New Toyota RAV4 Revealed at the New York Motor Show

Today, Toyota’s best-selling crossover worldwide, the Toyota RAV4, has unveiled an all-new generation as the doors open at the New York Motor Show. It really is new: beneath it sits the TNGA, or Toyota New Global Architecture, first introduced on the latest Prius and designed to accommodate the newest generation of engines.

Using the TNGA platform has enabled the new RAV4 to gain three centimetres in wheelbase compared with the model still on sale, while its overall length has been reduced by half a centimetre. A modest increase in width, combined with a lower height, should provide more balanced proportions and, along with the new styling, give it a more commanding, even more muscular appearance.

When it comes to colours, buyers can now choose a two-tone paint finish. This solution is, after all, increasingly fashionable among SUVs and crossovers.

Three AWD systems… plus AWD i-Hybrid

Its off-road capabilities should also be improved, thanks to shorter front and rear overhangs, together with a new all-wheel-drive system that can send up to 50% of the power to the rear wheels and distribute torque between the left- and right-hand wheels. This system, one of three available - although it is not known whether these are exclusively for the US market - can also fully disengage the rear axle in order to improve efficiency.

A dedicated system is also planned for the hybrid version, called AWD i-Hybrid. With a rear electric motor fitted, it supplies up to 30% more torque to the rear axle than the current model.

Two engines announced for the Toyota RAV4

Two petrol engines are planned. One is a 2.0-litre unit, which will not be sold in Portugal, while the other has a capacity of 2.5 litres. The American version of the new Toyota RAV4 will use this larger four-cylinder engine, which will also form the basis of the hybrid variant. The Japanese manufacturer promises greater efficiency than its predecessor, although it has not disclosed power outputs or range. Transmission duties will continue to be handled by a CVT.

A more minimalist yet better-equipped interior

Inside, the new Toyota RAV4 adopts a more minimalist layout, dominated by a 7-inch touchscreen. It forms part of the new Toyota Entune 3.0 infotainment system, with Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa.

Other features include a new interior rear-view mirror that displays images captured by the rear camera. Among the optional extras, buyers can also specify a new 800-watt JBL sound system.

While the new 19-inch alloy wheels, for example, require an additional payment, the numerous safety systems included in Toyota Safety Sense are fitted as standard. These include a forward collision warning system with pedestrian detection and autonomous emergency braking, dynamic cruise control, a lane-departure warning system with steering correction, and automatic high-beam headlights.

Lane Tracing Assist is the key new feature

The genuinely new addition in this area, however, is Lane Tracing Assist: a semi-autonomous driving system which, according to Toyota, “eases the burden on the driver and ensures safe driving, particularly in congested traffic situations and on long motorway journeys”. It is joined by Road Sign Assist, which both reads and warns the driver about certain road signs encountered during the journey.

Finally, the new Toyota RAV4 is not expected to reach US dealerships before next winter, with hybrid versions provisionally set to arrive only in 2019.