Outback, CR-V, Rav 4, Prius - Help me choose

[Chuckanut]

I really wanted to like the RAV4 Hybrid, but the back seats only folding to about 45 degrees or so unfortunately put it out of the running.

First, let me add my thanks to all who shared their thoughts. They really helped me focus on what was most important to me on this expensive purchase.

Mine fold farther than 45 degrees, perhaps to 30 degrees, I haven't measured it. But, you are right, they don't fold flat. OTOH, 40 mpg on a AWD small SUV can compensate for many imperfections. I figure the $800 extra for the Hybrid drive will have a payback period of under two years. Keep in mind I live in a high cost of gasoline state.

Driving through the Southern states and mid-West last year I could only marvel at gasoline prices anywhere from 75¢ to over $1 less than I pay at home.

 

[Moemg]

Good choice . I love my Rav4 .

 

[Chuckanut]

I am sure I will enjoy owning the RAV4.

One thing I should mention is that while the Hybrid is AWD, its AWD system is not as robust as the gasoline only version.

It seems that the Hybrid AWD has no mechanical connection between the front and rear wheels. Instead, Toyota engineers have taken advantage of the electrical power of the car to power the rear wheels via an electric motor. As a result AWD does not work at highway speeds (I can't find a mph number for that).

Toyota calls it AWD-i, IIRC. It's not as good as full mechanical coupling AWD, but is certainly better than only FWD in snow and on poor, slippery roads. It has a 'trail' button that the driver can push to make it work better on bad roads. Essentially, it duplicates a limited slip differential.

If you are really into off-road driving, you probably don't want a RAV4 anyway.

 

[Lsbcal]

Chuckanut, sounds like a nice car you got there. What are the advantages of the Costco purchase? We aren’t currently Costco members.

 

[Chuckanut]

Chuckanut, sounds like a nice car you got there. What are the advantages of the Costco purchase? We aren’t currently Costco members.

Costco has a pre-negotiated price for the car. There is no haggling. Sort of like CarMax.

FWIW, my new Rav4 Hybrid with 11 miles on it cost only about $3500 more than a 2018 Rav4 non-hybrid with 30K on the odometer at CarMax. Go figure.

 

[travelover]

Costco has a pre-negotiated price for the car. There is no haggling. Sort of like CarMax. ...............

Not to bum you out, but to expand on the answer, the Costco price is not the lowest price. When I bought my Highlander, I got a Costco price, then sent it out to all the local dealers and asked them to beat it, which they did repeatedly in several rounds of bidding.


That said, it is a convenience to just get the Costco price and move on if you are happy with the price.

 

[Lsbcal]

Not to bum you out, but to expand on the answer, the Costco price is not the lowest price. When I bought my Highlander, I got a Costco price, then sent it out to all the local dealers and asked them to beat it, which they did repeatedly in several rounds of bidding.


That said, it is a convenience to just get the Costco price and move on if you are happy with the price.

How much did they beat the Costco price by?

 

[Midpack]

After a good deal of research it came down to the Subaru Outback and the RAV4 Hybrid. Both are very equivalent in my estimation. I live in a state with some of the most expensive gasoline in the country, and that tipped it to the RAV4 Hybrid.

I ended up with a 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid LE. So far I really like the car. But, ask me again in about 24,0000 miles.

FWIW, I bought it through the Costco program.

Nice, I don’t think you could have made a bad choice between the two. I’m driving a 2018 Outback and we had a 2007 Camry Hybrid for 11 years and a 2012 Prius for 6 years, both were trouble free (not a single hybrid or traction battery issue) with decent resale. I think you’ll be very happy with a RAV4!

 

[Another Reader]

An SUV where the seats do not fold down all the way is a non-starter here. Hope Toyota is not as stupid with the upcoming Highlander replacement.

 

[Bamaman]

There's been a number of road tests and articles written on the RAV-4 Hybrid recently. The owners absolutely love them, and they're relatively difficult to find on dealer lots.

I've had my 2018 Camry Hybrid 2 years & 40K miles, and the new RAV-4 has the same hybrid system. I'm averaging 49 mpg presently, and it's never seen the shop. Only complaint is the 0W16 motor oil presently costs a fortune (thru Amazon.com), and no auto parts store carries it. I'm using 0W20 and giving up maybe 1-2 mpg.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Only complaint is the 0W16 motor oil presently costs a fortune (thru Amazon.com), and no auto parts store carries it. I'm using 0W20 and giving up maybe 1-2 mpg.

Is the service period long enough to make up for the cost? Every 12-15k instead of every 5-7k or anything like that?

 

[Chuckanut]

Not to bum you out, but to expand on the answer, the Costco price is not the lowest price. When I bought my Highlander, I got a Costco price, then sent it out to all the local dealers and asked them to beat it, which they did repeatedly in several rounds of bidding.


That said, it is a convenience to just get the Costco price and move on if you are happy with the price.

I agree it's not the lowest price, but my situation (car suddenly damaged beyond repair while I am recovering from a tough surgery) make it the best alternative for me at that time. FWIW, contacted several dealers and most were selling the vehicle at MSRP and added some overpriced nearly worthless 'goodies' to make it seem like a deal. Not so good.

If I had to do it on my schedule, I would have waited until the dark days of Winter when cars don't sell as fast, and then spent 3-4 weeks looking around, haggling a bit and so on.

 

[travelover]

How much did they beat the Costco price by?

It has been a couple of years now, so I don't recall the exact difference. As I recall it was about $500.

