Toyota RAV4 review

We’ll kick off with the front-wheel drive setup given that’s the one that most people will plump for.

In EV mode – where you're limited to 202bhp from the motor – it’s as smooth and quiet as you’d expect. You also get paddles behind the steering wheel to flick through six different levels of regen, although even the strongest setting is a long way off a one-pedal mode, and your previous selection is forgotten once you get back on the throttle. Bit annoying, that.

At times it’ll also feel like the RAV4 has adaptive regen, but that’s just Toyota’s active safety systems slowing the car down when it feels like you’re too close to the vehicle in front.

With a full charge Toyota promises an impressive 85 miles of electric range, but we got 3.3 mi/kWh out of it on country roads which suggests the 20kWh battery should be good for 60-ish miles in practice. Less when it's frosty, less on the motorway, and even less again when the motorway is frosty.

HEV Auto mode allows the RAV4 to switch between petrol and electric power as it sees fit, and the handover is generally very smooth while acceleration is brisk enough. Given it uses a CVT gearbox to marshall the combustion engine, there is some rev flare, and the four-pot can get a little bit noisy under hard acceleration. But in everyday driving the powertrain is reasonably refined and certainly prioritises electric running.

There’s no option to save your electricity completely for later in a journey, but the Hybrid mode keeps it topped up by engaging the engine more often. Toyota claims up to 217mpg for the front-wheel drive model or 166mpg on the bigger 20in wheels. But that number is for the birds. Without the battery chipping in, 40-50mpg is more realistic depending on how much of a hurry you're in.

Is it comfortable?

With the standard dampers, the RAV4 is set up to be surprisingly soft. As a result, there’s a decent amount of body roll through corners, but with a low centre of gravity (thanks to the floor-mounted battery) it never feels ungainly. It also means the ride is properly squidgy, which makes a change from other overly sporty family crossovers.

Pitch and dive is well controlled under acceleration and braking though, and while the steering is light it’s also reasonably direct. Decent feel to the brake pedal, too.

What difference does all-wheel drive make?

As well as tipping the kerbweight over 2.5 tonnes and upping the towing capacity from 800kg to two tonnes, the AWD versions also add a good chunk more power. We’re talking a total of 305bhp, so with all motors working together it really does shift. There is a bit of wind noise at speed from the blocky shape, but otherwise the RAV4 remains pretty refined.

All-wheel drive also adds Trail and Snow modes for a little more grip when things get slippery, and it coped admirably with the gravel track we threw at it. Not literally, obviously.

Should I get the GR Sport?

The GR Sport gets firmer dampers and a more tied down ride, but it’s far from uncomfortable. There’s less roll through corners too, although in its sport mode the recalibrated steering is needlessly heavy. Honestly we're not sure who this one's aimed at, so save the cash and stick with the softly sprung standard car.

Anything else I need to know?

Like many rivals, there’s plenty of beeping and bonging from the RAV4. You do get a handy shortcut on the central screen to turn off the speed limit warning sound, but the driver attention monitor is particularly sensitive and will ping away if you dare to look at the screen. Argh!