2022 Toyota RAV4 XSE Hybrid review

Let’s start with the bad news. Even if you order a new Toyota RAV4 immediately after reading this review, it’s likely you’ll be waiting around 12 months to receive your new SUV. Blame unprecedented demand and restricted supply due to COVID and a shortage of semiconductors. But there is a silver lining…

The RAV4 that will eventually hit your driveway has recently been improved, with Toyota treating the entire range to some minor but worthwhile updates. And the model we’re testing here is brand new. Dubbed the XSE, it’s a fresh mid-spec variant that offers some desirable equipment and powertrain upgrades for a sticker price that starts at $42,825 before on-road costs.

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Plus, this perfect storm of supply chain chaos can’t last forever (here’s hoping, anyway), so there’s every chance you’ll be able to get your hands on a RAV4 much sooner if you’re reading this in the future.

But for now, the key questions are: should you join the queue and wait for a new RAV4? Or would you be better off opting for a rival like the Kia Sportage or Mazda CX-5, the latter of which has also been recently updated and has no supply issues.

And is the XSE variant a worthy addition to the RAV4 range, or should you go for another variant? Let’s find out.

Pricing and Features

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With little fanfare, Toyota treated the RAV4 range to a light update at the end of 2021. Prices were tweaked (the base GX variant actually went down, which is a rarity in the current climate) and the sought-after hybrid models received a subtle facelift with new projector LED headlights and the addition of LED foglights.

Toyota also added a sprinkling of extra equipment for each variant (read our story here for full details) but the headline news was the introduction of this XSE variant.

The rest of the XSE package strikes a sweet balance between value and desirable upgrades

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Slotting into the middle of the RAV4 range between the GXL and Cruiser, the XSE starts at $42,825 plus on-road costs. It’s only available with a hybrid powertrain, which combines a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a small battery and electric motor, but buyers can choose between front- or all-wheel drive.

Opting for AWD commands a $3000 premium and, as we’ll get to a little later on, it could be a worthy investment depending on how you plan to use your RAV4.

The rest of the XSE package strikes a sweet balance between value and desirable upgrades. Black exterior detailing is used to set it apart from the GXL below, with black accents found on the front and rear bumpers, wheelarch surrounds and mirrors. The 18-inch alloy wheels are finished in gloss black, too, and there’s also a black roof that looks especially sharp when paired with our text car’s Silver Sky paintwork.

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Inside, XSE variants are decked out with ‘Softex’ upholstery (GX and GLX make do with cloth seats) which does a decent job of imitating leather while also feeling hard-wearing and easy to wipe down should the kids spill anything on the seats. Other extras include 10-way electric driver’s seat adjustment, ambient lighting, an electric tailgate, and two-stage heated front seats.

All of this builds on an already comprehensive list of standard equipment that features an 8.0-inch central touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, five USB ports, a digital instrument cluster and a wireless phone charger.

Toyota’s ‘Safety Sense’ system is also standard and bundles together adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane following, auto high-beam and road sign recognition.

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In fact, the XSE is so well equipped it has us questioning the value of more expensive RAV4 variants. The only goodies the XSE really misses out on are larger 19-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats and an audio system with nine speakers instead of six.

Comfort and Space

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Slip inside the XSE and you can instantly understand why the RAV4 is so popular. The cabin design is distinctive but doesn’t forgo practicality or ergonomics in the pursuit of funkiness. Everything falls easily to hand and most of the touchpoints are trimmed with tactile rubber inserts. It’s ergonomically sound, too, with chunky rubber dials for the air-con and audio controls. Thank you, Toyota, for not burying these inside the central screen.

The front seats are comfortable, vision out is excellent and there’s decent storage with massive central cup holders, a decent central bin, a useful shelf above the glovebox and medium-sized door pockets. Quality is a mixed bag, though, and hard plastics do abound but they feel more hard-wearing than cheap and nasty, as though they’re ready to cop the use and abuse of families.

