Have LEAF -- want RAV4 EV

[rpmdk]

I have been looking all over the site for answers to these questions, but haven't been able to find them for my specific questions. Please point me in the right direction if these have been answered, but at the risk of getting torched for not googling deep enough:

As owners of RAV4s would you recommend buying a used one? With my LEAF down to 4 bars I'm not sure it's going to be able to meet my needs through another LA "winter".

What sort of real world range are you getting after 25,000 miles? How much further degredation do you expect? I saw a post saying 136 miles range after 36K is that other people's experience?

If the vehicle doesn't have Toyota's extended warranty and I have to purchase one of their used vehicle warranties does it cover the sort of problems people are experiencing?

What do I need to watch out for purchasing a RAV4? - EDIT - never mind this question I found the list of 10 things to look out for.

The RAV4 EV is such an ideal vehicle for me. I was so incredibly bummed when Toyota stopped producing them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I have been looking all over the site for answers to these questions, but haven't been able to find them for my specific questions. Please point me in the right direction if these have been answered, but at the risk of getting torched for not googling deep enough:

As owners of RAV4s would you recommend buying a used one? With my LEAF down to 4 bars I'm not sure it's going to be able to meet my needs through another LA "winter".

As a two time LEAF owner, I can tell you that I will never own another sub-100 mile range car. The 2012-2014 Toyota RAV4 EV is bigger and better in just about every measure:

Range
Interior volume
Power
Utility

What sort of real world range are you getting after 25,000 miles? How much further degredation do you expect? I saw a post saying 136 miles range after 36K is that other people's experience?

You could safely expect 10% loss at 50,000 miles and 20% at 100,000 miles. Most cars are currently beating these numbers, by the way. This is not a LEAF !!!

If the vehicle doesn't have Toyota's extended warranty and I have to purchase one of their used vehicle warranties does it cover the sort of problems people are experiencing?

What do I need to watch out for purchasing a RAV4? - EDIT - never mind this question I found the list of 10 things to look out for.

The warranty will cover all the non-wear items, like any good warranty.

 

[TonyWilliams]

2012-2014 Toyota RAV4 EV

Lease take-overs:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1845


For Sale:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=454


Why did Toyota build the RAV4 EV:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=379


Maunuals / Maintenance information for RAV4 EV:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=440


Top Ten issues with RAV4 EV / Pre-Purchase Checklist:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1589


Overview of sales when new:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=210

 

[rpmdk]

Thank you very much for the reply.

The wife was adamantly opposed to the LEAF way back in 2010, months and months of arguing that up until it arrived, in hindsight she was right. I'm driving a an awesome lemon. now selling her on a defunct EV, we'll see how far I get.

 

[GlennD]

You might look at a VW eGolf SE. After my Mercedes B was wrecked I leased a fully loaded SEL. VW currently has subsidy money on the SE and so far my SEL is averaging 4.3 miles per KWH. The car can easily go over 100 miles.

I looked into leasing one of the last RAV4 EV's but the used car manager wanted nothing to do with my LEAF. He said it would sit until it went to auction. Mercedes was a different story since Mercedes was needed the CARB credits. They currently have a good lease for $329 but with 4K down. I currently do not have 4K with Property taxes due though.

 

[rpmdk]

You might look at a VW eGolf SE. After my Mercedes B was wrecked I leased a fully loaded SEL. VW currently has subsidy money on the SE and so far my SEL is averaging 4.3 miles per KWH. The car can easily go over 100 miles.

I looked into leasing one of the last RAV4 EV's but the used car manager wanted nothing to do with my LEAF. He said it would sit until it went to auction. Mercedes was a different story since Mercedes was needed the CARB credits. They currently have a good lease for $329 but with 4K down. I currently do not have 4K with Property taxes due though.

Thanks for that. I've been eyeing the Golfs on the road, but they seem to be getting smaller. I was hoping to get something a little bigger. How did you like the Mercedes?

 

[smkettner]

RAV4-EV is a great car when it is running. I would not exactly say it is trouble free. Dealer service is lacking IMO. Poor general support from Toyota. Parts and service are astronomically expensive and limited availability.

Can't really recommend the car unless you have a second vehicle and are willing to deal with issues.

If there was a comparable electric SUV I would turn mine in at lease end in a heart beat. But there isn't. I feel stuck. I so want the EV thing to work but it has not been great for me.

Then again there are many that are trouble free. Best of luck.

