2020 Toyota RAV4 review & buyer's guide
Toyota RAV4 was one of the first SUVs. It might be one of the best-selling, but is the new one still stuck in the past? Let’s find out…
Book of RAVelations
Toyota got on the SUV thing really, really early. 1994, if memory serves.
In fact - unusual these days, I know - Toyota was the first manufacturer to offer an SUV, which they called the “Recreational Activity Vehicle - 4-Wheel drive”, hence the name. It sold it’s proverbial bits off.
The first-generation RAV4 was just 3.8m long with a tow bar, 1.7m wide and weighed just one five-foot woman less than 1.2 tonnes. Today it would fit inside the dimensions of a Toyota Corolla - what can I say, small cars got big.
This fifth-generation RAV4 has been given a whole new skeleton which is 57% stiffer than the previous version, meaning its centre of gravity is lower, the ground clearance is increased 15mm, and the front/rear overhangs are shorter thanks to a minor increase in wheelbase length inside a slightly shorter bumper-to-bumper length.
Essentially, there’s more cabin room and the whole car is fractionally shorter. A tighter package, despite its aesthetically-deceptive, wide frontal bicep flex posture.
Before we go any further, you need to take a deep breath, disconnect your emotions for a moment, turn to your dearly beloved, and ask him or her: Do we really, really need an SUV? >>
You need to do this because the RAV4 today is not like it once was, and that’s both for better and for worse. Let’s start with the bad, because at 4.6m long, nearly 1.9m wide and some roof racks away from 1.8m high, if you’re still rocking a single-car garage, or you live in a tight apartment building and park beneath sewer pipes and such - or perhaps your local supermarket has a height restriction, you might need to rethink to a small SUV, hatch, wagon or medium sedan like Kia Seltos, Hyundai i30 or Subaru Levorg.
RAV4 sits in what the car industry calls the medium SUV segment, which means it competes against the Hyundai Tuscon, Kia Sportage, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander and Mazda CX-5 for your cash. There are advantages and disadvantages inherent in each model, so it’s important to drop yours on the one which suits your situation best. Don’t be wooed by the good-looking CX-5 or swayed to go for the Forester’s all-wheel drive which you may not need, for example. We’ll get to that.
While I’m something of a fan of the RAV4’s bigger brother, the Kluger, with its two-tonne towing capacity, proper seven-seat layout and ample legroom with an abundance of rear storage, the RAV is more Van Damme size than the full Terry Crews, in both physicality and price. That said, while SUVs remain conventionally soft (compared with hardcore off-roaders like Pajero Sport or the monstrously capable Nissan Patrol), the RAV4 offers a selectable drive mode (mud or rock) which will take you a bit further than mum’s gravel driveway, even up to the snow, which is nice.
But be warned: getting out of the RAV4’s depth, you can easily break your SUV >>
Firstly, let’s break down the RAV4 range and establish pricing, specifications and what does and doesn’t work for your budget and personal circumstance.
One other thing. Australian’s have this zombie-like attraction to crawl through barbed wire, hobble over impassable rock crevasses or run across minefields toward anything with a Toyota badge.
So if you know what’s good for you, snap out of it and let’s do this based on objective criteria, not pack-animal behaviour. It’s quite undignified, I think you’d agree.
Pick of the range
“Atomic Rush” red adds $625. Worth it? Probably not.
GXL: in “Glacial White” (excludes premium paint +$625)
$40,350 | $42,855 | $45,981
2.0L (2WD) | 2.5L hybrid (2WD) | 2.5 hybrid (AWD)
The thing with buying a new Toyota is grasping the fact it’s not strictly the best value proposition against its competitors, but it does pack one helluva punch.
You buy a Toyota for its strong customer service, statistically good reliability (bar the botched 2.8 DPF thing) and decent resale value.
The GXL in 2WD 2.0-litre petrol-only form (not the hybrid) is, like the rest of the non-hybrid range, pretty piss-weak when it comes to towing - just an 800kg braked capacity. That’s not a typo.
But if you’re an urban dweller, like most typical SUV buyers, you’ll rarely need to tow anything. You get the standard reversing camera but with active guide lines in unison with reversing sensors. I preference safety over the hybrid gear which adds 145kg of kerb weight for the sake of power and torque gains you probably won’t care about anyway - unless you’re a more rural buyer who needs towing capacity and haulage capability. But if that’s truly your remit, take a look at others in the segment or consider buying a decent ute like the Triton or Mazda BT-50 for heavier duty work.
