Now that I've driven the new model, I realize I would have waited the months it would have taken if I had to place a cold order. I'm feeling particularly fortunate acquiring this vehicle when I did. As I write this, gas is now getting closer to $5.00/gallon. Gas prices had just spiked to $4.00/gallon, so the few hybrid vehicles the dealer was able to get were being immediately gobbled up. A rare dumb luck case of being at the right place at the right time. Further, there was essentially no waiting time as the dealer happened to have one available (due to a cancelled order) with essentially every feature (even color scheme) I would have specified. The trade-in offer for my 2016 was just too juicy to ignore, even while I had to pay the full MSRP for the new one. Then, when the car reverted back to running in regular hybrid mode, it still managed to average 49mpg over the remainder of our 90-mile test route.I traded in my 2016 RAV4 Hybrid Limited for the 2022 version of the same model and trim. And that was without me making a conscious effort to maximise efficiency, either. But on a test route that took in all manner of dual carriageways, fast country A-roads and 20mph village lanes, the Toyota covered 36 miles before its battery gave up the ghost.
Preconditioning - the process of warming the car up while it’s still plugged in - is key here, and when run as such, the RAV4 PHEV really impresses.Īdmittedly, I wasn’t able to match its 46-mile claimed range. The Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV I currently have as a long-termer, for instance, has been struggling to get more than 17 miles from a full charge - which is significantly less than its minimum 33-mile claim.
One aspect of running a plug-in car that can really set your teeth on edge is the draining effect that cold winter weather can have on electric range. Then there’s HV mode, where the RAV4 runs as a regular hybrid (and a quick one at that) and finally there’s charge mode, which, well, charges the battery up while you’re driving. The transition from one power source to another is really smartly governed, and the petrol engine only makes itself heard if you stand on the throttle for prolonged periods of time. Next is Auto EV/HV mode, which is effectively the same as regular EV mode, apart from the fact that the petrol engine will pipe up if you really mash the throttle.
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