What is YOUR experience with buying & first few days?

[mudpie]

After biting the bullet and ordering a 2013 shoreline blue pearl RAV4 EV on 5/4, here's misc notes of my experience:
1) Piercey Toyota is fairly laid back...maybe too much so...despite calling me at 2pm Friday to say my car was IN but they had to prep it, and me telling them I could ONLY pick it up Friday evening and NOT at all on Saturday, the car was really not prepped until 6pm Saturday night and I could not pick it up until...Sunday morning.
2) Put it in the garage right after buying it... came back and found 20+ large moths that had hitched a ride (there's an infestation from the field near the dealership) and went flapping around everywhere in my garage.
3) interior lights, garage door opener, remote mic did not work. Learned from this forum to install a jumper in 1 of the fuseboxes.
4) Discovered that I had to set up a 'SafetyConnect' account by phone to get the SOS button connected and to enable the remote vehicle control Entune smartphone apps -- which all work on my ancient Droid 2 phone!
5) So far the range estimator is pretty accurate, from spot-on to giving me a 10% low estimate.
6) Day 4 and still more moths are re-emerging. Disgusting infestation. The car salesman didn't care. Why so many moths were attracted to the car which was only at the dealership for 42 hours...??
7) Already put on yellow 'Tesla Inside' stickers and 'Powered by Tesla' license plate frames...which caused some people to think this was a new Tesla SUV that I bought!
8) Lots of coworkers and friends want to test drive it. ALL like the responsive, torquey behavior.
9) Does normal charging involve all kinds of clicking, thunking, and other noises that start as soon the 120V charger is plugged in? (yes, electrical is not ready yet...contractor surprised me by going on vacation right after I signed the contract...sigh). It isn't loud, but I'm glad I my bedroom isn't next to the garage.
Sorry for the brain dump.

 

[cwerdna]

Bummer about the moths. As you can probably tell, that dealer looks like a high volume dealer. Never heard of such a thing w/my friend's '11 Prius that she bought new from there.

If you get some sort of survey from Toyota, definitely note your experience w/the moths and insufficient prep work (re: the jumper).

LOL re: #7. But, it's true. It's the "poor man's Tesla". For #8, make sure they try it sport mode. Maybe you'll help Toyota sell a few. Getting butts in seats helps.

You've got quite a cargo room contrast going on between the Rav4 EV and that Civic GX. I had no idea the trunk was so tiny on those until an owner showed me at Alt Car Expo, on a previous gen. Current gen is not really any better in that dept.

 

[Dsinned]

CONGRATS!

Well, at least you must of got a good deal! I was the first customer to buy a RAV4 EV from that same dealer, which just so happens to be closest to where I live. To put it mildly, I GOT BURNED! :x

Same thing for me on the "SOS" feature. :x

No moths when I picked mine up from one of 3 already on the lot, but sounds like they sure didn't do much to "prep" yours. All I got was a free charge, and all my lights worked fine.

Asked about the missing cup holder liners, and was told I could buy "extras" for about $50 each from the parts dept. :x

Oh, and all I got for a "gratuity" for being "the first" was a free window shade, but I had to ask for it as part of the new car sale at nearly full price and 1.9% APR financing. BFD!

 

[n3ckf]

Well i would say that my experience at Fremont Toyota was pretty ok. I'm still missing information on how this "Safety COnnect" thing works, but other than that, my delivery was fine (although they didnt have enough time to actually fully charge the car since i came in for a test drive and left with it less than 3 hours later).

I bought through the online person (Reahanna Ny) at Fremont Toyota. She's not an expert on the car but does follow up etc. SHe got me the offered deal on my vehicle, although like a good sales person she made sure and sell me on the extras (I took the 8 year extended warranty for instance, mainly because its transferrable if i sell the car, and it eliminates all possible questions should something go wrong...) THe Tesla and Toyota parts of the warranty were explained well though.

