When the RAV4 kicked off the modern crossover era in the U.S. with the 1996 RAV4, it’s likely nobody predicted that crossovers would make up the majority of vehicles sold in the U.S. 30 years later, or that the Detroit Three plus a few foreign automakers would nearly or fully abandon the traditional sedan body style in favor of them. For 2026, the ur-crossover enters its sixth generation as America’s most popular not-an-F-Series (though, under statistics heavily disputed by Ford, the RAV4 outsold just the F-150 in 2024 by over 15k units). Does the new RAV4 have what it takes to keep up the momentum?
My wife had a conference in San Diego, and I again employed National Car Rental not only because my company gives me a discount, but I like that they let you choose your own car. Since the discount at this location didn’t apply to the compact SUV category, I reserved a full-size car (Nissan Altima or similar, according to the site). However, when we arrived at the garage, we were told we could take any car in aisle she pointed us toward, but also any SUV in the aisle across from it. “Huh?” She explained my Emerald Club membership entitles me to a free upgrade. Cool.
After passing the expected Mitsubishis (just no) and the Hyundais and Kias (been there, done that), and wondering what a Honda Civic Hatchback was doing in this group as it’s neither a full-size car or compact SUV, I saw this RAV4 in less-than-dazzling “Meteor Shower” grey-beige, parked across from a new Camry. Had my wife not been with me, I would have gone for the Camry, but my wife likes to sit up high, so the RAV4 it was.
Besides a miniscule RAV4 2-door convertible, the only other wheel time I’ve had in a RAV4 is a brief drive in my mother-in-law’s third-generation Limited model with the 269-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, which was a hoot compared to my Grand Caravan. We did take an Uber ride a few years ago in a fifth-generation hybrid and were less than impressed with the interior, ride and noise.
RAV4s have always been one of the most car-like crossovers, appealing primarily to the Camry crowd who would rather sit up high. Not surprisingly, my mother-in-law alternated between RAV4s and Camrys/Avalons during her later years. Now that the Corolla Cross and Crown Insignia are there to cover those looking for tall cars, Toyota gave the new RAV4 a more “butch” appearance than previous generations. The squarish two-box profile, big “in your face” honeycomb grille (with C-shaped headlights that, oddly, look like they came right off a Camry), and large wheel openings with black plastic trim give the RAV4 mini 4Runner and Land Cruiser vibes.
The interior is not too dissimilar to what you’d find in its off-roading brothers, either. Lots of hard, durable plastic abound with an extra-wide console between the seats that hold both the thick shifter and dual cupholders side by side. Just above the console and under the dashboard center vents are big truck-like Drive Mode/EV Mode/Trail-Snow/Normal buttons that bracket a deep well to hold a phone and other detritus. Overall, the ambiance struck me as a little silly in a Bronco Sport sort of way.
The RAV4 now has a fully digital instrument cluster plus a 10.5-inch center display (12.9-inch in XSE and Limited trims). I flipped through the different instrument cluster options and settled on the one that displays the navigation in the center display. As I was using Google Maps in Android Auto and not Toyota’s subscription-based navigation, this was an unexpected perk. There is also a choice for what you can view to the left of the center display, and I tried to find the graphic like in my mother’s 2017 Prius, which shows the hybrid system and where the power is going, but it wasn’t one of the options. I settled for the “EV Driving Ratio”, which shows what percentage of your drive has been in EV Mode. Apparently, what I was looking for can be activated somewhere in the Settings menu.
One of the main reasons I chose the RAV4 is that, like with many Toyotas, there is no longer a gas-only version. A hybrid powertrain is standard, and a plug-in hybrid is the step-up version, which is perfect for California’s $6- to $7-per-gallon gasoline. Our plan was to fly into San Diego, then drive up to Los Angeles for a few days to visit friends and take in a few tours, then drive back to San Diego for the conference. With a 46 city/39 highway EPA rating, taking the hybrid would allow us to save some money on an already expensive trip. I noted that the trip computer showed a lifetime average of 50 mpg, and the half-a-tank of gas I used during the trip would jibe with that. We were also happy to discover that the RAV4 comes with a retractable cargo cover for its generous 37.8 cubic feet of cargo space since our luggage would be in the back for a good part of the trip.
