Trade the 4runner for a RAV4 prime

What's your thought on this? Is the RAV4 prime going to be as reliable as the 4runner?

 

It all depends on your needs, but you are getting rid of an old body on frame four-wheel-drive for a California commuter car.

I don’t know if cars with lots of technology are going to be as reliable in the long run, but I’m sure you’ll get at least five trouble for years out of the RAV4.

With that said, I think owning a Toyota for 20 years or more is something of the past.

 

The hybrid and gas mileage is a draw for sure given recent surges in gas prices that I don't really see ever coming back down for a while.. it makes sense. The biggest draw back for me are those CVT transmissions. No thanks.

 

YMMV, but personally I would not consider a RAV4 as a substitute for a 4Runner. It could be a better option than some other crossovers of its size, Espec the Prime re MPG. But it’s hard to imagine lasting as long as the Runner. There really aren’t many vehicles as likely to give so many trouble free miles. But that’s not important for everyone. Lots of people trade in by 100k miles. If you’re one of them, and have mostly on road uses, the Runner might not be the best choice.

 

You would be downgrading in terms of capability but RAV4s are cool in my book. Just get an extended warranty with it just in case but shop around for it.

 

I was recently in NYC and hopped in a few cabs. Tons of toyota hybrids including rav4s. I dont think reliability is going to be a problem.

I saw a lot of cabbies had their “MPG since engine start” displays up on the instrument display… it was kinda wild seeing mpg numbers in the mid 30s over a few hours of run time!

That said, 4runners and rav4s are different breeds of vehicle, so opinions about one over the other are hard to give.

 

New Rav's are nice. Previous Gens? No thanks.

Comparing those two without context isn't possible. Two different vehicles with two different primary capabilities. Being a big guy, not a chance I'd go smaller than a 4Runner. If anyone buys a 4Runner without considering the (now) potential for fuel price increases, you clearly didn't think your purchase through.

As for E cars... wait until prices start tumbling hard in 2025 & beyond. Battery cells will be hard to come by (still) and prices will be astronomical. Pulling the virtual plug on oil without a proven model of next gen transportation is by far the dumbest thing capitalism has done since... well, ever. Elon just made it sexy.

 

Electric vehicles aren’t going anywhere, but we are not going to see complete electrification in our lifetimes. Or ever.

People getting excited about this will be lucky to see 25% electric in the most electric friendly markets like here.

Dismantling gas infrastructure will turn out to be a costly mistake that politicians will conveniently forget ever having anything to do with in the next 10-15 years.

 

NO....Next question?

 

Electric vehicles are the goal I'm sure, but for my lifestyle they won't work. And I can't see them ever working. I think if I had to drive something other than a 4R then a RAV4 Prime would be nice on a daily, but I thought about the 1% time when I chose the 4R.

 

Being used to low MPG vehicles since I started driving in 2008, I would choose the regular 4 cylinder engine for reliability and not deal with the battery. A co worker has one and says he only gets 50 miles or so out of the charge unless coasting on the highway and regenerates a charge? The Benefit of his prime hybrid though is it hauls ass for what it is. My wife leased a 2018 & a 2021 and I don’t mind driving the vehicle at all, it’s spacious, handles awesome, and gets good mpg. If I went from a 4 runner to a cross over I would choose a rav4. The older ones look ugly...but the newer ones actually are pretty nice and a 4 cylinder isn’t slow with the new 8 speed honestly, to me atleast. Drove a slug for the last 8 years.

 

I don’t drive much but when I do it’s up to 200 to 250 miles at a time.

There are literally charging stations everywhere here, but they are always full, and most have a limit of 2 to 3 hours, so they are never free.

Refilling a 200 mile range on an electric takes 15 to 20 minutes right now.

I’m not going to be searching for a charging station while running errands when I can refill a gasoline car in four minutes and be on my way.

 

Yeah I'm not fighting for a station or charging for 4 times longer than it takes me to pump gas.

 

I don't trade or swap vehicles based on fuel pricing trends. Funny how that works though.

