Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid gains racy-looking GR Sport trim

• New range-topping trim level for the RAV4 PHEV
• Racier styling and enhanced equipment specification
• Same plug-in hybrid powertrain with tweaked suspension

The Toyota RAV4 may not be an obvious choice for a sporty makeover, but the Japanese company has decided to give its large plug-in hybrid SUV the GR Sport treatment.

The RAV4 GR Sport will slot in at the very top of the RAV4 range, costing £49,450. That represents a jump of £5,310 compared with the RAV4 plug-in hybrid in regular Design trim – so what exactly are you getting for all that extra cash?

Well, many of the upgrades are aesthetic, beginning with black 19-inch alloy wheels with machined pinstripe detailing. You’ll also get a new grille design, foglight bezels and front splitter, along with black finishes for the wheelarch trims, side mouldings and part of the tailgate. And if that’s not enough to let people know you’ve bought the GR Sport version, there are badges on the grille and the tailgate.

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There’s more GR badging inside the car, of course, along with sports seats trimmed in synthetic suede and man-made leather, and you’ll also find swanky silver stitching dotted about the place. Happily, you’ll also find a whole range of additional luxury equipment. A head-up display, powered seat adjustment, a wireless phone charger, a heated steering wheel and a 360-degree camera are all provided as standard.

On the safety front, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are also thrown in, and that’s on top of the plug-in hybrid’s already generous safety kit, because the PHEV gets a more comprehensive standard safety package that other RAV4 models by adding an enhanced pre-collision system and emergency steering assist.

Like in the Design-trimmed plug-in hybrid, you’ll also find Toyota’s recently updated infotainment system in the GR Sport, with its 10.5-inch central display and a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display. The system comes with Toyota’s ‘Go Navigation’ sat-nav as standard, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The plug-in hybrid powertrain remains unchanged for the GR Sport, so it’s still a 2.5-litre petrol engine supplemented by a pair of electric motors and an 18.1kWh battery, all of which provides a combined power output of 302bhp, propelling the car from 0-62mph in six seconds. Changes have been made to the GR Sport’s suspension, however, with stiffer springs and revised shock absorbers designed to deliver a slightly more involving driving experience.

We’ll see if those tweaks have worked once we get to drive the GR Sport. And, if you fancy finding out for yourself, the car is available to order now, starting from just under £50,000, with first customer deliveries expected early next year. 

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