Toyota RAV4 Hybrid v MG HS Plug-In Hybrid 2021 Comparison

The Toyota RAV4 has form for selling in larger volumes with a hybrid powertrain than with a conventional engine.

It has become a standard bearer for Toyota’s series/parallel (Hybrid Synergy Drive) system in the real world. And to spend a week with a 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid is to gain an inkling of why the fuel-saving mid-size SUV is so popular.

That said, for around the same price you can also step into a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) version of the MG HS, another medium SUV that promises to be kind to the environment and save you running costs.

If anything, the 2021 MG HS Plug-In Hybrid Essence should be all over the Toyota for energy efficiency and cost of ownership.

The last time we pitted the RAV4 against a plug-in hybrid the Toyota took out the win over the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Are we in for a repeat of that contest, or will the new MG PHEV turn the tables against Toyota’s proven cordless hybrid?

Part of a broad range of conventional and hybrid variants that make up the top-selling SUV model line in Australia, the Toyota RAV4 for this comparison is a high-grade Cruiser variant with the hybrid drive system featuring three motors in this application for an on-demand all-wheel drive system.

It sits in the range just below the conventional-engined RAV4 Edge and is priced at $46,415 plus on-road costs.

For that, the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid buyer gets a high level of standard equipment including 18-inch alloy wheels, powered sunroof, powered tailgate, auto-dipping LED headlights, heated/fold-in power-adjustable mirrors, front/rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers and keyless entry/starting.

Inside, the RAV4 comes with dual-zone climate control, a multifunction steering wheel, leather-look upholstery, heated front seats, a 10-way electrically-adjustable driver’s seat with position memory and lumbar adjust, and wireless smartphone charging.

The infotainment system comprises a nine-speaker audio unit with Bluetooth, satellite navigation, advanced smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay/Android Auto), trip computer and voice recognition.

Over in the 2021 MG HS Plug-In Hybrid Essence, the price was $46,990 drive-away at the time of testing, but has since risen to $47,990 on the road. That still places the MG at an advantage worth thousands of dollars over the RAV4.

Like the Toyota, the MG rides on 18-inch alloys and also comes with auto-dipping LED headlights, heated/fold-in power-adjustable mirrors, a sunroof and powered tailgate as standard.

Other inclusions are rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers and keyless entry/starting, with only the standard front parking sensors handing the RAV4 a trump card.

Standard features inside the MG consist of dual-zone climate control, a multifunction steering wheel, leather-accented upholstery, heated front seats and six-way electrically-adjustable front seats with manual lumbar adjust.

For its infotainment suite, the MG offers a six-speaker audio unit, satellite navigation, advanced smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay/Android Auto) and a trip computer.

Metallic paint is optional for both vehicles, MG charging $700 and Toyota asking $675.

Warranty coverage is five years/unlimited kilometres for the Toyota, with MG improving on that by two years (to seven years’ support) and MG also throwing in seven years of roadside assistance with effect from August 1.

The HS PHEV’s battery is also warranted for seven years and unlimited kilometres. Toyota only covers the RAV4 Hybrid’s battery for five years/unlimited kilometres, just like the rest of the car.

But Toyota will cover the RAV4 for an extra two years if the owner has the SUV serviced in accordance with the maintenance schedule. The company will also extend the battery warranty to 10 years, provided the battery is subjected to an annual ‘battery health check’ during normal servicing.

The service intervals are 12 months/15,000km for the Toyota and 12 months/20,000km for the MG. Buyers won’t see much difference unless they expect to travel more than 15,000km a year.

An extra airbag for the driver’s knee hands the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid a lead in the safety stakes, on top of the frontal, side impact (front seats only) and side curtain airbags that are also standard for the 2021 MG HS Plug-In Hybrid Essence.

Both vehicles feature emergency braking lights, blind spot monitoring, all-round camera monitoring, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and rear cross traffic alert.

Over and above that, the Toyota also comes equipped with rear collision warning and trailer sway control. The MG has tyre pressure monitoring.

While ANCAP rates the conventional MG HS five stars for crash safety – in accordance with the safety authority’s 2019 testing protocol – the PHEV version remains unrated. The RAV4 Hybrid, however, is rated at five stars – and based on the same 2019 protocol.

Despite its continuously variable transmission (CVT), and the added weight of the three electric motors and all-wheel drive set-up, the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid feels surprisingly punchy when you nail it from a standing start.

It helps if the vehicle is set to Sport mode and the transmission lever is also knocked across to the sport detente.

The 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine sounds muscular when it’s angry and the response from launch is impressive – no doubt helped along with a little assist from the electric motor at the rear.

There was some wind noise joining in with the obvious road noise at open-road speeds, but the engine itself was inaudible – although definitely operating at that speed.

Judged as a plug-in hybrid alone, the 2021 MG HS PHEV is not quite what we expected. Whereas other plug-ins we’ve driven are highly automated, the MG is more dependent on the petrol engine to supplement the battery and electric motor.

It leaves it to the driver to select EV mode, with the push of a button, rather than defaulting to that mode. Without that, the HS runs adaptively, flicking between internal-combustion operation and electric operation – sometimes resorting to petrol power from as slow as 40km/h, much as the RAV4 does.

At open-road speed the HS fired up the 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine to keep the battery charged, even on those occasions with EV mode selected and the battery retaining 90 per cent of its capacity, or more. We're told that the MG will do this when the ambient temperature is at least nine degrees lower than the climate control temperature selected. However, the level of battery-only operation can be adjusted through a menu from the infotainment screen.

