An excellent compromise between fuel-efficient daily driver and entry-level off-roader, the 2019 Toyota RAV4 may be the best compact SUV of its type and for the price.
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2019 Toyota RAV4 in Brief
- The RAV4 is one of the highest-rated SUVs on the market for safety, with the Hybrid Limited earning a perfect score from top to bottom with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
- Toyotas are slow to depreciate, and the RAV4 is no exception. You can expect to pay nearly-new prices for a three-year-old RAV4, but you can expect it to hold the money you put into it for a long time, too.
- Starting at just under $32,000, the Adventure model is a perfect synthesis of off-roader and daily driver, and without the steep $40,000-plus price tag you expect to find on an AWD rock climber.
- The only engine options are a 2.4L and a hybrid variation on the 2.4L, but that should be more than enough to deliver what drivers expect from a RAV4.
- The Hybrid XSE has one of the most impressive safety tech suites available right now, with more sonars and sensors than you can count one one hand, and a camera on all four sides of the SUV.
2019 Toyota RAV4: Available Trims
Toyota offers the RAV4 in a wide range of trims. The LE, XLE, and Limited are available in hybrid, which when combined with the five standard gasoline-powered options and the Hybrid XSE, comes out to nine options total, from the basic LE to the premium and eco-friendly Hybrid Limited.
LE
The entry-level trim may be the most basic of the lineup, but it’s not bare-bones. It features some gadgets and luxuries that you usually expect to see on the next trim level up, like a second LCD screen up front, voice activation, and a whole suite of Entune safety and entertainment apps.
It may seem like a small thing, but it’s one of those small things that has you choosing a RAV4 over a competing SUV. There’s no reason a 2019 vehicle’s onboard tech should be at least as good as what you’re getting from a mid-range smartphone, and Toyota deserves some praise for not charging you an extra $5,000-$6,000 for basic functionality.
XLE
For a $5,000 price bump, the XLE delivers what you get from an LE, plus a handful of little bonuses throughout, like blind spot monitoring, Toyota Smart Key, heated side mirrors, and a moonroof. We’re not quite at the luxury trim level here, but you’ll know what you’re getting for the price bump. However, if you’re considering an XLE, our advice is to skip ahead and go for the XLE Premium.
XLE Premium
In the Kelley Blue Book, the XLE Premium is estimated to cost around the same as the XLE, but you get more leather and metal-look trim throughout the interior, a gorgeous three-spoke leather steering wheel, lane departure alert, and SofTex seat trim. It’s a modest improvement over the XLE, but at roughly the same price, why wouldn’t you take the slightly better version? The only downside: This one’s not available in hybrid.
Adventure
The RAV4 is often listed as a potential alternative to off-roaders like the Jeep Cherokee and the Land Rover. The Adventure is Toyota leaning deep into that with standard all-wheel drive, a terrain management system, and more rugged styling throughout the interior and exterior. Add to that heated side mirrors, front fog lamps, and a power liftgate, and you’ve got a pretty darn solid camping tripper.
Limited
The Limited is packed with all of your standard luxury upgrades: eight-inch touchscreens, heated seats, premium audio, leather, aluminum, and metal-look trim from front to back, chrome door handles, and a full suite of safety features like blind spot monitoring and lane departure alert.
The Limited is a fine luxury trim for the RAV4, but be warned that some of the fanciest features, like the heated leather steering wheel and panoramic camera view, are locked behind optional packages. You might want to budget a couple extra grand to make sure you can get one with everything.
Hybrid XSE
If you want to drive something that feels as powerful and high-tech as the Batmobile, and with interior and exterior styling on par with the Batmobile, the Hybrid XSE delivers. The AWD 2.5L engine delivers 219 horsepower at 41 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. It packs three LCD monitors in the front, advanced safety features like pre-collision and rear cross-traffic alert, cameras on all four sides of the SUV, and there’s plenty of leather and metal-look trim throughout.
The XSE is just a really good all-arounder. It is not the fastest, toughest, cheapest, or comfiest SUV on the market right now, but an excellent compromise if you want a vehicle that does a little bit of everything.
Hybrid Limited
For the most part, the hybrids are the same as the gasoline-powered RAV4s, just with hybrid engines instead of the standard 2.4L. They gave the Hybrid Limited a little extra oomph in the features department, so we’re counting it as its own trim level.