The hybrid all-wheel drive’s towing offers you a Bloodsport style aerial roundhouse kick to the face: 1500kg. It’s definitely going to draw some red stuff, but it’s not the 1600kg Hyundai’s Tuscon (starting at $28,990) can heave. RAV4 starts right up at $35k and can’t pull as much the the South Korean. And it’s $3000 to “upgrade”, if that’s the right word, to the AWD hybrid. Oh, and it’s another $2500 for the 2.5 hybrid over the 2.0-litre. So that’s $5500 extra, total of $46k, just for a 100kg inferiority on towing against the Tuscon.
See what I mean about the value thing?
Same goes for the new Subaru Forester Hybrid>> the value just isn’t there. At least with the new Mistubishi Outlander PHEV >> you can switch to full EV mode.
What Toyota does deserve credit for is offering you a multitude of options here. You can have the base GX in hybrid 2WD, or normal petrol-only 2WD, or you can have AWD which is non-negotiable with the hybrid system because the electric drivetrain powers the rear wheels only - there’s no rear propshaft. That’s a good thing because it reduces your fuel consumption significantly, instead of running petrol-only in AWD all the time - the problem Subaru spent years trying to clamber over.
Fortunately, Toyota caved in to market pressure regarding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are now standard on RAV4 as of November 2019. So that’s nice.
What isn’t nice is the space-saver spare which can be optioned (at additional cost) on the base model GX petrol and hybrid, but cannot on the GXL for some bizarre reason - all that design and engineering nouse at Toyota and they can’t manage to shoehorn a full-size alloy spare in the rear despite having 580-litres of boot space to configure.
The powerplants
2.0-litre petrol 4cyl: 127kW@6600rpm, 203Nm@4400rpm
So here it is in layman’s terms.
You get two options. It’s Toyota’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine on its own - in two-wheel drive only.
Or you can have a 2.5-litre as a hybrid, with electrical assistance from a battery and electric motor - only available with all-wheel drive.
On its own RAV4’s 2.0-litre engine makes 127kW, which is a bit more than most of its rivals, but has to spin itself up to 6600rpm to do it using a higher, more efficient compression ratio of 13:1.
The Tuscon, Sportage, Forester and Outlander can’t beat that. Only the CX-5 can match that compression, but only produces 114kW for its troubles at 6000rpm and returns a lesser 73.8 kW/t power-to-weight ratio than Outlander’s 86.4 kW/t, Forester’s 89.5 kW/t, Sportage’s 74.4 kW/t, Tuscon’s 78.7 kW/t and the RAV4’s 83.8 kW/t.
If you truly want performance bang for your restrained budget, Forester offers more grunt for less glut. But typically you don’t, which is why RAV4 is match fit here: more likely what it offers will suffice. The 2.5 engine paired with the hybrid/AWD gets a 14:1 compression ratio which brains the other lot, if you want to compare apples with oranges.
Hybrid 2.5-litre petrol 4cyl (2WD): 160kW; 221Nm@3600rpm (excludes electric system)
Historically, Toyota has one of the best track records with hybrid powertrains, primarily because they’re one of the only ones still doing it, consistently, reliably and with proven, growing results.
There are stories out there of older generation hybrid Camry’s chewing through electrical motors and batteries etc, but those anecdotes tend to come from cabbies - which is actually a huge endearment. Any vehicle which can sustain the prolonged, insidious torture taxi drivers subject their so-called workhorses to is to be commended.
Unfortunately you need to decide what kind of demands you’re going to place your RAV4 under. Do you have any plans to haul anything large like a caravan or boat? Or is it light trailer towing worst-case and mostly kids, dogs and the associated camping crap of a weekend?
If it’s the camping/dog/kid situation, save a couple of grand and stick with the petrol-only and 800kg towing capacity. But if you’ve got bigger ideas for your RAV4, maybe drop another $5000 for the 2.5-litre AWD with a higher 1500kg braked towing capacity. Or if you want frugality, the most economical option is the 2WD hybrid option, at $42,000 (another $2000 on top of the base 2.0-litre petrol-only), which will still give you the full 160kW without the brawn of a towing capacity worth mentioning.
