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Vehicle tests
Road test: Toyota Rav 4 plug-in
The fifth generation of the Rab4 gets hybrid-rechargeable propulsion;
It saves fuel and pollution, and is surprisingly good in the engine performance section.
But how much do you need to save to justify NIS 255,000?
Tags
Toyota
Union Motors
Rab 4
Plug in
Crossover
Gippon
Rami Gilboa
Wednesday, 05 May 2021, 08:47 Updated: 09:16
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The test vehicle is almost identical to its uncharged sibling;
The right wall has an opening for the charging socket, and several labels have been added (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
This test was supposed to focus on the issues of saving and energy, planetary pollution and the positioning of the new Rab4;
I thought so until I reached my favorite mountain road, turned the dial to 'Sport' mode, and gave gas.
The oversized crossover came to life, leaping out of place as if it were a small sports car.
The accelerations were strong and blunt, deep into the realm of the three digits.
With 6.0 seconds from zero to 100 this should come as no surprise but still, I did not expect such a performance from the Rav 4 PHEV - the heaviest and most expensive Rav 4, to date.
More on Walla!
Electricity, Hydrogen, Fun: What does Toyota's future look like?
To the full article
The father of the dynasty is still cute and nostalgic.
The current model is immeasurably superior in every parameter of engine, refinement and indulgence, technology and safety.
What will happen to him in twenty years?
(Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Ancestors of crossovers
A random encounter with an elderly Rab 4 in Majdal Shams took me back 25 years, to my first encounter with the revolutionary vehicle that had been bitten by ancient cruisers, Peugeot and Troopers. The term 'crossover' did not yet exist and so did the Hebrew nickname "Gippon", which I had the honor of inventing. During a visit to Paris I had the opportunity to examine a short, 4-speed manual gearbox. It was a revolutionary tool, a strange fusion between a GTI car and a traditional SUV.
The French called it the Fun Cruiser, a charming name not absorbed into the industry, but I was amazed at its road and trail performance. The Rav 4 fluttered its wheels frantically (who was talking about traction and stability control then?), Sharpened tires vigorously, maintained unprecedented roll angles relative to the SUVs of the period. It even went quite well on some trails that I was able to explore - in those days, Europe still allowed wheels to be removed from the asphalt.
The world has not yet decided which type of energy will be the best and cleanest, in a global view that also includes the production of the battery and the generation of electricity for the home grid (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Rab 4 2021 is a completely different animal;
It is almost a meter longer than its ancestor, weighs 800 kilograms more, the pretensions of the terrain have been replaced by political correctness and economy, road capabilities and safety that are immeasurably better than those of the founder.
We are well aware of the fifth generation of Rab4, which was launched more than two years ago.
Its design has been exaggerated on steroids, it still looks competitive and up to date.
The petrol engine is very powerful, but the continuous gearbox and the high weight weigh it down (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Rab 4 is marketed in a variety of propulsion systems and price ranges - from 2.0 liter gasoline that costs NIS 182,000 to the test version that costs, please excuse me ... NIS 255,000.
A quarter of a million shekels for Rab 4?
With all due respect to branding and technology, a quarter of a million shekels?
This price puts the Rab 4 into the territory of luxury brands and the 5 + 2 segment, the competition is tough.
Not only in relation to other brands (like the Peugeot 3008 hybrid-rechargeable that also costs 255 thousand shekels), but also to domestic competition;
The test car costs about NIS 40,000 more than the E-Motion hybrid version, which is very well equipped.
The cabin is high quality and useful, but for NIS 255,000, we could have asked for more (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Quiet morning
Free from the need to describe to you the look of Rab 4 and the fittings, I move and set off;
You press a switch, the dashboard comes to life, but you hear nothing.
Light pressure on the accelerator and hybrid pedal is advanced, with complete silence.
The feeling is very pleasant, certainly in a closed parking lot that increases the feeling of quiet.
Toyota declares a pure electric range of 75 miles, I got to 60.
It's less than the official range but the figure is excellent, because part of the way I did on a long-distance trip that consumes more electricity.
The Rab 4 PHEV will most likely cover an electric ride from Netanya to Tel Aviv, and back;
When the juice runs out of battery and the gasoline engine goes into action, it will be hard to feel its action.
The energy utilization diagram flickers with colored arrows, very quickly stop looking at it.
The display quality is mediocre (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
The more urban and congested the trip, the greater the savings rate.
In crowded city driving and with a depleted battery I drove close to 18 km urban, sometimes I touched 20 km. It is less good than pure hybrid but not to forget the 56 electric miles, which I did without burning a drop of fuel.
Rab 4 PHEV is a very quiet vehicle, But not completely quiet.As with its category members, the lack of piston sound emphasizes the other sounds; tire and wind noise, the hum of transmissions and cooling systems, regenerative charging sounds that accompany any full stop. The quiet is not absolute but you learn to appreciate it when the gasoline engine goes into action The rugged sound of gasoline takes over the technological sounds of the electrical system.
The two-tone coloring does him a favor (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Give in gasoline
Toyota has not yet entered the pure-electric race, but it offers an impressive array that includes two electric motors with an output of 182 + 53 horsepower and a battery with a capacity of 18.1 kWh. "S, the combined power of all systems reaches 306 horsepower.
It's a lot of power for a family crossover;
Recall that the test car accelerates to 100 km / h in 3.0 seconds while the hybrid version needs 8.4 seconds, and the petrol version takes 11.0 seconds to complete the classic acceleration.
The space in the back is good, there are air conditioning outlets and charging points (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
The herd of horses gives the Rab 4 excellent performance but the weak link is the continuous gearbox.