Essentially, the Hybrid Limited does everything the Hybrid XSE does, but minus the Scout GPS and sport-tuned suspension, and with perimeter/approach lights. It’s typically priced around the same as the XSE in the Blue Book, so it’s splitting hairs for which one is the best of the best.
What Will a 2019 Toyota RAV4 Cost You?
Neither a budget car nor a luxury vehicle, the 2019 RAV4 ranges from $23,829 to $26,478 if you’re buying a base LE from the previous owner, up to $38,206 for a Certified Pre-owned (CPO) Hybrid Limited.
Toyotas in general are slow to depreciate, so if you’re waiting for a steep price drop, you’re going to be waiting awhile. After five years, assuming average use, regular maintenance, and around 12,000 miles a year, a RAV4 will only depreciate to around 64% of its sticker price. After 10 years, the SUV still holds 36% of its original value, according to the depreciation calculator at Car Edge.
The Toyota Certified Used Vehicles program is one of the best in the used auto industry today, including screening with a 160-point inspection, full warranty including powertrain coverage and roadside assistance for seven years, and limited comprehensive coverage for the first year. The peace of mind you buy with Toyota CPO is worth the price alone.
Powertrain Options in the 2019 Toyota RAV4
Toyota kept things nice and simple in the engine department for 2019. You’ve got the standard, gasoline-powered, 2.5L inline-four engine, and a hybrid variation on the same engine, and that’s it.
The engine is part of the Toyota Dynamic Force family, with this model in particular being shared by current Camry, Avalon, and Highlander offerings, as well as the Lexus ES and NX, making it a cornerstone of Toyota’s current global strategy.
In the gasoline-powered RAV4s, you’re getting an eight-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, and in the hybrids, you’re getting a one-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT). That may be a deal breaker, if you’re considering a hybrid but hate the feel of a CVT.
You might want to give Toyota CVT a try before you dismiss it. Newer Toyotas use what they call a “Launch Gear” system in order to mimic the feel of a conventional automatic during acceleration, with the efficiency of a one-speed once you’re on your way. It’s not for everyone, but you might as well take it for a test-drive if you think you’d like driving a hybrid.
How Fuel Efficient is a 2019 Toyota RAV4?
Even in the non-hybrid variations, the 2019 RAV4 is nothing short of impressive when it comes to fuel economy. The standard 2.5L will get you 26 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. A hybrid delivers 41 mpg city and 38 mpg highway.
Given that these SUVs are AWD-capable, you should expect to burn through your fuel a little quicker if you’ve got all four wheels engaged for rock climbing and mudding. Even so, it’s nice to know that you can hit the woods without asking accounting for an advance.
Regardless of trim level or whether you’re driving a standard or hybrid, the 2019 RAV4 comes equipped with a 14.5-gallon tank, which with these specs, should be plenty to get you where you’re going.
2019 Toyota RAV4 Driving Performance
A fuel-efficient SUV sounds great on paper, but if it feels kinda wimpy, like a compact car with an SUV body slapped on top, then it’s kind of a bamboozle, right? If you want a real off-roader, fuel efficiency is just a bonus; it’s performance that counts.
Luckily, with AWD and a set of all-terrain tires, the RAV4 can go toe-to-toe with similarly priced Jeeps and Fords. The standard engine cranks out 203 horsepower with 184 lb.-ft. of torque, while the hybrid delivers 219 horsepower and 163 lb.-ft. of torque. The 2019 Wrangler tops that, starting at 270 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, but not by as wide a margin as you might expect.
The SUV’s 0-60 won’t dominate the drag strip, at 8.5 seconds in an Adventure model, according to Motor Trend, but it’s far from sluggish. The only real disappointment in terms of performance comes down to towing capacity.
You generally expect that an off-roader can handle at least some light-duty towing, but the RAV4 tops out at around 1,500 pounds in a standard model, or 1,750 in a hybrid. That’s enough to tow a dirt bike, maybe a small Jet Ski, but you can forget pulling a camper out into the woods. The chassis simply isn’t built for heavy-duty hauling. This is why we call it an “entry-level” off-roader. It’s not a substitute for an F-150 Raptor or a Wrangler Rubicon, it’s just really good at all-terrain driving for a compact family car.
