The All-New 2026 Toyota RAV4 is Here // First Review

The All-New 2026 Toyota RAV4 is Here // First Review

We’ve got the allnew RAV 4 with three different models. Mhm. It sounds like a RAV 4, Andrea, but better. This is more insulated. Yes. Uh the first thing we wanted to know when we drove and we’ve been driving for about 2 hours now before we turned the camera on. I don’t know if you can see there’s drops on the window. It’s not perfect weather, but we’re pushing through because we want to bring you our first impressions of the Toyota RAV 4. So before we get into all that and it is vastly improved. Andrea, what are the big changes under the hood? Well, gone is the gas powertrain. It is now an electrified RAV 4 only, so you get a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. We’re driving the hybrid model. It has a 2.5 L 4 cylinder. It’s matched to an ECVT and uses the fifth generation hybrid system. It gets a combined 236 horsepower. Standard all-wheel drive in Canada. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options are available in the US. Okay. So, the cars that we’re driving today are only the hybrid. They don’t have the PHEV here yet because that one is coming from Japan. So, today we’re really focusing on the hybrid, but we’ll give you a little information on the PHEV. The RAV 4 plug-in has a 2.5 L 4 cylinder matched with an ECVT and gets 324 horsepower and it uses the sixth generation plug-in system with two electric motors and has a 22.7 kWh battery. It gets 84 km 52 mi of EV range. The GR Sport a little less at 77 km or 48 mi of range and the Woodland 79 km 49 mi of range. Standard all-wheel drive on all plugins. So, you get more range, but the battery size is also bigger. It goes from an 18.1 kilowatth battery to a 22.7 kilowatth battery. The battery is under the rear seat for the hybrid and the plug-in hybrid. And Toyota says that the battery is more compact now, so it’s not taking up as much room in that area. And now, the hybrid is going to hit dealerships at the beginning of 2026. and the PHV a little bit later sometime in the spring. So, the number one thing we wanted to find out driving this only for a day, we are going to get it back at home for a full week long test drive is is it quieter because that’s a major complaint of ours than the last model. And Andrea, verdict, thumbs up, thumbs down. Yeah, thumbs up. Definitely better insulated. Now, if you’re accelerating on the highway, of course, it gets louder. You hear that Rav 4 sound for sure, but overall Toyota did focus on making the cabin more insulated and they did a much better job with it. Okay, so a few things they did. They have now carpet covering 90% of the interior. They have new wheel well liners with a new material that absorbs sound. So when you’re just cruising like this, listen, there’s very little road noise from the tires and the suspension. Uh, and then they improved all the seams and the seals, and it makes a big difference. It’s really only when you’re asking the four-cylinder to add extra power under a heavy load. That’s where you get it. I would say a much improved interior feel for sure. And, you know, Toyota says that they increased the structural rigidity of the Rav 4. So, you can feel that the comfort level and the way that it handles is also much improved. is just smoother and more refined than that outgoing model. Now, when it comes to the plug-in hybrid, I asked Toyota, “If I’m cruising on the highway in pure EV mode, if you’re cruising on the highway in pure EV mode, Andrea, how fast can you go?” 140 kilometers per hour. That’s about 87 miles per hour. I thought that was pretty good. Now, of course, Andrea, that’s speeding. Speeding. It’s speeding on the highway, especially in BC. Uh, but you know what? I thought that that was really great. But of course, if you do accelerate quickly and you need that passing power, then the gas engine’s going to come on. So, you get that combined horsepower. So, they have three kind of designs of RAV 4. Core is the one where the integrated grill. Uh, they have the sport models, which are the plugins. And this is the woodland. And this one is kind of the outdoorsy one. And it raises the suspension by how much? The Rav 4 gets 8.1 inches of ground clearance. The Woodland a little bit more, 8.5 in. And the GR Sport a little bit less, 7.5 in. The Woodland’s height is mostly because of the allterrain tires. Um, one thing I want to comment on is that the Woodland model in Canada only comes with the hybrid powertrain, but in the US, the Woodland gets the hybrid and the plug-in hybrid. when we asked Toyota Canada, do you think that you would pivot and bring that plug-in hybrid to Canada for Woodland? And they said if the demand is there, they can do that. Okay. One thing I wanted to touch on with this