'21 Rav4 - AWD Limited to 55mph?

[westwind77]

My wife is starting to new vehicle shop and we took a look at the Rav4's the other week.

The salesman (been with Toyota for 7 years) said that the AWD system would not work at speeds over 55mph as the electric motor could not function past that threshold.

We were looking at the Prime version and the Hybrid version, and I thought he said it was the same for both.

Basically you are driving a 2 wheel drive vehicle over 55 mph, that does not sit well with me for a vehicle that is advertised as AWD.

Has anyone heard of this with their new Rav4?

 

[westwind77]

Seems no one else has heard of this either. I did some digging on the web and the Hybrid/Prime do share the same electric motor that controls the AWD system vs the standard RAV4. I e-mailed my local dealer for clarification but they have no answers....and surprisingly told me they have no desire to research into it, told me to contact Toyota directly.

I did find mention of the Prius system cutting off after 45 MPH is a couple articles though, so this is not something out of the range of possibility I guess with the RAV4.

I did reach out to Toyota myself and will see what they have to say. I'm in sales too and would NEVER tell a customer to do their own research. Sadly the dealership was bought out recently and their sales/service has gone down hill now that they are part of a larger 'chain'.

 

[CookieRoe]

why would you need AWD beyond that speed? I grew up with back wheel drive and front wheel drive cars in the snow (I grew up in the Poconos) and we were fine. OF course, in deep snow, 4x4 and AWD are nice to have to pull out, but once you are going (highway), why would you need it unless you were racing? I'm not trying to belittle what you are saying, but I think it's Toyota just being practical about it. If that is how the RAV's "AWD" system works, so be it.

The CRV's AWD is mechanical if that means anything to ya.

 

[JLTD]

Yeah once you're moving, no need for the additional traction provided by AWD.


Plus, at that speed you're utilizing the stability systems, and Toyota's work very well.

 

[westwind77]

I e-mailed my local dealer for confirmation, which was useless. I e-mailed Toyota directly and they just cut and pasted info from their site which had nothing to do with my question. Ended up calling Toyota directly.....

After being transferred up to someone with a bit more knowledge.....

They actually confirmed the AWD system stops functioning after 30MPH in the Hybrid/Prime models.

The standard RAV4 the AWD system works at all speeds.

There are numerous times you would want AWD at or above 30mph!

There are plenty of times going up snow covered roads in ski country where you would want your AWD to operate above 30. That is a disgrace for Toyota in my opinion.

Oh well, the RAV4 is off the list as the standard model just does not have the power need either.

 

[thennen]

Makes sense to me, simply because it's a hybrid. Hybrids don't have enough on-board battery capacity for full-time use, hence the gasoline engine. I'm not aware of a hybrid whose electric motor stays engaged at all speeds - they usually are used for the slower bits of driving. There is still the mechanical Rav4 for those who want AWD at all speeds. The hybrid is simply a way to have AWD while getting 12MPG better fuel economy.

As for power, if fast is a need and the Rav4 Prime doesn't suit you, then yes, you probably need to look elsewhere. Happy hunting!

 

[westwind77]

My issue is that it is very misleading and a bit of 'false advertising' to call the Hybrid/Prime AWD. If Toyota clearly mentioned that in any publication or on their site anywhere that would be one thing but it is not 'public' information at all. I would be beyond upset if I bought one of those only to find out months later it was not a true AWD vehicle.

Toyota needs to come up with a different name for this system in their RAV4's. Who knows, call it ptAWD (part-time AWD), as that is essentially what it is.

My wife laughed it off the list when she found out how the system works. It is sad as my 4R has been an amazing vehicle since day one and I was hoping to possibly add another Toyota to the list. The stock RAV4 is just plain slow sadly.

We have been looking at a few others since. She will make up her mind....eventually lol.

 

[4RunnerTina]

Well that sucks, my wife and I were looking into that vehicle as well, good to know.

 

[Thai]

Off-topic…but I assume above is true for Lexus RX AWD and AWD Hybrid?