2026 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid VS 2021 RAV4 Hybrid! (What’s Changed)
This 2021 Toyota RAV 4 hybrid XSE compared to the 2026 Toyota RAV 4 all-new redesign which is coming very soon. It’s electrified only. The 2025s will be phased out within the next couple of months and we’ll start seeing the 2026s land sometime early 2026 calendar year. What has changed? what has stayed the same. I’m going to review it just ahead in this video and for the most part, nothing is really the same and everything has changed. Okay, quick recap. This is the XSE nonprime. This is the regular hybrid. It has the 2.5 L 219 horsepower. I’ll get to that a little bit ahead in this video. This is the non-technology package. How do I know? because it doesn’t have the sensors here on the front and the rear bumper. This is also the year before Toyota upgraded the headlamp style to the uh high beam and low beam settings with the different style and look. This is the Blizzard pearl white with the piano black accent and roof. One of the reasons why the appeal and the demand is so heavy and strong on these sport models, both for the current generation and probably for the new generation as well. This has the sporttuned suspension and it does have the piano black 18-in alloy wheels. Now, I’ve gone through some analytics on this channel and I’ve realized that around 80 to 90% of the viewers that keep coming back to watch these videos are not subscribed to the channel. So, please do yourself a favor and do myself a favor and remember to subscribe to the Toyota World YouTube channel. Let’s continue on with what’s changed, which is everything. The interior on the 2021 Toyota RAV 4 is built around simplicity and functionality. It features premium soft touch materials across the dashboard, the door panels, and the center console. And you have sport seats with the XSSE trim with a leatherrett softex finish and an 8-in touchscreen multimedia system. Now, with the 2026 Toyota RAV 4 interior, whether you’re going for the XSSE, the XLE, or the Woodland Edition, Toyota has elevated the interior design to a more modern and premium look. The dashboard layout is cleaner and more on the minimalistic side, featuring newer highresolution and highquality materials. You can also expect more metallic accents and upgraded leather interior materials on the higher trim, as well as sustainable materials such as eco-friendly textiles. One notable massive change with regards to standard equipment on the 2026 Toyota RAV 4 is that they will feature a 12.3in wide digital instrument cluster, which is your multi-information display screen that sits right behind your steering wheel. This will completely replace the more traditional analog and smaller screens like the one found on this XSE 2021 Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid. The infotainment screen has also gotten a massive improvement and upgrade getting you up to 12.9 in touch screen with the latest multimedia tech. But again, keep in mind it is on the minimalistic side. What do I mean by that? or the 2026 RAV 4. Regardless of what model trim you go with, you can get yourself a larger screen, it’s going to come with a standard 10.5 inch or up to a 12.9 in on the higher trims like probably the XSSE technology packages and limited models, etc. But Toyota did do away with a lot of these tactile touch key button and control features on the new 2026 Toyota RAV 4. Even when you’re talking about some of your temperature settings and instrument cluster when it comes to your eco and when it comes to your uh defrost, your fan speed, a lot of it is built into the actual screen itself. even features like your heated steering wheel. 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One of the most drastic and obvious changes from something like this current generation RAV 4 Hybrid XSE to the new 2026 RAV 4 is the look and the design. drastic improvement, drastic change, and three different looks you can go for from the core, which stretches all the way from the LE up to the Limited. And then you’ve got the rugged adventure being the woodland trim, and then you’ve got that sport grade, which gets you from the SE all the way up to the GR. Now, keep in mind, in my opinion, you kind of have three looks with the current generation RAV 4. Let me know in the comments section below if I’m wrong or not. For example, you’ve got the look of the non-hybrid, which in my opinion, you can tell a hybrid between a non-hybrid if you know your Toyota vehicles. And then you’ve got the plug-in hybrid, which also does look different for 2025, uh, compared to the nonplugin, for example. The RAV 4 Primes, which they were formerly known as, now they’re known as the plug-in hybrid, have a little bit of a different front fascia and rear fascia. So again, if you know your Toyota product, specifically your RAV 4 product, you kind of have two or three different looks with the current generation, but it’s just more drastic with the 2026. Now, for 2021, this particular model does not feature a wireless phone charger. It would typically go right about here, but you will get one with a 2026 RAV 4 hybrid XSE, whether you go with the hybrid version or the plug-in hybrid. We’ll get to the powertrain a little bit later on. Also, when we you’re talking about the tech, this does feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it is not wireless. Everything with regards to the 26 RAV 4 will be wireless. wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and it will feature in debut the Aren software. Additionally, Aren software will offer overthe-air updates with regards to software, keeping the system fresh and up to-date without needing to actually make a physical visit to your