The hybrid 2.5 is quite seamless to use in traffic and that’s where, let’s face it, most SUV drivers are going to A) do most of their driving, and B) consumer the most fuel, and C) therefore burn the most amount of cash in on-going owner expenditure. The hybrid system does the majority of the heavy-lifting in terms of getting the vehicle going from stationary, kicking in when acceleration is needed to assist the petrol engine low-down in the revs, and there are even moments when you’ll hear virtual silence as you lithe through tight backstreets and such. It’s also particularly intuitive up and down hills.
Here are the granular specs on RAV4 which you can drill down on >>
More gears, less grams
If you’re wondering how Toyota can claim a magical combined fuel economy figure of 6.5L/100km on the two-litre engine, 4.7 on the hybrid two-litre, and just 4.8 on the 2.5-litre hybrid, it’s thanks to a 10-speed CVT transmission. If you don’t know what that means, click here >>
That economy claim is, of course, based on global industry lab compliance testing, as well as the stated 147 grams per kilometre emissions claim.
This is a notably lower figure than the CX-5’s 161g, Outlander’s 166g, Forester’s 168g, Sportage’s 182g, Tuscon’s 185g, and emphatically less than the 197g from the smoke-stack Jeep Cherokee which is Euro 6 emissions-compliant and boasts - if that’s the right word - a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Adding a panoramic sunroof and various other heavy features as you go up the RAV4 range to the Edge will add weight and therefore bump up both your emissions and fuel economy figures. So bare that in mind before you start gluttonously ticking options boxes.
As for driving with a 10-speed CVT (keep in mind the top-spec Edge petrol-only version reverts back to a conventional eight-speed cyclical automatic), if you’re looking for the kind of sweaty-brow, apex-clipping driving experience of, say, a Toyota 86, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. This is a 1.8-tonne offspring hauler, not a nimble rear-drive sports car, so don’t set yourself up for disappointment.
The 10 speeds will change pretty seamlessly as you accelerate, with the CVT’s Ethan Hunt style mission to keep revs optimal for increasing speed without excessive consumption. Efficiency is the name of this game and you cannot escape it, even in sport mode, which is good for you because Toyota has proven it can do transmissions very well. It’ll be so nice to drive you probably won’t even notice it doing its thing.
Features & pricing
RAV4 GX (GX 2.0L Manual 2WD) - $35,000 driveaway starts with:
2.0L petrol four-cylinder or 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder, either optionable with hybrid electric system
6-speed manual (2.0L only), or 10-speed auto CVT
2WD (petrol or hybrid ) or electric AWD (hybrid)
Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, DAB digital radio, 8-inch touchscreen, satnav with SUNA live traffic
17-inch alloys & space saver spare (full-size optional)
Adaptive/radar cruise control, autonomous emergency braking with night/day pedestrian detection and day-only cyclist detection, lane departure waning, lane change assist (auto CVT only), auto high beam, road sign recognition, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert
RAV4 GLX - $40,354 driveaway adds:
Reversing camera with moving guidelines
18-inch alloys
Privacy glass and wireless charger
Dual zone auto climate control
Premium cloth seats
Parabolic, auto-levelling LED headlights (projector LEDs on hybrid)
Proximity smart key
RAV4 Cruiser - $43,997 driveaway throws in:
19-inch alloys (18-inch gloss black on 2.5L hybrid)
Tilt and slide moonroof
Panoramic view monitor
Premium 9-speaker JBL sound system with DAB+ digital radio
Power tailgate
Driver and front passenger heated leather seats, 10-way power adjustable
RAV4 Edge - $52,333 includes:
AWD petrol only & eight-speed auto
Panoramic tilt/slide moonroof
Driver and front passenger heated and ventilated leather seats
Selectable off-road mode with rotary dial
Downhill assist control
Tread lightly
RAV4, despite having no full-size spare to lug around, has the smallest fuel tank compared with its primary competitors, at just 55 litres. Although considering it claims to have the best fuel economy among them, that might counteract this issue.
It does also offer a sub-floor which can be raised or lowered depending on how much stuff you’re taking with.
The styling is entirely up for you to judge because, you have eyes for one thing, and what works for you might not work for me, down there.
