Find a RAV4 TRD Off-Road Fair Purchase Price here: www.kbb.com/car-values/
The RAV4 is one of Toyota’s best-selling products. The TRD off-road trim makes the Tacoma and Tundra some of the most capable trucks on dirt. See where this is going? The RAV 4 TRD Off Road. It will definitely get your groceries but what if lunch was at a camping spot on the top of a mountain? Would it make it there?
The engine under the hood is the same 2.5-liter inline four (203 hp/184 lb-ft torque) that powers the other ICE models. Nothing new for the TRD Off Road there. It’s mated to Toyotas eight speed automatic transmission that we’ve all come to know as reliable and taking its shifting duties seriously. No, this crossover isn’t winning any drag races. Truth be told the powertrain feels a bit stodgy these days with all the great hybrid tech out there. And if you really put your foot in it, this engine doesn’t sound great.
Where it starts to veer off the beaten path is with its off-road mechanicals. It gets a dynamic torque vectoring AWD system that comes with multi-terrain select modes and a TRD tuned suspension. You can definitely tell this is an off-road version thanks to the Falken Wildpeak A/T tires and off-road looking 18-inch wheels.
This body cladding, same as on the Adventure trim, will help you not destroy your paint or give you dents if rocks skip up off the road.
Overall, I like the way it looks, a little more aggressive and burly. But it’s subtle. But can it actually do anything on dirt? You are not going to tackle Poison Spider Trail in this, but if you’re looking to handle some dirt roads that get muddy or are rutted out then you’re going to be in great shape. You get good traction with that torque vectoring system and the off-road coil springs smooth things out when they get super bumpy over potholes or on wash boarded roads.
When you get it on road you do feel those shocks working and turns aren’t as crisp as with the regular suspension of the RAV4, but you can’t have all things all the time so some concessions feel acceptable.
On the interior you get a lot of TRD Pro badging to remind you of your rugged vehicle with red logos on the headrests and red accents around the cupholders and even the wireless phone charger is TRD Pro ready. The floor mats get the treatment, too. And those are great for cleaning up a dirty mess.
This RAV4 TRD Off road gets the Off-Road Weather package (graphic: $1,015). I’m not sure why it’s called that since all weather happens on road too, but you do get some great options with it. Those include rain-sensing wipers with a de-icing function, heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, yeah, that comes in super handy if you’re camping somewhere cold, I will say. I definitely see the value in purchasing that.
The RAV4 TRD Off road comes standard with all of Toyota’s safety equipment they pile into Safety Sense 2.0 including pre-collision warnings with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alerts and lane keeping assist. One thing I’ve noticed in here the digital rear view mirror camera is crisp but I wear contact lenses and this one feels much closer than others I’ve used so it’s actually not possible because of my eyeballs. So before you invest make sure those distances work for your vision.
The base on the RAV4 TRD Pro without the Weather Package, the off-road Tech Package that includes rear and front parking assist plus a digital rearview mirror and the flashy two-toned exterior treatment we got starts at $36,465. With all those extras you’re looking at $40,460.
Cross shopping this sucker is easy these days as there are so many off-road worthy CUVs including the Ford Bronco Sport, Subaru Outback Wilderness, Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, and Kia Sportage Pro-X Prestige. All of these vehicles can get it done in dirt to a certain extent. Some are better than others, so do your research depending on your lifestyle.
We’ve got a lot of videos on KBB’s YouTube channel that will help you make the decision if you’re not able to take them all out on dirt to test drive. That’s actually a great idea, car dealers, start setting up off-road courses on your lots! We don’t see the off-road, overlanding moment ending anytime soon, so we’re happy to see more mainstream brands embrace it. With Toyota’s bonafide off-road credentials, some solid suspension parts, extra protection underneath in case of whoopsies, the Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road does a nice job in the multi-function department. However, you’ve got lots to choose from these days, so have fun test driving!
00:00 2022 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road
0:36 Engine
1:40 Exterior
2:07 Driving Impressions
2:46 Interior
4:56 Competitors
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