Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025 Review, Redesign, and Specs. Last redesigned for the 2019 model year, the 2025 Toyota RAV4 is in the fifth year of the version’s fifth generation. This compact crossover develops the core of the brand’s extensive SUV schedule and has actually ended up being Toyota’s very popular design.
In 2022, the RAV4 outsold the brand’s very successful auto, the Camry, its best-selling truck, the Tacoma, and its following best-selling SUV, the Highlander. Its 2022 calendar-year sales likewise topped those of noticeable completing portable SUVs, such as the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Retreat, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, and Nissan Rogue.
To make sure the 2025 RAV4 stays on top of the sales charts, this year Toyota set up the automaker’s brand-new Audio Multimedia infotainment system, that includes a larger touchscreen screen and boosted voice control. The RAV4 likewise upgrades its safety features from Toyota Safety Feeling 2.0 (TSS 2.0) to Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 (TSS 2.5). A brand-new Forest Edition trim level is contributed to the 2025 RAV4 Hybrid lineup, combining the SUV’s fuel-saving hybrid powertrain with a small amount of improved off-pavement ability and even more rugged looks.
The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025 is available in LE, XLE, SE, Timberland Version, XLE Costs, XSE, and Restricted trim levels, and base costs range from the low $30,000 s to the reduced $40,000 s, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the Woodstock, Ontario, Canada factory that constructs it to your regional dealer.
For this Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025 review, I test-drove the Forest Version in Western Pennsylvania. It featured no choices, and the producer’s suggested market price (MSRP) was $35,360, including the $1,335 destination charge. Toyota gave the vehicle for this review.
TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID 2025 REVIEW: THE DRIVE
As with all various other Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025s (however not the Prime plug-in hybrid design), the Timberland Edition uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine operating in combination with a small, 1.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and an electronic all-wheel-drive system that uses an electric motor to power the rear wheels when required. There is no mechanical driveshaft attaching the rear axle to the engine. The complete system outcome is 219 horse power.
In real-world use, the RAV4 Hybrid feels considerably a lot more powerful and responsive than the basic gas-only, non-hybrid RAV4, which has a 203-hp engine. According to Toyota, the RAV4 Hybrid is virtually half a second quicker when speeding up to 60 miles per hour than its gas-powered sibling, achieving the task in a claimed 7.8 seconds.
However more than the numbers, the smooth combination of the electric motors and the gas engine makes the RAV4 Hybrid so satisfying to drive. The electric motors supply sufficient torque to fill the engine’s power contour valleys, lessening the requirement for larger accelerator pedal application in both in-town and on-highway driving. As a result, this enhances gas economic climate.
The official EPA fuel economy price quote for the Timberland Edition is 37 mpg in combined driving, down from 40 mpg in various other RAV4 Hybrid designs due generally to the all-terrain tires. However, fortunately is that while taking a trip 250 miles in hilly Western Pennsylvania, the Woodland Edition’s journey computer stated the SUV was getting 37 mpg. So, the ranking is accurate instead of merely optimistic. Still, that offers the Timberland Version a remarkable cruising range of 536 miles, far above anything a battery-electric SUV in this price variety can.
In spite of the hostile, open walk pattern of the Forest Version’s 225/60R18 Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires, the strongly shod RAV4 didn’t suffer from the expected whirring walk audios and the road crackle you commonly experience in various other off-road-oriented trucks and SUVs. Another surprise was exactly how well the TRD-enhanced springtimes and shocks managed ruts, bumps, fractures, and other road influences, making them non-events inside the cabin.
I valued the RAV4 Hybrid’s perfectly weighted and precise steering on the twisty, narrow hill roads. Furthermore, the straight and predictable brake pedal feedback is remarkable for a regenerative stopping system and was handy when working out shock contours in the roadway and steep downhill areas.
Likewise aiding the cause, the Timberland Version obtains an added Route drive mode setting in addition to the usual RAV4 Hybrid Typical, Eco, Sport, and EV modes. Trail setting helps control the undesirable spinning of the drive wheels by utilizing the four-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes, and grip control systems to resemble the functions of limited-slip front, center, and back differentials.
TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID 2025 REVIEW: THE DESIGN
The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025 Forest Version combines a hybrid drivetrain and electronic all-wheel drive with rugged-looking bits and pieces from the gas-only RAV4 TRD Off-Road version. The highlights consist of bronze-finish alloy wheels, off-road-oriented all-terrain tires, and the TRD Off-Road’s rectified springs, dampers, and suspension bump quits. Other exterior cues that differentiate the Forest Edition from much more pedestrian RAV4 Hybrid models consist of a beefier-looking roof shelf with cross bars, mud flaps for all 4 wheel openings, black badges, and black chrome-tipped double exhaust outlets.
Inside, the Woodland Version includes upgraded, tray-type rubber floor mats that are developed to consist of the mud, dirt, tree droppings, plants, and small rocks dragged inside the cabin on your footwear. An additional tough tray-type floor covering protects the Woodland Version’s cargo flooring from damage. Also, you’ll discover a 120-volt/100-watt AC power electrical outlet in the Forest Version’s freight bay.
Priced between the Hybrid SE and Hybrid XLE Premium trims, the Hybrid Woodland Version has cloth-covered seats and a urethane steering wheel, neither of which is warmed. The driver’s seat is power-operated, but the front passenger’s seat is not. Timberland Version niceties include dual-zone automatic environment control and push-button engine beginning, however a cordless smartphone charger is unavailable.
Currently in its 5th version year, the current-generation RAV4’s roomy cabin is maturing gracefully. On a road trip, its front bucket seats are all-day comfy, and the 60/40-split folding rear bench seat can accommodate 2 full-grown grownups (or 3 if essential). Logically ranged switchgear is easy to use and tactile in response to inputs. Outside presence is outstanding.
