Should I buy a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid or another SUV?
QUESTION
Hi,
We are a couple who mainly drive in the city during the week.
However, we are big mountain bike riders and surfers. Hence the need for a car to hold my surfboard and room in the back for at least 1 bike. Will probably need a tow bar at the back.
I am short so I do not like roof racks. The hybrid was because we were hoping to reduce our fuel costs. My husband has a bad back so we are looking for comfort when on longer drives.
Both of us like mod cons like the panoramic view and satnav and I like sitting up high. I’m used to driving a van. We are happy to consider other cars, it was just that the RAV4 seemed to suit our needs.
When I first spoke to you guys, you said that it would be a RAV4 Cruiser. Please can I ask why you did not suggest the RAV4 GX AWD Hybrid?
Rachael
ANSWER
Hello Rachael,
I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking here, so let me give you the back-story about RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid, the better to assist your decision of what new car to buy.
In practise you cannot buy the hybrid. There are 6-9-month delivery delays on the hybrid because global demand has exceeded available production capacity. Sometimes the delays are longer than that, depending on the exact car ordered.
Please see this article from the Motor Traders Assoc’n for confirmation: https://www.mtaq.com.au/toyota-rav4-hybrid-has-outperformed-expectations-leading-to-six-month-delivery-delays/
That’s before the pandemic hit…
Then the delays blew out even further: https://www.caradvice.com.au/834389/toyota-rav4-hybrid-delays/
Most people are not prepared to wait 6-9 months for a new car.
The most probable reason the GX specification was not suggested to you is that you said: “Both of us like mod cons like panoramic view and sat nav…” GX is the ‘poverty’ specification for RAV4. It has the cheapest seats (bad for husband’s back), smallest number of USB ports, no reversing camera and no panoramic view monitor (which you said you wanted), plus only the small centre info screen (baby sat-nav display) and no wireless phone charging.
By the way, we never tell you what car to buy. We make suggestions, but the decision remains entirely yours. If you want to wait until next April for a Cruiser Hybrid, we’re happy to put that in place for you. Bear in mind that it’s very hard to get a good discount on any car where demand grossly exceeds supply.
Also, on reducing fuel costs with a hybrid: Paying $3-6k more for a car up-front (the approximate premium price for the hybrid) is a hell of a liability to start saving money on fuel. The consumption difference is about 1.8 litres per 100km. Petrol is about $1.20/L.
When you crunch the numbers, if you pay $3k more for the hybrid than the petrol, you save $2.16 per 100km, and that means you have to drive 140,000km to break even… (That’s nearly 10 years of average driving.) If you pay $6k more for the hybrid, you’ll never pay it back before the car is worn out.
Sincerely,
John Cadogan
More reports
Toyota RAV4 is the best-selling medium SUV in Australia, offering good resale value and envious fuel economy. If you need an enormous boot and a simple, functional family vehicle, RAV4 is hard to beat.