On a relaxed ride you will not feel its operation but any significant acceleration will raise the RPM to a high, noisy and even whiny level. The continuous gearbox is not designed to simulate virtual gears, it raises the engine to high RPM and only then does the acceleration arrive.
This is an unpleasant conduct, which will also be manifested in a detour at a routine three-digit speed.
Precisely in 'sporty' driving, the engine sound bothered me less;
I guess few Rab 4 customers will sharpen tires on mountain roads, but when they do - the excellent engine performance will atone for the sound.
Does not differ in exterior design from the other versions (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
And on the other hand, once you take advantage of engine power, you encounter new limitations.
The rechargeable Rab 4 weighs 1,930 kg, that's a lot; it carries 350 kilograms in the trunk, which affects the vehicle's behavior. The suspensions are calibrated to maintain ride comfort, and the result is very good; Urban is less good, the sports tires do him no favors.The safety specification is very high: there are 7 airbags, autonomous braking and lane keeping, pedestrian and dead body detection, adaptive cruise control, the whole package.
The dashboard provides a wealth of information, but there is no RPM meter (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
About electricity, gasoline and everything in between
Most customers will not bother with energy calculations, they will set up an "automatic" and let the car maximize management.
I apologize in advance for the following paragraphs which will be quite tedious and technological.
Rechargeable hybrid cars have an energetic personality split.
When traveling with the electric power charged from the home outlet, the trip is free of local pollution and the cost is about 25% of the cost of traveling on pure gasoline, very economical.
The real driving range on pure electricity is 50-60 kilometers.
Carries an additional 350 kg in the trunk due to the extra batteries (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
After exhausting the home charge you find yourself driving a regular hybrid vehicle, but - with 350 pounds in the trunk.
This weight increases fuel consumption.
On the intercity test drive, fuel consumption ranges from 13-15 kilometers per liter.
This is not an impressive figure, but if you weigh in the 60 electric kilometers, it improves significantly.
Another problem is that when the battery is depleted, the petrol engine strains more and its sound takes over the ride.
In light of this I chose the ‘charge’ mode and within 40 miles the rabbi charged half of the large battery.
This charging period reduced the fuel consumption to about 11 kilometers per liter, but after that, the trip improved greatly - the fuel consumption returned to around 16 kilometers per liter and most importantly, the gasoline engine returned to being discreet.
He acted less often, and was much quieter.
On Route 6 I checked the Rav 4 accelerations at high speeds, most impressive - even at 120 you get a decisive burst of acceleration, the car leaps forward in frenzy.
Not really space, but good for calm paths (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
SUV?
The founding Rav from 1997 was relatively tall, the body angles are excellent, and the tires have a high cross section.
At the time we had no trouble getting on with him on quite challenging trails, without exaggerating.
Rav 4 2021 has dual propulsion and Trail propulsion mode, which improves power transmission to the ground.
The front wheels are powered by electricity + petrol, the rear by a separate electric motor.
Good tire grip, traction control demonstrated good ability to control the various engines.
The big limitation stems from a front bumper that can be easily torn off, a problematic belly angle, and road tires designed to save energy.
I guess if you go far beyond a golden path you will probably be able to get home, but the chances of vehicle / tire damage are great.
Haram on you, this is not an SUV.
The approach angle limits the potential of the area (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Back to the charging station
The Rav4-Rechargeable Hybrid 4 is a sophisticated and advanced vehicle, an impressive demonstration of power by Toyota.
It looks good, the cabin is high quality and well equipped, the build quality is excellent;
On the other hand and for 255,000 shekels, we could ask for a more sophisticated cell rich in upholstery and upholstery materials.
The multimedia monitor has grown to 9 inches, but the graphics are still basic and minimalist.
The rechargeable propulsion unit raises its weight to almost two tons but nonetheless, it is agile and powerful.
The herds of horses armed with the alleged Rab 4 give it exceptional engine performance, but I doubt if its typical customers will take advantage of these capabilities.
How much will you need to travel to recoup the price difference?
(Photo: Rami Gilboa)
For customers with high-speed intercity travel, the claimed RAB 4 is not economical enough;
Certainly not in relation to its hybrid twin, which costs tens of thousands of shekels less.
An urban customer who travels 50-60 kilometers a day and is not lazy to connect the electric cable every evening, will be able to fully exhaust the potential for electric savings.
But quite a few years will pass before he recovers the 40,000 shekels he spent for the rechargeable system.
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Diesel, hybrid or plug-in?
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To the full article
I guess whoever buys a claimed Rab 4 will do so largely because of the technological sophistication, and the green image.
He will love the idea of refueling once every two weeks or more, and in the midst of initial enthusiasm he will stop messing with the various paddle options.
It is not clear to me how many such people there are in Israel but today they have another electric option, under the hood of Rab4.
The technology is impressive, but the price is not cheap (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
The most advanced is the most lucrative
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On the technical side: Toyota Raw 4 hybrid loaded, 4X4
Petrol engine, propulsion:
supercharged gasoline 4 pistons, drives the front wheels
Volume:
2,487 cc
Maximum power (hp / rpm):
185 / 6,000
Maximum torque (kg / rpm):
23.1 / 3,200
Transmission:
Continuous
electric motors, Power (hp):
180 + 53
Battery (kWh):
18.1
Combined power (hp):
306 hp
Dimensions:
Length (cm):
460
Width (
hp)
Mm
:
185
Height (cm):
169
Wheelbase (cm):
269
Trunk (liters):
657 Net
weight (kg):
1,930
Performance:
Acceleration 0-100 (seconds):
6.0
Speed Maximum:
180 km / h
Long-distance fuel consumption (test, km / h):
13-15, after exhausting the home charging
Competitors:
Peugeot 3008 Plug-in
Price of the test car:
NIS 255,000
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