What kind of car is the 2022 Toyota RAV4? What does it compare to?
With the RAV4, Toyota hits a bulls-eye for compact crossover SUV styling and features, though interior space misses some key marks by mere inches. Its Prime plug-in is a gem, and that makes it a rival for the Ford Escape as well as the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester.
Is the 2022 Toyota RAV4 a good car?
Review continues below
The RAV4 earns a TCC Rating of 6.7 out of 10; Primes would rate higher thanks to gutsy green performance. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2022 Toyota RAV4?
Toyota has tweaked the crossover’s exterior and interior. Most notably, it now sells an SE Hybrid with cloth upholstery and a 7.0-inch touchscreen and 6-speaker audio; it can be optioned with heated front seats, a sunroof, a power tailgate, and a 9.0-inch touchscreen. Updated headlights on all models at or above the XLE grade could help its safety score, too.
Since 2019, the RAV4 has flaunted a chunky, ruggedly smooth body, somewhere between a CrossFitter and a powerlifter with its squared-off wheel wells, gunsight windows, and bluff front end. The interior’s the post-workout cool-down, with spare lines and only the essentials laid out around a big touchscreen. If it looks ready for adventure, well, there’s actually a trim level called just that.
Base versions won’t inspire much planet-exploring, though. The 203-hp inline-4 in most RAV4s does the job and little more, and it’s raucous when pressed hard, though it shifts smoothly and though the vehicle handles with more interest than any RAV4 from the past. Things get interesting with the highly efficient Hybrid, which sacrifices almost nothing to the driving experience—and get downright compelling in Prime trim, which straps on a big battery pack for sub-six-second acceleration and 42 miles of electric-only driving. If you can find one, buy it.
The RAV4’s interior looks swell, but the seats could be more swole. The padding they wear feels thin, and some head room has been sacrificed to the sleek roofline. Cargo space doesn’t suffer, though—and neither does safety, as all RAV4s come with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and active lane control, not to mention strong if not perfect crash-test results from both the IIHS and the NHTSA.
How much does the 2022 Toyota RAV4 cost?
Prices will be firm by the end of the year, but expect to pay about $28,000 for a RAV4 LE—if you can get a dealer to agree to MSRP. It has cloth upholstery, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Select the RAV4 XLE Hybrid and for about $30,000 you’ll get an efficient crossover with a big touchscreen and big fuel economy numbers. If you can score a Prime without much markup—tell us where and how?
Where is the 2022 Toyota RAV4 made?
In Georgetown, Kentucky, unless it’s a Prime, which is made in Japan.