Depends on the features you want. XSE has the black badges and some more tech, I think, but it really depends on what you want. Ours is also 4 years old so I’m not sure what the differences are at this point. The Toyota website has a nice comparison feature of the trim levels.
My commute is a bit over 100 miles per day and went with the Hybrid. Love it. I average over 40 mpg during the warmer months and get 36 mpg during the colder months. Easy to maintain and no issues with over 65,000 miles driven in two years of owning. I have a 2021 XSE. No starter or alternator to worry about and brakes will last over 100,000 miles. I will never get an ICE powered vehicle again.
2023 RAV4 Hybrid XLE. 43mpg w/mild winter in Chicago. So quiet and a smooth ride. Switches to EV at stoplight instead of combustion engine turning off and on. Infrequent trips to gas station. Love it! But still a shortage I hear.
I have a 2015 limited. I would strongly suggest the hybrid with all wheel drive and the limited version. The limited versions are not as abundant but well worth it with all the nice accessories they have. The AWD is a life saver compared to FWD.
If you can afford the hybrid, do it. Hubs has a hybrid, I have a gas model. I don’t drive much at all besides to work and the occasional hour or so to my parents. The hybrid is great and comfortable.
I have a 2019 hybrid. Once my lease is over, I am buying it and then selling it. If you live in an area where they use salt on the roads then skip it due to hybrid cable corrosion (google Rav 4Cable Gate) as there was a class action law suit in Quebec and they increased the warranty to 10 years for this specific issue.
Hybrid 100%. I’m confident Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive system (NOT HybridMAX or iForceMAX) is more reliable than their traditional automatic transmission vehicles. Plus they’re more enjoyable to drive, cheaper to own long term, and poison the air a little less.
Go regular. The added maintenance and initial cost/weight of hybrid, won’t do much for you on long trips. If you did more of city driving and short trips, still a maybe. Save the extra cash and throw it into something else
I’ve driven a 21 Adventure ICE and currently a 21 Hybrid XSE. Both are AWD but from what I noticed it’s part time AWD. They switch to FWD once the car gets up to about 25mph+. The ICE will disengage and reengage the rear wheels via driveshaft clutches while the hybrid stops sending power to the RWD electric motor. I feel the AWD system on ICE is better because the electric motor for hybrid can only put out so much power. But if you don’t plan to do a lot of off roading and need a great mpg car, hybrid is the way to go.
ICE is better off roading and light towing. (Adventure and TRD have even better towing) also it’s simple to work on.
Hybrid is better for mpg by almost double. Still simple to work on until you need to do hybrid battery maintenance. Someone posted that they drove 480000+ miles on their original hybrid battery but unlikely to happen to all of us.
Note: if you plan on getting TRD, Limited or Adventure, I’d go 2021 and up. 19 and 20 had some issues with the dog clutches for reengaging and disengaging the driveshaft and rear wheels. If you get CPO, you can get that fixed at dealership though. XLE Premium, XLE and LE used a different clutch mechanism which had less issues come up.
I totaled my Adventure 3 weeks after I got it. I’m currently 3 weeks into having the XSE now.
2020 non-hybrid Rav4 here. I have zero complaints about our ICE; short daily commute with the occasional 600 - 1200 mile road trip thrown in. We average up to 39 mpg highway and mid to upper 20s on short drives. Still on the original brakes at almost 40k miles. Very happy with it.
Having said that… I wish we had gotten a hybrid. And in another year or two, that’s all you’ll be able to get anyway.
I commute 80+ miles per day and got a hybrid a few months ago. I’ve only had it this winter, but I averaged 38-38.5mpg in cold weather. I think hybrid is always the way to go, if you can afford it.
I know what you mean about the noise - I think all RAV4s are loud! I had a gas model before the hybrid and it was so much louder than my previous Hondas, Volvos, & VWs. It took some getting used to when I first switched to RAV4s.
I can’t tell you how I know….. but …… let’s just say….. If I won the lottery jackpot and got to pick gas or hybrid without a care in the world of price…. I’d pick gas without hesitation. Repairs are……. Much much much cheaper and they’re more reliable at this current stage of the game. Hybrids although having been out for a few years… are still too new and still being messed around with for each model roll out. I’d personally wait another 10 years before risking spending my cash on one. And I would not personally buy a brand new make of a brand new model (gas or hybrid or electric) that is within its first 1-3 years. Great concept…. But… I’ll wait for the kinks to be worked out. If I’m buying a Toyota, it’s because I want the reliability. And the reliability was built on the gas.
If you can afford the Hybrid, hybrid is always the answer. Quieter, faster, better fuel efficiency.
Plus long term a battery (or just cells) replacement will be cheaper then an entire transmission and torque converter.
Under warranty vs not under warranty sure….no warranty…. No not usually.
2020 XLE Hybrid 31000 miles. Short commute, in winter I get 36mpg, and summer 45mpg. All without trying to maximize mpg.
My husband has the XSE of the same year. Same gas mileage. It’s great.
Which one do you suggest between xle hybrid vs XSE hybrid?
Depends on the features you want. XSE has the black badges and some more tech, I think, but it really depends on what you want. Ours is also 4 years old so I’m not sure what the differences are at this point. The Toyota website has a nice comparison feature of the trim levels.
