► Hybrid RAV4 at New York
► First RAV4 to go part-electric
► Launches in UK early in 2016
After teasing the car last week, Toyota has shown off its new RAV 4 with hybrid technology in full at the 2015 New York auto show, giving our first look at the petrol-electric crossover coming to Europe.
The part-electrified version of the crossover arrives 20 years after the launch of the first generation and borrows more than a little powertrain engineering know-how from Toyota’s sister company Lexus.
The introduction of the hybrid model coincides with a light facelift for the RAV4 range as a whole, with light interior and exterior retouches (including full LED headlights), and upgraded equipment, including adaptive cruise control and enhancements to the pre-collision braking system, which now includes a pedestrian recognition function and operates within a greater range of speeds.
Click here for our latest review of the current RAV4.
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: coming to the UK
The electrified soft-roader has plenty in common with the running gear of sister brand Lexus’s NX300h.
That means a 2492cc 16-valve four-cylinder engine and electric motor, producing a combined total of 195bhp. In the Lexus NX, that’s enough for 0-62mph in 9.2sec and around 55mpg combined.
The hybrid RAV4 is front-wheel-drive most of the time, with the rear wheels electrically driven in extremis. Another electric motor located in the rear axle activates the awd system, when needed.
When can I buy one?
The hybridised RAV4 will be unveiled on 2 April in New York; we hear it’ll make its way across the Atlantic into UK showrooms by early 2016.