Is The Most Expensive New Toyota RAV4 Worth It? RAV4 Prime Review

We Take a Look at a Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE which happens to be the most expensive Toyota RAV4 for sale today at a whopping almost $50,000.

We'll start the review with the technical review under the hood and under the car to see how the RAV4 Prime differs from the standard RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid.

Then we take a look at the exterior and interior. We talk about some common problems then things we don't like about it.

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TCCN Automotive Inc.
Toyota and Lexus Specialist Repair

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0:00 Intro
0:43 Under The Hood
6:34 Under The Car
11:04 Exterior Review
17:31 Interior Review
24:31 Common Problems
26:48 Things I Don't Like About It
28:18 Final Verdict

[leekongvue]

This is by far the best review of the Rav4 Prime. Extremely thorough in every aspect of the vehicle. Every review needs to be this indept. Keep up the good work, you have my respect.

[kevboio]

I'm a technician at one of the local Toyota dealers in my area and there actually was one case where I had a customer come in with their Rav4 Prime and it had the hybrid system malfunction message along with the 2 main DTCs you would find pointing towards corrosion buildup on the Y6 connector. It is a pretty much identical process for diagnosing and getting the vehicle written up for parts replacement, but where things got interesting is Toyota actually requested me to send back the HV battery and install a brand new one. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with the battery that was already equipped. If I were to guess this was such a unique and unexpected scenario that they wanted to do some research on the battery to make sure the corrosion wasn't in turn causing any damage to it. The process for replacing the HV frame cable was much more in-depth. Far more components interior and exterior had to be removed than the standard HV Rav 4. Actually turned out to be a lot of fun for the most part, but still had its moments, especially dealing with the 2 nuts bolting on the 12v cables to the main harness.

[raycollington]

Your videos are myth busting, so educational and informative. As a regular viewer I'm starting to understand a lot more about how these cars work. Thanks as ever.

[kevinthant]

I got my 21 Rav4 Prime when $7500 tax credit was available, lucky compared to now. It is a wonderful vehicle, best of both worlds, if not winter I can get consistently between 43 to 50 miles on full EV charge which is enough for daily driving around town. On high way no range anxiety with gas engine. Engine power is good, has been very reliable with “Made in Japan” build quality. Truly this is as close as you can get to owning a unicorn 🦄 car

[crystalclarity]

A video that’s heavier on technical aspects of this make and model. It’s just what I was looking for. Thank you for this! ❤

[atledavidsen]

Thank you for this review. Love your channel. As a pre-taxidriven Toyota owner mostly since 1998 I value any input on "new" models. We are considering this exaxt model (Europe) as our next (taxi-driven) Toyota some time going forward. Have had no issues through the years even though miles have been up to 300.000 when bought. Usually at 3 yrs old. Owned 4-5 yrs. An occasional "odd-ball" in the past like a heater switch has come up, but nothing major. Ever. Regular every year service and brakes from time to time.

We went to Toyota hybrids in 2018 and have been very happy with them. First a 2015 Auris Sports Touring Executive(EU-model) and since 2021 a 2018 Prius Executive. The Prius still only has 130.000 miles (less miles during covid) so it will be some time before we change it. But still nice with thorough unbiased reviews. On a model we both want. Which comes in at 70.000 USD new here in Norway after the recent tax rise (it is not concidered "green enough...). So. We wait for the deapriciation so we can have way way less during our ownership. 😉

All the best from Norway!

[ChainBrothersMTB]

Thankyou for the honest review - so many reviewers don’t mention the road noise. This is a very important point (for me) and I appreciate the direct approach to reviewing.

[adedejiademola]

Your in-depth analysis is great. I always look forward to your videos as it makes life easier for a Toyota / Lexus owner 😊

[LVTR-krrz]

At last, I got 2023 RAV4 PRIME XSE PREMIUM yesterday exactly as yours shown above with a revised full info screen and a full digital instrument cluster. Thanks for your video.

[isaacwhite]

Not going to lie, I could listen to you all day your simple & in depth explanations are Great !!
Keep up the awesome work

[christoffsteenkamp]

This is one of the best reviews I've seen in a while. Covers all the interesting facts and questions one would have.

[turo]

I love that in most of your recent videos that there is often a classic well-kept Toyota in the background! I hope to see my 2020 Hybrid back there in 20 years!

[maxwood]

Another great video, I have had a Rav 4 for 10 years, great all round SUV, Now done 200, 000 KM, no issues at all except service and brake replacement. In my eyes all Toyota's are the best. I would love a Rav 4 Prime, My only concern is we have to have people who know how to fix them when things go wrong, because everything is getting very complicated.

[southbound]

We bought a Solara SLE new in 99' . It came standard with not only a full size spare but with a matching aluminum wheel.

[bripeck]

Well, that answers the question of the vibration in the heating system when you first start the vehicle on some rare occasions. My 21 RAV4P has that exact trouble. I’ll talk that over with my service rep the next time I take it in for service. Thanks for bringing that up!

[robertm]

I LOVED your review. I was lucky enough to get a 2021 Rav4 Prime XSE and with everything included but the Panoramic roof (just got the sunroof) including tax for $48k. I love all the features and power. I can still get almost sticker if I sold it today, especially seeing the waiting list is over 6 months, AND I was lucky to get one build and shipped from Japan. I have done some mods to it, to make it feel more original and mine.
Mods Done so Far:
Fit-Cam Front dash-cam
Hood Struts
Side mirror sequential blinkers
Replaced all door switches with the lighted door switches
Center console cover
Swapped all rear standard light with LED lights
Glove box organizer
New Horn (no more wimpy horn) Now sounds like a louder American car horn. LOL People can hear it now.
Thank you again for doing this and all your other video's.
I live in NY but wish you were closer to bring my car to you.
We all would sleep a lot better if we knew our cars were being worked on, by someone like you.
Keep up the good work. And keep those great video's coming.

[chadcostales]

Love your videos, I have learned so much about modern hybrid systems and the eCVT from you. Have you ever addressed the RAV4 fuel tank issue? Does Toyota’s fuel range calculation come down too much on the conservative side or is there an issue properly filling the tank to it’s advertised 14.5 gal capacity?

[threeparots]

The HVAC system on the latest Toyota hybrids is quite good and is quite well designed to maximize efficiency. 4th Gen Prius deactivate heating to the back seats when not in use and only turns the heat on once there is enough heat in the engine and then ramps it up fairly slowly and vice versa in summer. It senses the humidity and brings in defrost automatically too. So you really just set it and forget it..very good, intelligent and understated (by Toyota) system.

[tonytokablunt]

I love your channel bro! Thanks for reviewing this car. You are so informative and I have come to enjoy your speaking voice as well. Keep up the great work1

[efraingarfias]

Keep it going man 👍👍 i love and learn a lot from your videos. Thank you