Best Motorbuys: July 26, 2019

By Ross Kiddie
Toyota RAV4 Ltd hybrid
State Highway 72, alternatively known
as the Inland Scenic Route, is one of
my favourite roads.
It stretches from Rangiora to Geraldine,
and although I usually use just a short part
of it through the Malvern area, I had the
perfect excuse recently to travel to Fairlie.
Since being voted New Zealand’s best pie,
a drive to the Fairlie Bakehouse to stock
up the freezer is a regular occurrence.
The drive, with the sun gleaming
constantly on the snow covered alps, and
the low volume of traffic reinforced why
SH72 is one of the South Island’s best kept
secrets.
The car I chose to travel south in was
Toyota’s new RAV4 sport utility vehicle,
more specially, it was a Limited hybrid
and it was the perfect vehicle to tackle
the 400km round trip, it was quiet,
comfortable, economical and surprisingly
sporty.
If the word hybrid makes you have a
double take, yes, the new-generation
RAV4 is available in hybrid form, the
first time petrol/electric power has been
offered in one of Toyota’s biggest selling
products.
The RAV4 is all-new for 2019, and it is
available in eight specifications, nonhybrid
with a 2-litre or 2.5-litre engine, or
hybrid with the latest spec 2.5-litre engine
and powertrain technology.
It’s taken a long time for me to fully
accept the hybrid concept, but as I’ve
written in recent times, it now has my
complete attention, as each iteration of it
comes through, it is better and, dare I say
it, more ‘normal’ than ever.
The RAV4 hybrid is rated at 131kW and
221Nm through the petrol engine, with
an extra 32kW available through electric
generation. They are healthy outputs, and
were certainly noticeable on my journey,
overtaking manoeuvres can be carried
out quickly, as the force of electric power
is delivered, the RAV4 fairly scorches
through the acceleration process. For
the record, it will meet 100km/h from a
standstill in just a fraction over 8sec, and it
will make 80km/h to 120km/h in 5.4sec.
On the subject of figures, it is also a
fuel miser. I couldn’t replicate Toyota’s
4.8-litre per 100km (58mpg) combined
cycle claim, my throttle foot is way too
heavy for that, but I was pleased with the
6.4l/100km (44mpg) figure constantly
showing on the dash panel readout. It will
also sip fuel gently at the rate of around
4.5l/100km (63mpg) instantaneously at
100km/h.
The entire petrol/electric operation is
seamless, there are dash panel readouts
which supply the driver with information
as to what is happening in relation to the
hybrid system, but if you aren’t watching
those then you aren’t going to notice the
transition.
That is part of what makes this package
so special, the RAV4, along with Toyota’s
other hybrid offerings, is smooth
technically.
There aren’t a lot of tricky corners on the
SH72 route, but there are just enough to
gauge a vehicle’s handling ability, and in
the RAV4’s case it met all expectations.
Long travel suspension and tall ride height
don’t usually combine to provide dynamic
handling qualities but, it’s fair to say, the
RAV4 steers keenly and the suspension
isn’t overloaded with body movement.
Throughout the design process, Toyota
hasn’t lost sight of the need to build the
RAV4 with the notion that it is quite
likely to be presented with off-the-seal
Page 31
Price: Toyota RAV4 Ltd hybrid,
$47,990
Dimensions: Length, 4600mm;
width, 1855mm; height, 1685mm
Configuration: Four-cylinder, fourwheel-drive,
2487cc, 131kW, 221Nm,
continuously variable automatic.
Performance: 0-100km/h, 8.1sec
Fuel usage: 4.8l/100km
challenges, although it must be taken into
consideration that the entry-level models
into the range are front-drive only.
However, on the Limited, drive is
channelled to all four wheels, and ground
clearance is measured at 190mm. There’s
even a trail drive mode which modifies
the engine management protocols so that
it can move slowly and smoothly across
undulating surfaces.
In Limited form the RAV4 E-Four lands at
an affordable $47,990. It is highly specced
for that price, and comes with the latest
safety package Toyota has to offer.
With the introduction of a brand-new
platform, the RAV4 also gets a huge
upgrade in terms of trim levels and
interior quality. The layout of the controls
is simplistic and intuitive, while familyfriendly
features are scattered throughout
the entire cockpit.
Even though the hybrid is a new RAV4
inclusion, the RAV concept hasn’t been
lost. It is still the family-friendly, easy-todrive
model that has gone gang-busters
since it was first introduced onto the
global market in 1994.