Personal stories and experience might be limited- because Toyota's production of the Rav4 Prime has been kinda limited.

With that said- you might want to take a look at the Car Care Nut's video on the Rav4 Prime. He generally is pretty complimentary of the car- other than pointing out that you are ultimately paying a pretty high price for a compact SUV... a luxury car price tag with the fit and finish and materials of a compact SUV.

He is generally pretty impressed with the build quality of the powertrain and seems to be optimistic regarding the long-term reliability. He does mention that some systems are extremely complicated compared to a normal vehicle... or even some hybrids. That's something to consider if you plan on owning one long-term (to the point where repairs might be needed). Not all mechanics will know how to work on these- and sometimes even Toyota dealers might only have one or two techs that have experience with them.

I think a 2022 with 17,000 miles for $39k is a good deal though- assuming that there's nothing wrong with it and it has a clean history.

As long as your driving style allows you to take advantage of the Rav4 Prime's powertrain benefits- it might be a good buy.

 

It's a different ballgame out there now. I paid just over 40K after the tax credit three years ago for an XSE with PP, not sure I could justify the prices asked today. Still is a great car though!

 

I own a Prime, but after renting a Model Y for a week on vacation, my prime feels like a slug.

 

I wouldn't go as far as calling it a slug but a 2022 Tesla Model Y 0-60 takes 3.5 seconds in its Performance trim and 4.8 seconds with Long Range configuration, The Prime is 0-60 ~5.7 seconds, I think is fast enough for most spirited drivers and perfect for anyone's typical daily commute. I agree not as fast as a Tesla but not too far behind either lol.

 

You only get that speed in hybrid mode, in only electric mode its probably a second or two slower. I don't think its a good idea to suddenly switch from electric only to full throttle with the gas engine, seems like that would be hard on the engine if not warmed up a little?

 

We have owned a Kia EV6 AWD for a year now and just purchased a new R4P. I have only put a few miles on the Prime but am impressed with the power. As expected the power is different than the EV. A full on EV will not have too much trouble with any internal combustion engine (ICE) car from a standing start as the EV motors are at max torque (where the hybrid may or may not be depending on the vehicle program that decides when to bring on the ICE with the motors. I have noticed with the EV a reduced motor torque when at speed (and with an ICE the torque gets better with speed) so comparison is kinda an apple/orange thingee. YMMV.

willie