Huge changes coming to Australia’s favourite family car

Some massive changes have been mooted to Australia’s favourite family SUV which, the manufacturer hopes, could make even more Aussies than ever want one.

Australia’s favourite family SUV is about to be dramatically reinvented.

The new-generation Toyota RAV4 has been teased ahead of its global debut on May 21, with sneak peek images showing a drastically different design for the hybrid SUV.

Toyota Australia spokespeople have said they won’t comment, preferring to hold their cards close to the chest until the official unveiling, but there is still a bit to garner from the initial imagery and leaked shots seen online.

While you’ll have to squint and use a liberal dose of imagination to envisage what the actual product will look like, it’s clear there is a heavy rethink of the form of the boxy crossover, with large panoramic glass roof and black roof trim options evident.

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There are some big changes coming to the super popular Toyota RAV4 Picture: Brendan Radke

Further screen grabs from teaser material showcase a far more macho interior with boxier screen housings, a bigger-looking touchscreen media system – seemingly without the excellent knobbly climate control dials of the current model, instead with a touch-capacitive control bar at the base of the display.

This design has become more common in more affordable vehicles, whereby brands move to include software controls for the major components rather than hardware, and it has drawn the ire of reviewers and even car company executives – VW’s Head of Design, Andreas Mindt, claiming that on-screen controls are a “mistake” that “we won’t make again”.

While there may still be physical elements to the HVAC system, it’s also evident that there will be a shift-by-wire gear selector, akin to what was previously offered in the Prius, rather than the traditional lever in the current model

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An upgraded interior.

SAME, SAME BUT DIFFERENT

A steering wheel similar to the Toyota Prado has been seen in images of the new model, sporting more chunky control stalks and a bigger, more info-rich driver display cluster including live mapping tech. A dashboard image also shows a cut-out for a wide-screen head-up display to be projected onto the windscreen ahead of the steering wheel.

It is expected that while the sheet metal and lighting design will be all-new, the architecture of the new RAV4 won’t change, and that the powertrain options are expected to be largely going to be similar to what is offered today – though it is likely Toyota will finally add a plug-in hybrid EV version of the RAV4 in Australia when the new-generation model launches.

The mainstay of the range is likely to continue to be the existing, efficient, and powerful 2.5-litre petrol-electric HEV unit offered in the RAV4 now, though likely with adjustments to power outputs, refinement and efficiency.

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New Toyota RAV 4 complete with a large panoramic glass roof. Picture: Supplied

For reference, the current 2.5L RAV4 is offered in front-wheel drive with a combined 160kW output (4.7 litres per 100km claimed fuel use) and a 163kW all-wheel-drive (by way of an electric motor at the rear axle), with fuel use of 4.8L/100km.

The current-gen RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid model, formerly known as RAV4 Prime, has a claimed EV-only driving range of 75km, but you can expect a larger battery to be fitted to the new-gen model in order for it to keep up with Chinese PHEVs, which offer up to 180km of EV range.

In 2024, the Toyota RAV4 was “more popular than ever” according to the brand’s Australian vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley – who has long teased the introduction of a plug-in hybrid RAV4.

Inside, functionality is expected to be very different.

RAV4 ‘COULD BE NO. 1’

The RAV4 sold in huge numbers after supply finally eased up for our market in 2024, with 58,718 units registered – making it the country’s best-selling Toyota, and marking the first time an SUV had held that honour. For almost a decade, the number-one-selling-Toyota mantle had been held by the Toyota HiLux ute.

At a press conference earlier in 2025, Mr Hanley stated that 70 per cent of the hybrid vehicle sales in Australia were Toyotas, and that the RAV4’s best sales figures may still be yet to come.

Toyota RAV4 – the company’s best selling model in Australia.

This interior layout is set for a big change.

“It may be, and I stress, may be, that an SUV could rise to the top of the national sales charts in the next year or two, and just maybe that SUV will be a Toyota RAV4 hybrid,” he said.

“Hybrids and plug-in hybrids are what you’ll be talking about in January 2026,” Mr Hanley said.

We will cover the unveiling of the Toyota RAV4, so check back to see what it actually looks like on May 21.

Originally published as Huge changes coming to Australia’s favourite family car