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Motor 1
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The 2026 Toyota RAV4's Hybrid System Is Brilliant. Here's Why
Toyota's Hybrid System (THS) doesn't get enough credit. On the market for nearly two decades, THS is one of the most elegant pieces of engineering the car world has ever seen. But it's a system that isn't terribly well understood. Knowing how it works, at least vaguely, is key to fully appreciating THS, and appreciating the brilliance of Toyota making the hybrid system standard across the range of new RAV4s. Here's how it works: THS eschews a traditional transmission to get power to the wheels. Instead, it has two electric motor-generators meshed to a planetary gearset, which sits where a traditional transmission would normally go. As a quick refresher, a planetary gearset consists of a sun gear at the center, planet gears that 'orbit' the sun, and a ring gear around the planets. Some planetary gearsets, like Toyota's, use a separate planet carrier to connect all the planet gears. Photo by: Toyota Motor-Generator 1 (MG1) is the smaller of two, and it's connected directly to the engine and the sun gear of the planetary gearset. It works as a starter for the engine, and in tandem with the engine, as a generator to charge the battery. Motor-Generator 2 (MG2) is larger, and it's connected to the ring gear of the planetary gearset, which itself is connected to the differential. Most of the time, MG2 drives the wheels on its own, but since the engine/MG1 are connected to the same planetary gearset, it too can drive the wheels. So, the engine can operate in series or in parallel with MG2, which gives this system its 'series-parallel' classification. It's complicated, and it isn't. The operating principle is hard to understand—I myself had to do a lot of reading and video-watching before I understood it—but the hardware is very simple. An engine designed to run at efficient RPMs, some electric motors, and a couple of gears. That's it. A conventional automatic transmission might have four or five planetary gearsets on its own. And for all-wheel drive, Toyota just adds a small electric motor working on its own at the rear. This simplicity is a huge part of why THS cars have proven so reliable. Yes, it's Toyota, which takes reliability very seriously, but a relative lack of components means fewer things to break, too. The battery is simple, too. Traditionally, THS cars used old-school Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries, but now, Toyota's moved to more modern lithium-ion. These are much smaller batteries than you'd find in a plug-in hybrid or a full EV. Toyota hasn't told us the RAV4's battery size yet, but the new Camry uses a 1.0-kWh battery. Which is tiny, meaning less weight and fewer gnarly minerals used to make it. Photo by: Toyota Photo by: Toyota The upshot of all this is a system that's reliable, cheap, efficient, and clean. Toyota hasn't given us full specs for the 2026 RAV4 yet, but we can compare hybrid and gas-only 2025 RAV4s to see the upshot of the hybrid system. Going hybrid ups fuel economy from 29 to 39 MPG overall, and reduces C02 emissions from 320 to 224 grams per mile. Big gains. Now multiply that across the additional hundreds of thousands of hybrid RAV4s Toyota will sell annually and you start to get an idea of how big a deal this is. What I love as much as the clever engineering of THS is the fact that it asks nothing of the owner. You fill it up with gas like a regular car—just less often—and you drive it like it's a regular car. No need to change your driving style, or your lifestyle. It's worth noting that Toyota is not the only automaker to offer a hybrid system like this. Honda's two-motor hybrid system is similar and similarly effective, and Ford has also done Toyota-type hybrids for decades. But, Toyota was the pioneer, and it's bold enough to go hybrid-only for two of the most popular cars on the planet, the Camry, and now, the RAV4. An older version of the THS. Photo by: Toyota But in a way, it's not bold. This is an extremely effective and extremely well-proven system, and ultimately, it's a better product. If someone came to me debating a regular RAV4 vs a hybrid model, I'd say without hesitation to go hybrid. It's a no-brainer, and now, Toyota's made the choice for you. It's the right one. More on the RAV4 2026 Toyota RAV4 Debuts With Hybrid-Only Power and a New Sporty Trim The 2026 Toyota RAV4 GR sport Has Real Sports Car Cred Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Motor 1
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
2026 Toyota RAV4 Debuts With Hybrid-Only Power and a New Sporty Trim