Woodland because we have been driving it for a few hours now, is even with the all-terrain tires, it’s like like it’s quiet. Yeah. Um it’s much improved. So all-terrain tires on a sort of an outdoorsy kind of vibe vehicle, you’re not sacrificing any ride comfort. And later in the video when Andrew and I switch seats, we’re going to be in the Limited. So stick around for that. Yeah. And I also find that with the increase in power, you do notice a difference. Acceleration is better. Passing power is a little bit better. I’m looking forward to driving the plug-in hybrid, especially the GR Sport model with the GR Sport tuned suspension. And then of course you get the GR Matrix grill and front and rear bumpers. It’s just such a sporty looking RAV 4 and the first time a GR Sport is available on a RAV 4 model. Toyota says that they’ve really prioritized handling uh in that RAV 4. Well, proof is when we drive it. What I noticed driving, we had a short stint on the highway. uh the tip-in throttle to pass a truck or something, you get that a much more satisfying passing feel on the highway. So, I think the calibration of what was already a good hybrid system to the latest version with more power, more efficiency is is all better. Yeah, we’ve been driving on some pretty great roads. Some of them have been twisty. Some of them have been very bumpy, larger bumps, smaller bumps, and this Woodland model has really handled them well. you know, you didn’t feel like you had that crashy feel when you were going over the bumps. So, I think overall it handles quite well. Steering is still pretty light with the RAV 4, which is exactly Yeah. what I would expect. Maneuverability is good and the turning radius is also very good on this. Okay. It hasn’t really changed in size. So, I would probably guess that overall they’ve modified, heavily modified the existing platform. Wheel basease is the same. General size of the vehicle is the same. The wheel and tire packages have extended the track side to side out a little bit, but for most people, you could just basically say size is the same as the last generation. I really like how Toyota has gone with different exterior styles. There’s something for every consumer. if you want something that’s sporty, if you want something rugged and more adventurous looking, or of course the core with the integrated color match grill, which is one of my favorites. Okay, so over the last few months, we’ve had quite a few Toyotas and Andrea always seems to land on the Limited is her go-to choice. That’s the one with the integrated grill. Is that still your choice for RAV 4? It’s my choice because it’s the most sophisticated and elegant model and it also gets all the features. It does come with a lot of stuff and we’re going to touch on all of that when we get into it just a little bit later on. Uh I like this woodland though. I like u I like the sort of chunkier look on the front. I can totally see why why they’re doing this. I think what they’re going to do, Andrea, is they’re going to do TRD is going to be for their trucks and then Woodland will migrate through their SUV and car lines to get to give it a little more rugged look. And who would like to see a Grand Highlander Woodland? See, that might be kind of cool. I would almost bet it’s coming. Yeah. The Rav 4 comes standard with LED headlamps, LED tail lamps, 17inch wheels, 18 and 20inch wheels are available, and the RAV 4 hybrid and plug-in hybrid gets a temporary spare tire, which is a big win for consumers. One of my favorites is the back. I like the script. I also think that it has a bit of a wider stance in the back. Toyota says that they made the window bigger for improved visibility. Yeah. Yeah. So, there’s more glass at the back. That’s a plus. Now, we mentioned the Woodland is the more adventurous one, and you can notice it right away because the front end is slightly raised and it’s black. There’s also a split upper and lower grill. And in the middle, you have the Rigid Industries LED lights. That’s the biggest tell. And you get raised roof rails and crossarss. The RAV 4 GR Sport takes inspiration from motor sports with wide tread allseason tires and unique 20-in wheels. We are going to jump into the Limited trim in just a moment, but before we do, we want to touch on the interior of this Woodland. And my first impression when we saw it in Texas uh in the spring was it was still that industrial Toyota interior, but now that I’ve been in it for a few hours, the one thing I’m impressed with, no shiny hard plastic anywhere inside here. definitely prioritizes functionality and practicality with a mix of hard plastic as well as soft touch materials. The Woodland model has orange accents and it’s got some really nice textures. There’s even a pattern on the door. I think that Toyota