Toyota unveils sixth-gen RAV4 family SUV

Toyota has lifted the covers off the sixth-generation RAV4, with the family SUV bringing a striking new look and a generational upgrade in on-board tech.

The car’s dramatic styling is said to reference the off-road credentials of earlier RAV4s, with a boxier – almost Land Cruiser-like – silhouette and chunkier wheel arches. The new hammerhead lights front and rear bring its looks into line with those of the latest Prius and C-HR.

Inside, the RAV4 gets a new 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen that is the first to run on Toyota’s new Arene operating system. Like Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS, it is a standard platform that will be rolled out across all future Toyotas, to enable quicker and easier development of new features.

This, Toyota said, will allow it to develop new and more powerful safety and entertainment systems and introduce new functions through over-the-air updates rather than requiring prospective buyers to wait for a new model generation.

At the RAV4’s launch, for example, the Arene platform will arrive with new safety features, such as a rear-approach monitor devised to help drivers merge onto motorways. In the longer term, the brand has mooted functionality such as downloadable performance packs that replicate the performance and feel of different Toyotas: drivers could, for example, choose a GR86-inspired chassis set-up for a spirited drive, before switching to more Lexus-like damping for the journey home.

The new RAV4 will be offered exclusively with plug-in hybrid powertrains in the UK. Exact specifications have yet to be confirmed, but in Europe there will be a choice of 264bhp front-wheel-drive and 300bhp four-wheel-drive powertrains.

The most powerful PHEV is capable of sprinting from 0-100kph in 5.8sec, and it can drive under electric power alone for up to 100km. Its 22.7kWh battery can be topped up at up to 50kW on a DC connection, taking 30 minutes to go from 10-80%, or at 11kW on AC.

In Europe there will also be a choice of 181bhp and 188bhp regular hybrids, with front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive respectively.

Also on offer will be a GR Sport variant with a focus on handling and featuring lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels, a 20mm-wider track, different dampers and stiffer springs. Inside, the GR Sport will get bucket-like sports seats, aluminium pedals and an abundance of GR badging.