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No belts on

During the press briefing, we’re not sure we understood correctly. In the press room of the hotel in Luleå, northern Sweden (you say Lu-lee-joo), a Toyota employee advises us to drive without a seat belt. But only when taking the RAV4 GR Sport out to sea. “Just pass the seat belt behind your back, and the system won’t beep.” Excuse me, out to sea? Without a seat belt? A striking piece of advice, but it soon becomes clear why.

Ice Sea

It gets so cold in winter in Swedish Lapland that the sea freezes between the islets off the coast. And on the frozen sea, you can ride. But should you go through the ice, you don’t have to unbuckle your belts first. Sweat breaks out on us, but that is because of the double layer of themo underwear we are wearing. Quickly out of the press room and toward the car.

GR Sports

For our adventure at sea, we use the top sporty version in the lineup of the popular RAV4: the Toyota RAV4 GR Sport. It is the latest creation of Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s performance division. This department is responsible for a number of delicious tearjerkers, such as the GR Yaris, GR86, GR Corolla and the GR Supra. Under the GR Sport label, Toyota markets less exuberant but sporty looking and handling models, such as the GR Sport versions of the Yaris, Yaris Cross, Corolla, C-HR and Hilux. The Toyota RAV4 GR Sport is the sixth GR Sport model variant to enter the market.

Tough face

Compared to a regular RAV4, the RAV4 GR Sport has a modified appearance and revised suspension. On the outside, you will recognize it by its distinctive black grille and fog lamp housing with honeycomb pattern. Of course, a GR logo flaunts on the grille. Quite a few design elements have a high-gloss black finish, but that is not unique to the GR Sport. The black wheel arches, window moldings and trim under the rear window will soon be seen on other new RAV4 models as well.

Differ

The RAV4 GR Sport comes in two flavors: Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. From the front and rear bumper you can tell which powertrain it is: the Hybrid has a dark silver strip on the front and rear bumper, on the Plug-in Hybrid these accents are painted in “gunmetal gray. Of course, you can also tell by a Hybrid or PHEV logo on the tailgate.

Wheels

Toyota equips the RAV4 GR Sport with alloy, high-gloss black 19-inch wheels as standard. The striking wheels are finished with ultra-precise line cutting technology, according to the Japanese. This makes it look like there is some kind of white striping running around the five spokes.

Black

You buy a RAV4 GR Sport because you love driving. At least, that’s what Toyota is assuming. So they gave the entire dashboard a lick of black paint. Even the smallest details – such as a trim strip here and there – are dark black. That way you can better focus on the road, the Japanese say. If you look closely, you can see that stitching on the dashboard and accents in the doors and steering wheel do have a different color – silver. The interior looks sleek and businesslike, and the materials used and the workmanship are of a high standard. It is the top execution for a reason.

Suede

Of course, you also come across a lot of GR logos on the inside, such as on the headrests and on the steering wheel. Electrically adjustable sport seats, finished partly with synthetic leather and partly with a suede-like material, keep you firmly in place. Also nice: suede does not get cold in winter (or hot in summer). Believe us, that is very pleasant when it is -15 degrees outside.

Large screen

For the new model year, Toyota is introducing two new screens in the RAV4, which we already know from the refreshed Corolla and the Toyota Corolla Cross. The GR Sport is the first RAV4 trim to benefit from this. These include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 10.5-inch infotainment screen. The new infotainment screen runs new software, which responds at lightning speed. The large amount of processing power combined with the hefty size of the screen, make for a pleasant user experience.

Hybrid or plug-in hybrid?

Toyota is not modifying the powertrains for the GR Sport version. You can choose a Hybrid or Plug-in Hybrid, just like a regular RAV4. The PHEV features three engines:

• 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with 185 hp
• Front-mounted electric motor with 182 hp
• Electric motor on the rear axle with 54 hp

Together, the engines are good for a solid 306 horsepower. Consequently, the all-wheel-drive PHEV shoots from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6 seconds. Not a slow guy, then. Moreover, it is quite durable, thanks to the 18 kWh battery pack present. This will allow the SUV to travel up to 80 kilometers fully electric. In practice it will be a little less, but for most Dutch people it is enough to drive electric to and from work every day.

RAV4 Hybrid

The Hybrid features two engines. Again, it involves the 2.5-liter four-pitre engine and an electric motor on the rear axle. So even with the Hybrid, power goes to all four wheels. It does involve less power than the PHEV, but thanks to 222 hp, the Hybrid still gets off the road smoothly. The 0-100 sprint takes 8.7 seconds. Nothing to be ashamed of. The Hybrid is also allowed to tow more than the PHEV: 1,650 kilograms versus 1,500 kilograms (PHEV).

Dynamic

The GR Sport department has developed new springs especially for the RAV4 GR Sport, which are about 10 percent stiffer than normal. They also tweaked the shock absorber settings, which, on paper, makes the RAV4 a little tighter around a corner. We had trouble testing that on the icy roads of Sweden, but we did notice that the firmer suspension does not make for less comfort. The springs and dampers may limit the body’s rolling tendencies a bit more, but they don’t transform the RAV4 into a true racer. And let’s face it: no one is waiting for that either. 

Stable

On the Swedish ice, we especially notice how stable the RAV4 is. No matter what we try, the car stays on course. And that will be more important to many customers than being able to cross a traffic circle with a family SUV. For that kind of spiel, you can get plenty of other GR models at Toyota. The RAV4 GR Sport will come to the Netherlands in mid-2023. Toyota will announce prices later.