did a nice job to make it look different than some of the other trims and more outdoorsy. So, this is kind of like a neoprene soft material that’s on the door cards. It also goes across the dash pad, but the upper part of the dash is all hard plastic. The center is all hard plastic, but they’ve gone with a matte finish. Uh, biggest thing you’ll notice right away is the HVAC controls. Most of the controls are now in the screen. These are not dials like the old ones were for the heat controls. These are just buttons for terrain management and drive modes that are down here. Yeah, I think some people might not like the fact that a lot is done in the screen, but there is a tab for your HVAC. You can also change the temperature. It does have some buttons and there’s a volume knob. So, I think it’s a bit of a compromise there from Toyota and it’s not too bad. It does have a new software system called Aren. And it also Aren Aren Aren. And it also has Come on, Eene. It also has the latest uh infotainment system in this model. So, it looks pretty fast. It looks better. We just did a video recently. We talked about how we found their graphics kind of dull at Toyota. This does look better. The one thing I really like is all models, whether you get the base model or the most expensive model, all have a 12.3 inch digital instrument cluster. And it’s nice looking graphics and it’s borderless. There’s no reflection. I think that looks better than when I first saw it. It’s my impression of it now is better than when I first saw it. Yeah, I would agree with that. And I think I I had to say I’m a little bit surprised that the base model comes with the 12.3 in digital driver display. So Toyota really loaded it up. Of course, we don’t have pricing yet. It will be released closer to the on sale date, so we’ll have to wait for that. This Woodland model has the 10.5 in touchscreen, which is standard on the base model. There is an available 12.9 in touchscreen, which we’ll show you coming up in the Limited model. The Woodland model also has an exclusive interior color to the Woodland model called the mineral. Mineral. Yes. And this gets standard five USBC ports. Also, if you go for that plug-in one, especially the sport, um the GR, you get the faux suede interiors. You get the softex bolsters, red and grrests. Yeah. And also, um paddle shifters on that model and sport pedals. But the thing is, we we saw that model and we were hoping it was going to be more wow. It’s just slightly more than this. As for the SE and X Sport models, you get blue accents, but also that faux suede softex combination with some blue on the seats. Okay, switching from Woodland, we’re now in the Limited. That was mere seconds, but actually there was a lunch stop in there. There was and we asked some questions. So, the Woodland we had has a ratchet system. Now, all of these are not for the Canadian or US market. They could be made for somewhere else. And we found out what, Andrea? We found out that all trims have a height adjustment, whether it is a manual or power operated. How good is that? Well, we’ve been saying it for years. Put the ratchet in. They put the ratchet in. So, we’re very happy about that. And now we’re in the Limited. We drove the Woodland and I don’t really see much of a difference. Look at the screen is larger. You have a 12.9 in touchscreen instead of the 10.5 in that we saw in the Woodland. You have the new shift bywire toggle shifter which does look quite elegant. But when you start touching the materials in the limited model, they are exactly the same really. They feel the same as the woodland soft touch, but then of course you’ve got your hard plastic. I remember when we were in Texas and when they showed the RAV 4 for the first time and we saw the plug-in version, the GR model, same thing. Other than the fancy seats uh with the two-tone material, it was the same interior. So, they all look like this. Yeah, they all have that same feel. You may get a larger screen, obviously, more available features in the Limited. We’ve got the panoramic sunroof and the JBL sound system. One thing Zach and I noticed right away, we were just driving on the highway. And because of the panoramic sunroof and also the crossarss, you really hear the wind. And when we closed it, so what we did was we did a little test and we closed the sun shade and it actually brought down the noise level. It was quite noticeable from the woodland this morning to this. The panel roof is great. Now that is quieter. See, it’s a lot quieter, but that crossmember certainly adds drag and that’s creating more noise. Okay, we want to clarify the sunroof situation and the roof rails. We did get a note from Toyota after the event stating that these were pre-production models. The Limited model that we’re driving is supposed