u/ReCHaVoK

I have been hunting for a compact hybrid SUV to drive into the ground over the next 15 years.

At first, the Kia Sportage Hybrid felt like the obvious choice. The bang for your buck is incredible. It has giant screens, soft touch materials, and a cabin that feels like a modern luxury car.

Compared to that, the Toyota RAV4 interior feels like a plastic power tool. I was completely ready to pull the trigger on the Kia.

Then I started researching the actual transmissions. That completely flipped my decision.

The Sportage Hybrid uses a traditional 6 speed automatic transmission. It relies on a physical friction clutch to connect the gas engine. It drives smoothly right now. But clutches are wear items. Stop and go traffic and heavy loads will eventually wear that clutch down over the next 100,000 miles.

Toyota uses a completely different system: The eCVT. It does not use steel belts or friction clutches. It uses a planetary gearset. It is essentially solid steel gears permanently meshed together. There is nothing to slip, snap, or burn out. WHOEVER CREATED THIS SETUP NEEDS A NOBEL PEACE PRICE.

That was my wake up call. I was about to sacrifice a 250,000 mile transmission just to get a prettier touchscreen and some softer interior plastics.

If you are buying a car to keep for a decade or more, the powertrain has to win.

I am officially going with the RAV4.

EDIT:

Since I have everyones attention right now. Are dealers doing market adjustments or have yall found deals on a RAV4 these past couple of months?

Hello,

Hoping you can help: I just got my most recent bill and my internet jumped up dramatically from $55 to $85. I believe I signed a 5-year locked price agreement, so I wasn't expecting this change.

I am hoping you can help review my account and reduce my cost back to my agreed-upon rate. I have removed my personal information from this public post as requested, but I am ready to provide my name and service address via Modmail once an official representative opens a ticket.

Thank you!