Prices and Specifications Announced for the New Toyota RAV4

• New RAV4 available for the first time with hybrid power, in addition to petrol and diesel engines, with front and all-wheel drive options
• New UK line-up with five grades – Active, Business Edition, new Business Edition Plus, Icon and (replacing Invincible) Excel
• Business Edition Plus launched exclusively with hybrid power. Specification includes Toyota Touch 2 with Go combined multimedia, navigation and connectivity system
• Toyota Safety Sense available as an option on all RAV4 models, apart from entry-level Active
• On-the-road prices from £23,695 ( Active 2.0 D-4D front-wheel drive)
• Available to order now, first customer deliveries from late December (petrol and diesel) and January (hybrid)

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Toyota is introducing hybrid power to RAV4 in one of the most significant changes to the model since it created the European compact recreational SUV market in 1994.

The new model range is now available to order in the UK, with a choice of powertrains that includes the 2.5-litre full hybrid, a new 2.0-litre D-4D diesel and a revised 2.0-litre Valvematic petrol with improved fuel economy and CO₂ emissions. Both front-wheel and all-wheel drive versions are offered.

At the same time Toyota is upgrading equipment specifications across the board and introducing Toyota Safety Sense – a package of integrated active safety and driver assistance features – as an option on all versions of RAV4 beyond the entry-point model.

Grades and equipment
Toyota is offering customers more choice and improved equipment specifications with a new five-grade line-up that introduces Business Edition Plus trim and changes the flagship designation from Invincible to Excel.

The entry level Active grade features the new 2.0 D-4D diesel engine and comes equipped as standard with a wealth of extra equipment features. These include the Toyota Touch 2 multimedia system with touchscreen, six-speaker audio system with DAB radio, rear-view camera, cruise control, sunglasses holder, shark fin antenna and leather steering wheel cover. This is an addition to current items including 17-inch alloys, LED daytime running lights, air conditioning, rear privacy glass and electric door mirrors.

The RAV4 Business Edition – also powered by the 2.0-litre diesel engine – gains front and rear underruns. Elsewhere is retains its high-value specification, with highlights including Toyota Touch 2 with Go navigation and on-board connectivity system, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, front fog lamps, retractable door mirrors, automatic headlights and wipers and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

The new Business Edition Plus is launched as a hybrid/front-wheel drive-only grade and comes with LED front and rear lights, a power tailgate, keyless entry and push-button start.

All three powertrains and front and all-wheel drive options are offered in Icon trim. Key additional features include 18-inch machined-finish alloy wheels, LED headlamps, combination leather and Alcantara upholstery, electrically adjustable driver’s seat (with power-adjustable lumbar support), heated front seats and an Alcantara dashboard finish. On these models the Toyota Touch 2 system is provided with an optional upgrade to “Go” status with satellite navigation and connectivity functions.

The Excel models adopt leather upholstery, roof rails and front and rear parking sensors.

Toyota Safety Sense
Toyota Safety Sense is available as an option (£695) on all versions of the new RAV4, apart from Active grade. The package of integrated active safety and driver assistance includes a radar-controlled Pre-Collision System that can detect both vehicles and pedestrians on the road ahead. This works in conjunction with a Pre-Collision Brake and Brake Assist to alert the driver to the imminent risk of a collision, prepare the brakes to deliver extra stopping power and, if the driver fails to react, to initiate braking autonomously.

The same radar unit also equips RAV4 with Adaptive Cruise Control, which helps the driver maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Other features include Road Sign Assist, which recognises principal motorway and major route signs and repeats on the TFT screen in the driver’s instrument binnacle.

Camera sensors monitor the white lines of motorways and major dual carriageways to provide a Lane Departure Alert, warning the driver if the vehicle strays out of its lane without the turn indicators being used. The same system also provides a new Sway Warning, detecting from irregular vehicle movements that the driver may be becoming drowsy. If it believes the driver’s attention is becoming potentially unsafe, it will flash up a Sway Warning alert on the TFT screen with a coffee cup image, recommending the driver takes a break from the wheel.

Toyota Safety Sense is completed by Automatic High Beam, which maximises full beam headlight operation. The system detects oncoming traffic and vehicles ahead and automatically dips the lights, returning them to full beam as soon as the road ahead is clear. This function can be switched off if the driver prefers to operate the lights manually at any time.

New colours
Two new exterior colours are available for RAV4: Blue Crush and Barcelona Red. Cabin trims are unchanged.

RAV4 pricing
The new RAV4 range is available to order now with first customer deliveries of petrol and diesel models expected from late December. Hybrid versions will arrive from mid-January.