I found the "pilot workload" to be really high when driving for the first day actually as i felt the need to check the range meter every half mile. This does go away. Also figuring out how to do things with the integrated display is a bit daunting. (My previous car puchase was 23 years ago when i bought my Nissan Pathfinder which i still have with 328K miles on it...) So lets say, automative in-cockpit technology has advanced a bit since then...


It took me about a day to cure the range anxiety thing. The car really does go pretty far on a charge...

Feature i most miss: (the "turn the sound off now) button. Other than the steering wheel controls (which dont have a mute) i havent yet figured out how to do two things with the sound system:
- turn off the sound quickly
- go up/down by a single channel/station. (for instance on sat radio or just regular AM). You can scan but i dont see how to just go up/down one. ON the other hand, maybe i missed that in the manual.

The driving experience is actually really good in this car. Its like a regular car for the most part (and seems more so than other electric cars i've driven, like the Volt and the Leaf) Also, boy does it go around corners fast. the low center of gravity is very noticable compared to most SUVs.

I'm sure i'll run out of charge someone inconvenient eventually but i suspect not anytime soon...

 

[miimura]

Feature i most miss: (the "turn the sound off now) button. Other than the steering wheel controls (which dont have a mute) i havent yet figured out how to do two things with the sound system:
- turn off the sound quickly
- go up/down by a single channel/station. (for instance on sat radio or just regular AM). You can scan but i dont see how to just go up/down one. ON the other hand, maybe i missed that in the manual.

Yeah, the audio system is really not intuitive. Manual radio tuning, mute and volume controls are available on the touchscreen by touching the music note at the upper right corner. Also, holding down the round Mode button on the steering wheel will either mute or pause depending on the audio mode at the time.

 

[miimura]

I made a long post about my experience buying and driving my RAV4 EV home from Oxnard, entitled "My RAV4 EV Buying Adventure".

 

[mudpie]

Feature i most miss: (the "turn the sound off now) button. Other than the steering wheel controls (which dont have a mute) i havent yet figured out how to do two things with the sound system:
- turn off the sound quickly
- go up/down by a single channel/station. (for instance on sat radio or just regular AM). You can scan but i dont see how to just go up/down one. ON the other hand, maybe i missed that in the manual.

Miimura: I had previously read and enjoyed your RAV-buying-experience post -- thanks!

Yeah, the audio system is really not intuitive. Manual radio tuning, mute and volume controls are available on the touchscreen by touching the music note at the upper right corner. Also, holding down the round button in the middle of the cluster of steering wheel buttons that includes the volume will either mute or pause depending on the audio mode at the time.

Took me awhile to figure out how to control the stereo...and I'm pretty gadget-savvy (though I don't read manuals).
I put my fave station at the top of all 6 pages, then the other 5 on each page have presets grouped by theme (pop, talk radio & comedy, energy/hip-hop, etc.)

STILL finding several moths each morning and evening. These are big, tough moths. In Piercey's defense, they did do the detailing. The moths must really like some battery outgassing smell or something.

I've gotten 3 people very interested in buying a RAV4 EV, so far. Despite spouting about the great discounts, the financing, and how great the car is, none of them were even mildly interested UNTIL I let them test drive (in sport mode, traction control off, burn rubber), and now they are seriously considering it!

 

[Vach]

Going through this myself now! Have to say, my experiences are similar. At first I thought that buzzing was the beginning of the self destruct sequence.

I wanted to comment that the stereo mimics many "hidden" features of my 2010 Prius, such as track skimming and the mode button pause. My only complaint is the cars predisposition to radio for some reason.

 

[AvLegends]

Feature i most miss: (the "turn the sound off now) button. Other than the steering wheel controls (which dont have a mute) i havent yet figured out how to do two things with the sound system:
- turn off the sound quickly

I found the steering wheel mute by accident a while back... push and hold the mode button and the audio will mute. Push and hold again to bring the volume back on.

