2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport Hybrid

The RAV4 has grown into a properly mature SUV, and it barely resembles the old one

This is a suspiciously good car. In GR Sport trim especially, the new RAV4 looks genuinely tough, with muscular bumpers, aggressive styling and seriously cool seats, and on looks alone we are sold. It bears almost no resemblance to the RAV4 of old, a car we still rate highly, but you can feel that this has become a very grown-up product. It is built exactly the way Toyota builds things: solid, dependable and engineered to last the next hundred years. That is precisely how we like it.

Design: the Hammerhead grows up

The new RAV4 doubles down on its predecessor's muscular look and then goes further. The lines are sharper and more angular, headlined by Toyota's new three-dimensional Hammerhead nose that flows into a domed bonnet. In profile, the slab-sided surfaces and pronounced wheel arches give it a proper off-road stance. The GR Sport version adds tougher bumpers and detailing that suit the shape perfectly. This is one of the best-looking RAV4s yet.

Interior: hard plastics, real buttons, built to last

Inside, there is a lot of plastic, including plenty of hard, cheap-feeling surfaces, which is typical Toyota and not exactly the height of grandeur. But nothing rattles, and everything feels genuinely solid. The average BMW driver might have a heart attack at the lack of Nappa leather everywhere, but we honestly did not miss it. What we did love is the physical buttons, everywhere, on the wheel, on the centre console, for the temperature. It feels like a return to the good old days. There is a central touchscreen too, part of a fully digital cockpit with a 12.3-inch cluster and a 12.9-inch display running Toyota's new software, and it works perfectly well. A neat touch is the reversible centre-armrest lid that flips into a shallow tray for a parking card, loose coins and odds and ends. Clever.

The safety nannies: too much, Toyota

There is one real frustration, and it is a big one. The Japanese focus on road safety here reaches the point of irritation. The driver-attention monitoring is hugely sensitive, and worse, it is a nightmare to switch off. There are no shortcuts, and you actually have to be stationary to silence the constant beeping. Why, Toyota? We would genuinely love an explanation, because it is the one thing that spoils an otherwise lovely cabin.

Powertrain: smooth hybrid, one missing gear

The RAV4 stays loyal to hybrid power, built around a 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine. We drove the all-wheel-drive AWD-i version, which adds a small rear motor to the front setup for 194 hp, where the front-drive Hybrid makes 185 hp, both fed by a 1.09 kWh battery. On the road it is lovely: the engine is smooth, it runs on electricity more than you would expect, and the transitions are seamless. Our only gripe is the gearing. On the motorway we found ourselves wishing for another ratio to bring the engine noise down, though away from the motorway it is no issue at all.

Driving and chassis: the GR Sport balance

Underneath sits Toyota's TNGA-K platform, heavily reworked, with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link rear. Body rigidity is up by around 10 per cent, and the structure around the suspension is roughly 30 per cent stiffer, which shows in how predictable the car feels. The GR Sport adds stiffer arms and firmer dampers, and the balance is lovely: it feels firm and tied-down without ever becoming uncomfortable. The steering is not overflowing with feel, but it does exactly what you ask of it. This is still a Toyota, so efficiency comes before outright sportiness, and that suits the car.

Space, practicality and efficiency

There is plenty of room front and rear, along with good visibility and generous storage. The boot holds 446 litres, which is down on the 490 of the old car but still useful, and the AWD version will tow up to 2,000 kg, where the front-driver manages 800 kg. The seating position sits a touch high for a taller driver like me at 1m87, but that is a small note. The headline, though, is efficiency: we averaged just 5.9 litres per 100 km on test, which for a petrol-powered SUV this size is genuinely excellent. The Japanese really do this well.

Price: not cheap

None of this comes cheap. The RAV4 range opens at around €49,160, but our GR Sport, loaded with 20-inch alloys, GR Sport synthetic-leather seats and the Comfort Pack, climbs to roughly €60,310. That is serious money for a RAV4, and it is the one figure that gives pause, however well built the car is.

AutoNext Verdict

The sixth-generation RAV4 is exactly what you want a modern Toyota to be. It looks tough, it is beautifully solid, it drives with a quiet competence and it is hugely practical, and in GR Sport trim it adds a genuinely well-judged chassis to the mix. Add a real bank of physical buttons and a 5.9 l/100km average, and it is very easy to live with.

It is not perfect. The interior plastics will not wow anyone, a taller driver sits a little high, the motorway gearing could use another ratio, and those over-eager safety systems are a genuine annoyance until Toyota makes them easier to switch off.

But none of that undoes the fundamentals. This is a mature, dependable, likeable SUV that should run happily for years. The price is steep in GR Sport form, but the RAV4 has quietly become one of the most complete cars in its class. This thing is really good.