Getting our first drive in the 2016 Toyota RAV4 SE took us around the coastal inlets of Laguna Beach, California but also on the autocross course where we really had the chance to stretch its legs.
For 2016 Toyota’s hot selling compact crossover SUV received a substantial freshening of style inside and out, gained a few new features, and the new sporty looking SE trim grade you see here.
The styling updates Toyota says aim to raise the appearance of the RAV4, starting with a new headlight design which comes in both halogen and projector-beam versions like you see here. They thin out toward the center and flow into a new thin bar grille design.
The face continues its raised appearance with a new lower fascia which is pulled upward into the bumper with a skid plate styled lower panel below. On the SE, the lower grille gets a distinctive mesh pattern to set it apart.
At the rear, the RAV4 gets new tail lights and rear hatch center panel to change up the look. The backup lights were moved to the rear bumper which now will have a lower trim line across the model lineup. There will be reduced amounts of black plastic cladding for most models, and the new body color trim you see here, available on the SE.
That trim comes in silver and will be available on the SE only with Electric Storm Blue, Super White and Black Sand Pearl. It raises the upscale factor a lot I think and goes good with the unique blacked out 18-inch wheels found here on the SE.
On the inside, Toyota added some spice for the 2016 RAV4 with a lot of small detail changes in trims. Soft touch padding was added to upper doors in upper trim grades while the soft touch padding on the dash was thickened on all.
Detail changes for 2016 include new glossy pattern trims on the doors and console which are richer than before. The console has a new cup holder design as well, and a storage tray was added inside the storage area. In the rear cargo area, a new storage net has been made available too.
The instrument cluster is revised and now includes an improved display for all-wheel drive system activity which is kinda fun to watch. I also liked the bird’s eye view monitor which elegantly stitches 360 degrees of view together quite handsomely.
Our SE had a new and vivid black and cinnamon color scheme for its Softex seating and trims. This unique combination is available on both the SE and Limited models. It this is a bit much for you, also available is a more subdued all-black interior with orange accent stitching.
The SE interior also gets a blacked out headliner and window pillars along with its own unique shift lever. And all trim grades of the new RAV4 will be noticeably quieter inside as Toyota added increased sound deadening in the floor and firewall areas.
When it comes to performance, the 2016 RAV4 continues with its 2.5 liter engine with six-speed automatic transmission carried over from 2015. That brings with it 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. The RAV4 and the new SE model are available with front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
The suspension was given a makeover with revised spring rates front and rear, and new digressive dampers all around. While this doesn’t raise the bar substantially, Toyota tells us it makes the RAV4 more stable under pressure.
And pressure is exactly what it got on the cone course we were given to test it on. Pushed hard, the RAV4 performed here as you would expect a crossover SUV to do. It pushed and rolled, made the tires howl. But while it wasn’t a sports car here, it was stable and predictable in maneuvering which is the point.
Power from its 2.5 liter engine has always been mid-pack in the competitive field and continues to be so. The paddle shifters supplied on our SE weren’t much help to add to the sportiness as they didn’t prove responsive to most high-pace driving behaviors.
Fuel economy though is expected to be good here. It’s rated at 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined for the all-wheel drive model we tested here. And you add one extra mpg for the front-wheel drive model.
Overall, I think Toyota is on the right path by adding more upscale features and trim to the RAV4 as well as richening up the entire trim line with better looking interior and exterior style. New features are always good, and of course you can now add the Toyota Safety Sense package for 2016 which brings more peace of mind too.
