Toyota reveals 2016 RAV4 Hybrid starts at £26,195
Toyota's facelifted RAV4 gets dual-motor hybrid powertrain, and is on sale now for January deliveries
After its New York Motor Show debut, Toyota's updated RAV4 range is one sale now priced from £23,695 in 2.0 D-4D diesel form. There's also a new petrol-electric hybrid option from £26,195 in Business Edition Plus spec.
The standard petrol and diesel variants are set for UK deliveries in December, whereas the all-wheel drive hybrid will be given to customers in January. No economy or performance specs are given as yet for any of the new models, however.
To alleviate slowing sales Toyota has given the RAV4 a fresher look, with design details borrowed from the recent Auris and Avensis facelifts. That means a sleeker grille and bumper design, plus sharper full-LED headlamps. At the rear it's pretty much business as before, but fresher LED tail-lamps liven it up a bit.
Cabin quality is said to be improved, with the inclusion of more soft-touch materials and nicer fabrics. The instruments get a revamp, a colour TFT screen now features as standard in the dash and Toyota's 'Safety Sense' active safety kit receives tweaks to make it operate more effectively.
A 360-degree Panoramic View Monitor is included, proving a digitally-displayed view around the car that provides an advantage over traditional front and rear-mounted cameras and aids low-speed manoeuvring.
The biggest news under the skin is that the Rav4 is also set to become the first model in Toyota’s range to get an all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain. It will use a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motors mounted on both axles, borrowed from the Lexus NX300h.
In that format it produces 195bhp, achieves 54.3mpg economy and emits 121g/km of CO2, but those figures are likely to improve in the lighter RAV4. The SUV is also likely to get the same CVT automatic transmission as the Lexus.
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