Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid: 302bhp PHEV priced from £47,395
New version of fifth-generation SUV available to order in January with 46-mile electric-only range
Toyota has released new details of its new RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, which will arrive in the UK with a 302bhp powertrain capable of 46 miles of electric-only running.
Available in two trim grades - Dynamic and Dynamic Premium - the PHEV flagship will be available to order from 4 January, with prices starting at £47,395. That price represents a slight premium over its Suzuki Across twin, which went on sale last month, and is around £16,000 more than the starting price of the entry-level, front-wheel-drive RAV4.
As with the standard RAV4, Dynamic trim is equipped with 19in alloy wheels, a 9.0in touchscreen, heated front and rear seats and LED headlights as standard. The Premium option bumps the price up to £50,895, and adds black leather upholstery, a panoramic roof, head-up display and upgraded sound system. Customer deliveries will get underway in the second quarter of 2021.
The fifth-generation SUV was launched in 2018, but it was initially offered in the UK with just one powertrain option: a 2.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid producing 215bhp in front-wheel-drive form and 219bhp in four-wheel-drive models. Toyota says the new machine is the most powerful RAV4 – and the quickest alternatively fuelled Toyota – ever.
The new plug-in variant features four-wheel drive as standard and uses the same 173bhp 2.5-litre petrol engine as the regular hybrid. That engine is mated to an 18.1kWh underfloor battery and a pair of electric motors - one with 180bhp on the front axle and another with 54bhp at the rear.
The new battery is a high-capacity lithium ion unit, with the powertrain featuring a boost converter on the hybrid’s power control unit.
Toyota says the system produces 302bhp in total, emits just 29g/km of CO2 (according to 'WLTP-standard data') and can propel the RAV4 from 0-62mph in 6.2sec. The electric motor is capable of running at speeds of up to 84mph with no intervention from the engine.
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*Suzuki Across 2020 UK review*
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