Used 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SUV Consumer Reviews
Used RAV4 Hybrid for sale
2016 Rav4 Hybrid Limited -- Better than expected
Diane Hartley, 06/12/2016
2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
The 2016 Rav4 Hybrid actually does get better mileage than advertised. I am averaging 36 mpg, driving 300 miles a week on the highway and another 100 around town. It gives a much smoother ride than the older Rav4's. Good handling and tons of safety features, including lane shifting alarms, on the Limited edition. I love driving this vehicle.
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It's growing on me
William Moore, 03/21/2016
updated 09/22/2016
2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
27 of 29 people found this review helpful
Update after 8 months of ownership (Nearly 9,000 miles): I've driven several long trips (8+ hours) on highways in mountainous conditions as well as in flat extreme heat conditions with a full cargo load, short local road conditions, and quasi off-road environments, and all things in between. The car handled the highway and local travel conditions very well. The handling was particularly reassuring in some of the most torrential rains and winds I've ever encountered anywhere on the road (Hurricane Hermine in Florida). I noticed the gas mileage decreases by about 3 mpg in extremely hot weather, but functionality is fine. The semi off-road drive would have been better handled by a hardier and true 4WD vehicle like a truck or 4 Runner, but I wanted to go fishing and had to test the vehicle's limits a bit :o) It made it across the field and back, but it was a very bumpy ride and some of the deeper dips in the field let themselves be known!! Now that I've better learned how to use the navigation system, it certainly gets me where I want to go. I've upgraded that review. Over all, I have to say I have no regrets in purchasing this vehicle. The cargo load is great, the safety features flawless and useful, the road performance is very good....A fine automobile that I intend to keep for many years to come. Over all, I'm quite pleased I've only had the vehicle for about a month, so resale value, maintenance costs, and inclement weather handling are still untested elements. Since inclement weather performance is also heavily dependent on tire selection, that will be a test requiring a considerable amount of time. I don't have a pressing need for snow capability since I live in Georgia and will travel mostly within Georgia, South and North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida with this vehicle. Wet weather and light off-pavement driving performance is more crucial, however. Once the factory tires wear out, I'm inclined to switch to Michelin Premier A/S. I put the Premier tire line on my Highlander with spectacular results. I wanted a smaller crossover SUV than my Highlander. The RAV4 Hybrid fit the bill. The road performance is very pleasing. The rear suspension is a bit rough in bumpy conditions, but acceleration, cornering, braking (particularly excellent), and transmission shifting are all superior. On the highway and normal city pavement conditions, the ride is very smooth with a comforting degree of driver control. Plenty of oomph to make it up the mountains and small enough to make tight quarters parking a breeze. The active safety features are truly next generational, effective, and easy to use. The camera features are amazing. LED headlights, fog lamps (although strangely not LED), great visibility, blind spot monitoring, pedestrian and rear cross traffic sensors, radar cruise control, lane shift sensors, and more make it all a very nice package, indeed. The front seats aren't the most comfortable I've ever encountered, but a seat cushion cured that. The seat back and bucket seat configuration are quite nice compared to the seat itself. Plenty of head and leg room for a 6' 3", 200 lb driver. The hybrid's battery cuts back on the rear cargo space a bit, and the resulting slope created by the battery compartment is slightly limiting, but nothing I can't live with. Especially considering the fantastic gas mileage I'm getting. Combined city/highway is producing a 37.8 mpg result. Definitely what I was seeking. Very adequate sound insulation engineering in this vehicle keeps external road noise to a minimum. One strange omission is that there is no glove compartment lamp. I'm not sure why so many entertainment features are needed in an automobile, but there are a plethora of options from which to choose in the RAV4. The premier JBL speakers are a tad tinny sounding, but after market upgrades would cure that for those in need of concert hall sound. The display is easy to use with plenty of configuration options. The navigation system is somewhat confusing and difficult to follow while driving, especially compared with a Garmin unit. My "sporty" days are behind me, so while there might be faster, more muscular crossover SUVs out there, the overall package of the RAV4 hybrid, along with the Toyota reliability factor is difficult to beat. This is a solidly built vehicle with an established reputation, employing proven hybrid technologies; all of which should inspire the even the most wary potential automobile purchaser to venture into the land of hybrid and contemporary safety features.
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Only 4" Shorter than a 2006 Highlander
Nathan Wheatley, 07/16/2016
updated 01/18/2017
2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
17 of 18 people found this review helpful
My how cars grow. I traded in my 2006 Highlander Hybrid for this and there's actually 4" MORE legroom for second-row passengers than the Highlander because the RAV doesn't have that "Place worst enemies here" third row. This review won't let me put in line breaks so you're stuck with a horrible list. GOOD: 38MPG (at pump), automatic climate control isn't a joke (my Highlander once tried to deal with a frosted windshield in the middle of winter by turning on the AC--OVERRULED!), no excuses for parking badly ever again due to all the cameras, the AC doesn't drain the hybrid battery super fast like the Highlander's did, keeping the engine off in wasteful situations is less of a game than the Highlander, subjectively lower brake regeneration noise, subjectively lower highway road noise (wind or tires), automatic cruise control works pretty well. BAD: Utterly lackluster acceleration compared to the Highlander (194HP in the RAV, 270 in the only-400-pounds-heavier Highlander), remote range seems very short (what's the point of a power tailgate if I'm already there standing watching it open?), no Android Auto/Apple CarPlay support, Bluetooth cannot fetch album art from a phone currently streaming music (you're stuck with GraceNote so if you listen to anything even an inch out of the "mainstream" good luck--no art for you!), homescreen can be set up for three panels but only 2 left 1 right--you can't do the opposite. If you're looking at XLE or Limited RAV4 trims the Hybrid's $700 increase is a no-brainer option that can be quickly recouped even with gas approaching $2/gallon as I write this (July 2016).
