A 2.4-litre turbocharged engine fits under the bonnet of the new Toyota RAV4, an engineer has revealed, so if customers want it, a GR RAV4 could come to fruition.
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A turbocharged, high-performance GR version of the 2026 Toyota RAV4 could become a reality, if potential customers shout loud enough.
Chief engineer Yoshinori Futonagane told Drive that the new 227kW RAV4 GR Sport, the most powerful iteration in the nameplate’s history, is already "powerful enough" and "very fast".
However, he said the barriers standing in the way of a full-blooded GR RAV4 are linked to Toyota management’s awareness of customer demand for a Volkswagen Tiguan R competitor, rather than a technical limitation.
"We could actually fit a 2.4-litre turbo in that engine compartment," Futonagane-san revealed via an interpreter.
"There are no official plans at the moment, but you know, the only bits that are missing is a corporate appreciation of the market demand and the potential wow factor.
"If people started making a noise and saying, 'Yeah, we want a 2.4-litre turbo', it might end up on the agenda."
The 2.4-litre turbocharged engine is used in a range of models as diverse as the Lexus NX, the outgoing RAV4’s luxury twin, to a hybrid version of the latest Toyota Prado in the US.
In the Lexus NX350 and RX350, it produces 205kW/430Nm, while the RX500h F Sport Performance adds hybrid technology and a revised ‘Direct4’ all-wheel-drive system for a system output of 273kW.
It beats the 227kW quoted by the all-wheel-drive RAV4 GR Sport plug-in hybrid, already the most powerful RAV4 ever built, ahead of mid-2000s examples with a 200kW V6.
Given the RX500h F Sport Performance is a regular hybrid, not a plug-in, it uses a much lighter battery, so it could help trim the GR Sport’s 5.8-second 0-100km/h time further.
"Controlling the power of a 2.5-litre plug-in... We already think it [the GR Sport] is powerful enough. It's very fast," Futonagane-san said through an interpreter.
The GR RAV4 remains little more than an idea – and, even if Toyota sees a market for an even faster RAV4, it’s not quite as easy as it seems.
The 2.4-litre turbo engine is nearing the end of its shelf life, as models from the next-generation Corolla – due late 2026 or sometime in 2027 – will focus on a new range of 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines, with or without turbocharging.
These ‘modular’ engines are designed to replace all of Toyota’s four and six-cylinder engines, plus the turbo three-cylinder in the GR Corolla, by applying varying levels of hybridisation and turbocharger boost depending on the car the engine is in.
Engine aside, the RAV4 GR Sport’s chassis upgrades are comprehensive enough as to require any future GR RAV4 to raise the bar even further.
GR Sport versions add lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels, retuned suspension and electric power steering, a 20mm-wider wheel track, stiffened rear suspension brace, and new "high-performance" chassis dampers to further increase body rigidity.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
