while on the move. Storage options include a cubby under the front armrest, four decentsized door bins, twin cup holders, space for keys or your phone in the dashboard front, average-sized glovebox and rear seat pockets as well. Thanks to the larger electric battery, you lose 60 litres of boot space over the standard hybrid RAV4, so 520 litres are on offer.

There’s plenty of room inside for five adults to get comfortable. The rear seats are split 60:40, not individually, and tilt, but don’t slide. The boot doesn’t feature quick-release seat lowering, which could put some off.

Driving

The CVT gearbox can be a bit whiney on the Toyota-Lexus self-charging range but in the plug-in the transition between petrol-hybrid and pure EV is smooth enough not to notice, which makes driving it very relaxing.

Transition between petrol-hybrid and pure EV is smooth enough for you not to notice, which makes driving very relaxing ‘‘

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Around town and in slower traffic the RAV4 really shines. Start the engine and well ... there’s nothing, it’s so quiet, and as you pull away the car moves forward on battery power. As your speed increases and you switch to Hybrid mode the petrol engine kicks in. In traffic it’s sublime and ever-so quiet. On the motorway there’s enough power on offer to comfortably join the carriageway at motorway speeds and plenty of power to overtake slow-moving vehicles.

Some wind and road noise does enter the cabin but it’s not loud enough to prevent the use of your Bluetooth device or Apple CarPlay to make hands-free calls.The excellent JBL sound system fitted to the Dynamic Premium model allowed me to listen in clarity to my favourite DAB radio stations.The built-in SatNav was easy to programme and the touchscreen functions worked well, but as with rivals’ SatNavs, Google Maps via Apple CarPlay looks and works better. It’s hard to criticise the dashboard and its functionality except to say that it’s a little bland.

We took to the motorway in Eco mode, which dulls the throttle but increases fuel economy. Sport mode adds a bit of fun and when you put your foot down, this plug-in feels rapid, with screeching tyres from a standing start a testament to this.

Like all cars with batteries, the RAV4 plug-in is heavy and so it feels a little more sluggish into and out of tight corners than you’d like, and is a little less forgiving at slower speeds, especially when you’re driving over pot-holed roads.

On the plus side, the power steering is light and with the rear view camera, it’s easy to park. It’s built for comfortable city dawdling and straight line relaxation – and at this it excels.

Conclusion

With a retail price close to £50,000, the RAV4 plug-in is most definitely a company car proposition and not one for retail. With just 7% BIK, any business customer who selects one, will pay a lot less to the Treasury – around £1,250 – £1,500 per year as a 40% tax payer – than a standard self-charging RAV4 would set you back.

Inside it’s spacious, well put together, features on-trend safety and the latest tech. Toyota’s rock solid reliability is a given.

Most importantly, it’s pure electric range of 35-46 miles puts it right at the top of the tree compared to many other PHEVs, especially when you consider it’s a large SUV built to carry a family of five.

CC&V VERDICT

If you’re a fleet driver looking for a well built family car that’s practical and has rock- solid pure EV range, it’s a given you’ll be looking at the RAV4 PHEV

CC&V RATING:

N N N N N

New lease of life for Aygo as it adopts crossover stance

The all-new Toyota Aygo X – pronounced Aygo cross – offer a crossover unique in the A-segment, and one that’s designed to meet urban and suburban life demands.

Whether in the city or on open roads, this A-segment car stands out as being compact and agile, inspiring driver confidence. It also has technological advances that make it economical to run.

Toyota took a bold decision to switch the Aygo from a hatchback to a crossover, but its designers felt the new look was more in keeping with modern European motoring trends. The bonnet silhouette and rocker mouldings express the “high lift” look of an urban crossover and the front has been brought closer to the wheels which, with the slanted rear windows, creates a condensed, compact look.

Flared wheel arches and mouldings emphasise the large-diameter tyres and give a confident road stance, while the edged roof line, shoulder axis and rear door shape will make it a distinctive car on urban streets.

Designed for the narrowest city streets, Aygo X has an exceptionally small turning radius of just 4.7m despite the width increasing by 125mm to 1,740mm. As a result, the front seats are set 20mm further apart, increasing shoulder space by 45mm. Luggage space is also segment-leading 231 litres up to 829 litres.

Powered by Toyota’s multi-award winning one-litre, three-cylinder engine it has a fuel consumption rating of 56.5-58.85mpg and 109-110g/km CO2 (manual transmission), or 56.5mpg and 109-114g/km (CVT).

Aygo X takes up Aygo’s role as Toyota’s most accessible model for European customers.