Is 2023 Toyota RAV4 A Good Car?
Overview
The RAV4 has been a bestseller for Toyota for many years because it is a practical and efficient SUV that makes sense. The 2023 RAV4 continues this tradition with an interior that is friendly to cargo, an attractive base price, and road manners that are sensible. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder drives the front or all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration may not be fast, but fuel economy is good.
You can also get the RAV4 with a hybrid or plug-in-hybrid powertrain, but we'll talk about those separately. The RAV4 has a tough exterior that makes it fit in with other off-roaders like the 4Runner and Tacoma, but even the most capable TRD Off-Road model isn't meant for remote locations like those vehicles are. When it comes down to it, the RAV4 works best for suburban life and activities such as commuting and going toto pick up supplies from the local home improvement store.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
The 2023 RAV4 employs a 203-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine hitched to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Toyota still offers front-wheel drive as standard, but now gives the option of fitting one of several all-wheel systems - which trim you choose will dictate which system is available to you. We drove the Adventure model, for instance, whose rear axle can be disconnected in order to conserve fuel when needed - a neat party trick . At our test track, we found this carvariant to beat its predecessor's times: The 2019 model clocked 60 mph in 8 seconds flat while the 2018 took 8.3 seconds.
Although the four-cylinder engine can be noisy during highway passing attempts, the transmission on our test vehicle seemed to have more trouble during downshifts. The RAV4 Hybrid performed better in this area, with a 60 mph time of 7.4 seconds. On the upside, the RAV4 feels solid and stable when cruising on the interstate and does well enough when pitted against a twisty section of road. It isn't as good as our favorite in its class -the Mazda CX-5- but it still holds its own.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
The RAV4 earned class-competitive fuel-economy estimates from the EPA. Front-wheel-drive RAV4s can manage up to an estimated 35 mpg on the highway. The all-wheel-drive Adventure delivered 32 mpg for us on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, 1 mpg shy of the EPA's estimated rating for that trim. That's a fairly good result for the class, but the RAV4 was outdone in that test by the Volkswagen Tiguan, which returned 33 mpg. For more information about the RAV4's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
The RAV4 lineup boasts an array of standard driver assists. Buyers also can add blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross-traffic alert, but those features cost extra on the base model. For more information about the RAV4's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.
Will RAV4 be redesigned in 2023?
The 2023 Toyota RAV4 adds to the basics of the fifth-gen RAV4 first introduced in 2018, with a larger 10.5-inch infotainment screen and updated safety systems in Toyota Safety Sense 2.5.
What is the difference between a 2022 and a 2023 Toyota RAV4?
Next year's RAV4 will get this upgraded tech, which includes wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. Buyers will also get a larger screen in 2023. The 2022's eight-inch screen will be standard (rather than the current seven-inch unit) with upper trims receiving a new 10.5-inch display.
Is Toyota RAV4 2022 reliable?
The Toyota RAV4 Reliability Rating is 4.0 out of 5.0, which ranks it 3rd out of 26 for compact SUVs. The average annual repair cost is $429 which means it has excellent ownership costs.
