2026 Toyota RAV4 Woodland Plug-In Hybrid AWD – Review by David Colman +VIDEO

Breaking the rules.

David Colman

Story and Photos by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

If you're in the market for an SUV, you're probably not in the market for a high-performance vehicle. That concession to practicality is fine for most potential "Utility Vehicle" buyers who aren't looking for their family hauler to perform like a Formula One car. But you can now chalk up a significant - and affordable - exception to that rule. Sporting consumers who buy the completely revamped $48,050 2026 RAV4 plug-in hybrid will be astounded by its straight-line performance. Not long ago, a vehicle capable of posting a 5.2-second zero-to-sixty mph run would have qualified for a start line slot at the NHRA Winternationals. Sprint this Toyota through the traps at the end of the standing-start quarter mile and you'll carry home a time slip reading 13.5 seconds at 105mph. This RAV4 is one memorable 5-passenger transport. It reinserts the word "Sport" into SUV.

Our test rig was finished in a rather insipid shade of gray called "Urban Rock," with an equally austere interior treatment labeled "Mineral." The gray-on- charcoal Soft Tex trimmed seats were visually liberated by orange pinstripes which matched similar flourishes on the steering wheel and center console. While the subdued exterior/interior color combo made the RAV4 look as conservative as Clark Kent's business suit, this Toyota's performance potential is not something you'll want to advertise with Look At Me graphics. The Woodland's outback orientation includes a model-unique set of "Woodland All-Weather Floor/Cargo Liners" as well as a massive roof rack identified with this model's twin peak logo. The trunk area mat in particular sparkled with its 3-dimensional rubberized rock formations surrounding a bas-relief lettering of "Woodland."

The driver's side seat provides 8-way power controls for positioning. Power adjustable lumbar made my day after a long stretch of heavy package lifting. Unfortunately, the front passenger seat lacks both power adjustability as well as any lumbar control. Interior storage space is both abundant and thoughtfully situated. With the rear seatbacks collapsed, interior volume is generous, at 64 cubic feet. The center console receptacle is surprisingly deep, as is the hidden pocket that fronts the phone recharging pad. In fact, I almost forgot my phone after it slid out of sight. We also commend the dashboard engineers at Toyota for supplying a surfeit of easily accessible physical buttons for controlling important operations like Drive Mode selection. For those who plan on making limited range EV-only trips, Toyota provides a CCS1 Charge Port along the left front fender that is fast-charger capable, as well as an 11kW DC Fast Charger. Toyota claims EV-only range is limited to a respectable 52 miles.

When this RAV4 arrived in my driveway, its driving range indicator read 515 miles to empty. In combined city/highway operation, this RAV4 returns 37MPG, a number the EPA suggests will save you $3,500 over 5 years of operation compared to the average new vehicle. If our brief stay behind the wheel of the hybrid was any indication, most of those miles should prove quite enjoyable, because this intelligently engineered package is an unexpected blast to drive. In addition to the comforting fact that you will never find yourself short of horsepower, this rig, even decked out for trail work with extra underbody clearance, acquits itself with surprising aplomb on paved roads as well. Toyota fits satin black 18-inch alloy rims with 235/65R18 Dunlop Grandtrek A/T radials (TW 360) that surprisingly get a better grip on pavement than they do on mown hay. I had no trouble clipping apexes with precision on my usual 95 turn two-lane tussle, but when it came to getting a purchase on loose hay for the outback photos, the Woodland repeatedly slipped its wheels and failed to budge - despite selecting alternate drive modes. If you plan on pounding the outback, look for a more radical tread pattern than these Dunlops offer. If you're mainly interested in street work, the Dunlops will be fine.

The latest RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid from Toyota is the best one yet. It's impressively quick on the street, with handling chops to match its straight-line speed. While I would have chosen a rather more eye popping paint job for this good looking new body shell, I can't fault the long term benefits of letting this quickest SUV blend into the woodwork when you're intent on making time.

2026 TOYOTA RAV4 WOODLAND PLUG-IN HYBRID

• ENGINE/MOTOR: 2.5 liter inline-4,DOHC 16-valve + 3 AC Motors and 23kWh lithium-ion battery pack • HORSEPOWER: 324hp (Combined)
• FUEL ECONOMY: 94MPGe/37MPG Combined City/Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $48,050

HYPES: Drag Strip Ripper

GRIPES: Could Not De-Activate Annoying Toyota Safety Sense Lane Departure Control

STAR RATING: 9 Stars out of 10

©2026 David E Colman