As anyone who cares about the future of the planet moves towards alternative energy sources and lower emissions, hybrid vehicles are in high demand as an appealing transition between vehicles with an internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles (EVs).
The Toyota RAV4 is one of the most popular medium SUVs on the Australian market and its hybrid variants offer an appealing and accessible entry into the realm of non-ICE vehicles.
We tested a five-seater Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid for seven days to see how it fares as a daily driver.
How much does the Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid cost?
The front-wheel drive Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $51,410 (excluding on-road costs).
What features do you get in the Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid?
Standard features include a 10.5-inch multimedia touchscreen system (including sat nav, Apple CarPlay (wired and wireless) and Android Auto), a nine-speaker JBL stereo system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a surround-view camera, plus 10-way power driver’s seat (including memory), eight-way power passenger seat, heated and ventilated front seats, leather-accented interior, dual-zone auto climate control air conditioning, power tailgate and tilt/slide moon-roof, and 18-inch black gloss alloy wheels.
Exterior paint choices include Glacier White, Silver Sky, Frosted White, Graphite, Eclipse Black, Atomic Rush, Mineral Blue and Saturn Blue (on our test vehicle).
Beyond its familiar RAV4 grille, 18-inch black gloss alloys and the Saturn Blue paint, this medium-sized SUV is inoffensively appealing.
The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid is 4615mm long (with a 2690mm wheelbase), 1865mm wide, 1690mm high, and has a kerb weight of 1700kg.
It’s a tidy comfortable cabin – albeit a bit dated – with leather accents and interior trim and plenty of soft-touch surfaces.
There’s the usual amount of RAV4 storage, which is more than adequate and, for device-charging, there are three USB ports upfront and two for the rear-seat passengers.
The 10.5-inch touchscreen multi-media system and driver display are bright, clear and easy to use, although the media unit’s operating system can be a bit of a puzzle to work through.
Buttons and grippy textured dials are easy to locate and operate.
All seats are supportive and comfortable without being great, but upfront they are power-adjustable every which way.
The rear seat is roomy enough in all directions for even tall people.
The fold-down arm-rest has cupholders.
For kids, the rear-seat row has three top-top-tether points and an ISOFIX point on each of the outer seats.
The rear cargo area has 580 litres of cargo space when all seats are being used, and a listed 1690 litres when the rear seat is stowed away.
The rear cargo area also has four tie-down points, a 12V socket, and a removeable floor liner.
The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD hybrid has a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and electric motor set-up with a 6.5 Amp hour nickel-metal hydride battery system.
Combined system output for power is 160kW and torque output (courtesy of the combustion engine only) is 221Nm at 3600rpm.
This RAV4 has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that’s always in the right place in terms of revs and ratios.
It has an EV mode – for driving on battery power only to reduce fuel consumption and emissions – and other driving modes including Eco, Normal and Sport, all designed to produce optimal ride and handling via maximised engine performance and tuning, steering and throttle response, best suited to the terrain and conditions.
The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2019.
Safety tech includes AEB with pedestrian/daytime cyclist detection, intersection turn assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane tracing assist, rear cross-traffic alert, front, rear parking sensors, traffic sign recognition, trailer sway control, hill-start assist, a 360-degree surround-view camera and more.
It has seven airbags including front, front side, full length curtain and driver’s knee airbag.
The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. If you get all your servicing completed at a certified Toyota mechanic, you’re in line for powertrain coverage under warranty for seven years.
Servicing is set at 12 month/15,000km intervals and capped price servicing keeps costs to $260 each time for the first five years or 75,000km.
What is the Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid like to drive?
The RAV4 is very quiet and nice to drive, with smooth acceleration, precise steering and good visibility.
Ride and handling are impressive on sealed surfaces and it’s okay on gravel and dirt as well, though it does skip around on rougher, irregular sections, due to firm suspension and road-biased tyres.
The CVT is smooth and efficient – it’s not dynamic but it’s reliably consistent.
This hybrid seamlessly switches between the engine and electric motor, and battery charge is easily regenerated through the vehicle’s forward motion when little to no throttle is being used to maintain momentum (on downhills or while otherwise coasting), or when the vehicle is slowing to a stop.
Towing capacity is 480kg – unbraked and braked – so you won’t see a RAV4 towing anything more than a very small trailer any time soon.
The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid has listed fuel consumption of 4.7L/100km (on a combined cycle).
We recorded 5.9L/100km on our test.
The RAV4 has a 55-litre fuel tank, so going by that on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could expect a driving range of about 930km out of a full tank.
Is the Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid any good?
The Toyota RAV4 in Cruiser Hybrid spec is nice to drive on-road without ever being particularly exciting and it offers a sensible amount of practicality for the price.
If you can wait for supply to catch up with demand, then the Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid might just be right for you.
