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"From a bland, uninspiring crossover to a muscular SUV."
"From a bland, uninspiring crossover to a muscular SUV."
1994 was a big year for Toyota as they introduced the first-generation RAV4. Now in its fifth generation, Toyota redesigned the RAV4 for 2019 to keep it's most popular selling vehicle in their lineup fresh and ready to battle against the hot new Subaru Forester.
Trim Levels/Engine Options
Trim Levels/Engine Options
Trim levels and pricing only applies to the 2020 model year Toyota RAV4.
LE
LE
MSRP $25,850
(AWD +$1,400)MSRP $25,850
LE Hybrid
LE Hybrid
MSRP $28,100
MSRP $28,100
XLE
XLE
MSRP $27,145
(AWD +$1,400)MSRP $27,145
XLE Hybrid
XLE Hybrid
MSRP $29,395
MSRP $29,395
XLE Premium
XLE Premium
MSRP $29,850
(AWD +$1,400)MSRP $29,850
Adventure
Adventure
MSRP $32,955
MSRP $32,955
XSE Hybrid
XSE Hybrid
MSRP $34,050
MSRP $34,050
Limited
Limited
MSRP $34,380
(AWD +$1,400)MSRP $34,380
Limited Hybrid
Limited Hybrid
MSRP $36,630
MSRP $36,630
TRD Off-Road
TRD Off-Road
MSRP $35,180
(AWD +$0,000)MSRP $35,180
Exterior Design
Exterior Design
Man did Toyota do a darn good job styling the RAV4. It looks a lot less of a city dweller and much more like the SUV it should be. For every trim of the RAV4, there's a unique look. The Adventure trims get more macho styling, and the larger grille moves up, and the fog lights go WAY up as well. Hybrid trims get a chrome aluminum grille as well as the XLE Premium and Limited trims.
The blocky and butch styling of the RAV4 continues to the side. There's a lot going on here; lines, body cladding, and curves. The Adventure trim comes with an optional white roof, while the XSE Hybrid is the only model to have a black roof and black wheels. That absolutely drove me nuts. I love my black roofs and wheels, so Toyota needs to trickle the black accents down to the lower models, especially the Adventure trim.
At least we can take a break from the crazy wacky styling of the RAV4 when we come out back. LED taillights are standard, but the rest of the bulbs are incandescent. Adventure trims get the RAV4 and ADVENTURE emblems blacked out, whereas it is an option on other models. The hatch is extremely upright, so that will definitely mean a lot of storage space.
Interior Design
Interior Design
The new RAV4 has a more sleek and modern design when you take a look at the interior, but I quickly got reminded of some flaws.
Materials are nice at the top of the dash, the upper door panels and armrest, as well as down to the orange cubbies next to the driver and above the glove box. But everywhere else is really bad. The plastics Toyota uses are really painful to hear scratching, especially the piece that surrounds the horn pad. That is probably the cheapest plastic to ever be fitted to a new car. Even the gearshift knob doesn't feel all that remarkable. I was expecting both the steering wheel and shift knob to be leather-wrapped, but Toyota doesn't like leather.
The front seats are comfortable though, and they have some nice orange accents in the SofTex leatherette seating surface. But I do have to ding the RAV4 for having a confusing drive mode selector. You have ECO, Normal, and Sport modes as buttons, but Rock & Sand and Mud is on a dial. Toyota should've bundled the drive modes with the terrain management system to make it more seamless, rather than extremely confusing.
In the second row, the RAV4 doesn't have really many features. You do get rear climate vents, two more USB ports for (again) a total of five, and a center armrest. The back seats don't slide forward and backward to apportion cargo space, and the recline mechanism is far from intuitive, as you have to reach back and pull the handle and slide the seat back the whole way, as it does not latch into more than two positions. Materials in back are equally as nice up front, but personally I think the rear seats have a better feeling of quality than the front does.
