Exceeds Expectations
We had a 2019 Rav4 hybrid that we liked very much. We passed it on to a family member whose Toyota was pushing 200,000 miles. We also leased a 2024 Prius Plug-in Hybrid that was great for commuting but unsurprisingly smaller than the Rav4. The recently purchased 2026 Rav4 Plug-in combines the plug-in feature we very much appreciate with the bigger everything for lugging a wheelchair, two dogs, and a human passenger or two. Black was the only color available and our last color choice, but I could not wait months for a white one while paying the monthly lease on the Prius. It is my chore to keep it looking shiny but a car wax I found is easy to apply and polish so so far so good after four days.
The 2026 seems bigger. The touch screen is bigger. The suspension is better. More seat adjustments, more comfortable seats, and headroom. The miles on a charge and range on gasoline are higher. My husband likes the voice command feature of raising and lowering the fan speed. The charger came with an easy to install support bracket, an improvement over the net of bungee cords for the Prius's charger. It also came with a 220-adapter that we likely will not use but handy to have.
The owner's manual has every possible contingency with overwhelming details. Fortunately I knew the basics from our previous Rav4 hybrid and Prius plug-in but lots of things are different. Good thing our salesperson suggested we make a list of questions and drop by to have them answered. One pressing question is whether and how to add some reflectors especially for night visibility and street parking. When the doors were open for loading and unloading the wheelchair-using driver, the doors were kind of invisible. Certainly reflective tape on the wheelchair is in order and maybe a construction worker, neon-yellow vest!
That's it for four-days of ownership.
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