Time to complain! My list of Rav4 EV shortcomings.

[TonyWilliams]

Why do you think that the 18650 Panasonic cells can take "fast charging"? They were designed to accept a 2-5 hour charge rate. I assume Tesla thinks they can take an occasional 1 hour partial charge without much of a negative long term effect. Do you know why the 40kWh Tesla won't be Supercharger network capable?

I don't care what you call the charging (fast, quick, super duper), Tesla currently charges at 1C, therefore a 40kWh battery pack would likely be fine at 1C. That means 40kW into the battery, or about the same speed as a CHAdeMO charger on a LEAF (which is at 2C).

The 40kWh battery won't be Supercharger capable so that folks who paid $10k-$50k more for the car won't have to trip over those cars while they're scraping up free charging, and maybe more people will buy the more expensive car. It's marketing 101. Not a technical problem.

Expect Tesla to very soon ramp up to 120kW charging.

 

[cwerdna]

One thing I noticed is that when you turn the car off the radio turns off as well. Most newer cars I've driven including the Volt keeps the radio on for some length of time after the car is turned off.

I would say the bolded part is not true. The behavior you mention is a GM thing. I've seen it on many/most GM rentals. I've not observed on newer non-GM cars. Can you name any non-GM "newer cars" that do this?

This feature is on more than just GM cars. Foreign cars tend not to have power after shut-off while many American cars do. There are always exceptions to the rule in both cases. Japanese cars, for the most part, turn off everything - including the phone (if you're on a Bluetooth call it gets cut off), cell phone charging, and windows; but I think Lexus is an exception to that rule...not 100% sure, though.

On this note, yes, the Japanese cars I've owned and been in cut power to the cigarette lighter outlets when the car's turned off. I've known of many American cars where all the cigarette lighter ports are always hot, regardless of whether the car's on/off.

As for the windows, many cars (even Japanese cars and Toyota-branded cars) have retained accessory power. The power windows will work for awhile after the car's turned off, as long as you don't open a door.

Regarding Bluetooth, yeah, I've been there w/my Prius. The connection's terminated and the phone may hang up.

 

[qwk]

Why do you think that the 18650 Panasonic cells can take "fast charging"? They were designed to accept a 2-5 hour charge rate. I assume Tesla thinks they can take an occasional 1 hour partial charge without much of a negative long term effect. Do you know why the 40kWh Tesla won't be Supercharger network capable?

I don't care what you call the charging (fast, quick, super duper), Tesla currently charges at 1C, therefore a 40kWh battery pack would likely be fine at 1C. That means 40kW into the battery, or about the same speed as a CHAdeMO charger on a LEAF (which is at 2C).

The 40kWh battery won't be Supercharger capable so that folks who paid $10k-$50k more for the car won't have to trip over those cars while they're scraping up free charging, and maybe more people will buy the more expensive car. It's marketing 101. Not a technical problem.

Expect Tesla to very soon ramp up to 120kW charging.

I agree here. Tesla's decision of not including fast charging on the 40kwh pack cars is not due to technical issues. They don't really want to sell the base pack car(profit is slim to none), therefore they have done everything in their power to make people upgrade.

 

[Blastphemy]

...it would be nice if you could completely stop outside air from coming into through the vents when the Heater/AC are off.

You can completely stop outside air from coming in through the vents. Even when the A/C system is off, the "outside/recirculated air mode" button still works. Just press it to change from outside air mode to recirculated air mode.

 

[miimura]

Why do you think that the 18650 Panasonic cells can take "fast charging"? They were designed to accept a 2-5 hour charge rate. I assume Tesla thinks they can take an occasional 1 hour partial charge without much of a negative long term effect. Do you know why the 40kWh Tesla won't be Supercharger network capable?

I don't care what you call the charging (fast, quick, super duper), Tesla currently charges at 1C, therefore a 40kWh battery pack would likely be fine at 1C. That means 40kW into the battery, or about the same speed as a CHAdeMO charger on a LEAF (which is at 2C).