The RAV4 retains it's square cargo area, and it offers an impressive 37.5 cubic feet of storage behind the second row. Fold the 60/40 rear seats down, and that jumps to an equally impressive 69.8 cubic feet. It's not as much as you'll get in the Honda CR-V or Subaru Forester that are well over 70, but it is plenty enough if you are taking your teen to college.
Safety & Technology
Safety & Technology
The RAV4 has a very wide amount of advanced safety technology as standard equipment on the RAV4, even on the base model. Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 comes as standard equipment on the RAV4, and it includes the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD), Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/SA), Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Automatic High Beams (AHB), Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), and Road Sign Assist (RSA).
All RAV4s come with LED reflector headlights standard. But on the Hybrid Limited trim equipped with the Adaptive Front Headlight System package, the headlights become projectors that also add curve adaptability. On the Hybrid XLE, XSE, and Limited trims without the Adaptive Front Headlight System package, they are rated Poor, but the normal trims are rated Marginal. To see more ratings on the RAV4, click on the link here.
Driving Impressions
Driving Impressions
The previous generation RAV4 was quite lanky in the way it drove. It had a slow 6-speed automatic transmission, too conservative styling, a funky interior, and a weak engine. Toyota addressed that for 2019.
The RAV4 returns with a brand new engine, a 2.5L "Dynamic Force" four-cylinder (naturally aspirated!) and it is paired to an all-new 8-speed automatic. This new four-cylinder puts out an incredible 203 horsepower!
I got a chance to test out how the advanced driving technologies worked in the RAV4. The RAV4 does not have lane centering, but has lane tracking, which monitors the position of the car in front of you and copies its movements. The RAV4 can take moderate turns well, but don't expect it to drive itself. Also, the adaptive cruise control does grab the brakes quite hard when it comes to a stop sign. The lane keeping assist works very well, I found it to be very unobtrusive, but it did guide me back into my lane a couple times, softly, but reassuringly.
Power is wealthy in the RAV4. The engine note is very coarse, but the 8-speed automatic never failed or delayed to give me the power I needed when I put my foot down. All things aside, the ride was comfortable enough, but I would say it was a touch too firm. Steering feel was good, but there was a good bit of play in the steering wheel before the front wheels started turning.
Handling was average as well, which I found quite surprising as the new RAV4 has 2.1 more inches of ground clearance than its predecessor. Probably the best part of the RAV4 was that it was very quiet. There was just a minimal amount of road and wind noise, but it was almost muted, making for a very quiet cabin.
The RAV4 impressed me with the way it drove. It did everything good or better, and definitely Toyota did their work on improving how the RAV4 drove.
Performance
Performance
The RAV4 used to be available with a V6, but it still does not return for 2019. The RAV4 Hybrid also returns for 2019 with 219 net horsepower.
Performance Figures
Performance Figures
2.5L Dynamic Force I4
Horsepower (hp @ RPM)
203 @ 6600
203 @ 6600
Torque (lb/ft @ RPM)
184 @ 5000
184 @ 5000
Transmission(s)
8-speed automatic
8-speed automatic
Drivetrain
FWD, AWD
FWD, AWD
EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy)
26-27 / 34-35
26-27 / 34-35
0-60 Time
8.5 seconds (est)
8.5 seconds (est)
1/4-mile (sec @ mph)
n/a
n/a
Final Verdict & REVIEWS Score
Final Verdict & REVIEWS Score
The RAV4 is a good SUV for those that have reliability, safety, and technology as their priorities when buying a new compact SUV, but some of the interior materials is in need of improvement.
The RAV4 is a good SUV for those that have reliability, safety, and technology as their priorities when buying a new compact SUV, but some of the interior materials is in need of improvement.
48/85 | Accumulated Score
48/85 | Accumulated Score
09 | Reliability
09 | Reliability
05 | Ergonomics
05 | Ergonomics
07 | Value
07 | Value
06 | Innovation
06 | Innovation
05 | Electronics
05 | Electronics
03 | Wow factor
03 | Wow factor
10 | Safety
10 | Safety
45/70 | Subtotal Score
45/70 | Subtotal Score
03/15 | Subjective Category
03/15 | Subjective Category
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