Toyota RAV4 2016

In the early 1990s, nobody would define a car using “crossover” or “SUV”, let alone thinking of those in a compact version. But Toyota stuck to its guns, and sold that tiny model with four seats and playful design, named after Recreation Active Vehicle with 4WD. In the early 2000s, few people believed electricity could ever propel as well as petrol. Toyota, once again, invested in that quirky car that became the best-selling hybrid ever, whose name is Latin for “to go before”. Putting those together, you’ll start to wonder what took so long for the same company to release the vehicle presented here.

Sure, the pictures anticipate that this is a small facelift, the first in RAV4’s current generation, but we’ll come back to this. Even more important is that Toyota took this opportunity to introduce the crossover’s first hybrid variation. Since its platform is shared with Lexus NX, the job turned out similar to what was done between Lexus CT and the current Prius. In this case, there are four-cylinder 2.5-liter with Atkinson cycle, one electric motor at each axle, and a CVT – along with AWD as standard, while its rich cousin also offers front-wheel drive. Performance figures are still unknown, but they shouldn’t differ much from NX’s. This model kind of replaces RAV4 EV, which was purely electric, conceived with Tesla, and dropped due to high prices and low sales.

Going back to the facelift, the crossover was aligned to what was seen on Toyota’s latest releases. The headlights became sleeker, and connected by a black bar which carries the corporate logo and is just decorative. Air intake is now done by the lower portion of the bumper, using two horizontal openings which seem just too wide and tall for a midsize car. The rear, in turn, features a new bumper with a bigger painted section, and new internal design for the lights, which uses LEDs to look sportier. The hybrid also features 17” wheels, and the few blue inserts with which Toyota is used to distinguish its models equipped with alternative propulsion. The easiest of those to spot are the front and rear logos, which received blue finishing.

Since this car is still young for important updates, Toyota decided not to work as much on its cabin. Instead of new design, there are improved materials, an additional USB port, a 4.2” screen in the instrument cluster (there’s a 7” in the central stack), and an around-view monitor as optional. When it comes to trim levels, the Hybrid can be taken in the upscale XLE and Limited. The lesser variations are LE and the all-new SE, which invests in sportiness by using black exterior inserts, black 18” wheels, hexagonal mesh for the front grilles, LED exterior lights, paddle shifters, SofTex upholstery with contrasting stitching, and sportier tuning of shocks and springs. Everything else will remain untouched, including the powertrain options. This car will go on sale in the next few months.