A history of the game-changing Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 is as well known and ubiquitous as models like the Camry and Corolla, but its history is quite a bit shorter than those models.

Making its global debut in 1994, the Toyota RAV4 aimed to be easy to park in busy city streets, while also offering uncompromising all-terrain ability for sporty owners with outdoor pursuits like hiking, camping, and kayaking.

The RAV4 is often credited with being responsible for a wave of small and medium crossover SUVs that followed, and while it's true the rest of the 1990s saw a rush of new lifestyle vehicles, the RAV4 was built on a formula established by vehicles like the Lada Niva and Suzuki Vitara before it.

To see how far the just-announced 2026 RAV4 has come, we take a look back at the five-generation history of Toyota’s pioneering ‘compact’ SUV.

While the RAV4 eventually made its production debut with a capable all-wheel drive system and raised ride height to allow it greater access to off-road areas, it wasn’t the first Toyota to do so.

Toyota Tercel was the forerunner to the RAV4

The second-generation Toyota Tercel, a sub-Corolla-sized model, offered an extra low first gear to assist in off-road driving, and an all-wheel drive system that could be switched from front- to all-wheel drive without needing to come to a stop.

From there, the Tercel jumped back to being FWD only, but Toyota passed the go-anywhere crown onto the Corolla wagon of the late 1980s. The AE95 Corolla 4WD featured a locking centre differential with a manual transmission, or a hydraulic limited-slip centre diff for automatics.

Toyota first showed its intentions for the RAV4 in 1989 with the RAV-FOUR concept, a two-door SUV that took many of its styling cues from more rugged off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler.

Most of the RAV-FOUR concept’s design details, like an asymmetrical front grille, high-clearance wheel arches, and an almost entirely plastic-clad body didn't see the light of day, but plenty of elements made their way to the first production RAV4.

A three-door body prevailed of the concept, but the availability of a convertible body, preeminent straked side cladding, and ride height that looks like a ’proper’ 4x4 all made their way through to the first generation RAV4

Toyota made the production RAV4 a modular vehicle with a platform that shared elements with the Corolla and Japanese market Carina. A 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from the Camry, and an all-wheel drive system as used under a range of compact Japanese domestic market models helped mitigate development costs.

Unlike Toyota’s larger 4x4s like the LandCruiser and 4Runner, the RAV4 used monocoque construction and featured four-wheel independent suspension, rather than a ladder front and independent front (4Runner) or rigid front (LandCruiser) suspension.

This made for a much more car-like experience on sealed surfaces, wth the RAV4’s standard all-wheel drive and locking or limited-slip centre differential allowing even traction from front to rear on low-grip surfaces. Ground clearance was claimed at a towering 205mm.

Arriving first as a three-door model, with either a hard top, or convertible roof, and later a five-door version, the first generation RAV4 was also spun into a limited production electric vehicle.

Although not sold in Australia, around 1900 RAV4s were built as EVs and offered to fleet users in California and Japan. A 50kW motor and claimed driving range of just over 150km are a far cry from modern electric vehicles, as was the 27.4kWh nickel-metal hybride battery.

Acceleration for the RAV4 EV was tested  a leisurely 18 seconds from 0-97km/h (60 miles per hour).

The success of the first-generation RAV4 prompted a second-generation model, this time with a wider range of powertrain options, and a more mature styling direction.

Designed at Toyota’s Calty studios in California, the second-generation RAV4 paid close attention to the needs of American buys, who had shown a massive appetite for the vehicle.

The new car grew almost 7cm in length in five-door form, and gained a range of 1.8, 2.0, and 2.4-litre engines, plus a 2.0-litre turbo diesel, in various markets.

Underpinning that car was Toyota’s then-new MC platform, shared with cars like the Prius, Corolla, and Celica, along with engines that could be found under the bonnet of Corollas and Camrys.

The new RAV4 retained a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, and all models came standard with all-wheel drive in Australia.

The RAV4 convertible was dropped, but three- and five-door versions remained, alongside distinctive styling touches like a rear-mounted spare wheel and side-hinged tailgate.

