The 2019 Rav 4 is here and it made its debut at the Paris Motor Show.
A new Toyota Rav 4 is frankly long overdue with this current generation soldiering on since 2012. However, with the FT-AC concept unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, we knew that a fifth generation Toyota Rav-4 was on the way, and here it is. As per Toyota in an official press release they dropped exclusively for the European Market earlier today (Oct. 4, 2018) the big news was their Hybrid model which they flaunted in their newly styled body, but, by and large, this is what you can expect for the United States home market, hitting dealerships soon. For 2019, the Toyota Rav 4 is overall a bigger Rav 4 despite being shorter, less tall, but gains width. In addition, the biggest changes will be under the hood with a new 2.5L dynamic force engine and a hybrid model complimenting that 2.5L with Toyota’s legendary hybrid technology.
As mentioned, Toyota did everything they could to raise the attitude of the fifth generation Toyota Rav 4 while lowering the altitude (anyone know that reference, hit me up in the comments.) Following in the footsteps and styling language of other Toyota’s in their lineup, this Rav 4 is styled with a lot more edge, athleticism, and purpose. While we already know that performance doesn’t really match what’s its design language says, to customers, that doesn’t really matter as much. It looks modern and dynamic standing still.
Numbers-wise, the Toyota Rav4 is 5mm shorter, overall height brought down by 5 mm, but width increased slightly by 10 mm.
Under the hood, the most powerful option, the 2.5L engine paired to a Toyota’s self-charging hybrid technology, means you get a max 219 HP when you give it the beans. Toyota says 0-60 MPH is done in 8.1 seconds.
We already know what Toyota’s new 2.5L engine makes thanks to a press release earlier last year. Expect the 2.5L NA to make 200 HP and 184 lb-ft, a significant improvement over the 176 HP and 172 lb-ft of the earlier model. This will be what most people will buy.
Toyota has also improved the all-wheel-drive system where 80 percent of the torque can be sent to the rear if need be. The electronic diff multiplies torque up to 960 lb-ft to said rear wheels in tricky situations where power and traction are needed.
Toyota’s Rav 4 is a cornerstone of Toyota’s sales, as per their September press release, “RAV4 recorded sales of 37,440; a best-ever first nine months” on track to eclipse its 2017 sales of 407,594 Rav 4’s, surely.
And as this 2019 model is shaping up to be, they’ve got another winning formula on their hands.