The Toyota RAV4 is one of the brand's most successful vehicles. Last year alone, Toyota sold 475,193 units of the RAV4 in the US, third only to the Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F Series. But last year's RAV was already six years old and riding an outdated platform, so it was only a matter of time before we got a new one. And it's finally here. The 2026 Toyota RAV4 aims to keep the sales train rolling with major improvements in the design, technology, and powertrain departments. Most notably, Toyota ditches its pure-gas engine for a now-standard hybrid powertrain with an even more powerful, even more efficient plug-in-hybrid option that extends to more trims than ever before. All-Hybrid, All The Time Photo by: Toyota The standard naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine is dead; long live the 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid. The 2026 RAV4 packs a hybrid powertrain with Toyota's fifth-generation hybrid system equipped, which sees major improvements to the power control unit and battery for improved output and efficiency. The new RAV4 hybrid makes 226 horsepower when paired with standard front-wheel drive—the first for the model—or 236 horsepower with all-wheel drive. The FWD RAV has 23 more hp than the outgoing front-drive gas model, while the AWD version sees a 17-hp increase over the previous AWD hybrid. Toyota hasn't released fuel economy figures yet. The 2026 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid replaces the outgoing RAV4 Prime and adopts Toyota's sixth-generation plug-in-hybrid unit, which features two electric motors and a larger high-capacity traction battery with new silicon-carbide semiconductors to improve efficiency and power delivery. All told, the new RAV PHEV makes 320 hp and gets up to 50 miles of electric range on a single charge—up from 42 miles in the Prime. Photo by: Toyota Photo by: Toyota Model Output Drive Type EV Range RAV4 Hybrid 226 / 236 Horsepower FWD / AWD -- RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid 320 Horsepower AWD 50 Miles That bigger battery also means that the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid is DC fast-charging capable on certain trims, although the company has yet to disclose charging rates. The XSE and Woodland trims with a CCS charging port are capable of fast charging, but the SE and new GR Sport trims (more on this in a bit) use a non-fast-charging-capable J1772 port. An 11-kilowatt onboard charger is also available on all trims. Even with hybrid power, the RAV4 maintains its maximum 3,500-pound towing capacity with AWD models. Front-drive RAV4 models see their towing capacity improve from 1,500 pounds to 1,750 pounds. More To Choose From Photo by: Toyota Toyota breaks the 2026 RAV4 down into three different categories: Core Design, Rugged Design, and Sport Design. The Core Design category consists of the LE, XLE, and Limited trims, all with the standard hybrid powertrain. The LE and XLE offer either FWD or AWD, while the Limited gets AWD exclusively. Move up to the Rugged Design category, and Toyota offers just one trim (for now): The Woodland. The RAV4 Woodland has off-road-focused cues like all-terrain tires, additional LED lights in the front bumper, and a standard roof rack. Buyers can choose from the hybrid or plug-in-hybrid powertrain here, with AWD only on either powertrain. At the top of the lineup are the Sport Design models, which consist of the SE, XSE, and the new GR Sport. The SE comes with your choice of the hybrid or plug-in powertrain with either FWD or AWD, while the XSE has the choice of both powertrains but AWD exclusively. Trims Powertrain Drive Type Core Design LE / XLE / Limited Hybrid FWD / AWD Rugged Design Woodland Hybrid / Plug-In Hybrid AWD Sport Design SE / XSE / GR Sport Hybrid (SE, XSE) / Plug-In Hybrid (GR Sport) FWD (SE) / AWD (SE, XSE, GR Sport) Toyota RAV4 Woodland Photo by: Toyota 2026 Toyota RAV4 Limited Photo by: Toyota The GR Sport is Toyota's first true performance-oriented RAV—although, it's still not a full GR model. It's powered by the PHEV powertrain and with AWD, making a properly powerful 320 horsepower, which means it should be even quicker to 60 miles per hour than the outgoing RAV4 Prime, which got there in 5.5 seconds. Visual cues like the larger front grille with the GR badge set the RAV4 GR Sport apart from the rest of the lineup (and it looks suspiciously similar to the GR Corolla's updated grille), as do the special 20-inch wheels, rear roof spoiler, and interior, which is lined with suede and faux leather accents. Big On Tech, Big On Safety Photo by: Toyota The 2026 RAV4 goes heavy on screens with a standard 10.5-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Buyers can opt for a larger 12.9-inch touchscreen on certain models. Every version of the RAV runs a new generation of Toyota's Audio Multimedia system that promises to be quicker and even more responsive, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual Bluetooth compatibility, and for the first time, a static home button. The 2026 RAV is also the first Toyota with the brand's Safety Sense 4.0 safety suite, which has all the same technology as the previous system—adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, etc—but with enhanced hardware and detection capabilities. 27 Source: Toyota RAV4 Pricing One thing we still don't know is what Toyota will ask for the latest RAV4. The 2025 model costs just under $30,000, but we don't expect this new version to be that much pricier. More on the Toyota RAV4 The 2026 Toyota RAV4's Hybrid System Is Brilliant. Here's Why The 2026 Toyota RAV4 GR sport Has Real Sports Car Cred Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Gallery: 2026 Toyota RAV4 27 Source: Toyota Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
