5 Awesome Features of the Rav4 Hybrid

Apr 7, 2016

5 Awesome Features of the Rav4 Hybrid Since its creation in 1996, the Toyota Rav4 has been one of the top-selling SUVs on the market. This year marks the first time the Rav4 is available as a hybrid, and it’s led to lots of excitement among critics and enthusiasts. If the thought doesn’t thrill you yet, check out a few of the great features this little package has to offer.

More Powerful Than You Think

Starting with the most obvious change from its gas-powered sibling, the Rav4 Hybrid sports a far more efficient gas engine and electric motor. Perhaps the most interesting part, however, is that the hybrid actually delivers more power in addition to fuel economy. Under the hood, the Rav4 sports a 2.5 liter, inline four-cylinder coupled with two electric motors. The four-cylinder provides up to 151 horsepower, while the electric motors have a combined 194 horsepower, far outpacing the 176-horsepower gasoline version.

Exceptional Fuel Economy

Because fuel economy is one of the most important factors consumers cite with respect to purchasing a hybrid, this aspect has to significantly outpace gas-powered models. The 2016 Rav4 Hybrid does just that. Its EPA-estimated 31 mpg highway and 34 mpg city is a great advantage, particularly to those that commute through the city and not on the highway. The standard Rav4 matches the highway mileage, but only get 24 mpg city.

Beautiful Interior

Hopping into the driver’s seat of the Rav4 Hybrid, you’ll immediately notice the upscale seating and dashboard layout. The front seats are SofTex, which is a durable yet soft fabric. You can also add heated seats and dual-zone climate control to complement the standard lumbar feature for ultimate comfort. On the dashboard, you’ll find controls easy to locate, making the Rav4 a cinch to navigate while you’re driving.

Convenience and Features

With the convenience features of the Rav4 Hybrid, there’s very little to complain about. Some of the more luxurious amenities include a power-touch moonroof, integrated navigation, and driver’s side seat memory. You’ll also find backing out of a space or parallel parking much easier thanks to an integrated rearview camera with a 6.1-inch display screen. On a side note, the Rav4 Hybrid offers an often overlooked finishing touch, which comes in the form of a cup holder that’ll fit even your jumbo-sized coffee mug.

Active and Passive Safety

If safety is a top priority, this hybrid provides ample features to put your mind at ease. For the utmost in modern active safety features, opt for the Toyota Safety Sense package. This adds a plethora of preventive safety measures including lane departure alert with steering assist, a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, auto high beams, and dynamic radar cruise control. Equipped with these features, the Rav4 gets the Top Safety Pick Plus rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is the organization’s top honor.

For a first-year hybrid, the Rav4 has an impressive number of great features, while also sticking to the same guidelines that made the original Rav4 a popular vehicle. If the track record is any indication, it looks like the Rav4 Hybrid is here to stay.

Image by Toyota UK, Licensed via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0