Glad it was helpful!

Right!? Such a shame. Thanks as always for watching!!!

I think buying used is the way to go with the Prime since new prices have shot up so much since it came out. That said, forgive me if I misread your comment, but if you’re buying a car for your kid, I’d take the same money and buy a new regular hybrid. The Prime is added complexity and future expense that I don’t think a new driver should need to worry about. And instead they could have a brand new Rav hybrid.

@@joshjamescarsthat is exactly what I was thinking! Simple is better, especially in that age/experience bracket❤ fyi my own car is a 2022 gx460, your thoughts on that vehicle are spot on (after dealing with a 2011 Pilot and its VCM out of warranty BS)

@@vkreadyPrimes are also dangerously fast, they can seduce a you into piling on the speed but the car is quickly overwhelmed by its own capabilities and a young driver can get himself into trouble real fast with the prime. It’s over powered.

@Icayn That’s a really good point, I didn’t even think about that for a teen driver. I would have abused that at that age-heck, I still do. 😂😅

Unless the state or territory gives you incentives to buy a plugin, I would think a normal hybrid is better. PS Although a student driver scenario, as somebody else mentioned, maybe something on the weaker acceleration is better. I passed on taking my dad's 07 Accord that was 6 cylinders back in the day because the acceleration made it seem easy to get speeding tickets, although a "boring" 4 cylinder 06 Camry I use in the meantime also gets the benefit of some solid mileage of just over 34 for how I actually use it along with a low cost to insure.

Yes!! Could not agree more with everything you say here! I think you all get more incentives in the UK than we do here, so that helps, but otherwise I completely agree!

Congratulations!!! It’s a great car and I hope it brings you many years of great driving!

Thank you!

Glad I could help! Thanks for watching!

Glad I was able to help! Hit up the email if you have any further questions!

Hello! See below: 1. In the US, these cars have a warranty on the battery for 10 years or 150,000 miles. Not sure what it is in Canada, but you won’t need to worry about battery replacement or cost for at least 10 years and at that point, the battery for it will likely be way, way cheaper than it is now. 2. You don’t want to leave your tank mostly empty because condensation can build up in there especially with extreme temperature swings, so I don’t recommend only putting a few gallons/liters in at a time. 3. I actually don’t recommend buying a Level 2 charger since it charges just fine on a standard household outlet (and the Rav4 Prime is incapable of charging on a Level 3 DC fast charger anyway). Also, at -40C/F, you’ll want to charge indoors (in a garage) if you can and the car will probably actually kick on the gas engine to provide heating. PHEVs and EVs don’t generally do well in extreme cold like that.

Thank you for the great comments! Yes the RAV4 prime operation in Canadian cold climate is not as efficient as somewhere like Texas. Here we usually get around 35 miles in the extreme cold (about 6 months of the year). This range still works for our family since our daily commute range is about 30 miles. We currently have a Regular 2023 RAV4 Hybrid XLE trim. But we have registered for a prime and it is supposed to arrive in a few months. We are kind of excited for that but we feel we need to know more about it. And also we are not intending to keep the other RAV4 after receiving the Prime since one car works fine for our family. Please let me know if you have any thoughts. Your videos are informative and we appreciate watching them.

@AM1381.5 Congratulations!!! I know (or have heard) how hard it is to get a Prime in Canada so it sounds like you’re about to hit the jackpot! Also, with how hard it is to get a regular Rav hybrid, I’m sure you’ll get a good amount for your trade, too. I don’t think there’s too much else to know about it, but my advice to you is to start doing your homework now on the incentives that might be available to you. I think in Canada you still get a government subsidy and then certain provinces offer even more on top of that. With the now-sky-high cost of the Prime, you definitely want to get every last dollar back you can.

Honestly the Prime is so expensive that I think you got a much better value with your hybrid. The Prime is great, but the price pushes it beyond what I think the car is worth.

I don’t recommend doing that. By constantly keeping your tank empty-ish, you risk condensation buildup which can cause its own problems. To combat that, I use ethanol free gas.

Haha! I hope you enjoyed!

Yes, the Rav is quite a bit heavier and keep in mind that the Rav was designed to have an equal emphasis on efficiency and sporting driving, hence SE and XSE being the only grades offered (no LE, XLE, Limited, etc.). So you’re right that fuel and electric economy are lower but that’s by design. Toyota has the Prius Prime which is for people who only care about efficiency. That might be what you want to stick with since, per your 5 comments, you seem most concerned about getting the most mileage for your money.

@@joshjamescars, my wife wants a CUV, so the RAV is probably a good bet for “our next move” so to speak. So, thanks for the great 1st-hand impressions. Good to hear them from an Austinite perspective too!

@@joshjamescars, how big is the RAV4 Prime’s gas tank?

@mr88cet I believe ours is 14.5 gallons with about 3 of them being reserve.

I could not agree more with you on this!

Yes! I feel exactly the same way about leasing (it’s a waste of money) when your lease is like $500/month but at $150-200/month I would definitely consider it especially so that the EV isn’t my problem to deal with in the long term, LOL!