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2016 RAV4 Hybrid - A lot of bank for your buck
Julie Dresslr, 08/05/2016
2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
I love my new blue 2016 RAV4 Hybrid! It has amazing safety features, which is always the most important thing to me about a car. I especially appreciate the blind spot warning lights that blink and warn you when a car is approaching your blind spots on either side. Very comfortable seats with good support. Daytime running lights, all wheel drive are a real plus, especially in inclement weather. I love the GPS system and the ability to sync my phone with the car's blue tooth. The ride is smooth, even when going over bumps or railroad tracks. When had to loose the CD player when we opted for the GPS package, but it was the best choice. I would have liked to have digital mph and the dial is small and a little hard to read with the visual falling within the steering wheel, but I am getting used to that. I love that it is a hybrid and can feel that I am helping the environment as well as getting amazing gas mileage. The hybrid was such a great choice, especially being only a little bit more than the regular RAV4 (less than $1,000). It could use a few more beverage holders as there aren't any in the back seat. This is curious with today's average person frequently carrying a drink or water with them. Overall though, I am very happy with my purchase and love it!
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The Best All-Around Compact SUV on the Market
Jeb Buchman, 11/27/2016
2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
I've owned the RAV4 Hybrid Limited for about 6 months now (driven 15,000 miles) and, generally speaking, I am very impressed/satisfied with the car. If I drive the car "gently" in ECO Mode, I can average just over 40mpg (a combo of city and highway driving) and pass 500 miles on a single tank of gas (14.3 gallon tank). If I drive the car normally (i.e. without trying to maximize fuel efficiency and not in ECO Mode), I get around 35mpg. I rarely use the "Sport" mode, which alters the throttle mapping to make the car more responsive to pressing the accelerator. "EV" Mode allows you to drive at speeds under 25mpg with the gas engine off, only using the hybrid motor (provided there is ample charge left in the battery). In my experience, on a fully charged battery, you can go about a half mile in "EV" Mode on flat terrain before the battery drains and the internal combustion engine kicks in. The car gets better mileage in city driving than it does cruising on a highway. The seats are comfortable over long trips, and the heated front seats work well. The driver's seat is power-adjustable, with two memory buttons. The auto-dimming rearview mirror also has garage door remote buttons built into it at the bottom of the mirror. The Navigation System and climate controls are intuitive/easy to learn, and are easy to reach from the driver's seat without having to take your eyes off the road. But, if direct sunlight hits the Navigation screen, you can't see the screen. My iPhone was very simple to setup via bluetooth. The multi-info display, which is in between the speedometer and energy gauge, is customizable to display things like mpg stats, distance you can drive before needing to refuel, real-time hybrid system graphics, a digital compass, audio system info, and other information. For a Hybrid SUV, acceleration is outstanding, either from a stand-still or from a moving start. The car is plenty quick enough to pass an automobile on a two-lane highway with ease. The added power and torque from the electric motors makes the engine feel like a relatively strong 6 cylinder rather than a typical 4 cylinder...although when you jump on the gas pedal, you will feel/hear the high-revving RPMs typical of CVT transmissions in a hybrid. The hybrid system does an excellent job balancing the use of the electric motors to supplement the engine, and the regenerative braking system significantly helps recharge the battery when stopping or slowing down. The car almost always shuts off the engine when at a stop, unless the car is warming up or if the battery is drained. The air conditioner gets its power from the battery, not the engine, so the A/C can run while the engine is off at stop lights. There is ample room in the backseat for two average-sized adults, and the hybrid battery "hump" in the rear cargo space doesn't rob you of much storage area at all. The JBL audio system is very good for a car in this price range...better than I expected. The headlights and fog lights work great...I am pleased with how well I can see the road at night. The car also has an "auto high-beam" feature which means you can leave the bright lights on, and the car will automatically dim them when it senses a car in front of you. The Dynamic Cruise Control works well...you can choose from 3 settings to determine how far you want the car in front of you to be, and the cruise control will adjust speed to remain at that distance behind the other car. Windshield wipers work as expected, although I do wish there was an option for "rain-sensing" automatic wipers. The only significant negative characteristic of the car is cornering capability: If you try to drive this car hard around corners, the suspension has trouble hugging the road; it feels like you have an elephant tied to the roof. The overall handling characteristics (including steering and braking) of the RAV4 Hybrid are comfortable, predictable, and safe, but not in any way "sporty"...there is a noticeable lack of "feel" between you and the road. If you don't try to push the car hard around corners, it handles just fine. The All Wheel Drive system is basically a dedicated electric motor to power the rear wheels. When the car anticipates front wheel slippage, the rear motor kicks in and sends power to the rear wheels for added traction. The internal combustion engine is not connected to the rear wheels; the gas engine can only power the front wheels. In my experience, the AWD system does a good job adding traction when needed in slippery conditions, like on a snow covered road, or when accelerating from a stop on a slippery hill...but I wouldn't recommend using this AWD system for off-road driving. In 15,000 miles of driving, I have yet to experience a single problem with the car.
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