Mr.Talha Posted July 30, 2021 Posted July 30, 2021 I’ve finally plumbed the depths of the Across’s Toyota build quality: after four months, I’ve unearthed a rattle. Well, it’s more of a squeak, actually, coming from slightly loose trim on the steering wheel boss. I suspect it has just worked its way loose with wear and age, both of which the car’s ride is beginning to show evidence of: it’s just a bit noisier than it was. A recent visit to my brother- in-law’s place gave me a chance to compare my Across with the car on which it is based: the Toyota RAV4. His RAV4 is a regular hybrid, rather than a plug-in hybrid, so the comparison wasn’t perfect, but it definitely looks better to my eyes. Its colour-contrasting roof and bolder frontal styling just gives it the edge on visual appeal. Even so, would I feel much different if I had been running a RAV4 PHEV for the past six months than I do about the Across now? I doubt it. This is just such a competent, agreeable car: it works well, drives well and is generally so easy to live with. That’s still what’s driving how good I feel about it. At least with the RAV4 you might feel less need to explain to people what it is, I suppose; and then how a Suzuki can have 302bhp, cost £46k and sound like a spaceship crossed with a hairdryer when you park it. In my last update, I had a moan about all the bonging alarms and reminders present in the Across. Well, it turns out they’re not all bad. If you leave a side window open (I’m always hanging out of them to take photos), you get a message to inform you; and then an option to close them automatically with a single press of ‘OK’ on the steering wheel. Now that’s a smart convenience feature. The M1 looked like it was on a rolling boil, but the Across cut through the rain and standing water like a kingfisher. Indeed, my partner slept peacefully the whole way to Birmingham. The rear wiper got a good workout; it did its thing very smoothly and quietly, and the fact that I noticed that reveals a lot about how well the rest of the car did.
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