When the Electric Storm blue 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SE AWD SUV pulled up into my driveway last month, I was so excited to get behind the wheel. The color just screamed exciting and yet calm and I knew our road trip was going to be both of those things. I am somewhat familiar with this car as it’s what my parents purchased the non-Hybrid version last year and I’ve had the chance to drive it around town a few times. Although sizewise (5-seater, no 3rd row) it is a bit snug for a family trip with our two adult-sized children and a third tween, luckily our road trip to Lake Tahoe was just going to be my husband and I this time.
Each and every time I started the car I had to take a quick scan at all the features to be sure it was actually on. It’s silent on the start before gears kick in the normal car sounds. I will admit I turned it off quite a few times after turning it on because I just wasn’t sure. The interior is a mix of black and orange-tan leather and it’s pretty stylish compared to a typical one note look. As I adjusted my seat I loved having the lumbar setting curving around my back. I feel like the seat adjusts to fit me perfectly and combine that with the heated seats in the 30 degree nights in Tahoe and I’m as snug as a bug in a rug!
The car comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense. Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert, Steering Assist, Auto High Beams, and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. I appreciate the blind spot monitor as well, especially when driving a loaner car as even in parking lots you are alerted.
The added perspective on the back up camera is something we haven’t seen before called Bird’s Eye View with Perimeter Scan, this is an optional part of the Advanced Technology Package. With two teenage drivers now, we appreciate all the safety features new cars are offering.
Also in that optional package is the Universal Tablet Holder. Are the days of digital movie players added in cars gone thanks to accessibility of hand held devices? In this car, this is a practical piece of equipment that all five of our family members would use, even having two at a time in the car with headphones. Kids can use it for entertainment, and parents, giving up the front seat to an older teen, can work, check traffic, or watch the Netflix selection of their choice.
Second row seats recline and fold flat for 2-3 person travel or when you’re filling the car with Costco wares and what not. 
When the seats are up, there is ample leg room and head room with a fold-down arm rest in the center and there’s about 36 cubic feet of trunk space.
Midway on our road trip, we’d traveled about 2.5 hours and suddenly the message on the screen popped up in the dashboard, see below!
It read our mind and yes, it was time to pull over and eat some lunch. Hey, I’m a mom and I love the littlest of details that will take into consideration our drive time and need for a break. Like the other safety features, I think of my 2 children now driving and often feeling invincible on the road. An extra kudos to Toyota!
When it comes to performance, I thought the 194 horsepower was fine for it’s smaller SUV size, not a whole lot of get up and go, but I personally don’t care about that. My husband comments that it isn’t a V6 or V8, so he didn’t expect anything more. We were impressed with the gas mileage, over 340 miles on a tank on our trip with a 34 mpg city/30 mpg highway average according to the EPA. 
Overall, we enjoyed the week with the 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. It certainly doesn’t have enough space as a family car for us (with our 3 children’s ages), but for a commuter car for my husband, a smaller family, or even a car for us as empty nesters in a few years it can be a great option. The price for the car we drove and it’s optional equipment is $36,833. For more information on this car and other Toyota vehicles, visit, toyota.com.
Car was offered on loan for one week, all opinions are 100% ours.
We drove to KBB.com headquarters in Irvine to learn more about the company, the Best Buy Awards, their testing criteria, and to get behind the wheel of cars in two of the award classes. As the most trusted automotive brand for almost 90 years and the most searched automotive brand on Google.com, 20 million unique visitors check out KBB.com each month (a blogger’s dream)! It’s found that 70% of those people are looking to buy a new or used car in the next 2 months, and KBB.com is the most helpful online source 
It was time to jump into the cars for the drive portion of the event. My partner and I grabbed the Midsize SUV nominee, the 2016 Ford Explorer. We own two older versions of this car (1994 and a 2001 SportTrac) and I felt comfortable behind the wheel once I set the cooling seats to on. A gorgeous fall California day with little traffic on the highway and onto the PCH, we arrived at Dana Point Harbor.
After a view, a stretch, and a driver and car change, we were off to our last destination, lunch! 
This time, my partner drove the Volvo XC90. My daughter has a compact Volvo so I was interested in the luxury aspects to be found within the car. 
After a year-long expert vehicle evaluation and testing nearly every new vehicle available in America
This post is sponsored by iConnect Influencer Management and Kelley Blue Book. While travel expenses are provided, all opinions remain my own.
The trunk fits groceries, narrow suitcases, sports equipment and more. Putting the back seat down, the trunk doubles in size easily and conveniently and I can see traveling back and forth from college visits being easy on packing. Split folding rear seat can give just that little more room you may need plus space for an extra passenger. 
The interior of the car is styled pretty basically (plastic), controls are straight-forward and easy to work. Steering wheel mounted cruise control, audio controls, and Bluetooth controls are good to keep young drivers focused on the road and not fumbling with music or phone calls when driving. Is that the ignition button on the left below the dash, that’s odd!
Teens love the stereo with iPod and USB compatability for their electronics and the navigation system can be added for importance of learning a new area when away from home. 
None of our 3 current cars have a screen for navigation, so the rearview camera is a nice add for new drivers but in this tiny car you can really maneuver in and out of spaces so easily it’s pretty amazing! 
The screen can open for CDs and tilt for glares due to the sun or surrounding lights. Now here’s another oddity, the letter B on the automatic shift panel. We’d never seen this and looked it up, it’s similar to the L on some cars. B stands for engine braking and should be used when you are “riding the brakes descending a long steep slope” and when asking others, they say it’s not necessary at all. We didn’t touch it.
The driver’s sun visor includes a vanity mirror (lid and ticket holder) but the passenger side does not. Strange, yes as a passenger would more likely need or want to use the mirror in our experience with kids, just another something we noticed and placed in that odd column.
Overall the car is a great buy starting at 12,995 though ours was $16,295 for the model we tested. The gas mileage alone is the biggest selling point for a young driver. 
It’s definitely cute says the Junior in high school, and would be “so easy to park” in town or a college city we’re currently exploring. To learn more, visit 