 

[FreeBear]

It has been a couple of years now, so I don't recall the exact difference. As I recall it was about $500.

Not bad for Costco! Thanks for some real world info. I’d gladly pay to avoid the usual BS.


Anyone else is Costco??

 

[travelover]

Not bad for Costco! Thanks for some real world info. I’d gladly pay to avoid the usual BS..........

I didn't do the "usual BS". I sat at my computer and got the Costco offer, then sent out a half dozen emails to local dealers asking for a counter offer. Then I did it again for a final offer. A couple dealers called or asked me to come it, I declined. Dealers that didn't play didn't sell me a car.

 

[Bamaman]

Is the service period long enough to make up for the cost? Every 12-15k instead of every 5-7k or anything like that?

Toyota has the hybrids on 5K oil changes. It's perhaps a little short interval since the motor runs considerably less than regular gasoline motors. But Toyota knows best.

I'd hate to see what a dealer charges for the 5K service. Fortunately, the first few oil changes are free. It was easier for me to do all the oil changes rather than drive 70 miles back to my selling dealer.

 

[Bamaman]

Not to bum you out, but to expand on the answer, the Costco price is not the lowest price. When I bought my Highlander, I got a Costco price, then sent it out to all the local dealers and asked them to beat it, which they did repeatedly in several rounds of bidding.

That said, it is a convenience to just get the Costco price and move on if you are happy with the price.

When Toyota went into business, they sold cars through independent distributors like Jim Moran's Southeast Toyota Distributers and Gulf Coast (Texas.) Toyota was never able to buy out their distributers or cut their contracts.

Cars that go through independent Toyota distributers often have a bunch of options like undercoating, mud flaps, sunroof guards and other worthless options. You will pay more for cars in some states than cars that are distributed by Toyota USA.

I drove 70 miles to buy in the state north of us. Our local dealer has to buy cars wholesale from Southeast Toyota Distributers and there's a substantial price differential.

 

[Chuckanut]

Toyota has the hybrids on 5K oil changes. It's perhaps a little short interval since the motor runs considerably less than regular gasoline motors. But Toyota knows best.


.

Not quite.

My 2019 Rav4 is on 10,000 mile oil changes. Though I will probably do a change every 8,000 miles since I do a fair amount of short cold start driving.

They do have a 5000 mile service interval that includes a lot of checks and inspections. If an owner used 0W-20 at the previous oil change (HORRORS!) they do recommend an extra change to 0W-16 even if it’s only been 5000 miles since the last change.

 

[travelover]

.......... If an owner used 0W-20 at the previous oil change (HORRORS!) they do recommend an extra change to 0W-16 even if it’s only been 5000 miles since the last change.

You might as well pour sand in the crankcase as that 0W-20.

 

[Lsbcal]

I didn't do the "usual BS". I sat at my computer and got the Costco offer, then sent out a half dozen emails to local dealers asking for a counter offer. Then I did it again for a final offer. A couple dealers called or asked me to come it, I declined. Dealers that didn't play didn't sell me a car.

How far were the dealers from you did you ask for quotes?

I think I would be willing to travel maybe 50 miles.

 

[ncbill]

When Toyota went into business, they sold cars through independent distributors like Jim Moran's Southeast Toyota Distributers and Gulf Coast (Texas.) Toyota was never able to buy out their distributers or cut their contracts.

Cars that go through independent Toyota distributers often have a bunch of options like undercoating, mud flaps, sunroof guards and other worthless options. You will pay more for cars in some states than cars that are distributed by Toyota USA.

I drove 70 miles to buy in the state north of us. Our local dealer has to buy cars wholesale from Southeast Toyota Distributers and there's a substantial price differential.

Yeah, you won't get the best deal from a local dealer here in the southeast.

When I leased a new Tacoma a few months ago I put my kid on a plane to Philly to pick it up & drive it back.

People fly from Florida to pick up from that dealer.

 

[REWahoo]

That "cartel" is why I never have and never will buy a new Toyota from a TX dealer. Cheaper to buy online and fly to Albuquerque or Santa Fe to pick it up.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

When Toyota went into business, they sold cars through independent distributors like Jim Moran's Southeast Toyota Distributers and Gulf Coast (Texas.) Toyota was never able to buy out their distributers or cut their contracts.

Cars that go through independent Toyota distributers often have a bunch of options like undercoating, mud flaps, sunroof guards and other worthless options. You will pay more for cars in some states than cars that are distributed by Toyota USA.

I drove 70 miles to buy in the state north of us. Our local dealer has to buy cars wholesale from Southeast Toyota Distributers and there's a substantial price differential.

"Jim Moran, the Courtesy man." My father bought a used Ford in Chicago from Moran in 1959. I still remember riding away from the car lot in the back seat on a snowy day.

 

[travelover]

How far were the dealers from you did you ask for quotes?

I think I would be willing to travel maybe 50 miles.

At the time I was living in metro Detroit, so all were within about 20 miles. Just do a Google maps search for "XXX brand dealers near your location".

 

[FlaGator]

That "cartel" is why I never have and never will buy a new Toyota from a TX dealer. Cheaper to buy online and fly to Albuquerque or Santa Fe to pick it up.

+1 After seeing the Moran family yachts and yacht brokerage in SoFla, I'll never buy a Toyota as long as I live in Florida.

But, kudos to Jim Moran for helping make Toyota one of the dominant brands in the US. Just not going to contribute.....