replace 2023 Prius Prime with new Rav 4 Prime - blasphemy?

That shift is just now starting to become apparent. Base model RAV4 PHEV is expected to start at $41,500. Base model for bZ is $34,900.

So coming from a pure "this is my budget" perspective, which is how the youngest generation tends to manage financial decisions, it's an interesting sales pickle.

With our economy tanking and world power related to oil dramatically changing, we can't realistically do apples-to-apples comparing anymore. This is a true paradigm shift taking place.

 

If someone only has one vehicle, needs cargo space, or just Toyota's ugly EV. the PHEV could very well be the better choice, especially in areas where the government is causing electric rates to skyrocket, supposedly due to environmental concerns while they charge a premium for efficient vehicles. ( I am looking at you, Virginia. Anything getting more that 25 mpg has an additional highway use fee.)

 

Ah! You are in the generation with wisdom. Me too.

 

Not wanting to stop to recharge is a moment-in-time problem. Chargers becoming readily available will wash away concerns & needs for many. My wife and I always stop roughly every 2 hours anyway.

That's a bit of a loaded comment, since "leading" is a subjective measure. Toyota's goal is balance. You'll see (in any of there plug-in offerings, BEV or PHEV) that the next-gen eAxle just rolled out is impressively efficient. Despite still being winter, I'm seeing a decent bump in mi/kWh.

That's worth looking into. Rebates are often available. Here in MN, we currently have a $500 per line offer. There's talk of being able to get $1000. And that's a benefit before taking into account off-peak & time-of-use discounts.

 

Make the bZ4X comparable to the Rav plug in with AWD, and the price difference shrinks to $1600.

 

Not sure what paths you are comparing. Toyota is phasing out traditional ICE with hybrids, while at the same time rolling out 3 new EVs. We see Ford, GM, Stellantis and VW taking massive writeoffs, scaling back their EV push. Focusing on pure EV failed. Notice how "EREV" (which are really just glorified PHEV) are getting attention now? That's why the topic of "leading" didn't offer constructive discussion.

 

my local power company seems to equate EV with Tesla. Their discounts only apply to Tesla owners and I think they are the largest power company in the state..

 

It's great that you like your BEV, but neither Toyota nor Subaru broke into the top 10 manufacturers for BEV sales in the US last year. Toyota's model, the BZ4X, is largely seen as a compliance model.

When you've brands that have all their eggs in the battery car basket and Tesla has something like half the US market, it's reasonable to see Tesla and Lucid as leaders in that market and Toyota as a footnote. That's not a condemnation of Toyota -- people sit on Toyota waiting lists because they've found a solution that makes more sense for them that a car that requires sitting at a plug, and they may not be sure what they'd do with 500 ft lbs of torque anyway.

In a discussion of whether to trade a Prius for a Rav4 we can probably have a productive discussion without agreeing that Toyota is currently a leader in the battery car market.

A problem lots of people aren't interested in having.


I had never been in a Rav4 at all until last Friday. I stopped by a dealership and sat in an LE. People complain that the interior is cheap. The steering wheel was pebbled plastic and the other bits all seemed to be black plastic too. It struck me as basic and durable. I can complain about the price, but the vehicle itself is about the same length as a Prius, has a spare tire, a usable more back seat and is easier to enter and exit. I don't want one, but I see why people do.

Nearly every manufacturer makes steering wheels with a stitched leather cover, or a fake stitched leather cover. A roughly pebbled plastic wheel is easier to grip, easier to clean and is surely more durable.

 

i believe Toyota is continuing the trend of only offering PHEV on higher trim models. When they were scarce, my son ended up with a 2023 RAV4 Prime XSE. i think in that model year it was only offered in XLE and XSE trims.

 

Since when is it constructive to base ranking on sales of an outgoing generation?

2026 bZ is a greatly improved next-gen offering, with upgrades across the board. Sales only began in late November of last year.

Timing of the transition worked immensely well in Toyota's favor too. Rather than being forced to deal with EV writedowns like other legacy automakers, those losses were avoided entirely. Now, we see some of that financial advantage playing out in the form of cashback deals.

Watch what happens in 2026.

 

Probably ever since a Toyota compliance model could be the reasonable basis for someone concluding

It's great to read that the BZ4X is now a more compelling product than reviews of a couple of years ago indicated.

Geoj used the present tense. Toyota may have hopes and plans, but its current reality includes selling quickly every internal combustion/electric hybrid it makes. Tesla has been devoted to making only battery powered cars for more than a decade and still dominates sales. In light of that, how would Toyota be a leading brand in battery powered cars currently?

I don't hate Toyota and I don't want a Tesla, but that doesn't translate into Toyota being the leading brand in EVs.


If you are addressing a fellow thinking about switching from a Prius to a Rav4, what is constructive about pressing the virtue of an EV the base form of which has fewer than 300 miles in range for a 300 mile round trip?

Edit to add: I understand Toyota to be very involved in battery technology development. I would expect that with time this technology develops into later, more compact batteries that are susceptible to quicker charging and greater longevity. All of that works to the benefit not only of EVs, but ordinary hybrids as well.