In a first for the brand, Toyota SA has brought a fleet of RAV4 PHEV derivatives into SA. We tried one out for a few days and were left impressed.

It’s odd to think that it’s taken this long for Toyota to bring a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) into SA. After all, the company has been beating the hybrid electric drum since the introduction of the Prius all those years ago.

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First Of Its Kind

Toyota SA does, of course, have many hybrids in its line-up. This dates back to when the local subsidiary introduced the Prius to our listings almost twenty years ago. Since then the company has added hybrid powertrains to almost all of its offerings, including the Corolla (as you can read here).

To date, each hybrid powertrain has relied on its own internal combustion engine (ICE) to recharge an on-board battery pack. This Toyota RAV4 PHEV bucks that trend and can be charged using an electrical outlet. The Toyota RAV4 PHEV represents phase 2 of Toyota’s New Energy Vehicle (NEV) roll-out plan in the local context.

Powertrain

A 2,5-litre four-cylinder petrol powers the Toyota RAV4 PHEV. It is paired with two electric motors, one per axle. These are powered by a lithium-ion battery that is larger than that used other Toyota hybrids. The battery back is located below the passenger compartment.

On its own, the ICE develops 136 kW and 227 N.m. The two electric motors contribute 134 kW and 40 kW and an additional 270 and 121 N.m of torque. Total system output is rated as 225 kW. As the driver demands torque via their right foot, it is seamlessly delivered to one or both axles. This makes the large car feel rather spritely, especially when pulling away from standstill, where the electric motors are their best.

An even better side effect of the system is that the electric motors help accelerate the vehicle quickly, which means you spend less time listening to the continuously variable transmission (CVT) drone as it gets up to speed.  

Full EV

Toyota RAV4 PHEV

The Toyota RAV4 PHEV offers the driver four modes. EV mode is the default setting and prioritises electric-only operation. The SUV is supposed to have a range of up to 80 km, depending on battery state of charge (SOC) and usage conditions, in this mode. That second bit is important as we could not get the car to run purely in this mode. We are willing to bet it was to do with the bitterly cold conditions being experienced in the Cape at the moment.

Now imagine you live in a country with an uninterrupted power supply (sounds great, doesn’t it?) and you could charge your Toyota RAV4 PHEV in your garage every night. The average home charge will take between seven and nine hours to charge from near empty to full. You’d be able to drive to, and probably from, work purely on battery power.

In hybrid vehicle (HV) mode and the range extends to over 800 km – very handy. The two other modes are auto EV/HV mode which allows the system to switch between pure electric and hybrid modes. The last is charging mode that prioritises the petrol engine to recharge the battery pack. 

High-Spec

The Toyota RAV4 PHEV has a few bespoke styling cues to help differentiate it as a range-leader. Among these are the badging, revised frontal aspect and alloys in a highly polished finish.

This derivative is also well appointed as standard and we enjoyed the creature comforts afforded by the GX-R trim level. The leather seats have heating, front and rear, with cooling up front as well. There is also a heated steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. The standard JBL sound system also impressed us with its punchy aural delivery.

Summary                                                                                    

The Toyota RAV4 PHEV seems to offer the best of all worlds when it comes to the EV equation. You can drive it as a pure electric car in the urban jungle and not suffer any range anxiety when you decide to visit far-flung parts of our beautiful country.  

However, it is pretty hard to place it in context as it has no real rivals. In part, this is the case because the Toyota RAV4 PHEV isn’t listed for sale, which means there is no local pricing. The units being used by the media are here purely for evaluation purposes. At any rate, any car that needs to be charged by a socket is going to be let down by the national electricity provider…

Model: Toyota RAV4 PHEV
Price: n/a
Engine: 2,5-litre inline four, two electric motors
Transmission: CVT, AWD
Max power: 225 kW
Max torque: 270 N.m
0-100 km/h: 6,0 sec
Top speed: 193 km/h
Fuel consumption: 4,2 km