Toyota RAV4 Models Price, Colors, Specs And Auto Facts

The RAV4 is a perennial best-seller for Toyota for good reason: it’s a practical and efficient SUV that appeals to your common sense. The 2023 RAV4 continues the tradition, with a cargo-friendly interior, a reasonable starting price, and good road manners. An eight-speed automatic transmission drives the front or all four wheels via a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The acceleration is a little shaky, but the fuel economy is excellent.

A hybrid and a plug-in hybrid powertrain are also available, but those models are reviewed separately. The RAV4’s rugged looks place it alongside 4Runners and Tacomas, but even the most capable TRD Off-Road model won’t be able to reach the same remote locations as those more rugged off-roaders. The RAV4 excels at more suburban tasks, such as daily commuting and trips to the home improvement store. Toyota includes a slew of driver-assistance technology and desirable infotainment features as standard, which helps to boost the RAV4’s value in comparison to its competitors.

Toyota RAV4 Models Price

Toyota RAV4 Colours

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The 2023 RAV4 is powered by a 203-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is still standard, but Toyota now offers a selection of all-wheel-drive systems based on trim level. The Adventure model we drove had an all-wheel-drive system that could disconnect the rear axle to improve fuel economy. The RAV4 outperformed its predecessor on our test track, clocking in at 8.0 seconds for the 2019 model and 8.3 seconds for 2018. The four-cylinder engine can be noisy, especially when passing on the highway, and the transmission on our test vehicle seemed to stutter when a downshift was requested. In our hands, the RAV4 Hybrid (reviewed separately) ran a 7.4-second 60-mph time. The RAV4 feels solid and stable on the highway and holds its own when thrown into a twisty section of the road, but it lacks the confidence of our segment favorite, the Mazda CX-5.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The EPA gave the RAV4 class-competitive fuel-economy estimates. Front-wheel-drive RAV4s can achieve up to 35 mpg on the highway. On our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, the all-wheel-drive Adventure returned 32 mpg, one mpg less than the EPA’s estimated rating for that trim. That’s a decent result for the class, but the Volkswagen Tiguan outperformed the RAV4 in that test, returning 33 mpg.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The RAV4 prioritizes ergonomics and cubby storage on the inside. The large center console is supplemented by a useful shelf that spans the dash. The version we tried had a combination of soft-touch surfaces and nice plastics. The LE trim level is the most basic, with cloth seats, a plasticky steering wheel, and single-zone manual climate control. Toyota includes a few extras on the XLE, but the XLE Premium adds faux-leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and a stitched and padded dashboard and center-console armrest. The RAV4’s rear seats fold nearly flat and are easy to stow, opening up the cabin for cargo. We were able to fit 10 carry-on suitcases behind the back seat and 22 with them folded. The Nissan Rogue matched the RAV4, but the Subaru Forester outperformed it by one point in each metric.

Infotainment and Connectivity

Lower trims have an 8.0-inch touchscreen, but the Limited and TRD Off-Road have a 10.5-inch screen. The infotainment system has a 4G LTE mobile hotspot as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. Optional extras include a JBL premium audio system, navigation, and a wireless charging pad for a smartphone. A separate 7.0-inch display in the gauge cluster is standard on most models, but a 12.3-inch fully digital gauge display is optional on the XLE Premium and TRD Off-Road and standard on the Limited.

Specifications