2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid review

The fifth-generation Toyota RAV4, which was initially revealed in 2018, is a compelling medium-sized SUV, even without its lauded petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain. 

It’s spacious and comfortable for a medium SUV, with a good blend of usability from nose to tail. It’s also well balanced for Australian roads and tastes, soaking up dodgy roads and potholes without diminishing good steering feel and control. 

It’s also loaded with modern technology and safety, culminating in a five-star ANCAP safety rating in March 2019. Occupants are well protected in a crash, and autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning and blind-spot monitoring are all present and accounted for.

However, with the onslaught of new and polished competition in this highly competitive segment, you need something special up your sleeve to stand out. An ace in the deck. And that’s where the hybrid driveline comes in.

The 2.5-litre petrol engine, which is good for 131kW and 221Nm, is often given a short siesta, as twin electric motors do the hard work on take-off, cruising and coasting around town.

Fed electrons by a battery living under the second-row seats, those electric motors can slash fuel economy to (as tested) 5.8 litres per hundred kilometres. That includes around town, lots of highway driving, and even a brief patch of off-roading. 

It’s not as good as Toyota’s claim of 4.8 litres per hundred kays on the combined cycle, but using 91RON unleaded petrol, it is still very good nonetheless. 

While the engine can hum noticeably when working hard, it’s the combination of both petrol and electric power that’s impressive. It’s virtually imperceptible from the driver’s seat, until the engine starts to make a slight din. 

And in this day and age, where the medium-sized SUV is the go-to for Australian families, the RAV4 offers an enticing blend of practicality, comfort, features and cheap running costs. 

And in pragmatic GXL form, priced from $37,415, our pick of the range throws in that hybrid powertrain ($2500) and all-wheel drive ($3000) for a total of $42,915 before on-road costs.

As hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants from the wide and varied competition begin to infiltrate the market, Toyota will lose one key advantage that has boosted its huge popularity so much in Australia.

However, it has to be said, for something else to unseat the RAV4 Hybrid as the pick of the mid-sized SUVs, it will want to be a damned good offering.