Slip inside the XSE and you can instantly understand why the RAV is so popular

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The back seat is primed for kiddie use thanks to rear air vents, 2 x USB ports and an ISOFIX anchor point on each of the outboard seats. Again there’s a strong sense of space. Three adults could easily sit shoulder-to-shoulder (the transmission tunnel isn’t intrusive) and there’s ample headroom, even for six-footers, thanks to a low-set seat base. The backrest angle is also adjustable but the downside of such a low-set seat is that kids may feel a little hemmed in.

Better news is you’ll have no trouble carting about prams, bikes or boards because the RAV4 has one of the largest boots of any mid-size SUV. Drop the two-stage boot floor into its lower position and you have 580 litres of volume to play with, as well as a parcel shelf, four tie-down points and a light. A space-saver spare sits under the floor.

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So it’s roomy, comfortable and rammed with useful equipment but there is one place where the RAV4 is starting to show its age: the infotainment system. Every RAV4 is equipped with an 8.0-inch central touchscreen and many competitors are now offering larger screens that are more intuitive to use and offer better graphics. Toyota’s system isn’t dreadful, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto allow you to sidestep the proprietary sat-nav, but it does feel a step behind rivals like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and new-gen Mitsubishi Outlander.

On the Road

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Here’s something I wasn't expecting to say about a family SUV: the steering of the RAV4 is a highlight. Drive most contenders in this segment and the steering is overly light and distant but in the XSE it’s immediate off centre, weights up progressively as you put more load into the car and it’s surprisingly accurate. It even gives you a decent idea of what the road surface is like and how grip is building, or disappearing, through corners. Nice.

The performance on offer is equally surprising. Toyota quotes 160kW/221Nm as the official outputs, but that torque figure doesn’t include the electric motor so the XSE feels punchier than its on-paper numbers suggest.

It is usefully immediate in low-speed situations too, with the electric motor reacting quicker than a conventional petrol or diesel unit. Step-off is quick and clean, although the handover from EV propulsion to the combustion engine can be a little clunky and the 2.5-litre ICE unit can also sound a touch gruff when it wakes up. It verges on downright noisy when you really ask a lot from it and the soundtrack is occasionally odd when the noise from the powertrain and CVT auto seem out of step with your throttle inputs and road speed.

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No complaints about the performance, though. Overtaking is a doddle and we haven’t even mentioned the efficiency benefits. Officially Toyota says the XSE drinks 4.7L/100km and we got close to that during our time with the car, averaging 5.5L/100km even with extended stints of spirited driving. That’s impressive for a family SUV and a clear RAV4 strength. It’s staggering that rivals like Mazda, Kia, Hyundai and Subaru don’t offer a proper hybrid option in this segment.

Also better than the class average is how the RAV4 behaves on a windy road. This is a family SUV so there is some body roll when you lean on the chassis but the damping is nicely judged and the ride strikes a sweet balance between comfort and control.

Better than the class average is how the RAV4 behaves on a windy road … the damping is nicely judged and the ride strikes a sweet balance between comfort and control

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The only real weaknesses worth mentioning are that the cabin can get a little rowdy on coarse chip roads due to noticeable road and tyre noise. And the front axle can also be easily overwhelmed in front-drive models. Gun it out of a junction with some lock on and the tyres squeal and you’ll get a tug of torque steer, which could sway some buyers towards the all-wheel-drive version.

Another reason to spend the extra $3000 on AWD is towing capacity, which jumps from 480kg braked in the front-drive model to 1500kg.

Ownership

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It’s a Toyota, so it should go forever, but just in case it doesn’t you have the security of a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty to rely on. There’s even an extra two years of coverage for the engine and driveline if you adhere to the recommended servicing schedule. Speaking of which, Toyota offers capped-price servicing for five years or 75,000km. Intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km and each service will cost you $230.

VERDICT

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So should you join the queue for a new RAV4? If you don’t need your new family transport immediately then we say yes. There’s lots to like here.

This new XSE variant is frugal, fun and surprisingly roomy and comfortable, plus it offers an impressive level of standard equipment and active safety gear. In fact, you could mount an argument that the XSE is the pick of the current range providing you can live without the panoramic roof and beefier stereo, which we could.

Happily, there are excellent rivals to consider if you aren’t prepared to wait 12 months and we’d steer you towards the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and updated CX-5. Anybody else feel a comparison test in is order?

2022 Toyota RAV4 XSE specifications