2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid consumer reviews

This is one of the most enjoyable vehicles I have ever driven, but the well documented problem with refueling the car really kills the joy of owning an otherwise wonderful vehicle. Most people with the fuel issue perceive that they can't get the proper amount of gas into the tank, which is not actually what is happening but, rather, the distance to empty display and the fuel gague become more and more inaccurate with every fuel-up. In a few months, mine will eventually tell me that my tank is empty after I put 10 or more gallons of gas into it. I have driven the vehicle multiple times more than 100 miles past the point that the gas gague has dropped below empty, and the distance to empty (DTE) display had long reached 0 (then displays the word Refuel), and was able to get just over 13 gallons into the tank by the first time the pump auto stopped. I even ran it completely out of gas while driving it to the dealership yesterday, which is because the computer is not correctly calculating the DTE. It gave me numbers that worked out to be 1.75 gallons of fuel in the tank when, in reality, there was less than half of a gallon left in total. I was surprisingly able to complete a one mile detour to a nearby gas station in electric mode, and was able to restart the vehicle after putting one gallon into the tank. Toyota has announced that they will have replacement parts for this problem available at the end of January, 2020 (about 6 weeks away). Again, it's not the tank, it's the fuel gague and DTE display that are misleading everybody... and you do need to stop filling once the pump automatically stops because that brings the tank up to roughly 14.2 total gallons (out of 14.5), which technically means that you can safely round up to the nearest whole dollar. I will wait as patiently as possible for Toyota's replacement part(s) that they promise will become available at the end of next month... and hope that this is a real fix and not just Toyota stalling for time and more sales...

We have had many Toyota products over the years. We are empty nesters and bought a 2019 RAV4 Hybrid XLE to travel in. We had the Entune 3, Convenience package and Weather package options. $33,878 MSRP. Having had three previous RAV4's, I was complacent when making this purchase and didn't do enough research. The 2019 was redesigned and the center console is taller and wider than previous model years. Also, the tops of the door panels where one rests their arm/elbow is a hard plastic which isn't comfortable. I didn't pick up on these little things during my test drive. After owning our RAV4 for 6 months and 10,000 miles, we traded it in for a 2020 Subaru Forester. First the pros: While subjective, I love the new look of the redesign. It looks more rugged look than before. The gas mileage in the summer was outstanding averaging 44 mpg around town, and good on the highway. At 72 mph I averaged 38-39 mpg. Once the cold weather arrived (40 degrees or less) my mileage was reduced noticeably to 38-39 mpg around town and 34 mpg on the highway. The vehicle heats up quickly in the cold weather, and the heated steering wheel is nice. I found the seats to be comfortable, and voice commands using the button on the steering wheel worked well with my iPhone. Loved having a tuning knob on the radio which our Honda CRV lacks. Our RAV4 had a rattle in the center console that the dealer was unable to fixed/eliminate, but otherwise we didn't experience any troubles. Little known fact, the dealer service department programmed my key fobs to allow us to lower the windows of all four passenger doors with a push and hold of a button on the key fob. This service was done for free! Might be of interest if you live in a warmer climate. The Cons: One pet-peeve of mine is that Toyota speedometers don't seem to be accurate. Using our dashboard Garmin GPS as well as the Waze app on our cell phone, the speedometer on our RAV4 Hybrid was off by 2 mph around town, and off by 3 mph at 72 mph. In order to have the vehicle travel down the road at 72 mpg, I had to set the cruise at, or have the speedometer read 75 mph. Dealer was unable to adjust or re-calibrate the speedometer allowing it to be more accurate. Also, the average mpg that the vehicle calculated was always higher than the mpg we actually achieved, doing the math (dividing the miles we traveled by the gallons of fuel we put in the tank). On that note, when filling the vehicle with fuel using the fuel pumps that lock the handle in place, I was unable to fill the tank beyond 3/4 full! I had to continue putting fuel in the vehicle at a much slower rate that the gas would normally come out of the pump to completely fill the gas tank. Just inconvenient to do and takes extra time at the pumps. I used to just stop filling the tank when the pump shut off, but leaving the gas station with 3/4 of a tank of gas and having the reduced range was equally inconvenient. The dealer breaker for us was after several longer drives, I found myself feeling cramped and confined. On longer drives, I'd spread my knees apart a little and I find one knee rubbing against the drivers door panel and the other rubbing against the center console, both of these surfaces are made of hard plastic. In addition, the top of the center console flares out so my leg/knee was against a dull pointed surface. It was just uncomfortable for me in my driving position, being 5'11" tall. Also, I found the HVAC buttons to be too small, or at least smaller than I would like them to be. Lastly, the interior of this vehicle at night is dark. None of the switches are illuminated (buttons for the map lights, windows, door lock/unlock, moon roof or power mirror adjustments). There is a small line that lights up on the drivers door window switch and then you have to feel around for the others. I had to open the drivers door to get the interior lights to come on in order to see the door unlock button to unlock the doors. Try turning on a map light. You don't just press the light it self. There is a small button to the side of the map light on the overhead console that you have to feel around for and press to turn the map light on. Not a deal breaker, but disappointing. We traded our RAV in for a 2020 Subaru Forester Limited. The Forester was redesigned in 2019 and is now a little larger than it was, and I find it to be more comfortable and has more amenities than our RAV4.