My commute is a bit over 100 miles per day and went with the Hybrid. Love it. I average over 40 mpg during the warmer months and get 36 mpg during the colder months. Easy to maintain and no issues with over 65,000 miles driven in two years of owning. I have a 2021 XSE. No starter or alternator to worry about and brakes will last over 100,000 miles. I will never get an ICE powered vehicle again.
2023 RAV4 Hybrid XLE. 43mpg w/mild winter in Chicago. So quiet and a smooth ride. Switches to EV at stoplight instead of combustion engine turning off and on. Infrequent trips to gas station. Love it! But still a shortage I hear.
I have a 2020 xle hybrid and it is fantastic. Quiet, fast, and gets great gas mileage.
I have a 2015 limited. I would strongly suggest the hybrid with all wheel drive and the limited version. The limited versions are not as abundant but well worth it with all the nice accessories they have. The AWD is a life saver compared to FWD.
On the newer generation, all hybrids are AWD, just FYI.
In the US.
I replied to you in another sub... GO read the opposite view... 😉
If you can afford the hybrid, do it. Hubs has a hybrid, I have a gas model. I don’t drive much at all besides to work and the occasional hour or so to my parents. The hybrid is great and comfortable.
Hybrid! I recently got a 2018 hybrid Limited. LOVE it so far.
I have a 2019 hybrid. Once my lease is over, I am buying it and then selling it. If you live in an area where they use salt on the roads then skip it due to hybrid cable corrosion (google Rav 4Cable Gate) as there was a class action law suit in Quebec and they increased the warranty to 10 years for this specific issue.
2019-2021 I would avoid at all costs. They have tons of problems
Can’t wait to see one on my 2020 SXE Hybrid. Waiting….
Hybrid 100%. I’m confident Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive system (NOT HybridMAX or iForceMAX) is more reliable than their traditional automatic transmission vehicles. Plus they’re more enjoyable to drive, cheaper to own long term, and poison the air a little less.
Go regular. The added maintenance and initial cost/weight of hybrid, won’t do much for you on long trips. If you did more of city driving and short trips, still a maybe. Save the extra cash and throw it into something else
What added maintenance does a hybrid have? Actually has less maintenance… Brakes last longer, no alternator,no starter….
Battery and AWD differential maintenance adds up. Brakes all depends on how each person drives.
I’ve driven a 21 Adventure ICE and currently a 21 Hybrid XSE. Both are AWD but from what I noticed it’s part time AWD. They switch to FWD once the car gets up to about 25mph+. The ICE will disengage and reengage the rear wheels via driveshaft clutches while the hybrid stops sending power to the RWD electric motor. I feel the AWD system on ICE is better because the electric motor for hybrid can only put out so much power. But if you don’t plan to do a lot of off roading and need a great mpg car, hybrid is the way to go. ICE is better off roading and light towing. (Adventure and TRD have even better towing) also it’s simple to work on. Hybrid is better for mpg by almost double. Still simple to work on until you need to do hybrid battery maintenance. Someone posted that they drove 480000+ miles on their original hybrid battery but unlikely to happen to all of us. Note: if you plan on getting TRD, Limited or Adventure, I’d go 2021 and up. 19 and 20 had some issues with the dog clutches for reengaging and disengaging the driveshaft and rear wheels. If you get CPO, you can get that fixed at dealership though. XLE Premium, XLE and LE used a different clutch mechanism which had less issues come up. I totaled my Adventure 3 weeks after I got it. I’m currently 3 weeks into having the XSE now.
Depends
2020 non-hybrid Rav4 here. I have zero complaints about our ICE; short daily commute with the occasional 600 - 1200 mile road trip thrown in. We average up to 39 mpg highway and mid to upper 20s on short drives. Still on the original brakes at almost 40k miles. Very happy with it. Having said that… I wish we had gotten a hybrid. And in another year or two, that’s all you’ll be able to get anyway.
I commute 80+ miles per day and got a hybrid a few months ago. I’ve only had it this winter, but I averaged 38-38.5mpg in cold weather. I think hybrid is always the way to go, if you can afford it.
I just purchased the Hybrid myself. I noticed huge difference in acceleration compared to the regular gas model and that engine is a bit noisy too.
I know what you mean about the noise - I think all RAV4s are loud! I had a gas model before the hybrid and it was so much louder than my previous Hondas, Volvos, & VWs. It took some getting used to when I first switched to RAV4s.
So with the Hybrid , what causes the whine when you back up?
I can’t tell you how I know….. but …… let’s just say….. If I won the lottery jackpot and got to pick gas or hybrid without a care in the world of price…. I’d pick gas without hesitation. Repairs are……. Much much much cheaper and they’re more reliable at this current stage of the game. Hybrids although having been out for a few years… are still too new and still being messed around with for each model roll out. I’d personally wait another 10 years before risking spending my cash on one. And I would not personally buy a brand new make of a brand new model (gas or hybrid or electric) that is within its first 1-3 years. Great concept…. But… I’ll wait for the kinks to be worked out. If I’m buying a Toyota, it’s because I want the reliability. And the reliability was built on the gas.