Tougher, off-road-ready Toyota RAV4 revealed in Japan

Toyota has revealed a new special-edition version of the RAV4 in Japan that toughens up the appearance of the popular mid-sized SUV.

The Toyota RAV4 Adventure Off-road Package II is based on what we call the flagship Edge trim in Australia, and adds a number of off-road-ready features.

At this stage this new RAV4 special edition has only been detailed for the Japanese market. We’ve reached out to Toyota Australia to confirm if it’s coming here.

Compared to the Japanese-specification Adventure trim level, the Adventure Off-road Package II adds 18-inch matte black wheels that are wrapped in all-terrain tyres, a 10mm suspension lift, bridge-type roof rails, as well as black highlights and Off-road badging.

On the inside there is synthetic leather upholstery with perforations, red stitching on the seats and dashboard, as well as red highlights where there would typically be orange highlights on the Australian-spec Edge trim.

This special-edition model is available with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, or the familiar 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain. Both have all-wheel drive.

It can also be had in Super White II, Gray metallic, and Attitude Black Mica single-tone exterior paints, as well as Urban Khaki and Grayish Blue two-tone paint options with a Attitude Black Mica contrasting roof and front fascia.

In Japan, this special-edition RAV4 starts from ¥3,884,000 (~A$40,500) for the 2.0-litre model and extends to ¥4,503,000 (~A$47,000) for the 2.5-litre hybrid, which is around ¥200,000 (~A$2000) more expensive the Adventure trim it’s based on.

For context, the RAV4 Edge in Australia starts at $56,230 before on-roads for the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, and extends to $58,360 before on-roads for the 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain.

Although it’s unlikely this off-road-ready variant will come to Australia, local off-road accessory company Ironman 4×4 recently revealed a full range of add-ons for those wanting to take their RAV4 off tarmac.

The tough accessory kit for the RAV4 includes a suspension lift kit, nudge bar, as well as roof rails.

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