2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Edge

By Alex Forrest

If there was one gap to fill in the Toyota RAV4 range, it was at the very top, where the most expensive variant was not available with a hybrid system.

The RAV4 Edge is already well-equipped, including a multi-terrain select system (so you can adjust the car’s four-wheel drive system to suit different terrains), larger 19-inch wheels, and a premium nine-speaker sound system.

However, with the huge popularity of the RAV4 Hybrid variants, it made sense to also offer the Edge as a hybrid.

Hybrid versions of the RAV4 are by far the most popular within the RAV4 range. In WA, more than 71 per cent of RAV4 sales in 2021 were hybrids, a figure which climbed in the first four months of 2022 to 75 percent.

So now, the Edge has an electric motor sending torque to the rear wheels instead of driveshafts that are all-wheel drive system of the petrol-only Edge, which is still available.

As with other Toyota Hybrid vehicles in recent years, the hybrid version of the RAV4, including the Edge, is not only more fuel efficient than the petrol-only variant, but it’s also much better to drive.

The electric drive does the hard work when accelerating from standstill — the type of driving in which petrol-only cars use the most fuel — which can make a big difference in stop-start city traffic.

Along with the RAV4 Edge getting a hybrid system, a new RAV4 variant, called the XSE, has been introduced. It sits just above the RAV4 GXL and has mainly cosmetic differences plus a powered rear hatch, which the GXL doesn’t get.

More recently, the RAV4 range has also had its safety equipment updated, comprising the addition of intersection pre-collision safety and emergency steering assist. The RAV4 has also had its infotainment system updated — a welcome change.