I have a 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, and used to have a 2011 Toyota Yaris.
In the 2011 Toyota Yaris, the hood could be closed by gently lowering it and then pressing on the hood.
However, in my 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, if I try to close the hood by gently lowering it and then pressing on the center, it doesn't lock in the closed position. I have tried this many times, failing to close the hood every time. There is a safety mechanism to prevent the hood from opening more than an inch or so, and this mechanism needs to be opened if I attempt to close the hood in this way and then want to open it again, but the hood stays in the "at most inch open" position.
In order to close the hood, I need to drop it from considerable height. I haven't measured the height I'm dropping the hood from, but I suspect it's about 30 cm.
Is it normal in this car model that a hood needs to be dropped from considerable height? What about other car models?