Toyota RAV4 Prime handling issues?

The Toyota RAV4 Prime came in for criticism recently after it failed the "moose test." This severe lane change, then change again, maneuver has been used by Norwegian publication Teknikens Värld for many years now and it can be very enlightening. Check it out.



Obviously, the RAV4 Prime would benefit from further development to help it deal with this type of situation better. No worries, it's coming.

Toyota has said of the RAV4 Prime that it will "take steps to ensure that RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid can pass Teknikens Värld’s Elk test." We can have confidence that it will act because the non-Prime RAV4 suffered similar issues, which were fixed by recalibrating the Vehicle Stability Control system. Check out the before and after videos below:




It would be great to hear from owners how they feel about the handling of their cars. Hopefully none has had to make any emergency maneuvers, but as more vehicles arrive on the roads, the more likely it is to happen.

In any case, I feel like although any improvement would be welcome, I'm not sure how relevant the test is. In most situations, the first dodge to the left (or possibly, right) will be the end of it. Managing to avoid the initial obstacle is a great win. Scooting immediately back into the original lane is a hugely tricky and probably something the vast majority of drivers wouldn't be able to do without having shed a lot of speed.

So, maybe a better determination of the handling abilities of the RAV4 Prime are better explored in other ways. I have one last video to share. It's not necessarily the final word on the subject, for sure. Basically, the car is driven hard for one lap of a 2-mile track with as many "nannies" turned off as possible. And the track is wet.

One thing we do learn, that I'm sure most owners are already pretty aware of: the RAV4 Prime is amazingly quick in a straight line.

 

He makes a similar point as I did (I'm not sure how relevant the test is), but in a lot more words. Regardless, I'm hoping owners will discuss their own experiences and thoughts about the handling in both regular and extreme circumstances.