Toyota’s 3.5-liter V6 is stronger than its 2.5-liter plug in hybrid.
Toyota continues to expand its product line, adding performance parts to sedans and batteries to crossovers. It’s a strange time indeed. The CamryTRD was introduced in late 2018 by Toyota. It featured several improvements over the standard sedan. A year later, the RAV4 Prime was introduced. This plug-in hybrid is now the second fastest vehicle in the brand’s lineup after the Supra. These cars could not be more different than the Toyota badge. The Fast Lane Car chose to drag race them nonetheless.
Camry’s 3.5-liter V6 engine produces 301 horsepower (224 megawatts). This power is routed to the front wheels via an eight-speed manual gearbox. RAV4 Prime combines a 2.5-liter four cylinder with two electric motors to produce a combined output 302 horsepower (225 kW). Although they are very similar in performance, the Camry has a significant advantage due to the difference of about 1,000 pounds (453 kilograms) between them.
The RAV4 Prime’s electric motors provide enough torque to propel the crossover ahead of the Camry in the first drag race. The RAV 4 was faster than the Camry, which ran 60 miles an hour (96 km per hour) in just 6.1 seconds. This is slower than the Toyota 5.7 second claim, but the track where the crew is is one mile above sea level. The same results were achieved in a second drag race without traction control disabled.
The Camry TRD is a stylish car that’s hard not to love. It is easily distinguished from the rest of the crowd with its unique wheels, side skirts and winglets. The RAV4 Prime is more subtle with accents and badging to make it stand out from other RAV4s. Toyota has been known for being boring over the years. Toyota has proven that it can produce safe, reliable and efficient cars, but the Camry TRD, RAV4 Prime, and RAV4 Prime are proving otherwise.