First Look: Driving the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid and RAV4 Prime
The Toyota Corolla Hybrid sedan and hatchback are due in the US for the 2023 model year, but we got an early look during their South Africa debut!
Toyota South Africa recently invited us to drive the new fifth-generation Corolla Hybrid. An improved new sedan and hatchback are due in the US for the 2023 model year alongside the forthcoming Corolla Cross Hybrid. (During this event, we also had the chance to sample the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid, better known as the RAV4 Prime in the States. More on that below.)
Toyota’s Hybrid range is growing apace to deliver a gas-electric solution to an ever-mushrooming audience, from compact sedans to luxury vehicles and even their full-sized trucks and SUVs. It’s also worth noting that, while hybrid model cars have traditionally come at bit of a premium, an entry-level Corolla LE starts at just $22,500.
More Powerful, Improved 5th Generation Hybrid
Packing a handy 14 percent increase in engine power for a 13% hike in total system output, the new fifth-gen hybrid engine jumps eighteen horsepower from 120 to 138 HP. Gas consumption drops to a measly 47 mpg. By the by, the gas-only 34 mpg Corolla 2.0 CVT also benefits a little 2 HP 2 lb.-ft bump up to 169 HP and 151 lb.-ft for ’23.
This Hybrid step up is courtesy of Toyota’s new 5th-generation 1.8-litre Miller cycle gas-electric powertrain’s enhanced performance, refinement, and efficiency. Core to the upgrade is a new lithium-ion battery with enhanced cooling capacity. Corolla now also comes exclusively with Toyota’s step-shift capable CVT transmission.
Hybrid Corollas look subtly different
Striking as ever and riding on Toyota’s advanced TNGA platform, the new Corollas benefit from a few subtle styling tweaks. They better differentiate the sedan and hatch, and Hybrid and gas variants. There’s also new LED interior lighting and improved interior trim options. (NOTE: US versions may also appear subtly different from the South African cars in this article’s images.)
The latest Corolla also gets capacitive switchgear CarPlay, Auto and built-in navigation functional 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with different display modes and voice recognition in top models. Add a new wireless charger and additional USB ports including a Type-C jack and Toyota Connect vehicle telematics.
Latest Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 incorporates semi-autonomous tech and enhanced wider-angle camera sensor resolution to enhance detection range and recognition. It has pre-collision, adaptive cruise, lane trace and auto beam assistants, in addition to a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic and safe exit assist.
45 mpg on Average on the Road
On the road, you do notice the extra grunt. Both in the butt-dyno and on the fuel readout. An extended urban jaunt delivered over 45 mpg on average in the Hybrid Hatch. The cabin is sharp and smart, and we enjoyed the intuitive infotainment, dials, and energy flow dioramas on both the dash and center screen.
We have always liked this latest Corolla. Now it seems that it’s keeping up with the times enough to keep us impressed. Its smarter, sharper, and still well-priced. Not least of all those Hybrid entry models, which might have you scratching your heads, just as we are ours…
Plug In Hybrid RAV4 Prime Has an Impressive 300 HP
Moving on to the RAV4 Plug In Hybrid, which offers the power and clean efficiency of a full EV without any range anxiety or charging worries. This PHEV gives all the self-charging, gas engine back-up and extended range benefits of a traditional full hybrid vehicle, with the additional performance and pure EV driving mode of a full battery electric vehicle.
Sold as the RAV4 Prime in the US, the Plug-In Hybrid gets a 182 HP 167 lb.-ft dual VVT-i DOHC 2.5-litre gas engine paired with a larger EV battery and two electric motors. One fourth Generation Toyota Hybrid motor drives each axle for all-wheel-drive in a class-leading combination of power and efficiency.
Fired by an 18.1 kW lithium-Ion battery sitting under the cabin, the front and rear electric motors add a respective additional 180 and 53 HP for an impressive 300 HP total output. Torque is also abundant thanks to an additional 200 and 90 lb.-ft of electrical twist. That’s over and above those 167 gas pound-feet.
Using the same electric architecture as the ‘conventional’ RAV 4 E-Four hybrid, a CVT transmission blends petrol-electric front wheel drive, aided and abetted by electric-only rear drive. The car Intelligently switches between all and front drive depending on conditions. A dedicated Trail Mode increases rear axle torque split.
500 Miles Possible in Hybrid Mode
A default EV mode prioritizes electric-only drive for up to 50 miles on electric power only. EV mode Acceleration is impressive at zero fuel consumption. HV mode allows the driver to select traditional Toyota petrol-electric Hybrid driving. The car also automatically switches to HV mode should the battery drop below minimum EV only levels.
This allows the RAV4 Plug-In to keep on driving when a conventional EV would have to stop. This allows for an HV mode driving range of beyond 500 miles. An Auto EV/HV mode allows the system to switch between the two, based on the required acceleration level. The petrol engine only fires up on demand, before returning to electric operation as soon as plausible.
A Charging Mode uses the petrol engine to recharge the battery pack if required. Wall charging is via a Mode 2 240V home charging cable, which takes between 7 and 9 hours. A separate Mode 3 cable allows fast station DC charging in 2 and a half hours using a 32A, 6.6 kW charger.
Do You Drive More Than 50 Miles a Day?
There’s a quality feel to the Toyota RAV 4 Plug-In. Its more EV than hybrid to drive with that immediate torque and flat, sturdy, and silent electric power delivery. We never drove far enough to make a dent on the yellow battery graphic on the screen.
In truth, who will ever drive more than 50 miles on a daily commute? If you fit that metric, then you will hardly ever get to use that latent fuel in the tank. And if you do, that bigger battery and Toyota’s proven hybrid setup has the potential to travel further than 500 miles on that regular tank of gas.
This trio of Toyotas is but a mere drop in the ocean of the company’s exploding Hybrid range. It’s going to get even more diverse by the month as a whole new EV range hits the market to provide every Toyota buyer the freedom of choice to satisfy whatever their driving want may be.
Everything Keeps Going Right for Toyota’s Hybrids
A few years ago, our local Toyota catchphrase used to be ‘Everything Keeps Going Right’. That slogan may have changed, but not much else has as Toyota’s and every diversifying range of gas, Hybrid, and electric cars keeps growing to satisfy every driving want and need.