 

Hey OP, can't comment on the Prime model but my wife and I recently bought a new RAV4 Hybrid AWD and it is one of the coolest vehicles I've ever owned (out of 21). It's my wife's DD and she's averaging 42 MPG with about 7k miles on it now.

A few things:

1> It's quick! Stomp on the gas in "sport" mode and you're gone, tire chirp and all. The electric motors really make the car feel torquey, too. Pretty impressive. The Prime probably scoots!

2> AWD capability is actually pretty good for the car's intended design/purpose. Ours is the XLE Premium trim and it handles washed out rough gravel roads (think chunky rocks with fairly good-sized ruts) like a champ. It's obviously no 4Runner but it gets the job done. Snow and ice handling is also very good - I was out after a fresh snow (heavy and icy) and had 100% confidence in the RAV. Handling in the rain is likewise excellent.

3> The CVT transmission. Wasn't sure I was going to like this at first but it is fantastic! I think many people who poo poo them have never actually driven them. The RAV's is well-executed - power delivery is smooth and seamless and always just "there". You step on the throttle and the car just goes. It's pretty cool. From what I've read about CVTs broadly they are a bit simpler in design and use fewer parts than conventional automatic transmissions. Not sure if that's true or not.

5> Totally subjective but I find the seats to be pretty comfortable for longer road trips. For context, I'm 5' 10" with 32" inseam and about 160lbs and the seat fits me well. The seat heaters could be a little hotter.

4> Because of the regen braking, the car's conventional brake pads can last damn near forever. A bonus!

5> Gas mileage. Duh.

That said, the car's not perfect. The door switches for the locks/windows don't light up at night. Weird and wtf. Filling with gas can be a little tricky if you're only trying to top up the tank - can be difficult to completely fill it up. Not sure what that's all about. The RAV's overall fit/finish doesn't seem to be quite as tight as the 4Runner - it's really good, but not quite as good. For example, the driver side mirror shakes a tiny bit when you close the door. Our RAV has an U.S. VIN. I 'think' some RAVs are made in Japan - maybe there's a noticeable difference(?). Stereo is weak - Toyota definitely needs to step up the game there. Cupholders kinda suck. Finally, the RAV is a little loud on the highway/interstate. Could be the OE tires, not sure. It's not horrible, but it's not great either. Our XLE has 18" wheels. Personally, I'd rather have 17" for a little more sidewall on the tires. All of these are pretty small gripes, though. Love the RAV!

 

50 miles per charge is exceeding the advertised 40, we get about 52 in the warmer months, high 30s in the colder times.

The Rav4 prime is kick ass, in fact last May we traded a 2018 4Runner limited, didn’t look back. For those that say no stay with gas, I believe the electric system will outlast any gas powered deal, less stuff to break. We have 10,250 miles on our Prime, I think we have used less than 100 gallons of gas.

oh, I’m 6’3”, 300 lbs, I fit with out issue, is the 4Runner more spacious, yes.

 

gotta remember with the battery added it has the most complicated HVAC / cooling / heating system out of every vehicle though needing to tend to the battery as well for proper heating / cooling.

 

I just sold the Venza to get the 4Runner. Toyota hybrids are reliable, but not as reliable as the current gen 4Runner for sure.

My Venza developed a weird noise that only happens at 80mph + speed and it's so random that the dealership couldn't reproduce it and deemed everything fine.

I sold it back to them. I rather have a gas guzzler that just problem free or have all the kinks worked out

 

So.

I am trading in my 2021 RAV4 XSE Hybrid for a 2021 Toyota 4Runner ORP as I type. I take delivery tomorrow and would be more than willing to discuss my last 14 months of ownership with you.

The RAV4 is a great "Little" SUV. It has a good bit of room when I am by myself but I was always cramped anytime that I went to HomeDepot or Lowes or paddle boarding or damn near anything because you have such a limited amount of space. With the gas mileage, its great thinking you will get 40+ MPG but reality is that if you go over 70MPH (which I live beside a toll road and do often), my numbers were more around 31MPG. That is still 11MPG more than the 4Runner but the gain is not working when compared to my need for room and storage.