While they're not direct competitors, the Mercedes-Benz C 300e tested by this writer a couple of years ago would run at 100km/h with the HVAC set to warm without the petrol engine chiming in.

So if you plan to commute 25km each way – on freeways and on arterial roads, the MG won’t necessarily get you to your destination and home again on electric power alone, particularly in cooler months, and despite the manufacturer’s quoted 63km EV range (ADR). We're going to presume too that owners will chew through battery charge to keep the cabin cool on hotter days.

So that’s where the RAV4 wins back some points. Quite a lot of points, in fact.

In a mix of freeway and arterial driving on consecutive days, the RAV4’s fuel consumption fell to 5.6L/100km from the previously posted figure of 5.8. The MG, on the same run the following day, used 3.9L/100km (all on the 17km of freeway running).

Take into account the cost of 95 RON petrol for the MG and the cost of recharging the battery overnight to mitigate the petrol consumption, and the cost of ownership isn’t necessarily the winning factor in this comparison. Especially in Victoria where an EV road user tax is also now in place, adding two cents for every kilometre travelled (for plug-in hybrids, or 2.5 cents for battery-electric vehicles).

The long-standing sports car image of the MG brand didn’t hold up in this comparison.

While the 2021 MG HS Plug-In Hybrid Essence does feel more communicative and livelier than the Toyota RAV4 at lower speeds, it doesn’t instil the same level of confidence at higher speeds, and the stability control can be quite intrusive.

In contrast, the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid delivers exploitable handling at the limit, which is higher than the MG’s.

Although the Toyota’s steering is not especially sporty in feel, it does lift its game at higher speeds and under greater cornering loads.

You can actually place the RAV4 reasonably precisely in the bends, and it rewards the keen driver too. Lift off and the Toyota will slip and slide at the rear when tested on a damp road. But the vehicle still felt secure, and the stability control was there to catch any really worrying moments.

In short, the RAV4’s handling is enjoyable, when you get right down to it. The brakes were quite strong and responsive too, and the pedal was progressive and tactile.

This was all the more impressive given the RAV4 was shod with Bridgestone Alenza 225/60R18 tyres, versus the Michelin Primacy 235/50R18 tyres of the MG HS.

At night, the MG’s headlights are better than the Toyota’s, including the high beam assist function. The RAV4 headlights are bright enough on low beam, but could be adjusted up slightly. And the Toyota’s high beam assist was not as sophisticated as the MG’s, but mostly worked to specification.

The cabin of the HS PHEV is plush and attractive, whereas first impressions were not good for the RAV4 interior.

It’s “busy” and “old school”, as colleague Nadine Armstrong described it. It’s quite well put together though; there are no rattles or squeaks – it’s just a bit ugly.

The Toyota’s front seats are quite comfortable however, and the powered lumbar adjustment ensured there was plenty of support for the small of the back. The contouring was also commendable once the RAV4 was being thrown around.

Rear seat accommodation is quite generous in the RAV4, with enough headroom to suit even taller adults, despite the standard sunroof.

There are two USB charge ports and adjustable vents back there, plus cup holders in the folding centre arm rest and small bottle/can holders in the doors. The boot is large, with more room freed up by the space-saver spare, and by having the smaller battery under the rear seat, rather than in the boot.

Although the HS Plug-In Hybrid looks good and is undeniably comfortable up front, the infotainment system was disappointingly slow. As is the case in the smaller MG ZS from the same stable, the HS has a navigation system that takes several seconds to load.

Nor is the MG as roomy in the rear seat as the RAV4, and nor will the boot accommodate as much gear.

Like the Toyota, it does have adjustable vents and two USB ports for recharging portable devices in the rear seat. And to the credit of MG engineers, the rear seats do lock in place when folded down to carry a larger volume.

This is a nice touch, leaving a consistently flatter, more stable load area with the seats folded.

The 2021 MG HS Plug-In Hybrid Essence is a very impressive vehicle. It is highly attractive and feels special inside.

It will be the SUV of choice for buyers with very specific needs – urban motoring only, no open-road touring, connoisseurs of visual presentation with expectations of what a plug-in hybrid should cost to run.

Maybe the MG will be purchased by small families with kids up to teenage years.

Unfortunately, judged as a plug-in hybrid, the MG doesn’t match expectations.

So for its all-round competence, commendable dynamic strengths, off-road ability and versatility, the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid is the winner in this comparison.

Warranty provisions and servicing are competitive with the MG HS PHEV – provided you have the vehicle regularly serviced at a Toyota dealer – and when it comes to the crunch, the Toyota RAV4 achieves more than most will expect of a series/parallel hybrid in the guise of a mid-size SUV.

The Toyota simply under-promises and over-delivers.

How much does the 2021 MG HS Plug-In Hybrid Essence cost?
Price: $46,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol-electric
Output: 119kW/250Nm (combined: 189kW/370Nm)
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 1.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 39g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

How much does the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid AWD cost?
Price: $46,415 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 131kW/221Nm (combined: 163kW)
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 4.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 109g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)

Related: MG HS Plug-In Hybrid 2021 Review
Related: MG HS Plug-In Hybrid 2021 Video Review
Related: MG HS Plug-In Hybrid priced from under $47K
Related: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2019 Review
Related: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2019 Video Review
Related: Toyota RAV4 prices and specs upped