How Big is a 2019 Toyota RAV4?
Size classifications like “compact” and “midsize” are kind of arbitrary these days. It seems like interiors are getting roomier, while exteriors are getting smaller, so all we can really do is count up the inches and cubic feet.
- Length: 181″
- Width: 73″
- Height: 69″
- Ground Clearance: 8.4″
Inside, you get front and rear headroom space at 37.7″ and 39.5,” respectively. And front and rear leg room is 41″ and 37.8,” respectively. You have about 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space with all the seats up, and up to 69.8 cubic feet with all the seats down. That’s not quite a cargo van, but it’s plenty of storage space for an SUV that’s technically classified as a compact crossover.
How Safe is a 2019 Toyota RAV4?
We generally perceive larger vehicles to be safer than smaller vehicles. It stands to reason that a full-size SUV simply provides more steel between you and the point of impact, so of course, bigger is better, right?
There is some truth to this theory, but despite its classification as a compact SUV, the 2019 RAV4 is about as safe as consumer vehicles get, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), who awarded the SUV their highest honor, the Top Safety Pick +, and gave it what amounts to a perfect score in every category.
The only area where the 2019 RAV4 scored anything less than a G for Good (their top rating) was headlights, where the score varied by trim level. The Hybrid Limited earned a G, meaning that this trim level is as safe as anything the IIHS has ever reviewed. The headlights in the standard trims and the Hybrid LE earned an M for Marginal, and the other hybrid trim levels earned a P for Poor.
Extra praise was heaped onto the SUV’s LATCH child seating system, which earned a G+, and the SUV’s collision avoidance system, which earned a rating of Superior.
The 2019 RAV4 earned similar praise from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), where it was granted a perfect five-star rating overall, but with some not-quite-perfect ratings throughout. Rollover only earned a four (it’s exceedingly rare for SUVs to earn five stars for rollover, given their top-heavy design), as did front driver side and overall front impact, but the SUV otherwise earned nothing but fives across the board.
Between the five-star crash ratings and safety tech like lane departure alert and blind spot monitoring, the 2019 RAV4 is about as safe a car as you’re going to find on the road today. In fact, the 2019 RAV4’s IIHS ratings put it just a hair ahead of that year’s Volvo XC40. You never see an automaker beat Volvo at safety, but Toyota managed to pull it off.
Tech and Gadgets in the 2019 Toyota RAV4
If the 2019 RAV4 can be faulted in the tech department, you might say that the entry-level LE comes with enough features that there’s not a lot of room to upgrade from there, so the bonuses are spread a bit thin across nine trim levels. That’s not a bad problem to have, as you can buy any RAV4 and be pretty happy with what you find in the dash and the center console.
At the base LE level, the 2019 RAV4 comes with a pair of seven-inch touchscreens with Apple CarPlay, Siri Eyes Free, a USB port, and Toyota connected services. The radio has voice activation and steering wheel controls built in, basically everything you expect in a 2019 SUV entertainment system.
The Adventure and Limited trim levels upgrade the touchscreens to eight inches and give you four USB charging ports, and the Hybrid Limited and XSE add a third eight-inch screen to the front.
Safety features start with Toyota Safety Sense, with lane keep assist, departure alert, and a backup camera in the LE. The XLE adds blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, the Limited adds clearance sonar and parking sensors, and the Hybrid XSE adds front, left, and right cameras.
You could say that the entertainment and safety features in the 2019 RAV4 are robust. Everything you need is here, plus some extra safety tech in the higher trim levels. There are not a lot of bells and whistles, just good, functional, sensible tech that makes driving easier and safer.
2019 Toyota RAV4: Interior and Exterior Colors
The 2019 RAV4 offers the same range of toned-down colors you expect to see in modern cars, shades like Magnetic Gray and Midnight Black. These colors do a good job of hiding dirt, but aren’t that exciting to look at. However, unlike many other SUVs, stock colors do include some flashier shades like Ruby Flare Pearl and Blue Flame, if you want something that will stand out.
Interior colors, on the other hand, are all monochrome and earth tones. They are not that exciting, but they are tasteful, and you won’t have to shampoo the carpets twice a week to keep them from looking dingy.
