Introduction: A Different Kind of Review
You’re going to hate it. The allne 2026 Toyota Rav 4 6th gen. This is going to be a different kind of video because we’re going to talk about all the things that people might love about the new Rav 4, but we’re going to focus in on the things that people will not like about this and they may just hate about the nextG RAV 4. Today I brought one of my friends along with me. This is the 2025 Rav 4. Take a look at the grill, the headlights, specifically the front end. We’re going to go over people’s comments based on reacting to the 2026 Rav 4 release, which I was at in Texas. It’s pretty incredible. So many things to like about it. We’ll just use this as a springboard to kind of bounce around and talk about everything Rav 4.
The Bold and Versatile Design
With the Rav 4, you’re looking at a body style that is bold. It can be rugged. It can be sporty. It could be three different design styles. All in all, it looks fantastic on the inside, on the outside. you’re just going to love it.
Reason 1: No Gasoline-Only Version
The first reason why you won’t like the RAV 4, no gasoline only version. Now, keep in mind that the 2025 has the gasoline only version, 203 horsepower. It’s got the hybrid version, that’s 219 horsepower, and it’s got the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, PHEV, formerly called Rav 4 Prime, that got 302 horsepower. Also keep in mind that RAV 4 hybrid sales, that was a humongous chunk of all RAV 4 sales and RAV 4 was the bestselling small SUV, SUV, bestselling vehicle out of any cars, trucks, or SUVs, any brand in the entire country last year.
The new RAV 4 has two different options. You could do hybrid electric vehicle, so a hybrid. You can also do plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Look for 2.5 L 4 cylinder engine with electric motor power. It’s going to give you 236 horsepower. If you get a front-wheel drive hybrid, it’s going to be 226 horsepower. And remember, last time with the hybrid, that was 219 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid, it’s going to be 320 horsepower. Last time with the Rav 4 plug-in hybrid only, that was 302. So, it’s gone up in both regards. But, a lot of people are going to say, “Too much maintenance. Uh, you got to replace stuff. Uh, I don’t want to have to plug it in.” All that. I’ve seen in the comment section. And I’ve seen all those comments and a lot of people say, “Well, I just want the gasoline version.” So, for those people, you might hate the new Rav 4.
Reason 2: The Toggle Shifter
Reason number two, we’re going to switch between big reasons why you won’t like it and little reasons. This is a little reason, but I’ve seen it in the comment section. That little toggle switch that’s on some of the trim levels. You saw it on the Limited. Just like a little tink dink. So, it doesn’t have the traditional clunk clunk clunk big shifter that most people know as conventional. That’s Toyota’s shift by wire system. It looks high-tech. It looks futuristic. It’s a minimalistic approach to shifting, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space. But for some reason, people in the comment section did not like that little toggle shifter. So, let me know what you guys think. But that’s reason number two.
Reason 3: Too Many Choices and Configurations
Reason number three. Reason three. Ah, that you won’t like the RAV 4. Too many choices, too many trim level options, too many configurations. It’s hard to figure out. Let me try to break that down for you. I get what you’re saying. And somebody didn’t like that we got rid of the Rav 4 XLE Premium. Well, there are so many choices here. And Toyota looks at that as a positive because in the press release even they said, “We know customers want options. We want choices.”
So, think about it this way. We’ve got three different design choices or styles. Think of it as Rembrandt, Monae, whoever you want. Da Vinci. So, in the core, you’ve got core, rugged, and sport. I’ll break it down real easy. 313. In the core design, it’s just a design choice. Rembrandt wanted something more traditional, still bold, still modern. Ellie, XLE, and Limited. That’s real easy cuz those are ones that we knew before. Then you’ve got rugged. There’s only one of them. That’s the Rav 4 Woodland. More capabilities, really cool styling, but it looks very outdoorsy. So, that’s the rugged.
