New 2024 Toyota RAV4 Compact SUV Review

2024 Toyota RAV4 when Toyota launched their GR performance sub-brand with the new Supra in 2019, the Japanese auto giant set a clear mission of turning themselves back into an attractive brand.

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The mission has so far been a resounding success with the GR Supra and GR Yaris impressing fans, and the incoming GR 86 coupe is poised to continue this tradition.

While the cars are interesting indeed, they’re not what you’d call ‘practical’, so we decided to take a look at what the original GR performance version of the Toyota RAV4 would look like.

Body style: SUV
MSRP: From $26,975
MPG: Up to 27 city / 35 highway
Bore: 3.4″
Cargo volume: 37.5 to 37.6 ft³, 69.7 to 69.8 ft³ with seat area
Compression ratio: 13

Configurations

LE From $26,975
XLE From $28,445
XLE Premium From $31,335
Adventure $33,230

2024 Toyota RAV4 Review

is one of the most popular vehicles on the road today with various formulas for its compact SUV rewritten for future success? As for minor cosmetic changes, it may be a rework of the front grille and the shape of the headlights and taillights.

Again, that won’t be a radical difference, although Toyota doesn’t need to go to such extreme lengths to keep the RAV4 at the top of the compact SUV market.

With seating for five and a fuel-efficient 2.5-liter 4-cylinder under the hood, the RAV4 provides a reasonable mix of power and economy.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that a turbocharged engine will be added to the lineup to compete with sportier rivals, such as the new Mazda CX-50.

If you’re looking for a sense of adventure, the available TRD Off-Road trim gives the RAV4 that extra stance thanks to its solid suspension, all-terrain tires, 18-inch alloy wheels, and black plastic fenders.

On the other hand, the RAV4 does have the advantage of offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants.

The RAV4 Prime not only offers an electric driving range of around 40 miles; The 302-horsepower available from the gas-electric powertrain delivers real-speed laps.

Safety is paramount in the compact SUV market, and the RAV4 will continue to offer a long list of standard driver assistance features such as forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, and automatic headlights.

2024 Toyota RAV4 Refresh

The rendering of our GR RAV4 closely follows the classic ‘GR look’ that has been seen on the GR Yaris and the appearance-oriented GR Sport options package available on the small SUV C-HR.

When sketching the front, our designers chose a large, wide grille at the front to allow adequate cooling for the engine and a more powerful drivetrain.

This area is flanked by a set of deep-cut side pods that not only flaunt a more menacing look but also house LED fog lights as a practical touch.

The RAV4 has been highly praised, including by Chasing Cars, for the proficient driving dynamics common to Toyota models based on the TNGA platform, but the SUV’s high-riding characteristics still let it down in corners.

For this reason, we’ve lowered ride height to a moderate level and added larger rims wrapped in sticky low-profile tires to improve road feel and reduce body roll.

With more onboard power, we also expect the tires to grow slightly wider by up to 245mm at the front and rear to give them an extra edge in corners.

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2024 Toyota RAV4 Specs

As previously mentioned, the current RAV4 is a very fast thing underfoot and this is especially true when choosing a hybrid.

The RAV4 Hybrid is equipped with a 2.5L four-cylinder petrol engine paired to two front electric motors producing around 160kW in its current form, or 163kW if you add a simple third motor at the rear that is mounted on all-wheel-drive models.

To enhance this, we take a look at two viable options for the RAV4, we’ll start with the first and most logical: shoe-horning in a tuned version of the beefer hybrid drivetrain found in Kluger’s massive SUV.

The Kluger uses the same 2.5L four-cylinder engine paired with a more powerful hybrid system that produces up to 184kW of power with torque figures not specifically mentioned by Toyota.

Unlike the RAV4, the third motor at the rear is quite powerful in the Kluger and can add 40kW/121Nm to the mix in a split second, which should improve driving dynamics and make it more effective on slippery roads.

To be competitive in this space, the RAV4 needs to produce at least 210kW/380Nm, with incoming rivals like the Volkswagen Tiguan R set to produce a healthy 235kW/420Nm from a two-liter turbo four-cylinder petrol.

Toyota RAV Engine

But what about the Kluger’s 3.5L V6 option which produces 218kW/350Nm and has a mechanical all-wheel drive? Well, it’s possible, given the shared platform, but a machine whose size could be too big to fit in the tiny RAV4.

In a smaller chassis, a hybrid drivetrain or Kluger’s V6 will make the RAV4 much faster but perhaps not fast enough to earn the GR badge, enter its more luxurious twin, the Lexus NX 450h+.

Armed with a 2.5L four-cylinder engine paired with a plug-in hybrid system instead of the traditional hybrid self-charging system like in the RAV4, the NX 450h+ boosts power to the rumored 231kW.

Power is sent to the CVT transmission before reaching all four wheels via a combination of a petrol engine and an electric motor.

This SUV is even equipped with a flexible torque vector system that can transfer power to each axle quickly.

The powertrain is not only beefy enough but also provides an electric-only (WLTP) range of up to 75 km, allowing most to complete their daily commute without using a drop of petrol.

Or, Toyota could play straight and simply drop the 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder petrol from the 200kW GR Yaris into the RAV4 engine bay.

Toyota RAV4 GR

In an interview with US publication MotorTrend earlier this month, Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales for Toyota North America, said the GR would focus on cars instead of SUVs.

“I didn’t want to lose anything, but at first I didn’t. What’s important is fun driving. When you go into an SUV, you have a higher center of gravity and that’s not conducive,” Carter said.

“Nothing is off the table, but at first you can expect it to be a car-based vehicle. There’s still a market for it.”

So, at least for now, we may not see the GR RAV4 but it’s important to note that Toyota hasn’t said no and with the RAV4’s success in Australia and around the world, it makes sense to expand the range to attract new buyers.

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2024 Toyota RAV4 Price

RAV4 prices start at around $27,000. It is slightly higher than some of its direct competitors.

The mid-range RAV4 2023 trim will continue to range from $30,000 to $35,000, while the rugged-looking Off-Road TRD is slightly more expensive at around $36,000.

2024 Toyota RAV4 Release Date

We are speculating for the same 2024 Toyota RAV4 release date as before which will be fall 2023. It will be available for purchase at Toyota dealers across the United States and most international markets.

The Toyota RAV4 for the North American market is built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada’s plant in Woodstock, Ontario.