2012 Toyota RAV4 Latest Images

2012 Toyota RAV4

Toyota’s compact RAV4 SUV was an instant hit when it hit the market back in 1996, but has been playing second fiddle to Honda’s CR-V for several years now. In addition to the now best-selling Honda CR-V, the RAV4 is facing new competition in the form of the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox – which has Toyota readying an all-new version of its most popular SUV.
Although the RAV4 received a refresh for the 2009 model year, and minor changes for 2010, the current iteration of the four-door SUV dates back to 2006 – not old by industry standards but certainly up there by Toyota’s life-cycle system. As such, a new version of the compact rig will likely surface in 2010 or 2011.

Using information gathered from various inside sources, we had our in-house artist draw up a rendering of what the next-gen RAV4 will look like. Although we aren’t expecting the next RAV4 to grow much in size, we expect it to adopt some styling cues from the Tundra pickup and FJ Cruiser SUV, giving Toyota’s lineup of trucks and SUVs a more uniform appearance. Despite giving the small SUV a more truck-ish appearance of an exterior spare tire, the RAV4 will retain that feature on some models.

Underhood, we expect the RAV4’s powertrain offerings to remain unchanged. That means a 2.5L four-cylinder and a 3.5L V6 will likely be employed, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see some tweaking to get the four-pot model up to 30 mpg. Toyota already boasts the quickest SUV in the class, so they will want to retain the sporty edge they hold over the competition.

Another engine possibility is the addition of a hybrid drivetrain. Although Toyota has stopped short of revealing the specific models, Toyota has said that it will add 10 new hybrid models by 2012 – meaning almost certainly that the next RAV4 will be one of those models.

2012 Toyota rav4

2012 toyota rav4
2012 toyota rav4

Last week, we passed along the news that Toyota would be showcasing its electric RAV4, a vehicle being developed in conjunction with Tesla, at the L.A. auto show. We expected to get the usual full-info download and promised you more details when they surfaced, but we learned at the show that Toyota itself isn’t really sure of the vehicle’s specifics.

What we do know from seeing the car on the show floor is that the first round of Tesla-Toyota RAV4s will differ visually from the gas-powered models—a new front-fascia treatment loses the traditional grille and adds LED fog lights while the rear end receives a new tailgate without the RAV4’s standard spare-tire carrier. But even that might change by the time the RAV4 EV hits the market; Toyota made a point to say that the demonstration vehicles will be based on current-generation cars, which sure makes it sound like the appearance of the fully baked version will coincide with the launch of the next RAV4. So there’s one useful thing we learned—maybe.

Toyota reiterated that Tesla will be responsible for building the EV’s lithium-ion battery pack and powertrain components. The duo is aiming for a 100-mile range with no cargo space lost in the conversion. The team’s first goal is to produce 35 test vehicles, also referred to as “phase 0 cars,” for testing in 2011 before beginning production of the RAV4 EV the following year. Toyota says it’s aiming to make the “phase 1 cars,” due out around 2012, drive like a conventional RAV4.

In the meantime, we’re left hanging with Toyota stating that, “many decisions regarding both the product, as well as the business model, have not been finalized. Battery size and final output ratings, as well as pricing and volume projections of the vehicle Toyota plans to bring to market in 2012, have not been decided.” So, like we said, it’s all a bit nebulous.