The EPA rates the hybrid at 40 mpg combined, 41 city, and 38 highway versus the lesser RAV4's already good 30 mpg combined, 27 city, and 34 highway.

(Two additional electric motors, along with a 176-hp 2.5-liter inline-four, power the front wheels total system output amounts to 219 horses.) That seat-of-the-pants impression was backed up by its 7.4-second zero-to-60-mph time, which is 0.7 second quicker than an all-wheel-drive nonhybrid Adventure model we tested that was powered by a 203-hp version of the 2.5-liter.Īlong with quicker acceleration comes fuel economy that buries the standard-engine RAV4's. Thanks to the extra torque provided by the hybrid system, which powers the rear wheels through a rear-mounted electric motor, it felt considerably peppier than the standard RAV4 despite weighing 156 pounds more. But the hybrid model returns impressive advantages over its stablemate in fuel efficiency and performance. We've already vetted the conventional RAV4 in isolation as well as pitted it against the class-leading and 10Best-winning Mazda CX-5 in a comparison test. The RAV4 hybrid variant, however, addresses one of those negatives and delivers far better fuel economy in the process. While we've tested several of the latest RAV4s and found them to be more attractive and engaging to drive than before, the conventional models also are noisy and can offer less value than some competitors, such as the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5.

Not that it needed to be totally revamped: The outgoing 2018 model was not only Toyota's biggest seller, it outsold every other vehicle in the United States except for the three most popular full-size pickup trucks. Toyota made a big push with its redesigned 2019 RAV4 compact SUV, updating and improving it with a tougher look (especially in its Adventure trim level), a better-appointed interior with plusher materials, and a more sophisticated ride-and-handling balance.

Toyota rav4 hybrid review