2013 Toyota RAV4 revealed

2013 Toyota RAV4

These are the first official pictures of the all-new 2013 Toyota RAV4, which made its public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

There’s new exterior styling and a new-design cabin that’s significantly more spacious and comfortable. There’s more load space, too – 547 litres with the seats in place and 100 litres in the boot’s larger undertray.

2013 Toyota RAV4

The new RAV4 is also easier to load with a move from a side to a top-hinged tailgate, with a wider opening and lower lip height. On higher-grade models (the UK range and specifications will be announced soon) the tailgate will be power-operated.

There’s no mistaking the new 2013 Toyota RAV4 as being part of the modern Toyota “family” with its stronger front-end treatment complete with keen-edged headlights and daytime running lights. The side-on view emphasises its muscular quality with a rising belt line, extended glass area, blacked-out centre and rear pillars and distinctive profile shape. At the rear, the new light clusters wrap around the car’s strong rear quarters.

2013 Toyota RAV4

Inside, the new dashboard is formed from two horizontal beams, intersected by a curving metal spar that frames the driver’s cockpit. With a focus on a better driving experience, RAV4 follows the example of the new Auris with its lower overall height and driving position, and sharper steering wheel angle. Excellent ergonomics, a wealth of soft-touch materials, extra leather around the instrument panel and new cool blue illumination for all the switchgear raise the interior quality and comfort.

While the driver sits lower in the car, there’s more legroom and more comfortable seats for those in the rear. The 60:40 rear seats retain their quick and simple Easy Flat folding mechanism that provides a flat load floor in one simple action.

2013 Toyota RAV4

The new 2013 Toyota RAV4 will again be available with a choice of two (front) or all-wheel drive, with an engine line-up that offers a 149bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine, a new 122bhp 2.0-litre diesel and a 148bhp 2.2-litre diesel. Each one gives improved carbon dioxide emissions performance, on average better by 12 per cent across the range compared to the current model.

Look out for the 2.0 diesel in the front-wheel drive RAV4 – equipped with Toyota’s Stop & Start technology it produces just 127g/km of CO2.

Being comfortable and fun to drive have been key RAV4 qualities since the original took to the road, together with manoeuvrability and confident performance when the going gets tough. As well as providing a more comfortable and focused driving position, the new RAV4 builds on its SUV attributes with retuned suspension, revised electric power steering and an Integrated Dynamic Drive System that comes with a new Sport mode.

Integrated Dynamic Drive uses Dynamic Torque Control to make sure the most suitable amount of power is distributed between the front and rear axles in the AWD models. This means RAV4 will run with front-wheel drive in normal conditions, but introduce rear-wheel drive as soon as the system detects any slip or understeer.

When you switch to Sport mode, the system adapts the front/rear drive distribution to give a better lateral grip. At the same time throttle response is sharpened and, where fitted, the automatic transmission or CVT operates to higher revs to give a sportier drive.

More high-tech features are also being introduced for RAV4, with an emphasis on safety. These include Toyota’s Lane Departure Alert and Blind Spot Monitor.

We’ll be bringing you more details about the full UK line-up and prices soon, so keep checking our blog for news.

All information is correct at the time of publishing.

97 comments

  1. It’s worth contacting the Customer Relations team. They were very helpful.

    My dealer is going to supply me with a spare wheel in July as a result of the Customer Relations team contacting them.

  2. Hi – Laura Wilson or anyone — I have a May registered AWD Icon Rav4 — I’ve contacted customer relations – despite this being my 4th Toyota at 32 years old they still won’t supply me with a spare tyre .. has anyone an update please? thank you – Gerard – gerardduffy@hotmail.com

    1. Hi Gerard,
      We are really sorry for any confusion or previous lack of clarity regarding the availability of space saver wheels for the new RAV4. We are aware of some negative comments and doubts some customers have about the Tyre Repair Kit (TRK) supplied as standard with this model.
      Regrettably, and despite previous communication, at this moment in time we are not able to offer a spare space saver wheel and tyre for the RAV4 either as standard or as an accessory option. The main issue is the supply of space saver tyres to reliably meet requirements. We will review this situation again at the end of the year. A full size spare is not an option as the storage well is not designed to accommodate or safely secure it in place.
      Full size spare wheels and tyres are, however, available from Toyota Dealers should customers wish to purchase them but are not supplied as an alternative.
      For further advice and information on TRK please view the following video: https://mag.toyota.co.uk/how-to-use-a-tyre-repair-kit.
      Once again we apologise for any confusion or dissatisfaction regarding TRK. As always, Toyota Dealers remain the main point of contact for any further questions or concerns. Alternatively, Toyota Customer Relations will be happy to advise and can be contacted on 01737 36 7600.
      Many thanks, and kind regards.

    2. Gerard

      sorry to hear about your problems with not being able to get a space saver. It would appear a number of people have bought the new RAV on the promise of a space saver at a later date.
      My RAV4 invincible arrived in early July complete with space saver. When ordering I said to the dealer that I was only interested in changing my Mark 3 RAV (with spare wheel) if it came with a space saver and this was written in the contract prior to me signing .
      The tyre well has no carpet and there is a metal bracket welded to the well floor to hold the space saver down. Was the offer of a space saver at a later date a serious option considering you would need the bracket to be retrofitted.
      I would discuss further with your dealer

    1. Hi John,
      The new RAV4 has one 12V socket that’s located in the centre arm-rest between the driver and passenger seats.
      Hope this helps!

  3. I have just brought the new Rave 4 replacing my old one. The extra space is excellent and the car just as good as the last one. I am however very disappointed to read of the promises over the spare wheel as this has also been a big issue with myself. I too have been promised the spare kit will be available within the next few weeks but from the comments Toyota have been long on promises and short on results.
    Toyota need to realise this is a big issue the repair kits are useless for anything more than a slow and if used you write off a tyre that can be repaired. When are we going to get the spare that was promised??

    1. Hello Peter
      Thanks for your post and good to hear about your new RAV4.
      We are sorry for the lack of clarity over the availability of space saver wheels with the new RAV4 and would like to thank you for your loyalty.
      Over the last 6 months we’ve worked extremely hard to resolve the issue of providing an alternative solution to the Tyre Repair Kit. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, we have been unable to resolve it to our satisfaction. The root of the problem is that there is not enough supply of space saver tyres to reliably meet our requirements. We are working hard to resolve this situation and should have more news towards the end of this year. We are sorry for the time this is taking. In the meantime our Customer Relations team will be acting as main point of contact for those customers who have further questions or concerns. They can be contacted on 01737 367600.

  4. Just taken delivery of 2.0D Invincible, the Stop Start doesn’t seem to be working. Have driven the car over 100 miles so everything should be charged up. Any thoughts why?

    1. Hi Simon
      Thanks for your post.
      Difficult to suggest what this could be as it is difficult to diagnose online. We do set out the criteria for stop start operation in the vehicle handbook and such circumstances why this may not arise (eg front screen demister on with aircon and fan on high) however really in these circumstances we would recommend stopping by your local Toyota dealer so they can check this out for you. The stop start does have an inbuilt safety system which ensures that based on the current load and battery condition, if it stops the engine that it can restart it. Your dealer will be able to check the health of your car battery and will also be able to plug their computer into your car and see if there are any systems that are inhibiting the stop start function, (eg door/bonnet open, not in neutral, hand brake not on etc). Hope this helps.

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