Now, the sporty one. We’re familiar with two of those. SE XSE and the GR Sport. GR Sport is new. That’s the hot, flashy, sexy one. It’s sexy and it knows it. Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle. So that’s real easy. Ellie, XLE limited. Woodland is the rugged and then SE and S XSSE along with the GR Sport. So that makes it kind of easy. Now you can get more choices, a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. Some of those are available on both. So you kind of have to look around and say, “What do I want?” But you do have to do that. And then you get more options because some are frontwheel drive, some are all-wheel drive. If you get the plug-in hybrid, that’s all all-wheel drive. So, that makes it nice and easy. But just kind of break it down that way. Just simplify things and I think it’ll make a lot of sense.
Reason 4: The Exterior Styling and the Big Grill
Reason number four has to do with exterior styling, specifically this front grill. This is what it was in 2025. It’s a small trapezoidal front grill. This one for 2026 is a lot larger. And we did get comments about the grill. I will tell you that yes, it looks bold and it will take some getting used to. My feeling on that is that I’ve seen it for a lot of years now. Whenever something new comes out, a lot of people will reject it right away because it’s new. It’s not what you’re used to. And I totally get that.
People did it about the 4ERunner, uh, new design, even though for over 10 years they wanted a new body style. Same thing with Tundra. Um, same thing with Camry, that kind of stuff. So, you’ll have to be the best judge of whether you like it or not. I think it’s fantastic. Honestly, I do like the different styling choices and I like that Toyota gave us when we did the premiere, the Limited, which is in the Core, the Woodland, which is in the rugged, and the GR Sport, which is in the Sport. So, you could see the different design choices and philosophies and vibes.
Reason 5: The New Interior Design
The fifth reason you might not like it, the interior is new. Let’s get a look at the 2025. So, this is the current generation. We’re not talking about the sixth gen, the new one. It’s very minimalist. In other words, there aren’t a lot of buttons, controls, dials. You can have smaller information display. It could go up to bigger size. This one, I believe, goes up to 10.25 in on the previous one or this one. this current one.
The new RAV 4 interior is very different. It still maintains the integrity of what a RAV 4 is, but we’ve got larger screens. They can either be 10.5 in touchscreen all the way up to 12.9 in touchscreen. There’s a new software system that is going in with the new Toyota audio multimedia. So, you’ll get faster response times, more intuitive, more conversational uh information. You can pair two phones at the same time. Lots of stuff going on.
Reason 6: Pricing Concerns
The next one, reason number six, pricing. Of course, that was going to come up because people are going to be concerned. If you like it, but you can’t afford it and it doesn’t fit your family’s budget, how are you going to buy it? So, that could be a concern. It’s a next generation, which usually means the pricing is either going to be the same, a little bit more, or a lot more on some trims.
Reason 7: The Nissan Rogue Comparison
Reason number seven, you would not believe how many comments I got about this and its similarity to Nissan Rogue. So, what I’m going to do is I’m going to walk around a Nissan Rogue so that you can get a feel for what that one looks like on the outside and tell me, do you see similarities or were you just thinking you saw it?
Conclusion: The Mixed Reactions and Final Thoughts
So, that’s our RAV 4 presentation today. Are you excited about the RAV 4 coming out? Wow, I just love the new styling, all the new options. Remember, it has Toyota Safety Sense 4.0, so there’ll be more detection abilities and capabilities, which is going to give you more peace of mind for you and your family while you’re on the road. And I just love the new technology. I’m a big fan of multimedia buttons, gadgets, dials, features, gadgets, gizmos, whatnotss, and things like that. So, I’m really excited about it. Plus, I think it looks super cool. It’s uber cool.
I just don’t know what you guys think about it. I’ve seen I would say 90% of the comments, and I got thousands of comments since it came out. I was fishing through them. 90% of them are really, really positive, but 10% have concerns. So, let me know which camp are you in. And I’m glad you’re here. I’m at Toyota Jeffrey Reviews Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, Facebook, and threads. And my second channel that looks at all brands, all manufacturers, including Toyota and Lexus. I’ve got over 100 videos just on Lexus reviews. So, if you like the Lexus brand, then check out AutoJ Reviews. That’s also at Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, Facebook, and threads. Peace out.
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