I love having a hybrid. I feel good about gas mileage and about using less fuel. I feel like I am dong something to halo the environment, even though it is such a small thing. The car is comfortable and the right size fir my uses.

This car is for me, I love RAV4 HYBRID. The comfort of the ride. The ease of getting gas rarely because its economical and just xx to drive.

Toyota’s reputation for great technology and superb reliability were the final reasons for picking the RAV4 hybrid over the 2020 Ford Escape hybrid and the Honda CRV hybrid. However, in the 1000 miles I’ve put on the car I have been impressed with how quietly and gently it handles bumps and road imperfections, but surprised by the amount of wind noise that comes in through the glass. I have enjoyed the safety features except the lane-keeper function. It tries to keep the car between the painted stripes on each side of the lane but gets confused by curves and makes jerky corrections, and it doesn’t handle left and right-turn lanes when going straight and may try to steer you out of your lane and into the turn lane. This feature needs improvement. I drive with it off unless on an Interstate. The cloth seats that come in the XLE model are truly ugly and cheap looking. We had the cloth removed and replaced with leather at a cost of $1500. The non-power seats are also uncomfortable because they lack lumbar support. We’ve put after-market back supports on the seats to make them comfortable. Toyota could really learn something from Ford about designing seats for American drivers. Finally, I am very surprised and dismayed that our RAV4 does not have a built-in compass. This feature is basic to driving, especially in cities with confusing or inaccurate directions coming from Waze or Google Maps. Toyota, how much did you save by not including this basic tool? I know I sound unhappy with my RAV4 hybrid, but that is not the case. I am accommodating or rectifying the issues I discussed above. I expect this to be the last car we will ever purchase and we feel confident it will last much longer than we will. It has a very generous cargo capacity and accommodates our luggage AND my wife’s walker with substantial room to spare for yard sale or antique store prizes. I installed a class III hitch and am now able to haul my wife’s mobility scooter like a breeze. Finally, I set the calculator to trip rather than overall and have seen over 50 mpg so far. I love that. So, all in all, I am convinced buying this 2019 RAV4 hybrid is one of the best purchases we have made in the last decade or so. My, only recommendation is to consider buying the Limited model if you can swing it to avoid most of the glitches I described above. Sign me RAV4inous.

I loved my 2006.…but this car blows that out of the water. I am very excited to have the hybrid and enjoy great economy....I have owned a lot of Toyotas and this is the best.

I am a former owner of a Highlander and decided to buy the RAV4 hybrid because the size of this vehicle is very similar to my former Highlander. This is a great vehicle

Great car good fuel mileage It will be a great vehicle in town or on the highway you need to drive one for yourself It will be the best vehicle for the money

Traded in our third Prius (2015 Prius 5) for a Limited model. Love the comfort and acceleration (gets to 90 mph before your know it). Get 45-mpg in city summer driving and now am getting about 43-mpg city driving in the colder weather. It is quiet and I like the engine sound under hard acceleration (it's a guy thing). At present, this vehicle has no competition.

This car is meeting my every need not only for every day life but for my job as well. For the price, the gas mileage was incomparable to any other vehicle the size.