Test Toyota RAV4 GR Sport 2023, the best-selling SUV is renewed with a racing touch and a more digital interior

Born in 1994, few could predict a sales success like the one achieved by the RAV4, which has grown generation after generation and not only in size. Because if the first model measured 3.7 meters, this one reaches 4.6 meters. And what is more important for Toyota, in 2022 it has become the brand’s best-selling SUV.

Only in Europe it has registered 113,000 units last year, but that does not stop its evolution, quite the contrary. Because the Japanese SUV starts the year with a renovation that affects its exterior, improves its interior and, above all, gives it a sportier touch thanks to the arrival of the GR Sport versions.

These are the changes of the new RAV4 2023

We have come to Luleä (Sweden) to see how the new Toyota RAV4 GR Sport moves. It is the name of the Toyota sports structure, which is built on three levels. First, the official teams that compete in the Dakar Rally, the WEC and the World Rally Championship. Later, the models developed from scratch by GR Sport, such as the Supra, the Yaris and the GT86. And later, the versions of some models with a racing touch, the step in which this RAV4 is placed.

Where has it changed on the outside? The changes affect the entire 2023 range and are displayed on a front where the completely renewed front grille with the GR logo stands out, as well as black inserts on the sun visors. Behind it is also distinguished with that emblem.

Inside, the objective was to achieve an interior where digital printing would win integers and for this, it launched a box of clocks in the form of a 12.3-inch digital screen, which allows four configurations, from the most normal to the most sporty. To the right and presiding over the center console, there is a new 10.5-inch screen, where the new Toyota Smart Connect system is integrated.

Compatible with Android Auto and Apple Car Play, it can be operated by voice commands and offers higher-resolution graphics for more intuitive navigation. In the aesthetic section, the sporty touch is provided by the GR logos on the headrests (the seats are more enveloping) and the steering wheel, as well as various metal inserts.

With outstanding interior habitability

Sitting in the rear seats enjoys one of the always great advantages of the RAV4, the space for three adults in the second row. And behind them appears the trunk that we already knew, with regular shapes and its 580-liter capacity, which exceeds 1,000 liters if you fold down the backrests (they have a 60/40 split).

The RAV4 GR Sport will be sold in Spain in 2023 only with a 2.5-liter, 222-horsepower Hybrid version with electrical support. I have been able to test it on the snowy roads of Luleä (Sweden) and it is a block with plenty of strength to move a light assembly for its size. What I liked least is the feel of its change by continuous variator, with too much slip.

Shod with winter tires and equipped with the AWD-i all-wheel drive system, this Japanese shows very neutral reactions even on surfaces as slippery as the snowy sections that I have covered. Its suspension schemes have been readjusted for a sportier feel and, although it has an increasingly more touring vocation, it retains that more versatile aptitude with a ground clearance of 180mm when it comes out of the black.

This SUV is already for sale in Spain with a price that starts at 50,800 euros. A not inconsiderable invoice, which brings it closer to models in the premium segment, although it is true that it offers very remarkable standard equipment that includes elements such as the panoramic roof, alloy wheels or the 360 ​​vision camera.