You may have heard the ‘prime’ suffix before, for instance, on the Prius Prime. That too was a plug-in hybrid vehicle just like the RAV4 Prime. What makes the RAV4 Prime stand out among cars for sale in Orange County from a typical RAV4 or even a RAV4 Hybrid is that the vehicle offers usable electric range, great tech, and lots of room. It’s surprisingly fast, as well.
Driving
When you start your test drive cars for sale at Toyota of Orange in Orange County, don’t say we didn’t tell you about the amazing pep the RAV4 Prime has. What is responsible for this is a 134-kilowatt electric motor that sends 199 pound-feet of torque to the front axle. At the same time, a smaller, 40-kW motor pushes 89 lb-ft to the rear.
Altogether with a 2.5-liter gas engine, Toyota estimates the RAV4 Prime’s net output at 302 hp, resulting in a 5.7-second 0-to-60-mph dash. Essentially, we are looking at sports car country.
The vehicle has a 42-mile electric range that you can use to its full advantage. Based on EPA estimates, you should get 94 miles per gallon equivalent. However, if you only have the gas engine working, expect to see 38 mpg.
When you leave the RAV4 Prime in its standard drive mode and the gas engine and electric motors work smoothly. Although there is also a complete EV-mode and a charge setting where the gas engine is used for both propulsion and battery charging.
Yes, the dealers of cars for sale in Orange County want to address the elephant in the room. Many customers have a million questions when it comes to this subject matter. The RAV4 Prime takes 12 hours to charge its 18.1-kWh battery on a standard household plug.
However, if you have a 240-volt Level 2 outlet, you can charge the RAV4 in 4.5 hours! Again, if you opt for the more powerful 6.6-kW onboard charger, which is a costly option that’s only available with the $5,760 XSE Premium Package, you can replenish the RAV4’s battery in just 2.5 hours.
Technology
The RAV4 Prime is classified as a small SUV that is offered in SE and XSE trends which are equivalent to the higher trims available on the standard RAV4. Each trim has different technological features so dealers of cars for sale in Orange County particularly Toyota of Orange have broken it down below.
SE – This is the base model and it is fully furnished with plush features such as:
- A four-cylinder engine plus three hybrid-electric motor-generators
- 18.1-kWh lithium-ion battery back
- Combined output of 302 horsepower
- All-wheel drive
- Power liftgate
- Heated front seats
- 8-inch touchscreen
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
XSE – Goes a step higher to be a little extra with the following features:
- Two-tone roof (black)
- Sunroof (optional on SE)
- Paddle shifters
- Auto-dimming rearview mirror
- 9-inch touchscreen
- Wireless charging pad
- Simulated leather upholstery
- Interior ambient lighting
The Weather package gets you the following features:
- Heated steering wheel
- Heated rear outboard seats
- Automatic wipers with de-icers
The Audio package is only available with the XSE trim and includes:
- Weather package
- JBL audio system upgrade
- Built-in navigation system and online destination help
The Premium package (also XSE only) has some extra goodies such as:
- Panoramic sunroof
- Hands-free liftgate
- Adaptive headlights
- Front and rear parking sensors with automatic braking
- Quicker hybrid battery recharging capability
- Ventilated front seats
- Driver-seat memory settings
- Head-up display
- Digital rearview mirror (allows you to see out the back even with a fully loaded cargo area)
- Household-style power outlet in the cargo area
- Surround-view parking camera system
The RAV4 Prime comes standard with Toyota’s Safety Sense suite of driving aids, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, road sign recognition, and automatic high-beam headlights. The adaptive cruise control works seamlessly, at least at higher speeds, and can be used at slow speeds for those times when stop-and-go traffic comes out of nowhere. Surprisingly, blind-spot monitoring is not included in the Safety Sense package, however, it’s still standard on the RAV4 Prime.
Comfort
The RAV4 Prime’s interior is good looking with SofTex faux leather on the seats, accented with some red contrast stitching. The vehicle’s cabin is roomy, well-organized and the materials used are of exceptional quality, and there are several ways to charge your devices, including an optional wireless charging pad that is located near the front seats.
The driver’s seat is equipped with ample adjustments to let you easily find a comfortable seating position for your journey ahead. However, the front passenger seat has fewer adjustments than the driver’s seat, so get ready for any complaints from envious front passengers.
The simulated leather upholstery, Toyota Softex, breathes well and it is an absolute lifesaver during those hot days with the available seat ventilation. Also, the rear seats deserve some credit for their above-average thigh support.
The RAV4 prime’s ride quality leans more towards comfort rather than performance, delivering a smooth ride over road imperfections. Road and wind noise is kept to a minimum, so you can enough peace and quiet in the cabin.
The controls are easy to find because they are well labeled and sensibly grouped together to allow you to work them easily. Getting in and out of the vehicle is effortless thanks to the ideal ride height and large door openings. Vertically challenged passengers will find it easy to get in and taller ones don’t have to crouch down to make their way inside and outside of the RAV4 Prime.
Again, taller occupants, who are around six feet, have enough headroom and legroom in any seat. Also, there is good forward visibility because of the narrow front windshield pillars.
Due to the RAV4 Prime’s battery and plug-in drivetrain, the vehicle takes a slight hit when it comes to storage space and when compared to a standard RAV4. When the rear seats are up the Prime has 33.5 cubic feet of space. With the seats folded down, the area expands to 63.2 cubic feet.
Just for the sake of comparison, the standard RAV4 has 37.5 cubic feet of space with the seats up and 69.8 cubic feet of room with the seats folded down.
Overall
The Toyota RAV4 Prime is a well-roaded compact SUV. It is spacious, efficient, and has loads of tech goodies, and lest we forget it is very fast!