Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid

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maby said:
It looks like a nice enough car and is something I might well consider if I were purchasing as a private buyer. For my pattern of use it would probably be slightly cheaper to run than the PHEV, but the increased BIK penalty would more than outweigh any saving in running cost.

I would be curious to run the numbers, unfortunately my company treats its staff like a 5 year old and locks us out of the quoting system until a few months before renewal and as soon as you order.. apparently it upsets people if the car they lease drops in price later on... but I digress..

Yes the CO2 is a lot higher but due to the high price of the PHEV, I have to contribute (trade up) towards the lease cost. The Toyota has a much lower purchase price so if the lease is a lot cheaper it might offset things a bit (in my case it might save me £115 a month). Whilst the CO2 percentage is far higher its against a lower list price to so that will help the BIK a bit too.

Without a total costing its hard to say the difference, I am 3 years away from renewal so its a vehicle of academic idle curiosity for now.
 
The RAV4 hybrid uses the exact drive train of the Lexus NX300h, another SUV.

The complicated hybrid (differential type) drives the front axle and a 'run of the meal' electric motor drives the rear axle.

Before anyone starts dismisses the Toyota hybrid drivetrains, I suggest that they goggle some of the extremely detailed mini courses online which show how clever this differential based drive train is, and the lengths Toyota go to recover / conserve energy.

The main limitation seems to be the high rpms that the petrol and secondary electric motors have to achieve if you wish keep the main drive motor within its limits at any reasonably high road speeds. Hence the noise, otherwise very clever, (and interesting).

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/this-is-how-toyota-prius-gearbox-works-video-63918.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxuqHcUbSQ0
 
ian4x4 said:
The RAV4 hybrid uses the exact drive train of the Lexus NX300h, another SUV.

The complicated hybrid (differential type) drives the front axle and a 'run of the meal' electric motor drives the rear axle.

Before anyone starts dismisses the Toyota hybrid drivetrains, I suggest that they goggle some of the extremely detailed mini courses online which show how clever this differential based drive train is, and the lengths Toyota go to recover / conserve energy.

...

I certainly would not dismiss the Toyota drive train - I was impressed by it and really quite liked the handling. I was beginning to fall out of love with the Prius by the time we got rid of it, but that was mostly down to the rapidly rising cost of ownership. As it got older and started needing maintenance that was more complex than a simple oil change, the reluctance of non-Toyota garages to touch it began to become expensive.
 
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