 

[miimura]

Mine has been very much trouble-free. The Tesla on-board charger was replaced by the original selling dealer before I bought it. I did get a few "Charging interrupted by System Malfunction" errors, but only one out of 3 or 4 actually stopped the charging. The others happened after the car was already fully charged. The dealer was unable to pull any error codes after the one that actually interrupted the charging and they have not returned in the last 18-24 months. I also got one spurious TPMS warning that was glitch while I was driving down the freeway. I pulled over, turned off the car, and it was gone.

Since the repairs that are common are quite expensive, I did buy the 8yr/100k extended warranty and I plan to keep it for that whole period.

 

[SeattleRav4]

While there are lots of reports of problems on this website and in fact the reliability of the Rav4 has certainly been worse than "normal" cars, the vast majority of them are not having problems.

Mine did require a new drive unit after a couple of years and it did take a couple of months of patience to get it replace.
But it has otherwise been a very reliable and very economical.

So please don't over read the problem reports. I am very happy with mine.
Great range, plenty of room, costs almost nothing to operate since I have solar.

 

[TonyWilliams]

As long as the RAV4 EV has a warranty, and sometimes with a little encouragement / coaching from you, Toyota / Tesla seem to always fix the car.

 

[GlennD]

You might look at a VW eGolf SE. After my Mercedes B was wrecked I leased a fully loaded SEL. VW currently has subsidy money on the SE and so far my SEL is averaging 4.3 miles per KWH. The car can easily go over 100 miles.

I looked into leasing one of the last RAV4 EV's but the used car manager wanted nothing to do with my LEAF. He said it would sit until it went to auction. Mercedes was a different story since Mercedes was needed the CARB credits. They currently have a good lease for $329 but with 4K down. I currently do not have 4K with Property taxes due though.

Thanks for that. I've been eyeing the Golfs on the road, but they seem to be getting smaller. I was hoping to get something a little bigger. How did you like the Mercedes?

I liked it a lot. If it was not property tax season I would have gone with another. The eGolf is smaller but it has most of the same goodies. So far after 525 miles I am happy.

 

[rpmdk]

Thank you for all the replies. Work got very hectic and I haven't had an opportunity to focus on the RAV4.

smkettner recomended having a back-up car. The big plus of getting a RAV would be being able
To get rid of the old junker car sitting in front of the house as my back up for the LEAF.

I take it most people are having a great experience but a few vehicles have proven very problematic and an extended warranty is a must. So for most people it's a buy recommend.

 

[rpmdk]

Another couple questions I have, (in addition to the vague one above) is Tesla producing these batteries for any other cars? If I want to replace the battery in 5-10 years will there be any new ones available?

Is the rest of the car interchangeable with other RAVs? Can I put a standard door, fender or gate on this one if I'm in an accident?

 

[TonyWilliams]

The cells themselves are a commodity item sold by the billions worldwide.

The battery pack that Tesla constructs for the RAV4 EV is only for the RAV4 EV.

Tesla currently makes a 36 kWh pack for Mercedes-Benz.

Most of the body panels and interior pieces are directly off of the 2012 RAV4 V6 Limited, including the wheels and tires.

Parts that are different are the front facia, the headlights, front running lights, rear view mirrors, windshield (thicker), and the rear air diffuser above the rear door. The rear door is from a RAV4 Sport.

Interior pieces that are different are the dash instruments, the center navigation display (from a Lexus) and the cabin climate controls.

I believe all the paint colors are also standard RAV4 colors, so if you ding the door, you could literally go to a wrecking yard and find the door in the same color.

 

[eplantz]

I'll chime in here to comment that I have a 2013 RAV4 EV with no problems at all. It has been to the dealer only for 3 recall processing.

From various comments, it seems like either the vehicle is totally fine or having lots of repeated problems.

Remember the old saw...... when buying Detroit iron, don't ever buy one made on a Monday.

 

[rpmdk]

The cells themselves are a commodity item sold by the billions worldwide.

The battery pack that Tesla constructs for the RAV4 EV is only for the RAV4 EV.

Tesla currently makes a 36 kWh pack for Mercedes-Benz.

Does that mean you could refurbish the battery? It wouldn't need another made by Tesla?

 

[TonyWilliams]

Yes, it's possible.

 

[rpmdk]

That's cool, I'd imagine there'll be a bit of a drop in cell prices 5-7 years out.

 

[GlennD]

Currently there are only two cars with Tesla power trains. They are the RAV4 EV and the Mercedes B class EV. Mercedes is switching to their own design and the RAV4 EV is long discontinued.
I miss the power of my B but I am otherwise satisfied with my eGolf SEL.

 

[smkettner]

Don't count on a rebuilt pack costing less than a new Model 3.