Jeep Avenger vs Toyota RAV4

What's the difference?

This Jeep isn’t a 4WD, it’s electric, front-wheel drive and built on the same platform as cars from France.

It’s not sounding very ‘Jeep’ so far, but the Avenger isn’t trying to be a traditional Jeep in that sense.

What it is trying to do is draw in a new kind of Jeep owner, and lead the brand into the electric era without being all ‘EV-ish’ - just a car that happens to be electric.

So can Jeep do it? We’re jumping in the light SUV as it hits our shores to find out.

The Toyota RAV4 is arguably Australia’s darling and has been for years. It’s long set the benchmark in the mid-size SUV segment - a position rivals like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5 would love to occupy.

It’s also been close to a decade since we’ve seen anything new from the RAV4, so expectations for this sixth-generation update are understandably high. For this family review, we’re testing the flagship Cruiser Hybrid 2WD, which brings the most features and the biggest price tag in the line-up.

On paper, it promises meaningful upgrades, particularly in technology and refinement, while holding onto the practicality and efficiency that made it so popular in the first place.

But with stronger competition and rising expectations in this segment, the question is no longer whether the RAV4 is good, it’s whether it’s done enough to stay at the top.