I know everyone's needs are different but I lost the love after squeezing in like a sardine on every weekend trip.

Good luck and I hope this helped.

 

100% agreed with all of this.

There's so much that needs to happen before we can be all electric. Plus, the issue of charge time VS refueling an ICE.

 

150k mile warranty, so I’ll take my chances there. I’m not saying it’s the best and greatest, but it’s not crap by any means. I didn’t think twice when we bought ours. According to my son, I could sell it for twice what I paid, so I can’t be the only one.

 

Very recently bought a rav4 hybrid. It’s basically my commuter car for work and little trips into town. I have about 5k miles on it so far and for my use it’s really great. I’m getting about 36mpg or close to 500 miles per tank. It’s comfortable and gets me around no problem with just the right amount of space. Almost bought a Corolla or Camry but sitting a little taller in the rav4 is nice.

I do have a 4Runner on the way that should be in my hands in about a month or so

 

The used car market will cool off. Prices right now don’t reflect the actual value of the product.

 

we have a 21 RAV4 and had the same issue, there is a TSB for mirror shake, I think its a small bracing plate that goes in behind the door where it mounts up as well as an adhesive or bonding agent. Otherwise I love the car, it is a near perfect commuter for us, and with just enough storage to hold all my crap. Oh and the privacy cover in the back I think does a better job than the one in the 4Runner.

***I think this was the TSB

 

They are two completely different vehicles, one is a truck and the other is a station wagon

 

Based on current trends, I’m expecting EVs to account for half of new cars sold in about 10 years. That means ICE vehicles will be the majority of vehicles on the road for roughly 20 more years. And so ICE will continue to be supported both in fuel infrastructure and repairs for some years beyond that.

As owners and buyers of ICE vehicles, this is really a key question. How long will it be before it’s hard to fuel and maintain one? Per the above, I think that point is some 20 plus years out.

People should stop worrying about the ability of EVs to serve consumer needs. Ranges over 500 miles are already being achieved, as is charging rates that add hundreds of miles of range in 15-20 minutes. Both will only improve as the technology continues to improve. Less certain is the charging infrastructure, which is scant and insufficiently reliable even with only about 4% EV market penetration now. But like everything else, this is evolving and should improve along with consumer demand.

Long story short, our ICEs will be usable for many, many years to come. And our EV choices will get increasingly more attractive.

I think the people who are going to be in a pickle are those who buy ICE 15-20 years from now with the hopes of daily driving them for another 10-20 years. I think those people are likely to end up disappointed.

 

@LandCruiser @DallasTRDPro

Being in the market myself for a hybrid as a second vehicle, commuter/daily, the Rav4P is on the list, but with a year wait, of course. Gas is $8/gal now and the 4Runner, while nice, reliable and fun, kinda bites. We are now over $600/month in gas alone and we are hybrid WFH. We project at least $1000/month when we go back to the office. Hopefully the gas prices will go down; but we have been bitten and wont allow ourselves to get caught with our pants down again.
Funny thing about the refill times. You say 4 min and be on your way, which is the normal, convenient way. Agreed.
However, in my case and probably most of the US/Canada families, 90% of the driving is within city limits, commuting, work, groceries, picking up the kids from school, going to HomeDepot and so on. Charge at home and you never have to see a gas station unless you drive really outside of the typical EV range: 200-300 miles. Add that to a year worth of driving and you probably spend less time refilling an EV as you do a gas car.

 

The guy I work with his rav4 prime costs under $2 to fully charge at home. His drive to and from work is in the range to which he makes it there and back on just the battery. He puts gas in once a month if even that.

 

Hmmm, Value is what some one is willing to pay for it. So even though I agree, its worth will go down, Its value (based on demand) is pretty dam good right now.

We only need to put in gas when we travel somewhere, my wife has not had to take the car to a gas station yet, and it's her daily.

 

The RAV4 is a super nice vehicle. Best of both worlds. Cheap commute on EV only with seamless transition to a full road trip capable car. Spacious, fast at 300+ HP, capable AWD, good build quality, modern design in and out, nice materials inside. Love it. I’d trade in the 4R today for one.