I took delivery of a new Tucson hybrid on July 18, 2026. My salesperson was Roger. I met him a few…read moremonths earlier when my mother purchased a vehicle from Rexdale Hyundai. I contacted Roger by email and negotiated an out-the-door price, which included my trade-in vehicle, a 2022 RAV4 hybrid. Once that was settled, I told Roger that I was not ready to sign papers to purchase the Tucson hybrid just yet. I had to sit on my decision to purchase a Tucson at least a couple of weeks because the Tucson hybrid was not my first choice; I wanted another RAV4. My 2022 RAV4 had been the most reliable vehicle I had ever owned, and it retained a high resale value.
Roger patiently stayed on the sidelines for two weeks, including weekends, as we played email tennis. I would email Roger with my doubts about the Hyundai brand or the Tucson hybrid model, and he would reply with facts--not empty sales pitches--addressing my concerns. Slowly, my trust in the Toyota brand was overshadowed by Roger's passion for selling Hyundai vehicles. Nonetheless, I almost bought another RAV4. I managed to find the exact RAV4 trim and XLE model in my preferred color available for immediate sale at a Toyota dealership. Statistically I had a better chance at getting struck by lightening but I called the Toyota dealer and a salesperson confirmed the vehicle was available for sale because someone's financing fell through. However, when I arrived at the dealership, my decision to buy another RAV4 quickly shifted.
To start with, the dealer sneaked in some options, which is a clear tactic to inflate the sale price of the vehicle. The Toyota dealership was offering less money for my trade-in, and they would not even consider removing or reducing the price of the add-ons. If I did not want the vehicle on the lot, I would have to place a factory order, and they would not lock in the trade-in value of my vehicle; it would have to be reappraised months later when it had more kilometers on the odometer. I almost completed the deal on the available RAV4 XLE model, but first, I called my insurer to get a quote for a new 2026 RAV4. On my recent renewal in May 2026, the premium on my 2022 RAV4 shot up by $400. I received a quote for a 2026 RAV 4 XLE that was $1,050 more than what I was paying for my 2022 model. The reason for the steep increase was that since 2022 RAV4s are at the top of the stolen vehicle list. The increase had nothing to do with my driving record.
At that point, I sincerely asked myself what Toyota was doing to earn my loyalty as a repeat customer. The answer was crystal clear--nothing. Four years ago, I had to wait four and a half months to take delivery of my new RAV4. I tolerated the wait because the world was still upside down, and there were supply chain issues caused by COVID. I did not expect the same nonsense four years later. This time, it had nothing to do with COVID supply chain disruptions. Toyota learned from COVID that by producing only what customers are lining up to buy, there would be no oversupply of vehicles flooding the market. In this manner, there is no reason to give customers incentives. Then Toyota increases profits by starting with an underwhelmingly equipped base model. A customer has to move up to the third trim level to get a sunroof and a power liftgate (note: a sunroof, not even a panoramic sunroof like the Hyundai Tucson). Toyota and their dealership network have eradicated a consumer's power to negotiate a fair deal. Toyota has so many loyal repeat customers that they can afford to raise prices, and a dealer can inflate the price further by adding features, knowing that if one person does not want to buy a RAV4, there are ten others who will. I refused to play into Toyota's follow the herd mentality.
The next day, July 17, 2026, Roger alleviated any last-minute buyer's remorse. I have never spent almost two hours taking delivery of a vehicle before. Roger sat me down at his desk and installed a special app on my cell phone. With the Hyundai Blue Link app, I had no interest in the app until he explained that it also has a feature that informs the owner if the vehicle has a problem. Talk about peace of mind! It's like having my own diagnostic tool in my hand. If something is wrong with my vehicle, I can bring it in for service before the problem worsens or I break down somewhere.
For all Toyota RAV4 owners, go see Roger and test drive a Tucson hybrid first and you may also change your mind like I did.