 

[AvLegends]

The loaner car I am driving while my Rav is in the shop is a 2013 Avalon Hybrid. The thing has radio KNOBS! 2 of them... one for volume and one for tuning! I guess the car is targeted to the older crowd that isn't as tech savvy... as my friends and girlfriend say "like me"

 

[rayray]

Have had the car for about 3 weeks, and should hit 1000 miles this weekend.
I love the car, and evangelize it to all listeners ...
Bought from Toyota of Irvine .. no issues there, I made the deal over the phone, and picked up the car a couple of days later.
Drove it back 90 miles to San Diego with 30 miles of range to spare on regular charge in the EV lane (57 MPH) - Range anxiety gone after that drive.

But, if I had to pick a few things, here they are:
1) I hate the radio ... I'm the conservative that is a tree hugger, and I want my darn knobs! (I guess I have to go through the manual...which is a no no for us Computer Engineers ... :lol: )
2) There is no way to pick a % charge ... I'm finding myself having to time it correctly so that I'm at 90% of regular charge, which should equate to about 70% of the full pack.
3) No APP for Windows Phone ... c'mon now ... There is an App for Blackberry, but not WP8 ? .. Who uses blackberry? (for now using android emulator on Windows desktop)
4) No timed charging . Why not have a simple Start at this time ..... and end at this time .... ? (going to use a heavy duty 240 volt timer to solve for that-hopefully)
5) Wish there were more color choices .. there are now 5 x silver ones at my work ... :?

Additions:
1) "Powered by Tesla" sticker
2) Hitch for bike rack (simple 10 minute bolt-on)
3) Cargo over (just ordered)

 

[Charlestonleafer]

Are you guys getting any incentives on the 2013's?

 

[n3ckf]

Yes. as i mentioned in another thread, i bought one on May 12th, its a 2013 and i got $9300 off. ($8800 of that was shown as an incentive plus another $500 from the sales person as a "discount"). I probably could've gotten a little more if i'd been interested in "Dealing".

But $9300 for sure.

 

[Charlestonleafer]

thats awesome! I'm hoping the incentives continue!

 

[EVMe]

Hit about the 3 week mark on my vehicle, and overall the impression is good. Great conversation starter with the 'average' car guy, and many come away impressed with the range, torque, sporty handling for a mini-SUV, and how quickly the onboard charger charges on a 240/40A setup.

Been getting about a 100 mile range without AC use, with the radio playing all the time. My commute is 80 miles round-trip, so its been a ideal fit.

Some negatives:
1) Radio needs a more convenient volume button or knob on screen.
2) Fit and finish leaves something to be desired. Cheap hard dash, squeaks, and rattles. For a 50k compliance car, at least give us a soft touch dash that even under 20k VW Golf's have. Taken in twice for service, once for a insane rattle, and the other for the front bumper not being aligned due to the clip breaking or slipping.
3) Some quirks with the climate control randomly starting when it was off when last used, better logic on time charging.
4) Car rolling back on a slight incline after engaging park and ebrake. Car seems to 'catch' after a slight nudge.

Only additions so far:
1) OEM Cargo Cover
2) OEM Mudguards (on order)
3) OEM all weather Rav4 mats (on order)

 

[arnolddeleon]

Replaced my silver 2002 RAV4-EV with white 2012 three days ago. I wanted a blue but those were gone. There was a silver one when I started the conversation w/ the dealer but when I went there they told me they had sold it. The only one left was pearl white with dealer added accessories (all things that cost extra). They offered it to me for the same price. I took it despite thinking I would never own a white car. 2012 was important because the 0% financing (essential to the financial sales pitch at home).

I had over 124,000 miles on the 2002 RAV4-EV. It was serving me well as my commute car however the batteries were clearly on their last legs. I was considering nursing it along for another year or two. But I had tires that were going to need replacing sooner rather later. The tax credits and rebates would let me essentially get into the new RAV4-EV for 12 months for free. The remaining value in the old RAV4-EV made that number almost 24 months so I went for it.

Note we also own a 2 year old Nissan LEAF.

