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Imagine, Then Consider: The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited



2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited front 3/4 view

Imagine you're the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Sweet gig, right? The hybrid model of a hot-selling small crossover from one of the largest automakers on the planet---the one that popularized hybrids in America.


2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited rear 3/4 view

Now, consider: That automaker---your parent---makes a plug-in version of you, the Toyota RAV4 Prime, that packs 83 horsepower more and is the thrill ride nobody expected from a hybrid and that you, the otherwise identical twin, can't deliver.


2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited hood up

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited powerplant

Well, that's okay, you figure, because that's a specialty model to enhance Toyota's share of the hybrid market---maybe even popularize the slow-selling PHEV (plug-in electric hybrid vehicle).


After all, you are very competitive under the hood with arch-rival Honda. You have 219 horsepower and the Honda CR-V Hybrid has 212. You both knock back zero to 60 runs in about 7 and a half seconds.

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited rear liftgate open

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited rear cargo area

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited interior

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited rear seat

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited front seats

And all of that is true. Except your base price, in top-of-the-line Limited AWD form, is $37,030 and the Honda's is---$36,350.


Okay, a slight disadvantage, but your $37,030 includes Toyota's Safety Sense 2.0 advanced active safety features suite, a power tilt and slide moonroof, 18-inch wheels, an 11-speaker JBL Premium audio system, navigation, heated front seats and dual-zone climate control.


Honda's got you pretty much matched except the CR-V's wheels are 19s and its standard premium audio system only has nine speakers.


2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited steering wheel and gauge cluster

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited infotainment and HVAC

But then come the options. $1,015 for the Limited Grade Weather Package: Heated leather-trimmed steering wheel (Honda has the leather but not the heat standard), heated and ventilated front seats, rear heated seats (heated fronts only on the Honda), rain-sensing variable wipers (standard on the Honda) with a de-icer function. Then there's 1,025 for the Limited Grade Advanced Technology Package: Smart key system on all doors and liftgate, hands-free foot-activated liftgate (standard on the Honda), wireless phone charging (standard on the Honda) and birds-eye view camera. Plus $415 for adaptive front headlights, $500 to upgrade the moonroof to a larger panoramic one, $269 for all-weather floor liners and cargo tray, $199 for door sill protectors, $543 for a protection package and $315 for roof rack cross bars.


Okay, you're ahead of the Honda in terms of equipment---some of which you just can't equip a CR-V Hybrid with. But your as-tested price with $1,175 delivery processing and handling fee is $42,486 and the Honda's, thanks to its one-price pricing for trim levels, is---$37,575 including $1,225 destination and handling fees.


A $680 price disadvantage is now $4,911.


2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited front view

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited side view

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited rear view

That's not to say the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited isn't worth it. It's just that this is a very competitive segment of the market where a lot of the equation is based on price and value. There's a lot buyers will consider before they imagine signing on the dotted line.


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