Toyota dealership. Talking about standard safety equipment on the 2021 RAV 4 Hybrid, here you have Toyota Safety Sense 2.0. gives you lane trace assist, pre-colision system, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, which is really advanced for a 2021 in my opinion. But for 2026, we’re getting the first ever to debut Toyota Safety Sense 4.0. Also going to get matched with that arena overthe-air AI software, which is going to also debut on the 26 Toyota RAV 4. Toyota’s latest technology on the 26 RAV 4 will offer a more intuitive voice assistant powered by cloud-based technology and it will be available to control everything from your navigation to your climate settings. Probably one of the biggest changes on the 26 RAV 4 that I forgot to mention earlier is the powertrain. The Toyota RAV 4 for 26 is electrified only. No more combustion engine. It is going to offer the fifth generation hybrid powertrain system which is currently in the Toyota Camry 2025 and also on the Corolla Cross hybrid. The fifth generation is the latest and best when it comes to efficiency, performance, and overall enjoyment. It is made with smaller and lighter parts, making for a much more responsive drive. This 2.5 L 4 cylinder hybrid powertrain combined system gets you 219 horsepower. Whereas the 20126 Toyota RAV 4 gets you 236 horsepower with the all-wheel drive. And keep in mind here in Canada there is no front-wheel drive 2026 RAV 4. It’s only all-wheel drive. So, starting at 236 horsepower all the way up to 320 horsepower on the 2026 plug-in hybrid, which will give you the sixth generation plug-in hybrid powertrain system, which will be able to use the Tesla charging and a more universal and easy uh point of use for your electrified charging on your 26 RAV 4. The 2021 Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid XSSE, like this one here, comes equipped with sport seats with a blue stitching and piping that are leather trimmed with a soft text combination as well. The seats are heated, but they are not ventilated in this particular trim. Now, these seats hold you well whether you’re city driving or going through tight cornering at higher speeds. But the 2026 model Toyota RAV 4, especially the XSSE trims, will feature a completely new seating design that offers power adjustable front and passenger seats with memory controls, ventilated and heated front seats as well. And if you’re one of the people sitting in the rear of the 26 Toyota RAV 4, you’ll find some more leg room and improved seat contours for added comfort on long trips. One of the biggest improvements for the 26 Toyota RAV 4 is also in the rear passenger area. It is believed that Toyota has increased the rear seat leg room by about 2 in, making that significantly more comfortable for taller passengers or larger families. In the 2021 RAV 4, cargo space is already impressive with around 37.5 cubic feet of storage behind the second row and a total of 69.8 cubic feet with the seats down. This is competitive, especially for its class. But at a slight advantage, the 2026 Toyota RAV 4 is said to offer a reworked cargo area, increasing the space slightly to around 39.5 cubic feet of space behind the second row and around 72 cubic feet with the seats folded down. Okay. Now, in terms of the redesign on the interior for the 2021 RAV 4 to the 2026, this overall flow is very ergonomical and very useful regardless if you’re the driver or the passenger. And it works. It’s good. It’s been good since 2019 when Toyota redesigned this RAV 4 uh from its previous generation. But I think one of the reasons why Toyota went ahead and made a larger standard screen that embedded all the controls, embedded all the temperature settings and instrument panels and instrument uh touch points into the actual screen, whether it’s the 10.5 or the 12.9 is so that they can make a more userfriendly uh space and storage for your center console for your driver and your passenger on the 26 RAV 4, regardless of the trim. trim and model you go with, you’re going to get a double tiered layout, which gives you more access to storage, phone compartments, wireless chargers, and when you’re talking about the overall center console or glove box functionality, you will not only be able to open up the center storage from the front, but also from the side here on both sides, from the driver’s side and from the passenger side. And it looks like you also get a bit more space when compared to this 2021 21 RAV 4 hybrids. You were able to get a digital display rear view mirror on the higher trims, but it’s said to believe that most models are going to come standard with a digital display rearview mirror. And I’ve also heard that the 26 RAV 4 as part of perhaps the Toyota Safety Sense 4.0. I’m not sure, but I’ve heard that they could come standard with a dash camera built in to the actual technology and to the actual features of the 26 RAV 4. That is super cool. All right, everyone. That pretty much summarizes it for the big and obvious changes when you’re talking about the difference between the 21 or current generation RAV 4 to the 2026 allnew redesign. Let me know in the comments below. What are you doing? Are you going to hang on to yours a little bit longer? Whether it’s a 21, 2019, 2025, or are you going to flip in to get that 2026 all new redesign? Let me know. I want to know. We’ll see you guys on the next video. Take care.
From the upgraded interior, to larger screens and more advanced safety equipment like Toyota safety sense 4.0.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 redesign, regardless of model or package you select will be a huge improvement and step forward from the current generation Toyota RAV4.
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