SUV drive without remorse? Toyota's new hybrid RAV

The first impression: The RAV-4 looks as if the designers had cut it with knives from sheet metal: Sharp lines and corners instead of curves and vaults characterize the car. You do not have to like that. Anyway, you do not forget this car so fast.

The manufacturer says: Toyota celebrates the RAV-4 as a pioneer of the compact SUV segment. 25 years ago, he was one of the first family carriages for the suburbs, and for years he has been the bestselling SUV in the world. After four generations and more than eight million registrations, the new RAV-4 is set to shine in terms of its environmental footprint. As one of the first models in this league, the RAV-4 is no longer powered by diesel.

We noticed that, although there is still a lot of plastic in the cockpit of the RAV-4, the interior looks more valuable. The plastics are carefully selected and made more comprehensible. The touch screen is larger, the operating environment tidier. In the instrument cluster there are a few large displays in addition to the classic, analog displays such as the speedometer.

photo gallery

11 pictures

Remarkably: There is more room in the RAV-4, although it is a few centimeters shorter than its predecessor. With the change to the platform of the Prius, the wheelbase has grown and thus the legroom for the backbenches and the boot volume. So the cargo area was six inches longer. The volume increased by 79 liters. What the RAV-4 still lacks is a certain variability, such as a movable rear seat. However, the battery for the electric drive in the way.

Toyota has also tried to increase the driving pleasure in the RAV-4. If driving in the previous hybrid generation was more of a compulsory exercise, the engineers Brennenner and Stromer have now noticeably harmonized, the system output increased by ten percent and the continuously variable transmission improved. Although the gear is still annoying when accelerating at high speeds, but the rubber band effect has been shortened and the switching jumps come earlier.

Nevertheless, one should not expect too much from the drive combination of a 177 hp combustion engine and two electric motors (in the four-wheel drive version). The system with a total of 222 hp drives the car from 0 to 100 in solid 8.1 seconds, and when overtaking the RAV-4 has no trouble. However, the propulsion is limited to 180 km / h, which some could not be enough on the German highway sometimes.

And Toyota can not and will not fulfill any expectation: purely electric driving over long distances. The RAV-4 usually runs in mixed operation and can be moved only a few hundred meters silently. Engineers want the car to be as efficient as possible on the road - not that it's particularly cool. They do not want to know anything about a plug-in hybrid drive. It is only economical on paper and drives up the costs.

Take a look inside the Toyota RAV-4 - with our 360 degree photo:

Given the self-imposed restrictions, Toyota could have saved one thing: the button on the center console, with which you change the driving profiles. With it, the color of the instrument illumination and the rotary switch can effectively be exchanged. Otherwise, not much will happen: "Eco" is the RAV-4 in every setting, never really athletic.

You have to know that: The fifth generation of the RAV-4 will be available at the end of January and will be offered with two engines. The base model, for which only ten percent of customers were interested in the previous generation, drives with a 175-hp 2-liter gasoline engine and costs 29,990 euros. The hybrid version is from 32,990 euros in the price list. This is 800 euros less than before - thanks to the switch to the inexpensive Prius platform. They are available as front-wheel drive with 218 and as all-wheel drive with 222 hp. The standard consumption of the two model variants are Toyota with 6.0 (gasoline) and 4.4 liters (hybrid). The latter is much more economical than comparable diesel SUVs such as the VW Tiguan, Audi Q3 or Opel Grandland X (each from about 4.8 liters).

Also in the equipment Toyota has refilled. As the first Toyota model, the RAV-4 recognizes more traffic signs, actively supports the driver in the guidance and brakes not only for pedestrians, but also for cyclists.

We will not forget that: the look in the rearview mirror. As one of the first cars, the RAV-4 also uses a rear-facing camera. You can switch between optical and electronic consideration and see something even when heads or suitcases block the line of sight. Thanks to this detail, the RAV-4 itself has a look back to the future.

vehicle registration