RAV4 in my assessment, sits on a scale somewhere in the middle between the CX-5 on the plush, uber-comfortable side of life where sound deadening and Nappa leather is the priority, and the Subaru Forester or Jeep Cherokee for steep unpaved hills or rocky descents are commonplace (without creeping into the hardcore game of off-road yaw-testing territory where 4x4 utes or wagons like Triton/Pajero Sport, Hilux/LandCruiser or Isuzu D-Max/MU-X play).
If luxury is more you, consider a leather-bound Mazda CX-5.
This scale might go something like this (luxury to soft-roading):
CX-5, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Mitsubishi Outlander, RAV4, Subaru Forester, Jeep Cherokee. See below for more on that.
In my eyes, RAV4 will handle roads a bit rougher than what the Tuscon and Outlander might tolerate, but you would be having second thoughts trying to out-Subaru a Subaru Forester. And you sure-as-shit wouldn’t think of doing what Jeep owners might do with their Trailhawk.
Looking at RAV4 Edge, I’d have to say it walks the almost-perfect line between rounded-edge urban-family SUV slipper and an excited, sniffing, barking terrier ready to play at a moment’s notice. All the important safety tech is there, even on the base model, it has vast boot space (580L worth) and fits the brief without any glaring omissions worthy of striking it off the contenders list.
Turf war
Before you slap five figures on the dealer’s desk for a mid-size SUV, have a think about where you live, how you drive and what your plans are for the next three to five years, because there are two fuel types you need to consider: Firstly, do you actually need a diesel and can you meet its upkeep? Or should you stick to petrol? Here’s how to decide between petrol and diesel >>
Mazda CX-5 Akera: from $50,485 driveaway: Luxurious without turning you into that wannabe middle-management type who thinks everyone is their friend, but actually has none.
The quietest cabin, the comfiest seats, the best-looking SUV on the market (in my view) even with a few tiny nips-and-tucks (like Margot Robbie, I guess). Not the most commodious luggage space, but ample legroom, soft-touch cabin surfaces, and asking a whisker more than its competitors at each grade. And that comestible Soul Red paint, inspired by, I’m yet to confirm, a toffee apple (and which you’ll be tempted to lick). Two-tonne braked towing capacity gives it unexpected hauling prowess in the same way Margot can play both Harley Quinn and Naomi Lapaglia (Wolf of Wall Street).
Kia Sportage GT-Line: from $49,490 driveaway: Not quite as duck-down silky smooth as the CX-5, but certainly a close second, with a wider acceptance for the rough-n-tumble of real life.
Kia’s 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel comes with lockable all-wheel-drive, 1900kg towing capacity (2.4 petrol - 1500kg). On the road it’s really well sorted out, dynamically, it’s well damped and agile when you’re on the move without feeling bulky and cumbersome. It’s a fair old hike uphill to Sportage GT Line, compared with its more affordable sub-variants, but you get trimmings: 19-inch alloys (with matching spare), proxy key, flat-bottom steering wheel with paddle-shift, front powered seats, bi-xenon lights, LED foglamps, powered tailgate, wireless phone charging, all the collision avoidance gear (incl adaptive cruise) and auto parking. A strong on-road-only all-rounder. Look for good deals on current model soon to be succeeded.
Hyundai Tuscon Highlander: from $53,819 driveaway: Possibly the best value mid-size SUV in this distinguished company, depending on where you sit in the luxury-off-road scale.
The Hyundai/Kia 2.2 diesel is unbelievably good for heavy-ish towing up to two tonnes thanks to a strong 400Nm from 2750rpm, offering superb long-distance fuel economy quoted at 6.4L/100km on the combined laboratory bench test cycle. Decent fuel tank at 62L, 2250kg payload and full-size spare wheel beats RAV4 Edge, however the Toyota comes with a knee airbag and the Hyundai does not. Highlander does give you all the safety gear, from adaptive cruise to auto emergency braking etc., 245/45R19 tyres are slightly wider than 235/55R19s on the RAV4 Edge offering better lateral grip on-road. Excellent customer service.
Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed: from $46,190 driveaway: Respectable in almost every sense, except where aesthetics are concerned. That face.