Hello! Since I’m guessing money isn’t an issue ;) I think you’d really like the Rav4 Prime. But you might also check out the NX450h+ and RX450h+. I think those are the best three hybrids Toyota makes. But I also hope you decide to keep the LX570 as well!!! Don’t ever get rid of that. :)

Hoping to get one in the next month or two!

It’s a great car! If you love it, then it’s worth it to you and that’s all that matters! :) However, depending on how long you’ve had it, do be sure you’re running your engine regularly. If you’ve only used 12.2 gallons of gas you haven’t emptied your tank once and fuel going stale is a real (and real problematic) thing in these cars and can happen in as little as 3 months on regular ethanol gas. If you don’t intend to run the engine that often, I’d recommend doing what I do and using ethanol free gas which can sit for up to 6 months.

Yes, you are correct about the 85mph number, and other edge cases.

@@joshjamescars, actually, now that I think about it, probably the most common case where the engine will run in EV Mode (at least based upon our 2017 Prius Prime) is when you’re already in Hybrid mode and switch it _back_ to EV: It doesn’t always _immediately_ turn off the engine: at higher speeds, sometimes it keeps the engine running a little longer before it turns it off.

You’d have to get quotes from a dealer on that. The circumstance where you’d need to do so is incredibly rare, though. And if the battery were to fail within 10 years, it would be covered by Toyota’s 10 year/150,000 mile hybrid system warranty.

Yep… prices vary so widely and generally on the very high side. And great choice with the CR-V hybrid! That’s my favorite hybrid in the class.

Yes!! Most definitely. I think that’s one downside to the Camry being an extensive refresh of the old one is I’m not sure if it could accommodate a PHEV drivetrain. Had they gone for a clean sheet redesign it could have in theory also adopt the Prius Prime’s PHEV system too. My gut tells me the Crown Signia PHEV will come over from Japan in the near future.

No it is not. The RX uses three different engines: 350 gas model uses the T24A turbo I4 350h standard hybrid uses the A25A I4 with the basic (self-charging) hybrid system 450h+ uses the A25A I4 with the PHEV system (same drivetrain that’s in the RAV4 Prime) 500h uses the T24A turbo I4 with the performance hybrid system

Yep! Spot on.

@@joshjamescars, as you so-correctly alluded in your video though, driving on electric isn’t just about saving gas money. EV Mode also responds to accelerator more quickly, and it’s just generally a more-precise driving experience. Not polluting your neighborhood. Quieter too!

I might be wrong but I do not believe that’s the case with the Rav. I also think the one way clutch may have just been for the previous gen Prius Prime as I haven’t heard it mentioned in regard to the 23+ Gen 5 Prius. That Prius needed the one way clutch because it needed to make more power with much smaller motor generators and a much smaller engine (the last gen was dog slow, even in hybrid mode). In the Rav, you have the 2.5L A25A I4 engine and a much more powerful MG2, PLUS MGR (on the rear axel for AWD) which provide enough power for the vehicle to run without needing any further assistance. As a result, a key difference between the Rav and Prius Primes is that when you’ve selected EV mode, in the Prius if you floor it, the gas engine may come on even if the car is in EV mode. In the Rav, it stays in EV mode because MG2 and MGR are powerful enough to move the vehicle.

Hello again! I think the same question applies: is 45 miles of EV range worth the $5,000 premium. Also, be aware that when you buy out a lease, you become the vehicle’s second owner on its paperwork (the leaseholder is the first). Not a huge deal but if and when you go to sell it, it’ll show “2 previous owners”

@@joshjamescars that’s good to know! Thank you!

I’m not sure, to be honest. The cap on ours got tangled and snagged and got pulled out by accident a while back. That said, I never travel with the charger, but if you do, I wouldn’t try to remove it.

I would definitely not buy it in that case. You often end up paying a ton more to charge in public than you would at home so that’s going to negate any cost savings you’d see on gas. IMO with PHEVs, the only way to make them work for you is to have them charge at home overnight because that’s when electric rates are cheapest and so you’re getting the most charge for the least money.

I doubt we will from Toyota, because their strategy is to use the same engines all across the globe and so even if the US were to relax regulation, that doesn’t mean much for these automakers who want to make as few products and parts (engines being parts) for global portfolios.

Yes, in California your electricity is ASTRONOMICALLY expensive and that’s what a lot of EV owners are finding out that charging may not necessarily save you money, though it does absolutely still cut down your carbon footprint.

I’m also in CA, and I often charge at work for free or public chargers at 20 cents / kwh (< $ 2.5 for 45 miles of range). Yes, charging at home is atrocious because the utilities are incompetent and corrupt, but there are alternatives to home charging too

YEP!! Completely agree with you on expensive and still hard to find. I’m a huge fan of the Outlander PHEV because of the interior. Would love to get my hands on one of those! ;) Cheers and thanks as always for watching!!!