2026 Toyota RAV4 Goes Hybrid-Only, Adds PHEV GR Sport Version With 320 HP

Well, well, well, it’s finally here. Meet the 2026 Toyota RAV4. For lots of enthusiasts, that is going to be an enormous ole yawn, but it surely doesn’t get rather more vital than a brand new RAV4. In spite of everything, Toyota sold about 475,000 of them last yr, and depending on the way you count truck sales, the RAV4 was the best-selling vehicle within the U.S., as well. Sorry, Ford F-150.

And identical to the most recent Camry, the largest news is that the brand new RAV4 is now only available as a hybrid. You continue to get the choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and you may select an everyday hybrid or a more powerful plug-in hybrid, but when you specifically need a non-hybrid crossover, you are going to must go across the road and buy something else. This sixth-generation RAV4 also introduces a GR Sport trim level that brings boy racer design to a Toyota crossover for the primary time, together with tuned handling.

For 2026, you get C-shaped headlights and a color-matched grille that give the front end a brand new look, even when you’ll still immediately recognize it as a Toyota. Behind the A-pillar, though, the form is loads more familiar, with flared fenders and boxy wheel arches that help sell the entire “rugged” thing. Thankfully, Toyota also didn’t go quite so far as Subaru in attempting to make buyers feel like they may totally tackle Moab in the event that they ever got on the market, even when there is a Woodland trim that provides more ground clearance and all-terrain tires, together with a special 4Runner-esque front end treatment.

Like lots of Toyotas, it is not probably the most beautiful crossover on the road, but it surely’s still generally pretty good-looking and possibly won’t alienate anyone who was actually taken with buying a brand new RAV4. And yeah, you may see a number of the current RAV4’s influence within the design, but it surely still seems like Toyota did greater than “just” give it a refresh. Expect it to drive pretty very like you’d expect from a RAV4, even when it’s now stiffer with fewer vibrations.

As previously mentioned, the powertrain might be the largest story here and never simply because they’re all hybrids. That news is about as shocking because the RAV4’s design direction. RAV4 LE, XLE and Limited trims have a 2.5-liter inline-4 hybrid powertrain that makes 236 horsepower and an undisclosed amount of torque. Go for the front-wheel-drive version of the LE or XLE, though, and also you only get 226 hp. Sad.

Other trim levels corresponding to the SE, XSE, and Woodland offer the identical power output when you go together with the regular hybrid powertrain, but they can be ordered as all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrids that make 320 hp, up 18 hp over the outgoing generation. The range on the PHEV can be as much as a Toyota-estimated 50 miles, which should greater than cover every day errands for most individuals. The brand new GR Sport version of the PHEV doesn’t get any more power but offers a sportier look and also needs to handle higher than the opposite RAV4s due to tuning allegedly developed with the Gazoo Racing team. 

Plus, the GR Sport has that rear wing, and you are not legally allowed to sell a automobile with a wing that won’t legitimately fun to drive. Surely, Toyota would not risk arrest for selling a automobile with a wing that writes checks its sportiness cannot money, right?

Inside you get greater center screens, because in fact you do. Currently, the flamboyant RAV4s offer 10.5-inch screens, while the more basic ones are 8.0 inches. The brand new RAV4 comes with a ten.5-inch touchscreen standard, with buyers of the Limited, XSE and GR Sport trims getting 12.9-inchers. The gauge display can be larger, growing from 7.0 inches with analogue gauges to a 12.3-inch all-digital display. As with the middle touchscreen, Limited, XSE and GR Sport buyers get a bigger, 12.9-inch driver display. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard, too.

Those greater center touchscreens also house Toyota’s latest infotainment system, which owners will probably appreciate. That said, considering the dimensions of the most important screen option, anything on the proper side of the screen will probably feel like quite a reach. You do get a volume knob and buttons for climate control, in addition to physical buttons on the steering wheel, though, in order that’s nice. We like knobs and buttons.

Toyota

The remainder of the inside is not especially exciting. It looks comfortable and practical, with loads of storage, however the design is not exactly anything to write down home about. Did you actually expect it to be, though? It is a RAV4. The most important design risk might be the shifter, which is a small little lever, because shifting is now done electronically, even though it looks like the Woodlands model will as an alternative get a special, old-fashioned shift lever.

The best trim levels can even offer a head-up display. Oh, and you furthermore may get the most recent version of Toyota’s standard suite of safety features, referred to as Toyota Safety Sense 4.0.

How fun the RAV4 GR Sport will actually be to drive still stays to be seen, and you may expect it to cost a reasonably penny, but 320 hp and GR handling should still make for a reasonably enjoyable every day driver, epecially if you add within the 50 miles of electrical range. And the promise of sportier steering, a sportier suspension, a stiffer chassis and summer tires suggests it may very well be pretty fun, all things considered.

Those that plan to tow with their recent RAV4 will probably need to skip the front-wheel-drive models and the all-wheel-drive LE, because they’ll be limited to only one,750 kilos. Other AWD trims will have the ability to tow 3,500 kilos, which won’t be enough to haul a train up a mountain but ought to be plenty for the things you would possibly use a two-row crossover for.

There are still loads of inquiries to be answered, from how much torque each version makes to what they’ll cost, but there you go. That is the 2026 Toyota RAV4. Whether it tickles your fancy or not, get able to see this stuff everywhere, because I guarantee Toyota’s going to sell eighty bajillion of them over the subsequent couple of years after they first reach dealers later this yr.