For a – hefty? – $2620 price increase, buyers of the 2016 RAV4 can get an awd hybrid version. This makes the number of hybrids available in the US from Toyota at eight models, the undisputed hybrid leader around the world. Lexus offers six more in its division.
This first-ever RAV4 Hybrid is part of a newly freshened RAV4 line that debuted at the New York Auto Show. Fuel economy estimates are projected at EPA ratings of 34 mpg city / 31 mpg highway / 33 mpg combined for both the XLE and Limited RAV4 Hybrid models. Just bring money, the MSRP for the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid will be $28,370 for the AWD XLE and $33,610 for the AWD Limited. This does not include the delivery, processing, and handling fee of $900.
Both Hybrid models come equipped with an Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel-Drive System with “intelligence” (AWD-i) as standard. A second, independent electric motor drives the rear wheels when needed to help maintain traction.
RAV4 Hybrid accelerates – caveat, we haven’t driven it – from a claimed zero to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds, or almost one second quicker than its gas counterparts. Regenerative braking changes the electric motor to a generator that captures the kinetic energy when the brake is applied, storing it in the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) hybrid battery pack. Yes, the ultra-conservative Toyota has not changed to lithium ion batteries yet.
The 2016 RAV4 will be among the first U.S. models to offer Toyota Safety Sense – marketing babble – a new safety package with automated pre-collision braking. TSS, which is standard on 2016 RAV4 Limited grades (gas and Hybrid) and available on XLE (gas and Hybrid) and SE grades, bundles increasingly common safety technologies, including Pre-Collision System (with Forward Collision Warning and automatic emergency brake), Lane Departure Alert, Automatic High Beams, Pedestrian Pre-Collision System and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.
In addition to TSS, RAV4 LE gas and XLE gas and hybrid models have a standard Blind Spot Mirror and the SE gas and Limited gas and hybrid grades have a standard Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
The 2016 RAV4 also includes new technologies to bolster convenience, entertainment and information. Smart Key, standard on SE and Limited (gas and Hybrid) grades, and a Homelink garage door opener (standard on Limited gas and Hybrid grades), add security. Optional front and rear parking sonar helps make parking easy, and the RAV4 offers a new Bird’s Eye View Camera with Perimeter Scan.
This technology employs four cameras that are mounted on the front, the side mirrors and rear of the vehicle to project a panoramic view of the vehicle’s surroundings on the central seven-inch touch display. The system offers driver’s assistance when parallel parking, and when pulling in and out of parking spaces. The Bird’s Eye View Monitor system also debuts Perimeter Scan, which provides a live rotating 360-degree view around the vehicle, helping the driver to see potential obstacles.
