Toyota RAV4 vs Alfa Romeo Junior

What's the difference?

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.

Alfa Romeo’s new entry-level model has finally arrived in Australia.

Pitched as a spiritual successor to the MiTo and Giulietta hatchbacks, the Junior is a tiny SUV with plenty of hatchback design cues.

It was originally set to be called the Milano, however members of the Italian government complained, claiming it’s illegal to sell products with an Italian place name that aren’t actually made there.

The Junior is actually built in Tychy, Poland alongside the related Jeep Avenger at a Stellantis production plant.

We’ve driven the Junior a few times now overseas, but now it’s time to see how it holds up on local soil.

First up is the Ibrida, or hybrid. The fully electric version is also on sale but will have to wait for a future review.