The Toyota RAV4 may be a relatively modest seller in the UK, but it is a model of global significance. Back in 2017, before the last generation started to be phased out, it was the fourth best-selling car on the planet - and the best-selling SUV of them all. Over the 25 years since the original RAV4鈥檚 debut, though, a plethora of similar vehicles has arrived - to the point where Toyota鈥檚 offering has risked becoming 鈥榡ust another SUV鈥? swamped by dozens of rivals. No. But that鈥檚 the point; this is a car that will excite some and repel others, and that, for Toyota, is better than to provoke no reaction at all. This individuality doesn鈥檛 stop at the styling either, because in the UK at least, the RAV4 is being offered as a hybrid only. Specifically, it鈥檚 called a 鈥榮elf-charging hybrid鈥? which is marketing-speak for an electrified vehicle that you can鈥檛 plug into a wall socket. In the case of UK RAV4s, in fact, there is just a single powertrain on offer - referred to by those marketing bods (yes, them again) as a 鈥楧ynamic Force鈥?engine.
In reality it鈥檚 a 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine paired up with an electric motor, offering 215bhp in front-wheel-drive RAV4s or 219bhp in 4x4 versions. And because this car is hybrid only, it is also automatic only - or rather, a CVT only. Under it all is yet another iteration of the Toyota New Generation Architecture (TNGA) platform - the same modular set of chassis components that has already impressed us beneath the C-HR, Prius and Corolla. The suspension configuration is familiar too, with MacPherson struts at the front and a double wishbone set-up at the rear. The front-wheel-drive model takes 8.4 seconds to reach 62mph while the AWD edition, which has an extra motor on the back axle, trims three-tenths of a second off that figure. And CO2 emissions range from 102g/km to 105g/km - no higher. Toyota is launching the car with four trim levels - although the cheapest of them, Icon, is only available with the front-wheel drive layout. Still, standard specs look decent enough.
That entry model brings dual-zone air conditioning, rear parking sensors and camera, automatic headlights and wipers, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and 17-inch alloy wheels. Step up to Design and along with the option of four-wheel drive, you get navigation built into the infotainment system, keyless entry and ignition, a powered tailgate, front parking sensors and 18-inch wheels. Excel is next up, with leather upholstery, heated front seats with electric adjustment on the driver鈥檚 seat, a heated steering wheel, ambient cabin lighting and headlight washers. And then there鈥檚 Dynamic, which is roughly the same spec as Excel but gets styling add-ons including a different design of 18-inch alloys, a contrast gloss-black roof colour, sports seats and projection LED headlights. All RAV4s, incidentally, get Toyota Safety Sense 2 as standard. It brings adaptive cruise control with lane departure warning and steering assist, a pre-collision system including pedestrian detection, automatic high beam headlights and road sign recognition.
On the road, the RAV4 is a curious mix. This generation鈥檚 body is 57 percent more rigid than the outgoing model鈥檚, and this - coupled with the TNGA underpinnings - makes it a surprisingly capable performer on twisty roads. It shirks the worst body roll excesses that you find with SUVs, and the front end turns in crisply, with steering that鈥檚 direct and nicely weighted. Barring the worst hooliganism, it doesn鈥檛 suffer much from understeer, and it is admirably amenable to sudden changes of direction. It鈥檚 comfortable, too. Our Dynamic test car was on the larger wheels but there鈥檚 more than enough compliancy on pock-marked roads. Indeed, we鈥檇 go as far as to say that the RAV4 has every bit as much sophistication to its ride as, say, the Skoda Kodiaq or VW Tiguan, and probably more than a SEAT Ateca or Ford Kuga. These traits promise to reward the driver more than you might expect in such a tall vehicle, but Toyota鈥檚 hybrid powertrain isn鈥檛 quite willing to play its part in that.
It鈥檚 not that it鈥檚 unrefined or inherently unsorted; it鈥檚 more that the Hybrid Drive principle of having an engine speed not entirely related to how fast you鈥檙e travelling, is a just an insurmountable obstacle to driver involvement. Yes, you can use steering wheel-mounted paddles to play with the 鈥榮tepped鈥?ratios in the system, particularly under braking, but it鈥檚 always going to ignore you and do what it thinks is best once you鈥檙e back on the throttle. Recognise this fact and adopt a smooth, relaxed approach and you鈥檒l find the 2.5-litre set-up fast enough for most situations, including around town. Most of our meaningful mileage was in a front-drive Dynamic but we also tried a four-wheel-drive edition on some pretty badly rutted and muddy terrain. It acquitted itself well - enough to persuade us that this RAV4 has more than enough ability off road for the type of person who鈥檚 going to buy one. There鈥檚 no discernible pay-off in on-road performance either. Inside, a 30mm stretch in wheelbase over the old car means that there鈥檚 space for four adults - and five could travel in reasonable comfort for a decent length of time.
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