Ford canceled its Escape Hybrid, and electric drive hasn't found its way into the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue or Kia Sportage, to name a few in the segment. The dearth of hybrids among small SUVs is surprising, especially as hybrid drivetrains are so common among midsize sedans, segments that can easily be cross-shopped. Online search particularly impressed me in that, instead of merely matching my search terms to business names, it matched those terms to business descriptions as well, leading to more relevance and depth of search results.Īlong with a few music apps, the RAV4 Hybrid's stereo features the usual digital sources, including satellite and HD radio, a USB port and Bluetooth streaming.
To enable these apps, I had to run the Entune app on my phone, and either pair it with or cable it to the RAV4 Hybrid. Its forte is the motorway, when the ride, steering and engine all combine to make steady-throttle progress peaceful and easy, despite some road noise from the 18-inch wheels.As a saving grace, Toyota Entune Apps integrate third-party apps such as Yelp, Pandora and, along with an unbranded online destination search. However, despite being relatively brisk, this car was never intended to be worked hard. The woolly steering does little to improve confidence, while the CVT causes the petrol engine to rev noisily hard. This lack of compliance endures on rural roads, where the RAV4 Hybrid jostles and pitches, yet also suffers significant body roll. The same can’t be said for the ride, which lacks give and readily bangs over ridges, while the regenerative brakes become grabby towards the end of the pedal’s travel. In reality, however, it’s difficult to avoid the petrol engine chiming in, but in normal urban traffic it stays pretty quiet anyway. The RAV4 Hybrid’s EV mode allows emissions-free travel below 30mph. Still, it's a useful, symmetrical space, with no lip, although the rear seats don’t fold totally flat. Two tall passengers can sit comfortably three would be a squeeze, especially for shoulder room.ĭue to battery stowage, the hybrid’s electrically opened boot hosts a raised tool compartment that cuts cargo volume by around 50 litres with the rear seats up and twice that when they’re folded. The rear seats have manually adjustable backrests, but don’t slide. The well-bolstered, four-way electrically adjustable front seats are firm yet comfortable, but tall drivers test the limits of steering wheel reach and rake, and will struggle to see more than half of the heated seat and drive mode buttons that are tucked into the base of the centre console. Hard, hollow-feeling plastics abound - most vexingly on the steering wheel boss, complete with moulded-in ‘stitching’ - and what padded surfaces there are feel thin.
Despite the improvements, the cabin is still decidedly low-rent, even in the top-spec, leather-upholstered Excel trim driven here.
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