The 40kWh battery won't be Supercharger capable so that folks who paid $10k-$50k more for the car won't have to trip over those cars while they're scraping up free charging, and maybe more people will buy the more expensive car. It's marketing 101. Not a technical problem.

Expect Tesla to very soon ramp up to 120kW charging.

I agree here. Tesla's decision of not including fast charging on the 40kwh pack cars is not due to technical issues. They don't really want to sell the base pack car(profit is slim to none), therefore they have done everything in their power to make people upgrade.

Didn't you hear? Tesla is not going to actually make the 40kWh pack. They will not allow people to order it going forward, and those that already did will get a 60kWh pack that has been software limited to 40kWh useful. If you pay them the price difference at some future time, they will restore the car to full 60kWh usable. Interesting turn of events...

 

[AvLegends]

One thing I found the other day is the mode button on the left side of the steering wheel... press and hold and it mute's the audio... press and hold again and it comes back on. Kinda nice touch compared to raising and lowering the volume to talk to someone.

Probably somewhere in the owners manual but... who reads the owners manuals! I only look through them when I can't figure out something on my own.

 

[doug401]

On the radio front, there is a toggle under the general settings that will keep the radio screen on all the time as opposed to timing out back to whatever screen you were on before.

Thanks... I can cross that one off my list.

A lot of talk about L3 charging ability, or lack of it I should say. I was completely fine purchasing without L3 on the RAV4 EV. I've leaned from my Leaf experiences that having it onboard doesn't matter much if the public infrastructure is not up to par. I have a 75% success rate with level 3 here in the NW, and if you trip plan with 2 L3 stops, you are now close to 50% odds of having a trouble free no wait charges. The soon-to-be additions of Nissan dealer L3's will help Leafers, but I doubt Rav's would be allowed.

 

[JDJ]

In RE: On the radio front, there is a toggle under the general settings that will keep the radio screen on all the time as opposed to timing out back to whatever screen you were on before. ???
I looked under general settings & saw nothing that relates to the radio & or the length of time keeping it on the screen.
Can U be a Lil more specific about what you mean when U say "toggle" ??
I also find it very frustrating that I'm fiddling w/ the radio & then the screen disappears.
Any help would be appreciated

Thanks.

 

[ufojoe]

One thing I found the other day is the mode button on the left side of the steering wheel... press and hold and it mute's the audio... press and hold again and it comes back on. Kinda nice touch compared to raising and lowering the volume to talk to someone.

Probably somewhere in the owners manual but... who reads the owners manuals! I only look through them when I can't figure out something on my own.

Thanks Mike!! This was helpful!

 

[ToddR]

Just got my wife a Volt, and even though its software is just as complex, its UI is SO MUCH better than Toyota. Everything from climate control to radio to ev systems to remote app is way better. Anyone know is the NAV/UI on the standard RAV4 as bad?

My top list of Toyota SW woes:

1. way too sensitive seat heater button located right next to power button - Volt buttons are also capacitive, but take a are not activated by an inadvertant brush - and have audible feedback.

2. NAV screen touch panel - scrolling that's randomly either un-responsive or too responsive, "soft re-center key" that makes you have to look away from driving for too long to find and press.

3. Radio just sucks - changing mode to does not change to corresponding preset bank - on fm preset 1 , change mode to XM, hit station dn button and back to FM preset 2 - why ?

4. Passenger volume control - ridiculous pop-up

5. insane need to 2 square feet of dedicated climate control buttons, and I still cant figure out how to bring cool air in from outside in the morning without lowering the temp and disabling the AC.

6. love the way it activates and leaves on the music player in my droid when I cycle the mode across "bluetooth audio"

 

[copystamp]

I second the comment on the design of the radio interface. Really bad design. They spent little time on design, or had a small budget for software.

 

[Blastphemy]

Add my vote - the radio GUI is horrible. You'd think by now car manufacturers would at least know how not to design an infotainment interface. The Rav4 EV is the poster child for a near total fail in this regard.

