2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: First Drive

What Is It? 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, an all-wheel-drive compact SUV with two electric motors

Starting Price: $28,370

Competitors: Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid.

Alternatives: Lexus NX Hybrid.

Pros: Standard AWD, largest non-luxury hybrid SUV on the market, excellent
optional safety package.

Cons: Not much more than a generic RAV4, MPG is not good enough.

Would I Buy It With My Own Money? Not a chance.

A few years ago, I got behind the wheel of one of the best cars I’ve ever driven—an all electric Toyota RAV4, which had a motor co-developed with Tesla. Sure, it felt generic and rubbery inside; after all, it was a RAV4, the median car of the modern age. But man, could it go. All day, I scooted around the streets of Newport Beach, beating Mercedes and BMW models out of the blocks at stoplights, leaving their drivers looking stunned. The bland styling didn’t matter; it burned no fuel and had a 113-mile range. I was willing to adopt triplets so I could haul them around to soccer practice all day in that sucker.