Although the shifter and drive mode selector inhabit some console space, the RAV4 squeezes in a pair of front cup owners. You will certainly find extra storage space in a deep container under the center armrest and on an open rack ahead of the shifter. Toyota likewise includes a set of helpful trays on the dashboard, one above the glovebox for the front traveler and a second, smaller one for the driver to the left of the guiding wheel. Those trays are excellent for road-trip products you could wish to keep close handy. All 4 doors have map pockets and bottle holders.
Freight space is generous thanks to a little hybrid system battery. At 37.5 cubic feet, there’s a lot of space behind the rear seat, and when you fold up the rear seats almost level, you obtain virtually 70 cu-ft of quantity.
TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID 2025 REVIEW: THE TECHNOLOGY
For 2025, all RAV4 models adopt a brand-new Toyota Sound Multimedia system. Among the tech’s significant upgrades are bigger infotainment screens, and in the RAV4 Hybrid schedule, an 8.0-inch screen is conventional in all designs except the Hybrid XSE and Hybrid Limited, which have a 10.5-inch screen.
Unfortunately, the Forest Version does not include a free test membership to Toyota Sound Multimedia’s new Drive Connect plan. Therefore, I can not review its features considering that Toyota had actually not triggered the service in the test vehicle. With paid access to this solution plan, you get a cloud-based navigating system and a Smart Assistant conversational voice control system. In various other Toyotas I’ve driven, this technology has actually functioned well.
Combining my Samsung phone with the 8-inch system in the Timberland Version took less than a minute, and the tech promptly asked me if I intended to turn on Android Auto. I agreed due to the fact that I intended to utilize Google Maps to discover my method around Western Pennsylvania.
In this situation, I pressed the onscreen microphone tab in Android Auto and ultimately made telephone calls and obtained turn-by-turn navigation directions to a number of point-of-interest destinations with satisfying accuracy. Additionally, besides an analog quantity dial and steering-wheel up/down quantity and tuning switches, there are fewer physical controls with Toyota’s new infotainment system. Nevertheless, there’s no plainly specified back button in case one gets shed in the onscreen menus.
Turning to safety, the 2025 Toyota RAV4 upgrades from in 2015’s TSS 2.0 to TSS 2.5. With the previous plan, the RAV4 already had a quite durable common portfolio of safety and advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), including:
- Forward-collision warning with pedestrian discovery
- Automatic emergency braking
- Flexible cruise ship control with stop-and-go capacity
- Lane-departure caution
- Lane-keeping help
- Lane-centering help
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Back cross-traffic alert
- Automatic high-beam fronts lights
- Traffic-sign acknowledgment
- Back-up cam with vibrant grid lines
For 2025, TSS 2.5 ushers in a couple of improvements. The forward-collision caution system gets the capacity to identify a vehicle or pedestrian at a junction when making a turn. In addition, the system can detect a pedestrian in the lane and make it possible for emergency situation evasive guiding to avoid the pedestrian while preserving vehicle control.
During my time with the RAV4 Forest Edition, the adaptive cruise ship control system worked well, and the back-up electronic camera made its keep at evading challenges when reversing on narrow hill dirt tracks. Nonetheless, I didn’t make use of the lane-centering system much because it tinkers the or else accurate steering feel and does not work well on curvy country freeways or roads with poorly preserved lane markings.
The automatic high-beam headlamps were inefficient throughout an abrupt nighttime snow squall. I was driving the lead vehicle on a two-lane freeway without oncoming traffic. Unbeknownst to me, the headlamps had been changed to the automated setup, so the system kept switching on the high beam of lights even as I consistently tried to switch over to low light beams to avoid the glow of the heavy snow storm. I really did not realize the headlamps remained in the automated setting until I managed the road and changed them to the hands-on setting.
I would have liked to have had a surround-view electronic camera or front and back car parking help sensors with automated stopping. Unfortunately, neither is offered on the RAV4 Hybrid Woodland Version.
Read: Acura ZDX 2025 Review, Release Date, and Redesign
In National Highway Traffic Safety Management (NHTSA) accident screening, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025 earns a total rating of five out of 5 star. In side-impact protection, it also gets a first-class ranking. However, the frontal-impact defense score is 4 celebrities, matching the one for the SUV’s ability to resist rolling over in a side slide or accident.
The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025 is an Insurance Coverage Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick. It obtains Good ratings in a lot of evaluations, however in updated moderate-overlap frontal impact and side effect examinations, the RAV4 slips to just Acceptable rankings.
IS THE TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID 2025 A GOOD SUV?
The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is definitely a good SUV. With nearly 400,000 marketed in 2022, RAV4 sales numbers should promote themselves. And Toyota is a recognized leader in hybrid sales in a wide range of vehicle sections. So the RAV4 Hybrid represents practical footwear for a big swath of portable SUV buyers.
Yet beyond the numbers, the RAV4 is a no-nonsense entrance in the market’s largest and still expanding portable SUV section, using good value and a strong track record for integrity and sturdiness. In addition, because a lot of RAV4 Crossbreeds boast a 40-mpg EPA ranking in mixed driving, it supplies a practical means for buyers to lower their carbon impact without breaking the bank or fretting about where the next billing chance will certainly be.
As for the new-for-Toyota RAV4 Hybrid 2025 Timberland Version, while it’s not ready to deal with Baja, it does allow the crossover endeavor a bit further off-pavement while remaining appropriate for daily use. In addition, it aligns with various other just recently presented soft roaders with a little updated dirt-trail capacity and off-road designing. They consist of opponents like the Ford Bronco Sporting Activity Badlands, GMC Terrain AT4, Jeep Compass Trailhawk, Kia Sportage X-Pro, and Subaru Forester Wilderness.
