RAV4

About the RAV4

The RAV4 invented the compact crossover in 1994 and then spent three decades watching everyone else copy the homework. Toyota's Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive started as a small, genuinely fun-to-drive SUV with a 2.0L engine and optional manual transmission. The first generation weighed barely over a ton and handled like the Corolla it was based on. Enthusiasts who remember the original RAV4 remember a different kind of Toyota — light, willing, and actually enjoyable. Each successive generation grew larger, heavier, and more focused on comfort. By the fourth generation, the RAV4 had become what most compact SUVs are: a Camry with ground clearance. The fifth generation course-corrected with TRD Off-Road and Prime plug-in hybrid variants that gave the RAV4 identities beyond "the safe choice." The RAV4 Prime's 302 combined horsepower made it faster to 60 mph than a Supra — which Toyota probably didn't intend and definitely didn't advertise. On Revnut, the community ranks which RAV4 generation struck the best balance between fun and function.