2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime - 302 hp & 39 mile EV range

[Daox]

This one should appeal to the masses. Lots of power, nice EV range.

Toyota Rav4 Prime

It produces a total system output of 302 horsepower, making it the most powerful compact SUV from a non-luxury brand. Toyota says it'll also go from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds, which should be in contention for quickest alongside the high-output 2020 Ford Escape. The RAV4 Prime shares the same 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder as the regular RAV4 Hybrid, but it's tuned differently. Its 176 horsepower is the same, but it produces 168 pound-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm versus 163 lb-ft at 3,600-5,200 rpm. Toyota says that greater grunt in addition to more powerful electric motors means you'll be able to notice a definite difference in low-speed driving.

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The larger lithium-ion battery doesn't alter interior space as it's located under the floor. Toyota says this positioning further lowers the RAV4's center on gravity and should enhance driving stability.

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That regular RAV4 Hybrid is already a significant success, as its sales are up a whopping 72% over its predecessor, according to Toyota. The company also says the RAV4 is now its best-selling hybrid.

[MetroMPG]

39 electric miles! Nice.

That should translate to ~50-55 fair-weather electric miles (non-freeway) in the hands of a decent eco-driver, assuming my experience with the Prius Prime applies.


This RAV is going to kill plug-in Prius sales.


(From thread: I'm driving a 2018 Prius Prime (plug-in). What do you want to know about it?)

I love driving my friend's Prime. It's rated for 22 electric miles, but I was able to stretch that to mid-30 miles range without too much trouble in warm weather.



I would probably still choose a Prius PHEV over a RAV, given the choice, but that's because its range works for me in my little city. Plus, I value & enjoy the bonkers efficiency of the Prius. (And I also realize nobody thinks like I do.)

The company also says the RAV4 is now its best-selling hybrid.

Toyota's already having trouble meeting demand for the non-plug RAV hybrid. A friend of mine ordered one, and ended up buying something else after waiting 6 weeks for the dealer to get their hands on one... and they weren't able to.

The previous owner of my new-to-me Mirage was luckier - she traded it in for a RAV hybrid.

[redpoint5]

I'm guessing based on what is mentioned about range that they put the minimum sized battery that qualifies for the full $7,500 federal tax credit.

As I've always said, I wouldn't burn up those credits with anything less. I'd either make hybrids that didn't qualify for any credit at all, or plug-ins that qualify for the full amount.

Curious what the MPG will be.

...and it seems we've got at least 1 more vehicle generation with exaggerated faux grills. My guess is the very next generation will make it look terribly outdated. That said, I'm not one to care much about vanity, but form should follow function.

It all makes sense now when Toyota started calling the plug-in Prius the Prius Prime. Prime is now what they call their plug-in version of vehicles it seems.

[vskid3]

302hp total with 176hp from the ICE leaves 126hp from the battery, not bad. You should be able to get pretty good acceleration out of it without making the ICE turn on.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Toyota's already having trouble meeting demand for the non-plug RAV hybrid. A friend of mine ordered one, and ended up buying something else after waiting 6 weeks for the dealer to get their hands on one... and they weren't able to.

They should just ditch the ICE versions and focus on the hybrid and PHEV. The hybrid comes standard with AWD (in the US) and costs less than $1000 more than the ICE AWD, which is about $1500 more than the ICE FWD (base trims). The EPA guesstimates that the hybrid costs $1000 a year to drive versus $1300 a year for the ICE versions. That's 3 years to breakeven compared to the ICE AWD or 8 for the ICE FWD (less time if/when gas prices go up).

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by vskid3

302hp total with 176hp from the ICE leaves 126hp from the battery, not bad. You should be able to get pretty good acceleration out of it without making the ICE turn on.

Peak power from the electric drive motor in the Prius is 53kW, while peak power from the combined gas+electric is 90kW. Whereas if you use the (bad) math of (peak combined power) - (peak ICE power), you only get 19kW for the electric motor, which is far below its actual peak power and really says nothing about its ability to accelerate the car without the ICE since that is dependent on torque. The non-plug-in RAV4 hybrid has an 88kW (118 hp) electric motor, per Toyota's website; the RAV4 Prime will have to have a significantly more powerful electric motor, since it has the same 2.5 liter "Dynamic Force" combustion engine as the regular hybrid.

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Peak power from the electric drive motor in the Prius is 53kW, while peak power from the combined gas+electric is 90kW. Whereas if you use the (bad) math of (peak combined power) - (peak ICE power), you only get 19kW for the electric motor, which is far below its actual peak power and really says nothing about its ability to accelerate the car without the ICE since that is dependent on torque. The non-plug-in RAV4 hybrid has an 88kW (118 hp) electric motor, per Toyota's website; the RAV4 Prime will have to have a significantly more powerful electric motor, since it has the same 2.5 liter "Dynamic Force" combustion engine as the regular hybrid.

That's my point. The 19kw limit of the Prius' motor with the ICE off has nothing to do with the motor and is how much power the battery can provide. The ~126hp provided by the electric side of the RAV4 Prime means the battery can put out quite a bit of power and the ICE should only have to help out if you really get on the gas (something I like about the Volt vs most other PHEVs is that it operates completely like an EV in EV mode, no worries about the ICE turning on until the battery is empty).

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by vskid3

That's my point. The 19kw limit of the Prius' motor with the ICE off has nothing to do with the motor and is how much power the battery can provide. The ~126hp provided by the electric side of the RAV4 Prime means the battery can put out quite a bit of power and the ICE should only have to help out if you really get on the gas (something I like about the Volt vs most other PHEVs is that it operates completely like an EV in EV mode, no worries about the ICE turning on until the battery is empty).

I'm afraid you misunderstood my comment. The Prius' electric motor is not limited to 19kW output; that's the number you get if you subtract ICE power from total system power. But its actual electric motor max power output is 53kW, per Toyota. The current RAV4 hybrid has an electric motor that has a maximum 118hp//88kW, again per Toyota; the RAV4 Prime has to have a more powerful motor than 126hp to make combined 302hp vs. the regular hybrid's 219hp since they have the same gas engine. You can't just subtract the two numbers since the gas and electric motors have different torque curves and RPM ranges, and the transmission can vary those inputs with load; subtracting the numbers doesn't tell you anything about acceleration in electric mode or maximum power output in EV mode. We'll have to wait for Toyota's figures on those (if they even publish them; they don't for the Prius Prime).