to come with the lowprofile roof rails and no crossarss. The interesting thing is the Woodland model does come with raised roof rails and crossarss as standard equipment. And also we noticed with the Woodland trim and the allterrain tires, they seem to make a difference as well when you’re on the highway, the Limited tires do seem like they’re a little bit louder. So, we’ve got the combination of all this going on and then the tires. Uh, but you do get a lot more nice stuff in here. You do. Is it still your favorite trim, Andrea? The Limited. See, I know. Now, now I’m thinking if I could take if I took the crossarss off, but I really like to have this open with the pano roof. By the way, um at at the lunch break today, we actually stopped at the factory where they make these in Woodstock, Ontario. And this is a big addition for the plant to be able to attach this into RAV 4. Uh if you had one in the US that came from Japan, now they’re able to make it um in the US and in Canada. And another thing that is a little bit more complicated for them as well is that the core model with that integrated grill and bumper is a little bit more complex, too. Okay. So, I like the previous model we drove with the big clunky shifter. I kind of I kind of like that you can rest your hand on it. You like this? I like them both. I’m not bothered by either. I would just pick the best trim for my lifestyle. Uh, but I I do like this new shift by wire system as well. I think that Toyota has done a good job overall with functionality and versatility with the interior. Yeah, they’ve always had that. They just don’t have the plushness that some other brands have. All right, let’s get into all the available features on maybe your next RAV 4. You can get a panoramic view monitor with a 360 degree overhead view, front and rear park assist, a head-up display, rear view digital mirror, nine- speakeraker JBL sound system, wireless charger, eight-way power driver seat and passenger seat, driver seat lumbar support, driver seat memory, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a moonroof, the panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, and you can also get a power tailgate with the kick sensor. Now, as we mentioned, the footprint of this RAV 4 is pretty much the same as the last model. So, when you see me getting in the back seat, the space is the same. You get pretty good leg room, good headroom. I will say that Toyota foam is excellent. It’s comfortable in the back. How does it stack up? Front row legroom is 40.9 in and second row leg room 37.8 in. So, lifting up the power lift gate, the space is the same. We touched on it already. You get a temporary spare tire. cargo space behind the second row, 37.8 cubic feet, and overall cargo space is 70.4 cubic feet. The new Rav 4 is 181.1 in in length, 73 in in width, and 69.9 in in height. The wheelbase remains the same at 105.9 in. The GR Sport is actually 1.8 in longer and has 0.6 in less overall height. The Woodland model is also longer by an inch. So, what we don’t have today is pricing for the 2026 RAV 4. That’s going to come closer to the on sale date early next year. So, what we’re going to do is give you the pricing for the current model. The 2025 RAV 4 hybrid ranges in price between just over $395,000 and goes all the way up to just over $50,000 in Canada. In the US, it starts at just over 32 and a half thousand and goes up to just over $41,000. So, we do have the fuel economy. It’s rated at 5.2 L per 100 kilome city, six on the highway. That’s 45 mp gallon city, 39 on the highway. So, depending on the plug-in trim that you choose, you get different fuel economy. We put all of the information on the screen and you can also see just how efficient this new plugin is when the battery is depleted. The plug-in hybrid comes with a 7 kW onboard charger, available 11 kW, and DC fast charging capability. It will charge from 10 to 80% in approximately 35 minutes. The level two charger 2 to 3 and 1/2 hours depending on the size of the onboard charger. A J1772 Charger is standard. Available CCS1. All hybrid models except the base trim can tow up to 3500 lb. The base model 1,750 lb. All plug-in hybrids except the GR Sport can tow 3500 lb. Toyota offers a warranty of 3 years or 60,000 kilm, 36,000 miles. Lightning round. Two things we like. Two things we like to see improved. I like that this is finally a quieter RAV 4. It drives better. What I’d like to know is the price. I hope it doesn’t go up too much. I’d like to see a better mix of colors maybe on the inside to break up all of this gray. So, there it is. It’s the 2026 RAV 4. That was hybrid and plug-in only. We will get it back at home soon, but what do you guys think of that? Thanks for watching and if you like what you see, subscribe. We’ll see you next time.

