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Toyota RAV4

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Toyota RAV4 Review, For Sale, Colours, Interior, Models & Specs

The Toyota RAV4 led the compact SUV crusade in Australia after its launch in 1994, starting a shift in Australian car-buying habits, from standard sedans and wagons to a raft of road-focused SUVs.

The RAV4's blend of city-ready dimensions and off-road pretensions, along with the interior space of a big hatchback, made it an instant hit, swaying Australians by the thousands. Growing into more of a mid-sized SUV over successive generations, the RAV4 is now offered as a five-door SUV only, as opposed to its three-door origins. Buyers can choose between petrol and hybrid engines, two or four-wheel-drive and a range of specification levels.

Hybrid demand has proven to be exceptionally strong, accounting for the lion's share of RAV4 sales. The Toyota keeps on pushing boundaries.

Current prices range from $39,760 for the RAV4 GX (2WD) to $58,360 for the RAV4 Edge (awd) Hybrid.​

Toyota RAV4 Models Price and Specs

The price range for the Toyota RAV4 varies based on the trim level you choose. Starting at $39,760 and going to $58,360 for the latest year the model was manufactured. The model range is available in the following body types starting from the engine/transmission specs shown below.

Year Body Type Specs Price from Price to
2024 SUV 2.0L, —, CVT AUTO $39,760 $58,360
2023 SUV 2.0L, —, CVT AUTO $43,890 $80,850
2022 SUV 2.0L, ULP, CVT AUTO $39,380 $78,980
2021 SUV 2.0L, ULP, 6 SP MAN $28,380 $72,710
2020 SUV 2.0L, ULP, 6 SP MAN $26,180 $62,590
See All Toyota RAV4 Pricing and Specs

Toyota RAV4 Colours

Exterior colour choices include 'Glacier White', 'Silver Sky', 'Frosted White', 'Graphite', 'Eclipse Black', 'Atomic Rush', 'Mineral Blue' and 'Saturn Blue'.

  • Glacier White
  • Frosted White
  • Silver Sky
  • Graphite
  • Eclipse Black
  • Atomic Rush
  • Mineral Blue
  • Saturn Blue
To confirm current colour availability, please check the manufacturer's website.

Toyota RAV4 Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Toyota RAV4 here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

  • Do I have to retime the motor if the serpentine belt in my 1998 Toyota RAV4 broke broke?

    It all depends on what you call the serpentine belt. If you mean the toothed rubber belt that drives the camshafts, then yes, the engine will need to have its valve timing re-set before it will run again with a new belt. If this is what has happened, you’re lucky that the 3S-FE engine in your car is what’s called a non-interference engine. That is, if the belt brakes, the pistons will not crash into the valves, destroying the engine. In an interference design, you’d be looking at a whole new engine.

    If, however, the belt you refer to is the one that drives the power-steering pump, water pump and alternator, then you should be able to simply replace the belt and be back in business.

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  • My 2005 Toyota RAV4 won't stay in gear

    Flushing a transmission is a practice that mechanics around the world just can't agree on in terms of its benefits. Either way, it would be pretty dangerous to do it with something as flammable as petrol. Also, unlike transmission fluid, petrol is not a lubricant so internal damage would possibly occur if you ran the car with only petrol in the transmission.

    Most transmission flushing is done by using fresh automatic transmission fluid (ATF) which displaces most of the old ATF. A fluid change is the other service option, but this will usually only replace the ATF in the transmission's pan. A flush, meanwhile, will replace the stuff in the pan as well as in the torque converter and the transmission lines.

    Your problem, however, sounds more like a lack of fluid in the first place. The inability of an automatic transmission to select gears and/or produce any forward movement is often down to depleted ATF rather than dirty or old fluid. Check the fluid level on the transmission's dipstick and, if it's low, add some more. The job then is to work out where the ATF is going missing, because the transmission is a sealed system that shouldn't need topping up. You may have a leak somewhere. And definitely check this first before spending lots of money on repairs when a quick ATF top-up will bring the car back to full health.

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  • Would you buy a 2023 Toyota Yaris Hybrid GXL 2WD or a 2018 Toyota RAV4 GXL?

    These are quite different vehicles in terms of their physical size. While older generations of the RAV4 were known as compact SUVs, the current model is resolutely mid-sized. None of which is to say that the Yaris is cramped but it is a size-division smaller, so if you often carry people in the back seat or your family is growing, the RAV4 might be a bit more future-proof.

    However, in driveline terms, the Yaris is the one that is truly future-proof thanks to its hybrid driveline. If most of your driving is around the city and suburbs, you might be surprised at just how efficient a modern hybrid can be. On the highway, there's less to be gained form the hybrid layout, so take that into account, too.

    The other thing to consider is what happens a few years down the track at trade-in time. The RAV4 is question is already one generation older than the Yaris, and the hybrid Yaris is almost certain to be worth more as a second-hand proposition five years from now. Which means the latter will probably be the cheapest to own over that time in a wholistic sense.

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  • Advice on buying a hybrid car

    Not really sure what you consider a normal sedan's length to be, but I'll presume you have a relatively short parking space to deal with. Also, your minimum height requirement suggests you're sick of climbing up out of cars and want something with a higher seat to make entering and leaving the car easier. With that in mind, something like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid springs to mind. It's high enough at 1685mm (with decent seat height) and at 4600mm long, it's quite a bit shorter than the Toyota Camry sedan (4885mm long).

    But, really, there are plenty of choices out there with just about every mainstream manufacturer offering an SUV of similar size, and many of them in a hybrid format. Which is great, because the big catch with the RAV4 is that it's so popular, there are long waiting lists. What you really need to do is invest a little shoe leather and visit some dealerships where you can try the candidates on for size. Or check out this website for the latest mid-sized SUV comparison tests.

