{"id":26810,"date":"2021-02-04T15:03:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T19:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26810"},"modified":"2021-02-04T15:03:17","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T19:03:17","slug":"payne-moving-day-in-the-worry-free-toyota-rav4-hybrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/02\/payne-moving-day-in-the-worry-free-toyota-rav4-hybrid","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Moving day in the worry-free Toyota RAV4 Hybrid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Toyota RAV4 has taken over sister Prius\u2019 spot as the best-selling hybrid in the brand\u2019s lineup. But not because it’s greener than the iconic sedan: it\u2019s more practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a weekend in which I helped move my son into his Seattle townhouse, green was the least of our priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happily, my RAV4 tester was everything it needed to be. In so doing it gave insight into the limitations of all-electric vehicles and America\u2019s craving for SUVs. The RAV4\u2019s forefather was the iconic Prius, which put hybrids on the map. It also sold like hot cakes in California because it qualified for $4,000 in state and federal tax breaks \u2014 plus free passage to Cal\u2019s coveted high-occupancy vehicle commuter lanes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Those benefits are long gone \u2014 and Prius must sell as a sedan in an SUV market. Good luck. It\u2019s not hard to see why utes are hot. They are versatile tools in a demanding world like, say, Seattle where, on any given day, consumers need a commuter car, a weekend getaway vehicle or a moving van.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this weekend we needed the latter with hatchback, cargo bay and roomy rear seats. And no range anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A wave of all-electric SUVs is coming to challenge the RAV4, including the VW ID.4 and Ford Mustang Mach E. But they are priced significantly higher and they demand plugs to charge their 200- to 300-mile range. My son\u2019s townhouse does not have a fast charger. Oh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hybrids are looked down on by greens today because they use gas. But RAV4\u2019s hybrid promised 450 miles range, easy access to gasoline stations if we ran low on fuel, and no range anxiety. At $41,100, we could make back its $1,500 premium over the standard, 27 mpg RAV4 in just three years at 41 mpg. It\u2019s a bargain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can put up with its annoying electric whrrrrr, that is. It\u2019s required at low speeds by the feds (to alert pedestrians of electrified vehicles\u2019 presence under 18.6 mph). It drove my son bonkers. Whrrrrrrrr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of annoying, it was nice not to add EV range questions to a moving schedule that included repairman times, plumbing issues\u00a0and cable TV hookup: Would we lose range in 30-degree winter weather? Would Seattle\u2019s steep hills suck electrons? Would we be able to find open charger bays?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big-ticket items were first on our shopping list: big-screen TV, table and chairs, work desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RAV4\u2019s cargo hold swallowed them all easily \u2014 though the OLED screen required an extra trip to Costco since we didn\u2019t want anything else in back that might harm it. The Costco parking lot was jammed on a Saturday \u2014 cash-rich Seattle denizens (their stock portfolios runneth over) are apparently upgrading their domiciles now that COVID-19 has forced them to work at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Destination:><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RAV4\u2019s were everywhere in the parking lot (it is America\u2019s best-selling vehicle, after all), and it\u2019s not a bad thing to look at. For the current generation Toyota designers took inspiration from the Tacoma pickup, and the RAV4 has a rugged, off-roady appearance that helps it stand out in the boxy SUV crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Payne could care less about styling \u2014 her focus was on the center console as she hooked up to Apple CarPlay to navigate us around watery Seattle\u2019s tangle of roads. Knob and button touchscreen controls were easy to use (are you listening Lexus?), and the navigation system never let us down as we hopscotched from one retail superstore to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By day we loaded and unloaded boxes, furniture and groceries. The RAV4 has a clever cubby in the cargo hold that helps with fragile items like bananas or eggs. By night we picked up my son\u2019s gal pal and explored Seattle\u2019s culinary scene. In striking contrast to the Prius, RAV4 has lots of rear leg room (38.7 inches compared to 33.4), so even your 6\u20195\u201d giraffe reviewer could easily take a back seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAV4\u2019s biggest drawback is that we had to shoe-horn it in to my son\u2019s garage. It\u2019s a reminder how much vehicles have grown over the years. Fit America\u2019s best-selling F-150 pickup into his garage? Fugeddaboutit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My son is also in the market for a car. Scratch a compact ute off his list. But the shopping experience convinced him that he needs a hatchback as well as all-wheel drive for when snow hits Seattle\u2019s vertical streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And like his father, he has the need for speed. So he\u2019s looking at a hot hatch Mazda3 or VW Golf R that fits his garage. RAV4 may be versatile, but nimble handling is not one of its attributes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pack><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vehicle type: Front-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger hatchback<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price: $29,675, including $1,175 destination charge ($41,100 as tested)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powerplant: 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with lithium-ion battery and AC motor assist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power: 219 horsepower combined<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transmission: Continuously variable transmission<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.8 seconds (Motor1.com); towing, 1,750 pounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight: 3,780 pounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuel economy: EPA 41 mpg city\/38 highway\/40 combined<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report card<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highs: Rugged looks; no range anxiety hybrid driving<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lows: Numb handling; argh, that low-speed electric sound!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall: 3 stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Toyota RAV4 has taken over sister Prius\u2019 spot as the best-selling hybrid in the brand\u2019s lineup. But not because it’s greener than the iconic sedan: it\u2019s more practical. On a weekend in which I helped move my son into his Seattle townhouse, green was the least of our priorities. Happily, my RAV4 tester was everything it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26810"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26810"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26811,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26810\/revisions\/26811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}