Swerving to avoid an obstacle on the road at moderate speeds and then trying to get back in the initial lane as quickly as possible would scare the bejesus out of you in the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid.
Swedish publication Teknikens Värld has a reputation for calling out automakers who fail its proprietary moose test, in which a fully loaded vehicle is driven through an S-shaped obstacle-avoidance course at moderate speeds. The test is designed as a way to imitate a potential worst-case scenario, like when a large animal or a child darts into the street and forces a driver to take emergency evasive action.
Lots of vehicles pass the test without much drama, which requires completion of the course within the lines at a speed of at least 72 kilometers per hour (44.7 mph), but occasionally a vehicle performs poorly enough that Teknikens Värld confronts the automaker with the results. The latest vehicle to draw the ire of the publication is the Toyota RAV4 Prime.
Vintage trucks and SUVs, as well as their follow-ups, are in hot demand right now, and crossovers rule the world's sales charts. So few will be surprised to learn that Mitsuoka's quirky Buddy is sold out until 2023. Unveiled in November 2020, it blends styling cues reminiscent of 40-year old Chevrolet models with the efficiency and reliability expected from a new Toyota.
It's not entirely popularity that led to the Buddy selling out. Mitsuoka has never dabbled in volume, and the Buddy is no exception. It will only build 50 units of the Buddy in 2021, according to Motor1, and it will manufacture 150 more in 2022. There's no word yet on how many it will make in 2023. These numbers would be a rounding error if we were talking about the standard RAV4 (about 448,000 units were sold in America alone in 2019), but the Buddy is much more than a Toyota crossover with extra bling.
In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick. This week, they talk about driving the BMW M2 Competition, Honda Odyssey and Toyota RAV4 Prime. Then they discuss James' experience testing the new Yakima CBX cargo carrier, Autoblog readers' preference for the GMC Hummer EV over the Tesla Cybertruck, and Mercedes-Benz taking a larger stake in Aston Martin. Lastly, they help James' father find a new car in the Spend My Money segment.
Mitsuoka, one of Japan's most eclectic tuners, can't resist the market's shift towards crossovers and SUVs. It alchemized the Toyota RAV4 into retro family hauler that borrows styling cues from 1980s Chevrolet trucks.
Called Buddy, the Americanized RAV4 is the latest in a long line of intriguing creations that put a retro spin on a modern car. Chevrolet's trademarked Bowtie emblem doesn't appear anywhere on the crossover, but the shiny grille and the two-piece rectangular headlights are strongly reminiscent of the third-generation C/K pickup, especially the face-lifted model introduced for the 1981 model year. Mitsuoka also redesigned the hood, made the front end boxier, and added a thick strip of chrome-look trim that reminds us of the C/K's metal front bumper.
Being bland used to be a pretty solid way to ensure a car's popularity. Bland may not inspire, but it won't offend, either. That sure seemed like Toyota's playbook for decades, but things have changed (in the marketplace and with Toyota), and nowhere is that more evident than the 2021 Toyota RAV4. Rather than being vanilla enough to appeal equally to as many people as possible, it instead offers an unmatched selection of flavors to cater more specifically to a wide variety different people and purposes. There are regular, sporty and off-road-oriented RAV4s. There's a regular gas engine and two hybrid choices, including the new 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid (pictured above). There are vibrant colors, two-tone roofs and flashy styling flourishes available along with more traditional, subdued choices. Again, something for everyone.
Yet, underlying all those different flavors is a base vehicle that generally nails the basic fundamentals demanded of a compact SUV, regardless of whether you're getting a simple RAV4 LE, a sporty XSE Hybrid or the TRD Off-Road. It has more passenger and cargo space than most, as well as more ground clearance. Its infotainment system is easy to use and amply contented, if not the flashiest or rapid in response. It's fuel efficient, especially the two hybrid choices. It's surprisingly responsive to drive. Finally, its resale value and maintenance costs should continue to be excellent. Now, there are rivals that match or better the RAV4 in these regards, especially the Honda CR-V, but few do them all as well and none offer the same variety as the RAV4.
The Toyota RAV4 lineup is expanding for 2021 as the company has announced a new RAV4 Hybrid XLE Premium.
Since it's only a couple of years old, it's no surprise that the 2021 Toyota RAV4 is generally unchanged from the years before. But there are a couple of noteworthy additions to the range. There's a slight price increase, too.
Possibly the most significant change is the addition of an XLE Premium trim to the RAV4 Hybrid line. It falls squarely in the middle, offering more features than the LE and XLE, but not being as sporty or as luxurious as the XSE or Limited trims. It's priced between those trims, too, with a base price of $33,675. Included for the price are 18-inch "super chrome-finished" alloy wheels, LED projector headlights with automatic high beams, fog lights, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leatherette upholstery, eight-way power driver's seat and dual-zone automatic climate control.
Suzuki has revealed the new Across plug-in hybrid SUV for the European market, the first product to come out of the company's partnership with Toyota.
As I sit down to write this, it's dawning on me that I have owned all three of these vehicles at one point or another. The Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road is the one that currently shades my driveway. You've seen it before. Twice.
But I actually brought my wife and newborn daughter home from the hospital in a 1996 Toyota RAV4, a four-door model with a manual transmission, lockable center differential and a Torsen rear differential. It may have looked like a hiking boot, but it handled like a rally car on my dirt road commute, which was so utterly deserted I could fully exploit the route's numerous corners and float over its perfectly-shaped jump.
This year is when the entry-level plug-in crossover market really starts to heat up. Both Ford and Toyota have new models in the 2020 Ford Escape and the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime. They join the segment veteran Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which has been available in the U.S. since the 2018 model year. And of course that means it's time to look at how the numbers add up while we wait for our chance to drive the new competitors. You can find a chart with all the details immediately below, followed by more detailed analysis.
Already on sale in North America as the Toyota RAV4 Prime, the plug-in hybrid RAV4 debuts today in the automaker's home country.
The current Toyota RAV4 already sports quite an edgy and striking design but this particular RAV4 is more head-turning than most thanks to a series of styling changes.
The 2021 Toyota Hilux was a well-preserved secret until just a few hours ago, when the first image showing its new face leaked online.