Having attempted to keep us guessing as to which new model it was revealing on May 21 (fat chance), Toyota has finally confirmed that it will indeed be pulling the covers off the new sixth-generation RAV4 this Wednesday. As part of the news, the Japanese giant has released a few more teasers of the car, showing some (slightly obscured) key design cues.
These images confirm that the leaked image from earlier this year was real. Visible here is Toyota’s latest “Hammerhead” front end design with C-shaped headlights, along with angular forms and squared-off wheel arches. We also finally get a glimpse of the rear end, and here we can see a full-width black bar that incorporates the taillights (made up of vertical lines), the Toyota logo and the RAV4 script.
It also appears that the RAV4 will continue to receive different looks depending on the variant. One photo shows a more rugged model with six-spoke black alloy wheels, beefy-looking roof rails and a different front bumper with a black square under the headlights.
There’s also what appears to be a look-faster GR Sport model, a first for the RAV4, featuring a large lower grille with interlocking rectangular bumper corners, similar to the facelifted GR Yaris and Corolla. This variant also looks to feature a rally-style goalpost rear wing.
We’ve already seen bits of the more rugged-looking interior, which takes elements from the Land Cruiser Prado/250. These include the steering wheel with chunky spokes, controls and airbag boss (here with the usual “T” logo rather than the “Toyota” script) and hexagonal shapes in the air vents and the strange protrusions sitting below the centre vents. There’s also a larger infotainment touchscreen and a Qi wireless charger.
As per the latest Camry, the new RAV4 is expected to be based on an uprated version of the existing K variant of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA-K), rather than being an all-new car. This means it will likely share the same powertrains as its D-segment sedan sibling, including a 230 PS 2.5 litre hybrid and a 204 PS 2.5 litre Dynamic Force naturally-aspirated petrol engine.
The RAV4 is also rumoured to get an upgraded plug-in hybrid powertrain that boosts the pure electric range to around 130 km. A fully-electric variant could also be offered for the first time since the last Tesla-powered model in 2014.
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