But, if you can remember that you never have to see yourself driving it, and you want practicality in spades, the only seven-seater in this group is the Outlander. If you can’t stomach (nor afford) to push $60k for a lumbering seven-seat SUV like Santa Fe, Sorento, CX-9 or you’re not joining Club Breeder en mass to warrant a Kia Carnival, then Outlander Exceed with a third row is a clever choice. You get a 2.2L direct-injection diesel, six-speed CVT auto with paddle-shift, good equipment levels including entertainment and safety” adaptive cruise, auto emergency braking and the rest, plus a pretty good boot space at 477L (third row down). There’s also a petrol option if you’re more of a city dweller which will save you $3000. PHEV plug-in hybrid option has been recently updated too.
Toyota RAV4 Edge: from $52,333 before on-road costs: The all-rounder which leans slightly toward rough, less (jeweller’s) rouge.
I like the cut of the RAV’s jib, offering petrol-only or hybrid powertrains for the primary use of most school-run SUVs: the school run, followed by the work commute. Taller than Tuscon, Sportage and CX-5, bigger wheelbase (2.69m) and therefore more cabin space than the rest bar Jeep, power-to-weight of 91.0kW/t is third behind Jeep and CX-5, but no diesel option shows any significant demanding towing is not in its portfolio - best leave that to the Tuscon, Sportage, CX-5 or Mitsubishi Outlander.
Subaru Forester 2.5i-S: from $47,966 driveaway: Go almost anywhere, take plenty (but not too much) with you.
Undoubtedly the most off-road competent SUV without spending up to get a low-range gearbox, locking differentials and talking about breakover angles. X-Mode, combined with Subaru’s renowned symmetrical all-wheel drive is excellent for light to moderate conditions like wet compacted sand, dirt and gravel tracks, traipsing up and down slippery slopes and heading up to the snow without chains (but definitely with an air compressor) aboard. Best ride height: 220mm and superb ergonomics between driver and EyeSight safety suite; 498L, although a wide compartment, can’t match RAV4 for sheer boot space at 580L. A full-size spare treats your safety with greater importance, which is always nice, and so too is the Subaru CVT. If you’re the regular camping type who likes to bugger off every second weekend, Forester is a hot contender. Now with hybrid option in 2020.
Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk: from $50,000-$54,400k before on-road costs: Dead sexy, understandably desirable, but don’t do this to yourself.
Jeep and its parent company Fiat Chrysler Australia are infamous for making up every excuse in the book for not treating customers with the basic decency expected for stray dogs. Having said that, Jeep does have a solid reputation for off-road capability and the Trailhawk gets tough off-road suspension, a mechanically lockable rear differential with low-range gearset, and a terrain management system with rock-climbing mode, two hyper-masculine tow hooks up-front, plus a wading depth of 480mm (with extra water sealing).
And the 3.2L Pentastar V6 offers a heady 200kW and 315Nm of torque which Jeep claims will haul up to 2.2 tonnes. Shame about the properly shit customer service you’ll receive (on the balance of probability) when something goes ping. Expensive servicing costs and park brake derived from early portable barbecues and shopping trolleys is stereotypically ‘Merican. If only they could get their act together commercially because I love what Jeep stands for, and I want a Trailhawk. I do. We all do.
Conclusion
RAV4 isn’t perfect and certainly comes with compromise as a result of its hybrid drivetrain. Having said that, as Forester gets a hybrid electric powerplant to rival Outlander and now RAV4, the Toyota has its work cut out in the fuel-saving, greenwashing stakes.
If you’re the weekend warrior, staring death adders in the face, try shopping in the 4x4 section, and if you’re a hyper-vegan university student sipping double-decaf pumpkin frappes on-campus while studying marketing and philosophy, maybe consider something a bit softer like the CX-5 (or if you’re the next Margot Robbie).
Or if you’ve cracked 20 weeks and found three little heads (or more, by the curse of human biology), then the Outlander - or indeed the no-bullshit Kia Carnival might warrant your eyeballs and a test drive - baby capsules included.
RAV4 does almost everything pretty well, without being exceptional or ground-breaking.
You can guarantee it’ll never fail and if in the rare instance something does, there’s a Toyota dealer not far away. (There’s a scary thought).
And the fact it has a Toyota badge and it’s on-sale in Australia means you’ve probably already long closed this web page, crawled through that barbed wire fence and are currently standing in the dealership, credit card at the ready.
Ugh, who am I kidding? You’re already at the beach with it.
The anatomy of the most common off-road disaster. Do not let this happen to you. The road to 4X4 hell: so often paved with good intentions. What could possibly go wrong?