 

[TheMachineWon]

Not a bad list, I look at the things you really need, are the ones that bug us !
Only one "auto Window"
Window lock, stops the front passenger !
Trunk light, made by a midget.
Plug socket , NO Light.
All around bad design on that.
Doors don't lock after driving ?
How about that glare off the shinny dash ~ curved to blind you at all angles
Yeah you can turn the nav screen off ! but the audio is cut off too !

So the Toyota guys are like back in the 90's

 

[n3ckf]

the thing i hate the most is the Nav system interface. Mine just resets randomly while typing in addresses. you'll be halfway through typing in a street name and blammo, blank screen and you have to start again. I've had it happen so often i just use the map for *looking* at traffic and such and i use my phone for directions. (except for the 5 presets which i have set to something and work reliably).

 

[miimura]

the thing i hate the most is the Nav system interface. Mine just resets randomly while typing in addresses. you'll be halfway through typing in a street name and blammo, blank screen and you have to start again. I've had it happen so often i just use the map for *looking* at traffic and such and i use my phone for directions. (except for the 5 presets which i have set to something and work reliably).

If it was my car, I would claim that it was defective and try to have it replaced. Mine has never done that, but I've only ever typed in half a dozen addresses.

 

[TonyWilliams]

the thing i hate the most is the Nav system interface. Mine just resets randomly while typing in addresses. you'll be halfway through typing in a street name and blammo, blank screen and you have to start again. I've had it happen so often...

Mine doesn't do that either (and it's not because my car is trouble free, either!). I would document every call and complaint to Toyota and your dealer until this either gets fixed or your sitting in Lemon Law arbitration and/or court.

 

[4EVEREV]

Before this car was even announced to be available I knew it was going to be a compliance/marketing ploy that would be somewhat cobbled together. That said the first Nissan LEAF was worse and it was a "ground up design". Aside from the Tesla issues it is really not bad for a 2600 unit compliance conversion. Those folks worried about some silly features or missing lights, etc really should not have bought this EV. If there is something to focus on its the show stopper issues related to the drive and charge system that should not be there. If you think this NAV is bad use one on a LEAF, its junk with about four voice commands that are pointless. Overall this car is not bad for what it is, a quickly made compliance car with a big marketing back story.

 

[Khaihon]

Not a bad list, I look at the things you really need, are the ones that bug us !
Only one "auto Window"
Window lock, stops the front passenger !
Trunk light, made by a midget.
Plug socket , NO Light.
All around bad design on that.
Doors don't lock after driving ?
How about that glare off the shinny dash ~ curved to blind you at all angles
Yeah you can turn the nav screen off ! but the audio is cut off too !

So the Toyota guys are like back in the 90's

The audio can be played while the screen is off.

 

[Dianne]

Design flaws and wishes for correction:
:arrow: Radio dials ... trying to seek out stations with the drop down radio-note box is appallingly silly... and frustrating! Volume on steering wheel is the only way to quickly quiet it. Bummer.
:arrow: Center console is too low for armrest. We're not midgets!
:arrow: Seat controls. Arrgh. I like the seat to dip low in rear and come up higher at knees like typical armchair. Even my Prius Plugin will do this.
:arrow: urethane or leather wrapped steering wheel. For $50K at window, it's sorta cheesy not to have this.

That said, this car has exceeded my expectations for fun factor, roominess, and economy and quick-stopping. Brakes are killer good and handling is phenomenal for this hulky little car.

 

[mark_rivers19]

Design flaws and wishes for correction:
:arrow: Radio dials ... trying to seek out stations with the drop down radio-note box is appallingly silly... and frustrating! Volume on steering wheel is the only way to quickly quiet it. Bummer.
:arrow: Center console is too low for armrest. We're not midgets!
:arrow: Seat controls. Arrgh. I like the seat to dip low in rear and come up higher at knees like typical armchair. Even my Prius Plugin will do this.
:arrow: urethane or leather wrapped steering wheel. For $50K at window, it's sorta cheesy not to have this.

That said, this car has exceeded my expectations for fun factor, roominess, and economy and quick-stopping. Brakes are killer good and handling is phenomenal for this hulky little car.

What's the material on the steering wheel now? i honestly thought it was leatherette/ leather like material