2025 Toyota RAV4

Pros

• A serene interior with exceptional ride comfort.
• Spacious cargo and passenger areas.
• User-friendly controls for added convenience.

Cons

• Moderate acceleration performance.
• Steering that could benefit from more precision.

How do you like to drive the RAV4? The RAV4 doesn’t stand out here, which is a shame. When passing or merging, there isn’t much excitement, and the engine works well all over town. If you’re in a hurry, you might notice that the engine doesn’t give off a lot of power. Invoice Pricing found that our test car went from 0 to 60 mph in 9.1 seconds, which was a little faster than the average for the class.

We’re also having trouble with the handling, which isn’t heavy enough and isn’t stable in the middle. This makes it easy to underestimate how involved you really are. The RAV4’s Limited model is the only one with the improved all-wheel-drive system, which comes with hill descent control and rear-axle torque vectoring. Because of these features and a good amount of ground clearance, the RAV4 Limited can go off-road better than most small SUVs.

How much comfort does the RAV4 offer? Its suspension design makes it easy to handle and not too soft. The body doesn’t float or bind when you drive over bumps, and small to middling impacts are handled with little drama. The front seats are well-shaped and well-padded, but after longer trips, the sides of the seats start to feel flat.

The RAV4 is usually quiet on the highway. If you press down on the gas pedal to speed up, the engine sound gets rougher. We are happy with how well the climate system is working. The airflow is great, and the front and back seat vents can be closed all the way (XLE Premium and higher models).

How is the inside? It’s comfortable, simple to get in and out of, and gives you a good position for driving. The RAV4 would get a better ranking, though, if the front passenger seat in most trim levels could be lowered or made less high. Tall drivers may need to make some adjustments, but the steering wheel and driver’s seat have enough room for movement. Visibility from the outside is a good thing.

Labels are big and easy to read, and the controls are easy to understand. The only things that aren’t where you’d expect them to be are the climate and sound settings, which are on different islands. Also, I really like the big rubberized knobs for the temperature control. We’re having trouble because the tablet is too far away from the driver. For instance, you need to be able to reach to turn the setting knob.

How does the tech work? The RAV4’s touchscreen and regular buttons are easy to use without looking at the owner’s instructions. The images on the touchscreen, on the other hand, look old. The music system is nothing particularly great, but it does its job. You can easily connect your phone to your car with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The usual range of systems that help drivers is very good. It comes with a front collision warning system with automatic brakes, adaptive cruise control (down to 0 mph), lane keeping, automatic high beams, and a reader for traffic signs.

How are things with the storage? It’s one of the roomiest trunks in its class in the RAV4. It takes up 37.5 cubic feet of space when the back seats are up and 69.8 cubic feet when they are folded down. The RAV4’s low trunk floor also makes it easy to load things. There are a lot of shelves and boxes in the front of the house to store things you might need for a road trip. The RAV4 can pull up to 1,500 pounds, which is about average for its class if you want to tow something.

People with young children will like the RAV4. It’s easy to find safety seats and attach them to the bottom bases of car seats. Also, it’s simple to connect to the three links above. Usually, you have to raise the front seat in order to install a rear-facing baby seat on the passenger side. However, forward-facing chairs and boosters fit easily. The problem is that the front passenger seat is too high.

How much fuel does it use? The EPA says that the RAV4 will get between 28 and 30 mpg in both city and highway driving, but this will depend on the engine and trim level. In 2019, we went almost 7,000 miles in an AWD Adventure with 19-inch wheels, which is the same as the XLE Premium and Limited models for 2025. We had three people, gear, and luggage with us. Also, we got an average of 28.6 mpg in a range of driving and weather situations. We got as few as 25.6 mpg and as many as 32.3 mpg.

Should you buy the RAV4? The RAV4’s interior is well-made, with materials that are stacked in a way that looks good and seams that are perfect and fit in with the design. Radio and HVAC control buttons, as well as inside door pulls, have rubberized surfaces that make them easier to hold. The XLE Premium and Limited trims are covered in synthetic leather that is soft and flexible, and the stitching is very tight. Even though Toyota’s warranties aren’t very good, they do offer free regular maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles.

The RAV4 has a tough exterior, but a car can only handle so much rough design. Driving the RAV4 is not fun or exciting, but it’s also not a pain. Most people find it easy to get from A to B this way.

Our recommendation is the XLE trim because it has a good set of features and is at a fair price. It has a power liftgate, alloy wheels, a blind-spot recognition system, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, two 120-volt home outlets, and other features. It costs about $1,500 more than the base LE trim.