The 2022 Toyota RAV4 lives up to its meat-and-potatoes hoopla, but the Key serves up inexperienced-motor vehicle red meat. With the RAV4, Toyota hits a bulls-eye for compact crossover SUV styling and functions, nevertheless interior place misses some vital marks by mere inches. Its Prime plug-in is a gem, and that would make it a rival for the Ford Escape as perfectly as the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester.
Toyota has tweaked the crossover’s exterior and inside. Most notably, it now sells an SE Hybrid with fabric upholstery and a 7.-inch touchscreen and 6-speaker audio it can be optioned with heated front seats, a sunroof, a electricity tailgate, and a 9.-inch touchscreen. Current headlights on all models at or earlier mentioned the XLE quality could support its security rating, too.
The RAV4 taps rugged information and angles for a all set-to-rumble seem. It hits tons of higher notes and requires heaps of angular prospects and it all will work. With hints of 4Runner and Tacoma in its profile, the attractive RAV4 has a squat stance and an abundance of angles that all hang alongside one another. The adventurous entire body has slim home windows and a reduced-wanting roofline, with swole fenders that get positively chunky in Experience and TRD Off-Road spec. It can be challenging and uncomfortable to spec out a single silhouette with luxury specifics like a mesh grille and, in a different version, with black fender trim and a black-painted roof, but Toyota’s done so with the RAV4. Even Primes get their personal grille and gloss-black bumper, for a contact of visual difference.
Exceedingly rare on supplier tons, the Key will get a major 18.1-kwh battery pack with electric powered motors to produce 302 hp. Till the Supra came alongside, that produced the Key the quickest Toyota car or truck, period. With a -60 mph time of 5.7 seconds, and a tauter activity suspension, the RAV4 Primary launches with authority, handles with aplomb, and can be toggled into an EV-only mode for up to 42 miles of battery-electric driving. The battery adds about 500 lb to curb weight, and that demonstrates up in a lot more understeer in tightly kinked roads, but it is a hushed push nonetheless, a environmentally friendly thrill to be sought out. We typically noticed all electric selection around 50 miles.
Get the RAV4 Prime for max efficiency f you can discover 1. The RAV4 Primary gets scored at up to 42 miles of electric powered-only driving, and at 94 MPGe for general effectiveness, or 38 mpg mixed with gasoline overall economy estimates of 41/38/40 mpg with conventional all-wheel drive.
The IIHS gave the RAV4 a Best Protection Pick award in the past design yr for the Hybrid Minimal with its extravagant adaptive headlights. Most other versions have sported LED headlights rated “Marginal” Hybrids’ headlights have been rated “Poor.” Toyota has upgraded the headlights this yr on the XLE and all types earlier mentioned it, so we’ll update the results here when new facts is revealed.
The NHTSA, in the meantime, provides the RAV4 5 stars over-all, but that comes with a four-star score for front-effect safety. Along with computerized unexpected emergency braking, all RAV4s occur with adaptive cruise management, active lane management, and automated substantial beams. Blind-spot screens can be equipped, and they’re advised given that thick roof pillars blot out some of the check out to the rear.
The cabin could increase on some of its more difficult plastics, but what operates below is the simplicity of its style and design. A horizontal line across the dash presents the RAV4 a calmness which is brightened up by metallic trim all around the vents and the change lever. Spendy variations can have on synthetic leather and contrast-color stitching, even a huge 9.-inch touchscreen, but the glance stays the exact: thoughtful and restrained, without the need of staying uninteresting.
The RAV4’s adventurous shape trims back again some utility. Cargo fares perfectly in the newest RAV4. It sporting activities lots of smaller bins and cabinets for things like smartphones and drinking water bottles. The again seat folds down, also, which boosts its 31 cubic feet of cargo space to about 63 cubic ft due to the fact the Primes drop about 6 cubic ft to larger battery packs. The cargo floor sits at a fantastic height for loading, and a lot of products have or give a energy tailgate.
The optional sunroof cuts into what is now slim head room for 6-footers, although at 6’1” yours truly matches just barely. The driving position satisfies a lot of human body styles, however, and Toyota adds heating and artificial leather upholstery to some variations. In again, the RAV4’s 37 inches of leg place fit tall passengers good, but head area nevertheless checks in on the slender side. Shoulder room comes at a quality: A 3rd passenger can elbow their way into the middle seat, but no a person will want to experience that way for long.
The RAV4 features respectable price but the Primary makes us splurge. We highly suggest the RAV4 Prime with its plug-in 302-hp drivetrain, but it is actually complicated to obtain on supplier lots and at present, comes with important markup about its sticker cost of just down below $40,000. It will get a activity suspension, cosmetic insert-ons, an readily available 9.-inch touchscreen, an audio subwoofer, a sunroof, and synthetic leather-based upholstery with purple accents.
With the RAV4, Toyota has trapped the veritable sweet-location of the small SUV course. The 2022 Toyota RAV4 is a fantastic competitor in the compact crossover class, 1 that the Prime just helps make better. It does every thing you’d want with Toyota refinement and reliability, and in Hybrid and Primary versions, great gas economy. The 2022 Toyota RAV4 Key is an spectacular crossover, in all probability the best a single that Toyota builds.