Body cladding had been drastically reduced. Some models featured contrasting bumpers, but upmarket RAV4 models came with painted wheel arch flares, side mounding, and bumpers, drastically altering the visual impact of the first-generation model. 

Toyota took a big step away from the RAV4’s quirky origins and moved its pioneering crossover to a more mainstream position with the third-generation model.

Instead of a three-door version, Toyota concentrated on two five-door models in short- and long-wheelbase guise. This opened up the availability of a seven-seat version in some markets.

Australia got something of a mix, with the longer body of seven-seat models, but with only five seats. Again, the RAV4 grew in size, gaining 370mm in overall length (including the rear-mounted spare wheel) with a wheelbase some 170mm longer than the previous model.

Power came from either a 2.4-litre four-cylinder or, for the first time, a 3.5-litre V6. Australian-delivered four-cylinder models were available for the first time with front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive remained available, and was standard on the V6.

That V6 engine also helped Toyota enter the Australian lexicon with its “200 killer wasps” TV commercial. Based on a misunderstanding of the V6 RAV4’s 201kW power output, a sizeable step up over the 125kW four.

Although the turbo-diesel engines offered in overseas markets weren’t available in Australia, New Zealand buyers could get their hands on them in the short-wheelbase RAV4, sold alongside the long-wheelbase petrol models.

Toyota continued to fettle the RAV4 formula for the fourth-generation car.

The external spare wheel carrier was deleted, the styling was given a much more angular look, and the high-performance V6 was abandoned in favour of a turbo-diesel four-cylinder in Australia.

The fourth-gen RAV4 used the New MC platform from the third-gen model, with a choice of 2.0-litre, or 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines or a 2.2-litre turbo diesel in Australia.

A hybrid RAV4 was offered for the first time overseas, with a 2.5-litre engine and either front- or all-wheel drive, with the latter using a completely electric rear axle, with no propeller shaft running down the vehicle.

Toyota actually shrunk the RAV4 slightly compared to its predecessor with a shorter overall length (55mm), narrower body (10mm), and lower height (15mm), but more interior space.

Despite being the torque leader, in Australia, Toyota hobbled the diesel RAV4 with a 500kg towing capacity at launch, when paired with the six-speed automatic, meaning a Yaris could technically tow more.

The 2.5-litre petrol, meanwhile, could tow up to 1500kg, while in Japan the RAV4 diesel could tackle up to 2000kg. Later diesel models addressed this issue with a 1200kg rating, still low given diesel’s suitability for heavy-duty applications like towing.

By now, the RAV4 had become a replacement for vehicles like the Camry wagon (not offered since 2002), and compared to the 205mm ground clearance of the first generation, this generation had dropped to as low as 176mm in AWD versions. 

The current generation RAV4 switched to a new platform, this time the GA-K chassis from the brand’s modular TNGA group of architectures.

Styling again switched lanes, and owed little to its angular predecessor, with a more rugged and upright look, and chunkier details for the grille and wheel arches.

Diesel was shown the door, and petrol and hybrid engines ushered in the new generation. Toyota added a plug-in hybrid to the range for the first time overseas, but again, this was off-limits for Australia.

The switch to a newer TNGA platform allowed for a much quieter, more refined, and more dynamic RAV4 with sharper steering and less body flex in rough-road conditions.

The new generation didn’t represent entirely smooth sailing for Toyota however, with wait times for deliveries stretching out to two years in some cases. The effects of Covid-related component shortages stretching out as late as 2023, and pent-up demand resulting in waiting lists even into the start of this year.

In July 2024 the RAV4 hit 500,000 sales in Australia, coming as the brand switched the range to an all-hybrid line-up in Australia, in line with a similar move for other Toyota passenger models.

With the just-announced six-generation RAV4, Toyota has revised the GA-K platform, and announced that Australia will receive a number of market-firsts, including he first plug-in hybrid model and first GR Sport-branded model.

The new RAV4 is expected to arrive in Australia in the first half of 2026 with full details to be confirmed closer to launch. In the meantime, you can read all about the 2026 Toyota RAV4 here.

Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.

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