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Meet the practical 2023 RAV4 hybrid
This SUV is easy to drive, has a well-built and comfortable cabin, provides an impressive amount of cargo space and is equipped with a user-friendly infotainment system. PHOTOs/Roland D. Nasasira
What you need to know:
- The RAV4 Hybrid is a good-looking, practical, and comfortable small crossover that is frugal at the fuel pump, which is more than enough for an SUV-loving motorist to feel good about
When I started test-driving the Toyota Recreational Active Vehicle (RAV4) 2023 model, I expected to hear the sound of the engine start. After pushing the start button, to my surprise, the dashboard lit and displayed that the car was ready to drive. It also indicated the battery power left and how long it could take me. When idling, you never hear the engine sound.
As I studied the dashboard, the engine eventually set in after approximately 20 minutes. The battery power had reduced and as the engine ran, the battery was charging, making the RAV4 2023 model a purely hybrid car.
On a rainy Thursday morning, my four-hour test drive of the five-seater mini sport utility vehicle started at the Corporation for Africa and Overseas (CFAO), locally known as Toyota Uganda Kampala showroom in Industrial Area. I continued to lower Kololo via Wampewo Avenue, Yusuf Lule Road to Mulago Kubbiri, connected to the Northern Bypass, Entebbe Expressway, Munyonyo roundabout, Konge to Lukuli Road, Nsambya, Clock Tower, Entebbe and Jinja Roads and back to the starting point. The aim was to learn more about the car, especially its safety features, fuel and battery economy, and driving comfort, among other features.
Features
At a mileage of 1,824km, because of the extremely quiet start, I was more cautious as I joined the road. The RAV4 has electronic parking. The handbrake is not your usual hand-pulled or foot-pushed pedal but rather a button positioned next to the gear lever. To engage, you gently lift it as though you are raising the car window and it lights red. It is pushed down to disengage. When I accelerated and forgot to disengage, it disengaged itself.
The RAV4 has the hold feature, represented with a circled letter H, next to the gear lever. When I reached Yusuf Lule Road in traffic jam, when engaged, the hold button lights and displays green on the dashboard. With the gear lever in drive mode, I took my foot off the brake and accelerator pedals, the car held itself in one position and only moved when I accelerated.
Cruise control
The car has cruise control features, which work when one is on the road and wants to maintain a constant speed regardless of whether they are driving up or downhill. After reaching the required speed, you can set the speed and the car will not go beyond the set speed, making it appear as though it is on autopilot. At this point, you can get your foot off the pedals and just steer.
For comfort and posterity, the 2023 model has provision for seat memory of two drivers if it is a shared car. When you enter, it will automatically adjust to your seat memory. It also has traction controls. By default, these are always on and they are the stabilising mechanisms of the car, especially when driving in a terrain where you could skid.
Driveability
Designed with a 12-inch smart screen and a 2000cc petrol engine, the car’s battery is determined and detected by the electronic control unit or the computer system of the car. When the battery is low on power, the engine kicks in to run the car as it charges the battery. When the battery is charged to the level where it can run itself, the engine goes off to save fuel.
If your foot is not heavy on the accelerator, the car runs on the battery most of the time. If you over-accelerate and the car demands more power, at times the battery and engine run simultaneously. It picks up speed faster than ordinary combustion engines. I witnessed it when I overtook a Subaru Forester at the turn to Munyonyo while driving at 130km/hr.
“The car does not need any external charging. It is self-charging when the engine is running. When you brake while driving, it does regenerative charging where the force used to brake is utilised to charge the battery. It is also advisable to be gentle when revving to save more fuel,” says John Silver Oryem, a sales executive at CFAO.
Built with leather seats and an electronic adjusting system for the front and rear seats, it also has a trunk opening sensor. When carrying luggage or when your ands are busy, you can swipe your foot below the trunk to open it.
Additional
Apart from the brake pedal, you can also brake using the engine. It shows on the dashboard in the form of a road with two green arrows on either side pointing to the wheels. The gear lever has a shift position abbreviated with the letter S, where you use normal automatic in drive mode. To brake using the engine, you push the gear lever to shift and the car will slow down to gear four.
When you shift to gear four, it means the engine is braking and slows down further to gear three until it stops. This also helps to preserve the brake pads and is more efficient than braking using the brake pedal. You safely feel the car slow down.
It has the sport, EV, eco and standard driving modes. If you want to save fuel, you drive in eco mode which controls your revving. Sport is where it regulates driving to sport mode. EV means that once the battery is fully charged, it only regulates the battery. At the end of the test drive, the mileage had increased to 1,876km.
Cost:
John Silver Oryem, a sales executive at CFAO, the 2023 RAV4 costs $59,000, which is equivalent to Shs218m. It is serviced at 5,000km intervals and you will spend approximately Shs300,000 for minor service.
