A nippy, go-anywhere vehicle with more than a dash of green — sounds ideal? The latest Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is tough and environment-friendly too
Story: Gaurav Nagpal
Cityscapes these days are no longer vast tracts of land interspersed with swathes of green, the kind you would see before the automobile boom. The situation has reversed such that rough patches within the city are increasing, and the solace of greenery is to be found only out of town. A sedan often does not provide the peace of mind that an SUV would, though the latter is criticised for taking up too much space and being highly polluting. Toyota seek to kill both birds with the one stone that is the RAV4 compact SUV, now in a hybrid avatar.
The recent unveiling at the New York International Auto Show marks 20 years since the RAV4 was first launched. The 2016 RAV4 Hybrid will use the same powertrain as the previously-showcased Lexus NX300h, which implies a 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine as well as two electric motors (one for each axle), a nickel-hydride battery pack, a Continuously Variable Transmission, and the standard Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel-Drive System.
The regular petrol-only RAV4 makes 176 PS, while the Lexus puts out 194 PS; it is thus safe to expect a combined system output between these two figures for the RAV4 Hybrid. Acceleration and top speed have not been disclosed yet, but estimates suggest a 0-100 km/h time of nine seconds and a top speed of 200 km/h.
So far as fuel economy goes, the 2015 RAV4 has been tested to get 10-13 km/l, so the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid should perform much better on this count. The combined (petrol-electric) consumption could be around 17-19 km/l, and in pure electric mode, the RAV4 is a zero-emission vehicle.
Feature-wise, the RAV4 Hybrid is well-appointed. Highlights include a 4.2” TFT information screen in the gauge cluster, a seven-inch touchscreen in the centre console, an around-view monitor, the Toyota Safety Sense package (pre-collision braking, lane-departure warning, and radar cruise control, etc), Bird’s Eye View Monitor (four cameras on front, sides, and rear plus 360-degree Perimeter Scan View) for parking assistance, 17” alloys, and others.
The 2016 RAV4 is expected to be launched in December 2015, with the Hybrid model coming to Europe and the UK in early 2016. As the eighth hybrid in the Toyota line-up, the RAV4 seeks to offer an option for customers looking for all-wheel-drive yet with high fuel efficiency and low emission. With the compact SUV craze in India, this could be just what a green-minded go-anywhere customer would require. Toyota, we are waiting.
