Toyota Rav4

One of the things I love about auto shows is that you never know who will show up with an unexpected announcement. For the 2019 LA Auto Show, Toyota has a surprise up its sleeves with a new RAV4 model that bests all RAV4s before it.

As their top-selling vehicle in the US (and the number 3 vehicle in US sales overall), it wasn’t an absolute necessity for Toyota to redesign the RAV4. People were already quite happy to buy this compact SUV as it was.

I recently had the opportunity to drive the 2019 Toyota RAV4, and was extremely impressed with the improvements Toyota has made in overall ride quality, versatility, and capability for its popular daily driver. And while the RAV4 is already better than one might expect off the tarmac, Toyota wants us to know it can do even more with the announcement of a new TRD Off-Road trim for the 2020 model year.

I’ve long thought the Toyota RAV4 was a solid and dependable ride for everyday driving. But with the new 5th-generation model due out for the 2019 model year, the RAV4 isn’t just a good vehicle, it’s a great one.

Despite the wild popularity of the RAV4, Toyota’s versatile mid-size SUV hasn’t had a complete redesign in six years. Well, 2019 changes all that, with the release of an all-new RAV4 that not only looks completely different, but rides on a brand new platform.

If you’ve followed my writing and reviews, you’ll know I’m not a big hybrid guy. Generally speaking, I’ve found them sloth-like and pretty unenjoyable to drive. Likewise, crossovers generally leave me feeling uninspired and unimpressed. Enough with the generalizations, especially after the week I spent with the 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Last year, I spent some time in Oregon with Ryan Millen, Christina Fate, and their surprisingly awesome Rally RAV4. While I got to watch them tear through the rocky forest course from outside their SUV, and got plenty of time driving stock RAV4s on the road, I didn’t get to experience their rally capabilities myself.

Recently, I had the chance to see how a RAV4 was capable enough to run with the big boys in rally racing. Now, I’ve spent some time behind the wheel of two new models of the RAV4 that Toyota is bringing to market for 2016.

Say the name “RAV4,” and most people think of a compact grocery getter for the soccer mom set. But the last several days have shown me that the Toyota RAV4 is much more. I had the opportunity to take the 2015 RAV4 on a Pacific Northwest adventure, going off-road, and even witnessing a RAV4 run a rally race.