Have you seen the latest body kit design by Albermo? You know, the one that turns the edgy new 2020 RAV4 into an aggressive imitation of the posh Lamborghini Urus? It’s true! Sure, it’s a highly complex custom job. And it only adds cosmetic changes to the RAV4. However, is there a little bit of Lamborghini SUV DNA inside the best-selling RAV4? Maybe.

So maybe you’re not looking into the 2020 RAV4 because you want to disguise it as a Lambo Urus. (For the record, we think it’s a great idea though). If you just need a family SUV that will get you around town or to the lake for a weekend getaway, the RAV4 will be on your list of options. Read on for all the details you’ll need to make an informed decision about the model. Minus all that fancy get-up and body work of the RAV4 pretending to be an Italian performance model.

Performance Specifications

The same basic 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine can be found in every 2020 RAV4. However, one version of this engine is gas-powered while the other relies on an electric motor to get things moving. Fill up at the pump and you’ll get 203 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. Choose the hybrid motor for a combined 219 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque.

Both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is the standard configuration. If you’d like to upgrade to all-wheel drive, plan on adding about $1,400 to the sticker price. You won’t have to select a specific trim level either, as AWD is available across the board. Opting for the hybrid will cost you $2,400 extra though.

That said, Toyota plans to release the RAV4 Prime in 2021. It will join the Prius Prime in the forward-thinking alternative fuel ranks. Boasting a combined 302 horsepower, the RAV4 Prime sits on a plug-in hybrid platform that adds the benefit of EV range to an already safe and dependable model. If you’re leaning towards a green option, you might want to wait until next year.

Available Colors

Toyota offers the following colors on the 2020 RAV4.

  • Lunar Rock
  • Super White
  • Midnight Black Metallic
  • Magnetic Gray Metallic
  • Blizzard Pearl
  • Blueprint
  • Silver Sky Metallic
  • Ruby Flare Pearl

It’s also possible to order the 2020 RAV4 with an Ice Edge or Midnight Black Metallic roof. You can only pair the Ice Edge roof with Magnetic Gray Metallic, Lunar Rock, Midnight Black Metallic, or Blue Flame. The Midnight Black Metallic roof can only be purchased with Blizzard Pearl, Silver Sky Metallic, Magnetic Gray Metallic, or Blueprint exterior colors.

Trimlines and Pricing

When it comes to trim levels, Toyota offers six on the 2020 RAV4. They are, in order of price, the LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure, TRD Off-Road, and Limited models. Check out the features list below.

LE

This base model starts out right under $26,000. For that price, you’ll enjoy cloth seating in either black or tan. Additional standard equipment includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, Bluetooth, and a seven-inch touchscreen. The basic RAV4 rides on 17-inch wheels and includes a rearview camera and LED headlights, among the many standard safety features Toyota includes. Keep reading to find out more about those in the next section.

XLE

While you won’t get leather seats in the XLE, you will have the option to choose patterning or a light gray color. Customers will find the push-button start and keyless entry convenient, along with the power driver’s seat. These slight upgrades will run you at least $27,245.

XLE Premium

A moonroof isn’t the only standard perk of this model. Leather seating improves your overall experience, along with a power liftgate and “soft-touch dashboard materials.” The extra luxury starts at $30,000.

Adventure

Off-road enthusiasts might skip ahead to the TRD model. However, the Adventure has a lot to offer as well. For instance, the exterior styling has been modified to include special wheels and larger fenders. An eight-inch touchscreen paired to selectable driving modes will have you ready to tackle any terrain ahead. The starting price is $33,000.

TRD Off-Road

Most Toyota enthusiasts know this trim to be the one to choose if you want to pair stance with the capabilities to truck across the globe. It’s what makes the Toyota Tacoma one of the better light-duty trucks. On the RAV4 platform, the TRD includes all-terrain tires, black exterior accents, tuned suspension, and a unique interior design. The price jumps up to just over $35,000 though.

Limited

For the full-out RAV4, choose the Limited trim. For a splurge of $35,000, you can have access to heated front seats, an 11-speaker JBL sound system, navigation, chrome exterior trim, and a virtual rearview mirror. This is the top of the line, unless you want a hybrid version of the RAV4.

Toyota also offers the hybrid model for a variety of trims. The LE Hybrid slots between the LE and XLE, the XLE Hybrid comes before the XLE Premium, the XSE Hybrid is priced between the Adventure and TRD models, and finally, the Limited Hybrid costs most of all. Hybrid pricing falls between $28,350 and $36,880.

Safety Features

Winning the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) 2020 Top Safety Pick award, the newest RAV4 rated “Good” in all categories. It also received top marks from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Let’s take a closer look at what the 2020 RAV4 offers in terms of safety equipment to see why this long-standing competitor takes its rightful place on the podium.

Toyota names their standard safety package Toyota Safety Sense 2.0. It includes features like lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, traffic sign recognition, and lane-centering capabilities. Blind-spot monitoring with pedestrian detection isn’t available on the most basic 2020 RAV4, but comes as standard equipment on every other trim. Overall, it’s an excellent package for safety-minded drivers.

Fuel Efficiency

The 2020 RAV4 works quietly beneath the hood to save customers on fueling costs. Whether it’s the hybrid powertrain or the basic four-cylinder engine, Toyota’s crown SUV jewel prioritizes efficiency in all things. Basic engines equipped with stop/start and front-wheel drive should see somewhere around 28 city and 35 highway EPA-estimated miles-per-gallon (MPG). Remove the stop/start feature and you’ll lose two MPG in the city.

Add two more wheels to the mix and the numbers dip a bit. With the stop/start feature, the 2020 RAV4 achieves 27 city and 33 city MPG. Interestingly enough, removing the stop/start upgrade actually brings a point back to the highway MPG. Models equipped with the Adventure trim should see 25 city and 33 highway MPG and TRD top-shelf models lose a highway MPG in the name of off-road awesomeness.

Choose the hybrid 2020 RAV4 option and you’ll be rewarded with an estimated 41 city and 38 highway MPG.

Competitors

Kelley Blue Book named the Toyota RAV4 first in their Best Compact SUVs of 2020 rankings. Although it’s built on the same platform as the Camry sedan, competitors of this iconic SUV include other big names, such as the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, Jeep Cherokee, Volkswagen Tiguan, Mitsubishi Outlander, Ford Escape and Explorer, Mazda CX-5, and Hyundai Tucson and Santa Fe. As you can see, it’s a very crowded segment.

The new styling and “chiseled looks” of the 2020 RAV4 are truly what set it apart from even its own predecessors. Edmunds reviewers weren’t comfortable in the front passenger seat, however. They also found the engine to be a bit lacking when it comes to performance. The vague steering didn’t help matters, but it’s not all bad with the 2020 RAV4. The abundancy of space in the cargo area and cabin impressed experts, along with the amount of safety features Toyota equips even base models with. Plus it still provides great value with a very reasonable price point.

The Last Word

A Japanese-made body kit will not the 2020 RAV4 a Lamborghini Urus make. But the Lambo is also $200,000, so let’s be realistic for a second. There’s still quite a bit about the newest RAV4 to appreciate. There’s a reason it remains one of Toyota’s most popular models, after all. Take a trip down to your local Toyota dealer and give the RAV4 a test drive.

Source: Toyota.com

Rebecca Henderson has a Master's in German and a Bachelor's in Creative Writing. She alternates her time between writing and working on a variety of motorized projects. Most recently, she and her boyfriend have been building a custom drift trike. Rebecca believes that language, love, and a life worth living are only the first ingredients to happiness.