This is a Motormouth couple car review of the all-new 2026 Toyota RAV4 compact, hybrid and PHEV SUV.
Gone is the gas powertrain, Toyota is offering the new 2026 Toyota RAV4 as a hybrid and plug-in hybrid. We are driving the hybrid with a 2.5L 4-cylinder matched to an eCVT, it has the 5th generation hybrid system and gets a combined 236 horsepower. In Canada, standard AWD. In the US FWD and AWD options are available.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid has a 2.5L 4 cylinder matched to an eCVT, it gets a combined 320 horsepower. It uses the 6th generation PHEV system with two electric motors and has 80 km/50 miles of range. That’s 20% more electric range for the plug-in hybrid because of a larger battery. Standard AWD. 22.7 kWh battery, up from 18.1 kWh.
The RAV4 has very similar dimensions to the outgoing model, it’s not any bigger. In fact the wheelbase is exactly the same. The only difference is a little less height compared to the 2025 model. The RAV4 is available in Core, Sport and Rugged styles including the first ever GR Sport RAV4 and a new look Woodland trim.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 Core design has a sleek, colour matched grille with Toyota’s signature hammerhead design and slim LED headlamps. In the rear, there are new LED taillamps and a larger window for improved visibiity giving the RAV4 a wider stance. Standard features include, LED headlamps, LED taillamps, 17” wheels, available 18” and 20” wheels and a temporary spare tire for both the hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Available features include LED fog lights. Ground clearance hasn’t been announced yet but the current RAV4 has an average of 8.4”.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 Woodland model has a more adventurous, outdoor look with the peak of the hammerhead front end slightly raised and it’s black, there’s a split upper and lower grille with integrated RIGID Industries LED lighting. This model is about half an inch higher because of the all-terrain tires, it has standard raised roof rails with cross bars. In Canada, the Woodland trim will be available with a hybrid powertrain and in the US, hybrid and plug-in hybrid.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport takes inspiration from motorsports, and it prioritizes handling with a GR Sport tuned suspension, sits 15 mm lower to the ground, enhanced body rigidity, wide tread all season tires and unique 20” wheels. It has a GR Matrix grille, front and rear spoilers for a more aggressive look. Two-tone exterior colour options are available. In Canada, SE and GR Sport trims are available with the plug-in hybrid powertrain. The XSE both hybrid and PHEV.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 interior prioritizes functionality and practicality with user friendly technology with standard wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a 12.3” digital driver display and 10.5” touchscreen, available 12.9” touchscreen. It has the newest version of the Toyota multi-media system with improved voice assistant and quicker response times. New software called Arene. The RAV4 comes standard with cloth upholstery, available Softex. On certain models Toyota has added a new shift by wire system with a minimalist toggle switch, other models still have the traditional shifter. 5-USBC ports throughout the cabin.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 Woodland trim has an outdoor inspired cabin with patterned trim pieces, orange accents, Woodland branded mats and a new interior colour called Mineral. The Sport SE and XSE models have a micro suede and Softex upholstery combo with bright accents giving it a sportier feel. The GR Sport model adds GR badging, paddle shifters and aluminum sport pedals.
Available 2026 Toyota RAV4 features include a panoramic view monitor with 360-degree overhead view, front and rear parking assist, a head-up display, digital rear-view mirror, 9-speaker JBL sound system, wireless charger, 8-way power driver and passenger seats, driver seat lumbar support, driver seat memory, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a moonroof, panoramic sunroof, power tailgate and a power tailgate with kick sensor.

Andrea Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motormouth_andrea/
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