Toyota’s infotainment system has improved to the point where it’s competitive with some of the better systems out there. I had no trouble pairing my phone or finding a radio station. The only trouble I had was trying to do more than basic adjustments to the climate control, which is part of the infotainment system and not very intuitively marked. You access it by pressing the up arrow just above the fan speed. Some of the climate functions are fixed at the bottom of the screen and temperature control and the defrosters/defoggers are controlled by physical buttons under the screen. I also noted that the air conditioner had trouble keeping the car cool in San Diego’s 100+ temperatures, which we experienced literally every day we were there (“It never gets this hot in San Diego” people told us over and over again when explaining why their house or business is not air conditioned).
The nice thing about flying in late in the evening is that there was very little traffic on I-5 northbound from the airport. The RAV4’s ride was pleasant enough, but the steering was way too light for my taste. The front seats are comfortable, and the back has plenty of legroom and can easily accommodate all shapes and sizes.
We stopped for the night about 30 minutes north of San Diego and stayed at a charming little classic California mission-style motel named Leucadia Beach Inn. It was my goal for this part of the trip to stay in the kinds of motels you frequently see in movies set in Southern California.
When we got to Los Angeles the next morning, we had a couple of hours before we could check in to the Tangerine Motel in Burbank (where a scene from the movie Heat with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro was filmed), so we decided to tour a famous North Hollywood house after a nice California-style lunch at the Urbane Café. This being Southern California, we were lucky to be able to park the RAV4 in the same plaza where the café is located. It took a couple of tries to get it into the small parking space, as the big square front end made the RAV4 feel like it was much bigger than it actually was. A plus for some, but not for this guy. After checking into the Tangerine, we went to visit our friends in La Crescenta and were thankful for choosing a crossover as getting to their house involved a dirt road and a very long uphill driveway.
After breakfast at one of the original Bob’s Big Boy restaurants, we checked out of the Tangerine and drove over to Warner Brothers Studios where we took the Studio Plus Tour, which included a guided tour, a visit to the prop department, and lunch at Central Perk. As much fun as the tour was, it put us on the road to San Diego at rush hour on a Friday. Google Maps took us off I-5 through beautiful East L.A. before putting us back on I-5. Since it was apparently giving most people the same “short cut”, I’m not sure how much time it saved. We arrived at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront after about 3.5 hours, which is only an hour longer than the trip should have taken. When I learned that the Hilton charged $50 per night for parking, I started questioning my decision to rent a car.
However, we learned after the first night that if you want food not served in an over-priced high-end bar, over-priced sports bar, or over-priced high-end sports bar, one needs to leave the Gas Lamp Quarter. Having the RAV4 made that much easier. Although we still ended up in a sports bar, at least it was one with good food and reasonable prices. That’s when we learned that parking ANYWHERE in San Diego is a bit of a challenge.
Speaking of prices, Toyota’s not cutting you a deal by making the hybrid standard. The 2026 LE AWD, at $33,300, is $450 more than the 2025 LE AWD hybrid, and a dear $2,100 more than the 2025 gas-only LE AWD. Toyota is doing its part to help push up the average transaction price of new cars.
If I appear to be talking more about my trip than the RAV4, that’s because it just didn’t leave much of an impression. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very nice and extremely reliable crossover. I have no doubt that even with the discontinuation of the lower priced gas-only model, the RAV4 will continue to be one of the top two best-selling vehicles in the country.
I know we joke a lot on this site about Toyotas being mere appliances, and maybe I went into this rental a little biased, but the RAV4 just did absolutely nothing for me on an emotional level. For people that don’t expect an emotional connection to a vehicle, there’s none better than the RAV4.
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These RAV hybrids cant be too bad just did a 600km roadie today and they are everywhere gas and diesel are around $15 per old fashioned gallon were pay over $3 perlitre x4.5 you do the math my car goes 12km per litre I’m told a Camry hybrid goes 20kms there are plenty of Toyota and other hybrids in NZ and EVs from China, even saw the bright yellow supermarket EV semi today no idea what brand it is definitely ugly but I wouldnt mind a drive of it.
I spend over two hours every day in my car, and this car would be ideal. What I need is a comfortable seat, a decent stereo, total reliability, decent fuel consumption and a totally undemanding driving experience.
However, while that’s what I need, it isn’t really what I want. I’ve driven Toyotas before where I’m bored of the experience before I’ve driven a whole kilometer. I appreciate that the RAV4 is a great car on its own terms, but it’s not the car for me.