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See All Toyota RAV4 Q&As
Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.

Toyota RAV4 Interior

The Toyota RAV4 has a clean and comfortable cabin no matter what the variant, only the trim and material change.

Storage is more than adequate and there are plenty of places to charge your smartphone, including three USB ports upfront and two for the rear-seat passengers.

The 10.5-inch touchscreen multimedia system and driver display on the upper-spec Cruiser are both bright, clear and easy to use, although the media unit's operating system can be a bit of a puzzle.

Buttons, dials and grippy textured controls are easy to locate and operate. The rear seat is roomy enough in all directions, even for tall people.

Toyota RAV4 Interior

Toyota RAV4 Dimensions

The dimensions of the Toyota RAV4 SUV vary according to year of manufacture and spec level.

Year Body Type Height x Width x Length Ground Clearance
2024 SUV 1685x1855x4600 mm 195 mm
2023 SUV 1685x1855x4600 mm 190 mm
2022 SUV 1685x1855x4600 mm 195 mm
2021 SUV 1685x1855x4600 mm 195 mm
2020 SUV 1685x1855x4600 mm 195 mm
The dimensions shown above are for the base model. See All Toyota RAV4 Dimensions

Toyota RAV4 Accessories

Standard features onboard RAV4 variants vary depending on the spec level. The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD hybrid gets a 10.5-inch multimedia touchscreen system (with sat nav, Apple CarPlay (wired and wireless) and Android Auto), a nine-speaker JBL stereo set-up (with DAB+ Digital Audio), a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a surround-view camera, plus 10-way power driver's seat incl. memory, eight-way power passenger seat, heated and ventilated front seats, leather accented interior, dual-zone auto climate control air conditioning, power tailgate and tilt/slide moon-roof, and 18-inch black gloss alloy wheels.

Toyota RAV4 Accessories

Toyota RAV4 Boot Space

The RAV4 has a 542L boot capacity with all five seats in use.

Toyota RAV4 Boot space

Toyota RAV4 Towing Capacity

The Toyota RAV4 has maximum towing capacity of 1500kg for the latest model available.

Year Body Type Braked Capacity from Braked Capacity to
2024 SUV 480kg 1500kg
2023 SUV 480kg 1500kg
2022 SUV 480kg 1500kg
2021 SUV 480kg 1500kg
2020 SUV 480kg 1500kg
See All Towing Capacity for Toyota RAV4

Toyota RAV4 Seats

The Toyota RAV4 has five seats. All seats are okay but not great, but up front in upper-spec variants they are power-adjustable every which way, so there's that.

Toyota RAV4 Seats

Toyota RAV4 Fuel Consumption

The Toyota RAV4 is available in a number of variants and body types that are powered by —, Hyb/ULP and ULP fuel type(s). It has an estimated fuel consumption starting from 6L/100km for SUV /— for the latest year the model was manufactured.

Year Body Type Fuel Consumption* Engine Fuel Type Transmission
2024 SUV 6L/100km 2.0L CVT AUTO
2023 SUV 4.8L/100km 2.5L Hyb/ULP CVT AUTO
2023 SUV 6L/100km 2.0L CVT AUTO
2023 SUV 6L/100km 2.0L ULP CVT AUTO
2022 SUV 4.7L/100km 2.5L Hyb/ULP CVT AUTO
2022 SUV 6L/100km 2.0L ULP CVT AUTO
2021 SUV 4.7L/100km 2.5L Hyb/ULP CVT AUTO
2021 SUV 6.8L/100km 2.0L ULP 6 SP MAN
2020 SUV 4.7L/100km 2.5L Hyb/ULP CVT AUTO
2020 SUV 6.8L/100km 2.0L ULP 6 SP MAN
* Combined fuel consumption See All Toyota RAV4 Pricing and Specs for 2024

Toyota RAV4 Wheel Size

The Toyota RAV4 has a number of different wheel and tyre options. When it comes to tyres, these range from 225x65 R17 for SUV in 2024.

Year Body Type Front Tyre Size Front Rim Rear Tyre Size Rear Rim
2024 SUV 225x65 R17 225x65 R17
2023 SUV 225x65 R17 225x65 R17
2022 SUV 225x65 R17 225x65 R17
2021 SUV 225x65 R17 225x65 R17
2020 SUV 225x65 R17 17x7 inches 225x65 R17 17x7 inches
The dimensions shown above are for the base model. See All Toyota RAV4 Wheel Sizes

Toyota RAV4 Engine

The Toyota RAV4 line-up includes 2.0L petrol, 2.5L hybrid and 2.5L petrol set-ups.

The RAV4 Cruiser 2WD hybrid has a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and electric motor set-up with a 1.6kWh (6.5Ah) nickel-metal hydride battery system.

Combined system output for power is 160kW and the torque output (combustion engine only) is 221Nm at 3600rpm.

This RAV4 has a very effective and reliably smooth continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Toyota RAV4 Engine

Toyota RAV4 Speed

Toyota RAV4 variants have been clocked doing the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.1 seconds. Top speed is around 185km/h.

Toyota RAV4 Range

Fuel economy in the RAV4 range varies from 4.7L/100km to 7.0L/100km, depending on which variant you drive.

The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid has listed fuel consumption of 4.7L/100km (on a combined cycle).

The Toyota RAV4 Cruiser 2WD Hybrid has a 55-litre fuel tank, so going by that official fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect to get a driving range of about 1170km out of a full tank.