The 2016 RAV4 Hybrid combines output from a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine and a small high-torque electric motor through its unique transaxle. Toyota says the extra power is enough to cut nearly a full second off the car’s zero-to-96 km/h (0-60 mph) acceleration time, to 8.1 seconds. The all-weather capability is there, too, as both Hybrid grades come equipped with an Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel-Drive System with intelligence (AWD-i) as standard.
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Details of the upcoming 2016 Toyota RAV4 hybrid have finally been revealed with the upgrade bringing in quite a few upgraded specifications and refinements.
A few years after the first RAV4 arrived, Toyota began offering what would become the world’s best-selling hybrid vehicle, the Prius.
The 2016 RAV4 Hybrid will be available in two different trim levels – XLE and Limited. A second electric motor is located on the rear axle, allowing all-wheel drive without the need of a secondary drive shaft.
This non-turbocharged engine is coupled with electric power to give it 34 mpg city and 31 mpg highway for an EPA rating of 31 mpg combined. The RAV4 Hybrid comes in two premium grades: XLE and Limited. The RAV4 Hybrid is also Toyota’s eighth hybrid auto in its line-up and the aforementioned price is inclusive of delivery charge. The RAV4 Hybrid also comes with regenerative braking that turns the electric motor into a generator that harnesses kinetic energy that’s produced when the brakes are applied and stores it in the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) hybrid battery pack.
You have the option of going for an ECO mode that will optimize the throttle response and air conditioning output to help prioritize fuel economy.
The RAV4 Hybrid can go for 0.6 miles on electricity alone at speeds below 25mph.
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You can see vehicle functions and get updates on how the systems within the RAV4 are performing through a 4.2-inch TFT screen between the instrument gauges. Standard on the top-of-the-line Limited trim levels, and available on XLE models, TSS includes a forward collision warning system with automatic braking, lane departure warning system, automatic high beams, pedestrian pre-sollision System and dynamic radar cruise control. However, Canadians who buy the XLE and SE models do get blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert as standard, and the base LE gets wide-angle side mirrors to improve blind-spot visbility.