First impressions:

a) Big battery is nice. This is the primary thing that motivated me. This is the only car in w/ 40 kWh battery. We already had one EV with a battery in the 20s. Would have loved a Model S sized battery but not in the cards at this time.
b) It seems grossly more inefficient than the other EVs we have owned (not completely surprised based on what I've read before and the EPA number).
c) We *HATE* the beeping inside when the car is in reverse, need to visit the dealer to get that fixed.
d) The ride was a little odd, I need to check the tire pressure.
e) Climate controls are taking a little getting used (similar to the learning curve w/ the LEAF)
f) The charge port location is really poor. In a two car garage I currently have the right position (as you enter). This means the charging port is in the middle. I may have to swap positions with wife (who primarily drives the LEAF). The other options are to relocate the EVSE closer but I would still be crossing across the car. I had simply replaced the charger for the old RAV4-EV which was in front. The alternative is build a suspension system for the J1772 cord (it's currently not long enough to reach the port w/o being suspended).
g) Many of the displays are intriguing but are seemingly hard to read (e.g. hard to see efficiency numbers because they're displayed as bar graphs, LEAF displays are a little easier). Ditto for the SOC, counting bars is hard to do at a glance.
h) Experience the same roll back issue that others have noted when the car in park (it almost seems like the parking pawl is a little weak).
i) The interior shows vestiges of its alternate configuration for example cup holders for the optional (in the gas version) 3rd row.
j) The car is "active", it powers on when you open the door.
k) First car with power folding side mirrors, I like it.
l) As others have noted the backup camera doesn't guide lines. The LEAF has it beat it in this area. OTOH the Model S owners also don't have guidelines.

BTW is there a master FAQ list or or list of threads new owners should read? I've looked around the forums a little bit and I've found nuggets here and there but I don't know if if I've found them all. Some things that I've learned:

1) charge timer bugs.
2) beware of loud whining motors.
3) How to get a hitch.
4) Beware of Blinks (I called Blink, they said it should be ok, I will monitor closely if I use it).
5) The range chart.
6) Haven't explored Entunes yet but it looks like there are stuff to figure out there.

I want a universal smart key, one that works for LEAF and the RAV4-EV. I suspect some day this will just be your phone.

arnold

 

[arnolddeleon]

Four days with the new RAV4-EV I took my first extended drive today. I drove over 100+ miles w/o charging. I would not have tried the trip w/ the LEAF or even w/ the 2002 RAV4-EV when it was new.

arnold

 

[eschatfische]

Just picked up our 2012 RAV4 EV (classic silver) on Saturday, and we've already driven 250 miles without an extended charge! In addition to having some Memorial Day fun, we did my wife's 70-mile (35 each way) commute deliberately driven like a normal car at highway speeds to make sure there wouldn't be any range issues on the standard charge (there weren't - and I think we made the Leaf that was going 55 in the slow lane jealous as we blew by).

Not only are we happy with the car - it's a joy to drive either when we're following Toyota's eco-focused directions or opening it up like the Tesla drivetrain was designed for - we're also pleasantly surprised by the availability of "free" public chargers in parking garages around San Francisco. We could often park just a few blocks away and charge wherever we were going.

The only quirks have been that the dealership didn't give us any SafetyConnect information, so I had to call that in to register and get the Entune apps working, and we could never get Pandora playing (I see there's a thread about that). Otherwise, so far so good!

It's back at the dealer today (on a planned visit) for them to turn off the infernal reverse beeping and update the EV charging firmware.

 

[n3ckf]

By the way someone mentioned that "Blink" chargers dont work with the Rav4 EV. Not my experience. I tried the one at the IKEA in East Palo Alto out (far end of the garage on the lower floor from where you enter, near the exit) and it worked fine. A trifle on the slow side. (I only got 7 miles range in 48 minutes of charging with it, but i really was just interested in trying it).

 

[TonyWilliams]

By the way someone mentioned that "Blink" chargers dont work with the Rav4 EV. Not my experience. I tried the one at the IKEA in East Palo Alto out (far end of the garage on the lower floor from where you enter, near the exit) and it worked fine. A trifle on the slow side. (I only got 7 miles range in 48 minutes of charging with it, but i really was just interested in trying it).

Wow, that is slow. Where do you suppose all that energy went if not in your eTank? How hot was the handle?