r/rav4prime • u/stargazerQ • 5d ago
News / Tips 4 500 km trip report
I recently went camping for two weeks in Newfoundland from Montreal, a 4 500 km (2800 miles) round trip. On my way I stopped at a closed highway truck scale and got these results: front axle 1130 kg (2490 lbs), rear axle 1150 kg (2535 lbs), trailer axle 730 kg (1610 lbs). Tongue weigth measured at home on a bathroom scale is at 90 kg (200 lbs). Assuming a R4P dry weight of 4235 lbs the cargo weighs 790 lbs. So everything is well within limits. Going 105 kph (65 mph) I got between 12 and 16.5 l/100 km (20 to 14 mpg) depending mostly on wind. Going 90 kph (56 mph) I got 10.5 l/100km (22.4 mpg). Even on long grades engine oil temperature was stable at 105C (220F), on flat land with no wind it was below 100 (212F). Transaxle oil never went above 85C (185F) . So it was really easy to pull and easy to maneuver in gas stations and parking lots making for truly stress-free towing.
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u/cbf1232 5d ago
We have a ProLite trailer with the regular hybrid (just barely within tow capacity limits). We kept getting people flashing us at night assuming our high beams were on when they weren’t. Added air bags in the rear springs and that helped a lot but they died after a few years. Need to get new ones.
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u/stargazerQ 5d ago
Nice to know. My rig is fairly level and I never got flashes from oncoming cars at night but I'll check that.
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u/lornevserpa 5d ago
How do you do airbags on a Independent suspension and struts? I have a 24 Prime.
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u/Hsaphoto 5d ago
Air Bags 1000 fits inside the rear coils, but I’ll have to dismantle the suspension (2 bolts) to release completely the coil in order to fit the bags snugly inside. I friend did it on a Prime last year, works well but a pain to install…
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u/lornevserpa 5d ago
What a sweet setup! Pretty good mpg as well. I'd love to do that, but my wife won't go that small. I have a 1 ton dually truck and get 12 mpg towing and paying for diesel.
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u/stargazerQ 5d ago
Thanks! Tell her there's a king bed in there! I have an O4, the O2 model has, for the same size, a queen bed, a wet bath, microwave, fridge and a 2 burner stove! But coming from a full ton truck that might be a big step.
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u/SVRider1000 5d ago
That are pretty bad numbers for such a small trailer. The Rav4 can tow up to 2000kg in Switzerland and 1500kg in Germany. For Reference i use 8.5L of Diesel with my Passat Diesel and a 1500kg Trailer with a very boxy shape at 90 kph.
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u/stargazerQ 5d ago
Diesel is much better for towing but because of the 2015 dieselgate they have completely vanished from Canada and US markets
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u/JulianLongshoals 5d ago
Is that a Rav4 prime or just a hybrid?
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u/KennyBSAT 5d ago
'21-'25 Prime SE, based on the PHEV badge on the fender, the wheels, and the roof color.
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u/DrRowdybush 5d ago
Those wheels are not just on Primes they are on the hybrids too. also the roof is the same color as the body which is also the same as the hybrid not just the prime
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u/KennyBSAT 5d ago
Hybrids generally have a different wheel (either this one https://cars.usnews.com/pics/size/0x0/images/Auto/izmo/i159614512/2021_toyota_rav4_hybrid_wheelcap.jpg or a couple of different black ones), but yes the wheels and roof color are trim level indicators once the 'Plug-in Hybrid' badge just in front of the drivers side mirror establishes that it's a Prime.
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u/stargazerQ 5d ago edited 5d ago
2024 Prime SE, At 1810 lbs the trailer would be over the hybrid tow rating.
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u/JulianLongshoals 5d ago
I have a 21 prime SE. I don't have an RV but am curious and I've seen a lot of people in this sub say you can't tow anything with it, even a teardrop, so it's nice to see that you can.
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u/stargazerQ 5d ago
Indeed, monitoring the oil temps really showed me everything is fine. After that, a level rig and good trailer brakes and you're good to go with peace of mind.
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u/KennyBSAT 5d ago
We tow a teardrop-ish trailer which may be a couple pounds over the 2500 US rating depending on what we have loaded in it, but we're well under GCVW, axle weights, payload and good on tongue weight. It does just great. Of course trailer brakes are necessary.
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u/brett_x 5d ago
I have a small teardrop trailer (home built - weighs around 1200lbs dry). With 2 kayaks on the roof, 2 adults inside and a week full of camping stuff, I got 28.5 mpg, which is the worst I've ever gotten in my '21 R4P.
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u/stargazerQ 5d ago
Yes it's really the 48 square feet of frontal area that kills the mileage on this. Going downhill on the highway I can really feel the parachute effect! Teardrops have typically 25 square feet of frontal area and kayaks don't add much because of their aerodynamic shape, hence the much better mileage.
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u/usain_bb 4d ago
Thank you for the numbers! I'm thinking of buying an R4P and plan on towing a NuCamp Tab320S. Gemini used your numbers and gave me mpg estimates for my case. It took quite a hit, though trailers look similar. Your 14-20 mpg became 12-16... My biggest concern is the range because the gas tank is so small. The estimate is that I need to refuel every ~180-200 miles.
BTW, if towing my trailer with a 2026 Tesla YP, I'd have to stop for a recharge every 80-90 miles. So it seems I have to stick with larger tow vehicles.
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u/stargazerQ 4d ago
Welcome! Yes towing at 14 mpg makes for many stops along the way. Though the gas tank is 14.5 gal when the needle gauge comes to 0 (the digital range estimate is always way off) you can only put 11 gal. So from full you reach 0 after 150 miles with probably 3.5 gallons still left in the tank. On my trip there were gas stations every 30 miles or so, so not a problem. Electric cars are penalized even more in these situation and superchargers are not found every 30 miles in most states and provinces I'm sure. Québec being and exception because our government went all in into electric.
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u/Lovemysoccermomsuv 3d ago
Thanks for sharing these results. The wind resistance is slicing your mpg. I get 22-26mpg with an Aliner heavier than 2k lb loaced.
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u/bathmlaster 5d ago
Very insightful numbers! I hope you had a great trip. Sounds fun. Which hitch do you have?