Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid: For The Family On The Go

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The Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid is a surprisingly fun and roomy car with amazing MPG. This fun crossover is ideal for busy families or the single gal on the go. Hybrid cars have come a long way since Toyota rolled out the Prius, and those changes are very noticeable in the 2017 RAV 4 Hybrid.

Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid Review

The Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid is a really fun car. If you are in the market for an SUV without the hefty price tag of a full size, this may be your next car. With a MSRP starting at just $29,030 this is an extremely affordable compact SUV option. Add to that the fact that it’s a hybrid, and it just became even more affordable because of the MPG.

Room For 5 Plus Groceries

The first thing I noticed about the RAV 4 Hybrid was how much room it had. I was in Orlando while I had the RAV 4, and was easily able to cart my three adult friends around shopping and park hopping without any complaints of it being too cramped. The back seat is definitely larger than a sedan, as the ladies had ample room between them. It can seat up to five, you can certainly fit two car seats in the back with room for another child in the middle.

Cargo room was large, without the second row seats laid down you get a whopping 36 cu ft of car space, if you lay down the seats it doubles to 70 cu ft of space! Full disclosure I drive a full size SUV and with all 3 rows up I only get 15 cu ft of cargo space in the rear. I had two bags and still plenty of room to spare. You can easily fit a full grocery order in this trunk without lowering the back seat.

Interior With Luxury Feel

The interior of the RAV 4 Hybrid is packed with premium design without the hefty price tag. I love buttons and knobs, and all the little things in my car. I don’t know why I just do. It could be as simple as the volume button on the steering wheel, it just pluses my car experience when everything is convenient. You will find all the little extras in the RAV 4 Hybrid.

• Dual Zone Climate Control (umm hello get off my knobs)
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and blue-tooth controls
• SofTex trim 8 way adjustable driver seat
• Heated front seats
• Push button start
• (3) 12 V power outlets and (1) USB port
• 6.1″ touch screen with Entune Audio that includes GPS

Safety First

Safety and reliability are key with Toyota, if not the most important part of the car experience. During my time in the RAV 4 Hybrid I was in a lot of foot traffic heavy areas. The Toyota Safety Sense with pedestrian detection gave me the extra piece of mind when backing up. Did you know that Safety Sense comes standard in every trim level? No up-charge for a safe driving experience. The compact SUV boasts “360-degree” cameras on the bumpers and sides of the car that give the car an extra set of eyes for you.

Buckle Up Kiddos

A display on the dash tells you whether the back seat passengers are buckled up. It makes it easy to know whether the kids are safe in the back. I loved this, seriously. It’s so simple, yet so important.

Premium MPG

The RAV4 has three drive modes: Eco (which adjusts engine performance for efficiency), sport (extra power) and EV. Each of these plays into the MPG of the car. Sport will certainly use the most gas, but it will also give you that little bit of power you may need from time to time on the highway. Even though it’s a hybrid, it still has a bit of get up and go to it. This came in handy merging on and off the busy Orlando interstate. Overall I got 32.6 MPG driving the car for a week around Orlando, that is not bad at all considering the stop and go traffic.

Overall It’s a Winning Compact SUV

This Top Safety Rated compact SUV is a winner in my book. With it’s little touches like leather wrapped steering wheel, easy to use navigation and panoramic sunroof I enjoyed going places in the RAV 4 Hybrid all week. I can certainly see a busy family enjoying the RAV 4 Hybrid, and with the gas savings you can take an extra trip to the beach!

Disclosure: I was provided a car by Toyota USA for my honest review, all opinions are my own. This is a sponsored post.