All-new 6th generation Toyota RAV4 debuts in Japan

The dominance of SUVs in today’s global car market can be traced by to the mid-1990s when Toyota launched a new compact model called the RAV4, which stood for Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive (Robust Accurate Vehicle with 4 Wheel Drive since 2019).

Developed just after the Japanese ‘economic bubble’ burst, It was actually a simple model, engineering-wise. It used many parts from Toyota’s parts bin, with the full-time 4WD system coming from the Celica GT-Four.

The RAV4 became an overnight success – creating a new market segment – because it was a SUV but with a passenger car-like feel. Before, SUVs were bulky (with some exceptions like the Suzuki Vitara and Daihatsu Feroza) and mainly adapted from pick-up trucks, so they were also not comortable.

The RAV4 offered the ‘rugged’ image, a higher seating position and was as easy to drive as a passenger car. So many were willing to give it a go – and loved it (this writer included). In the years that followed, it started the SUV trend that continues to this day.

The popularity of the RAV4 rose quickly over the years, becoming one of the bestselling vehicles in the world. In 2024, it even outsold the Ford F-150 which had been the bestselling vehicle in America for decades. This year, available data for the first quarter of 2025 shows that the RAV4 is the world’s bestselling vehicle.

Electrified hybrid powertrains
In Japan today, Toyota has unveiled the 6th generation of the RAV4, which builds on the legacy of its popular predecessors. Besides new designs inside and outside, the new generation comes with advanced electrified hybrid powertrains (HEV and PHEV) with FWD or AWD.

The PHEV version, with a 2.5-litre petrol engine, uses a 22.7 kWh lithium-ion battery and is said to be able to go up to 150 kms on just electric power while also having 12% higher motor output. Electric driving range is maximised with the help of geofencing technology, combining real-time road and traffic data along with insights from the driver’s typical routes and driving style, to automatically switch between hybrid and electric modes.

The new battery supports DC fast charging with a 50 kW onboard charger, which can replenish the battery from 10% to 80% within 30 minutes, while a new 11kW AC charger provides recharging in 3 hours.

GR Sport version
There will also be, for the first time, a GR Sport version with enhanced suspension tuning and body rigidity for a motorsport-inspired character. This version will be offered alongside the Core and Adventure versions, the former for urban environments and the latter for those who venture beyond the highway.

Technological improvements are also reflected in the upgrades to the RAV4’s Toyota Safety Sense active technology suite, with new and improved features designed to increase safety outcomes for drivers and other road users.

Software-Defined Vehicle
For the first time in a Toyota vehicle, the Arene software development platform (developed by Woven by Toyota, Inc.) is adopted. By adopting Arene, Toyota is swinging its development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) into full gear. Arene is designed to enable the safe, secure and scalable development of automotive software, improving multimedia functionality and driver assistance systems through the use of AI modelling and improved data utilisation, continually enhanced through over-the-air updates.

Will it come to Malaysia?
Production of the new RAV4 will start towards the end of this year with progressive introduction in global markets after the first deliveries start in Japan. While UMW Toyota Motor has offered the RAV4 on and off over the years, it has not promoted it strongly due to the high price as a CBU model. Instead, it has offered regional models such as the Rush and now, the Corolla Cross for the compact SUV segment.

Toyota offers electrified mobility with hybrid electric technology