 | Positives: Decently quick, easy to drive, great physical control knobs, roomy in the second row, appealing styling, great safety features. |
 | Negatives: Tepid handling characteristics, numb steering, already dated infotainment OS and controls. |
 | Bottom Line: The RAV4 Hybrid might not be awesome at most things, but it's very good at almost everything. Efficient, easy driving manners, and pretty seamless to operate, it has mainstream appeal that puts it near the top of the hybrid crossover set. |
Driving Experience
The RAV4 Hybrid won't blow anyone's socks off. It's meant to be comfortable, efficient transportation, but it is decently quick off the line and has some of the best comfy driving manners around.
Ride Quality: The RAV4 Hybrid is smooth and compliant over road surfaces and handles gaps well, even in sweeping turns.
Acceleration: 0-60 comes in 7.3 seconds, which isn't bad. It's too bad the CVT and the slow throttle response don't make it feel all that quick.
Braking: The regen brakes are acceptable, but there is a bit of mushiness in the pedal.
Steering: The steering feels disconnected and numb, so there's no feedback coming through. It turns in decently, and it's on center, at least.
Handling: There's some body roll and mild understeer, not much different from the rest of the RAV4 lineup.
Technology
This is probably the weakest spot for most Toyotas these days. The OS for the infotainment was upgraded a couple of years ago, but it already feels dated. The graphics and responsiveness need work, and we don't especially like the controls.
Infotainment System: Overall, it's a pretty easy system to use, but the it's slow to respond and seriously unattractive. This is unacceptable from the world's largest automaker
Controls: We don't like the tiny infotainment buttons that flank the screen. These should be larger and easier to reach. Steering wheel controls are now more intuitive and easier to use while driving. The large climate control knobs, with their big rubber grips, are great to use.
Styling
The RAV4 Hybrid thankfully doesn't look like a hybrid. The whole RAV4 lineup looks pretty much the same, but that's a good thing. We do like the rugged styling and the overall cohesiveness of the interior.
Front: We certainly wouldn't call it a simple front end, but the RAV4 looks great from the front end with a nice downturned metal-look perforated grille, a faux skid plate, and some nice cutouts for the foglight housings.
Rear: The black bumper and valance help break up the visual height, and the complex taillights and wing-like chrome bar help dress up the back end.
Profile: Big fenders and blocky shapes give it a rugged look, which is a strong departure from the last-gen RAV4. The wheels on our tester are a little bit busy looking and present a challenge to clean.
Cabin: The cabin looks way better than before, erring on the side of sporty. We like the clean dashboard and the attractive seat stitching color and pattern.
Comfort
The RAV4 will suit most medium-sized families well with its roominess and solid levels of seat comfort. The driving position and seating levels are excellent.
Front Seats: The seats are well-cushioned, decently bolstered, and wide enough for large folks.
Rear Seats: Rear legroom is 37.8 inches, which works well for six footers. It's down about three inches compared to the Honda CR-V Hybrid, but it's still quite roomy.
NVH (noise/vibration/harshness): The RAV4 feels solid and well made, but you can definitely hear effort of the four-cylinder engine when its pressed, along with the hum of the electric motors. There's good management of wind and road noise, so it manages well as a road-tripper and highway commuter.
Visibility: Rear visibility is compromised by thick D-pillars, but otherwise views of the rear and sides are excellent, and the seating position is very good.
Climate: The automatic climate control system is responsive provided plenty of heat quickly.
Safety
The last RAV4 got top scores for safety, but the new one misses due to stricter criteria, even though its crash test performance was better.
IIHS Rating: The IIHS gave the 2022 RAV4 lost its Top Safety Pick rating from 2021 due to more stringent criteria. It still does well crash test scores and gets superior ratings in accident avoidance for both vehicles and pedestrians.
NHTSA Rating: Five stars from the federal government.
Standard Tech: Toyota Safety Sense 2.0: Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Auto High Beams, Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Tracing Assist, Automatic High Beams, and Road Sign Assist; It also includes a Blind Spot Monitor w/ Rear Cross-Traffic Alert.
Optional Tech: Our Limited tester came with a Bird's Eye View Camera w/ Perimeter Scan, Overhead 360 Degree View in Low-Speed Drive & Reverse, and Curb View.
Storage/Cargo
We're pretty happy with the impressive interior small gear stowage options, as well as the solid levels of rear storage space. It's smaller than the Honda CR-V but larger than the Mazda CX-5 and about on par with the Ford Escape.
Storage Space: The center cubby is nicely sized, and the twin cupholders and armrest provide similarly good small item storage.
Cargo Room: The Prime is a tad smaller than its gas counterpart. It offers 33.5 cubes behind row 2 and 63.1 cubic feet with the second row folded flat.
Fuel Economy
Efficiency is one of the hybrid's strong suits, and we nailed solid numbers on our test drive in combined conditions. In terms of how it stacks up against competitors, it ranks in the top half.
Observed: 34.9 mpg
Distance Driven: 103.7 miles
Audio
Our premium JBL system with 11 speakers delivered excellent sound, but it'll cost you $1,040 as part of the premium audio package. We think it's worth the price of entry.
