An update for the Toyota RAV4 midsize SUV will be announced in June 2022 set for an Australian arrival in October, Chasing Cars sources confirm, with a larger touchscreen multimedia system and new safety features said to be on the cards.
The new RAV4 update is set to be officially announced by Toyota Motor Company Australia (TMCA) in June 2022, with examples of the midsize SUV built in October onwards set to be equipped with the new changes.
Toyota is said to update the RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid with new features in October
Changes likely to be fitted to orders placed after January 2022
With wait times stretching out to 12 months or more, it’s likely that RAV4 buyers who have placed an order after January 2022 will automatically receive the upgraded models.
It has been reported that buyers who ordered a RAV4 before the end of 2021 will receive a vehicle with today’s specifications and not with the upgrades set to be announced in mid-2022.
It’s unclear if orders placed before the official announcement will be required to front the expected price increase likely to accompany the October update – however, Toyota Australia has a history of honouring the previously-agreed pricing when changes have been made.
Connected Services, emergency alerts and big new screen for RAV4
Chasing Cars sources confirm that the October update to the RAV4 will add Toyota Connected Services to the RAV4 – a roof-mounted system that automatically alerts emergency services if the vehicle has been involved in a serious crash.
The system also allows drivers to manually trigger the assistance function and provides drivers the ability to observe vehicle information such as fuel economy via the myToyota Connect app.
A roof-mounted alert system will be fitted in the October update, sources say
Connected Services tech is already fitted to the Toyota Yaris Cross small SUV, as well as the Land Cruiser 300 Series 4WD, Hilux ute, Hiace and Granvia vans and the Camry sedan.
The upgrade to the safety hardware will more than likely come with an update to the interior screens which are currently smaller than many of the RAV4’s competitors such as the Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan.
Chasing Cars has previously reported that Toyota will take the opportunity to upgrade the RAV4’s touchscreen from 8.0-inches to 10.5-inches, while the screen’s software will also be updated to the newer operating system first released in Australia on the 2022 Lexus NX – the RAV4’s luxury sibling.
Overseas, the new touchscreen operating system has already been fitted to the Toyota Tundra ute and Sequoia large 4WD, while it is understood to be set for release in Australia in the forthcoming Corolla Cross small SUV.
Upgraded 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster from GR Corolla
The RAV4’s digital instrument cluster is also said to expand from 4.2 to 7.0-inches on the base model, while higher grades could receive a full-width screen stretching up to a full-width 12.3-inches with exciting new graphics.
Toyota recently previewed a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster on the GR Corolla hot hatch, a unit that is already available in the US-market Toyota Sequoia large SUV.
The Sequoia sits the same platform as the 300 Series Land Cruiser, meaning that the Australian-market 4WD is also likely to receive the enlarged display at some point.
Toyota RAV4 2022: prices in Australia
All prices listed are before on-road costs.
- GX 2WD petrol: $34,400
- GX 2WD hybrid: $36,900
- GXL 2WD petrol: $37,950
- GX AWD hybrid: $39,900
- GXL 2WD hybrid: $40,450
- XSE 2WD hybrid: $43,250
- Cruiser 2WD petrol: $43,250
- GXL AWD hybrid: $43,450
- Cruiser 2WD hybrid: $45,750
- XSE AWD hybrid: $46,250
- Cruiser AWD hybrid: $48,750
- Edge AWD petrol: $50,200
- Edge AWD hybrid: $52,700