LE and Hybrid LE come in Black and Nutmeg, while XLE, XLE Premium, XLE Hybrid, Limited, and Hybrid Limited come in Black, Light Gray, or Nutmeg. As for XSE Hybrid, only Black is offered, and the Adventure trim comes in Black or Mocha.
Is a 2019 Toyota RAV4 Easy to Maintain?
No matter how safe, comfortable, or capable a car may be, it doesn’t count for much if you can’t keep it on the road. Can you count on the RAV4, or is it a money pit that’s going to spend more time at the shop than in your garage?
Good news: It’s one of the more reliable SUVs in its class. Repair Pal gives the RAV4’s reliability an overall star rating of four out of five, ranking it in the third spot out of 26 for compact SUVs, and estimating an average annual repair cost of $429. That comes out to less than $10 a week. Combined with the RAV4’s incredible mpg, that makes this one of the most affordable SUVs to keep on the road today.
Common repairs mainly come down to routine replacements for things like the fuel filter (around $327 to $373) and brake pads ($262 to $312), but with regular oil changes and safe driving, those fixes should be few and far between.
What Critics Say
Recalls and Complaints for the 2019 Toyota RAV4
The NHTSA complaints page for the RAV4 lists 16 reports on file for the hybrid, while the standard gasoline-powered RAV4 has 405 complaints. That’s fewer than 500 complaints total for a car that sold almost half a million units that year.
The most common complaints have to do with propulsion, with 221 complaints filed in this category. Several of these complaints point to the car shutting down at highway speeds and stalling at lower speed. Many of these complaints may have to do with the fuel pump recall issued in late 2020.
This recall affected over 1,500,000 Toyotas across the Lexus, Camry, Avalon, Corolla, Highlander, Tacoma, basically all of their flagship nameplates. The fuel pump would stall while driving, resulting in stuttering, stalling, or total loss of power. The recall was issued on November 4.
There were six other recalls for the 2019 RAV4, ranging in severity from loss of power steering assist (affecting just 46 units), down to incorrect load capacity labels (affecting just over 1,000 units).
Most of the major issues with the 2019 RAV4 have already been addressed by recalls. Recalls are always paid for by the manufacturer, and they’re always valid, so there’s no reason not to use our VIN lookup tool and make sure that your RAV4 is clear of any necessary work.
While the RAV4 currently has a clean bill of health, remember that this car is only a few years old right now. There may still be some issues that have yet to be discovered, and all we can really do on that front is wait and see. Still, with some of these SUVs now hitting 50,000-60,000 miles, and with no major reports of transmission failure, it’s probably a safe bet that they’re built to go the distance.
2019 Toyota RAV4 vs. the Competition
The SUV marketplace is getting a bit crowded these days. The 2019 RAV4 is a great little compact that can run all day on a single tank, but there are a dozen other SUVs that you could say that about. How does it compare to the competition?
What we’re looking for in this range is a fuel-efficient compact SUV at a fair price. That would make the Honda CR-V, the Subaru Forester, and the Nissan Rogue three of the RAV4’s top contenders. Let’s see how they fare.
2019 Toyota RAV4 vs. 2019 Honda CR-V
The 2019 Honda CR-V is based on the Honda Civic platform, and the Honda Civic is considered to be one of the most reliable vehicles ever made, no matter what the model year. However, as the CR-V is literally an SUV body on a compact car’s frame, it comes up just shy of the RAV4’s off-roading power, at 190 horsepower and 179 lb.-ft. of torque at the very peak of its output in an AWD Touring model.
If you’re mostly going to be driving around the city and on the highway, that might not bother you. The RAV4 may be preferable if you have to contend with some rough weather, broken roads, or muddy hills.
To see a more detailed side-by-side comparison between these vehicles, check out this Vehicle History coverage.
2019 Toyota RAV4 vs. 2019 Subaru Forester
The 2019 Subaru Forester is a capable compact, with specs comparable to the CR-V, and it stands in roughly the same price range as the CR-V and the RAV4. It’s AWD-standard, and the 2.5L inline-four DOHC engine has plenty of get-up-and-go. The RAV4 boasts slightly higher horsepower, but if you’re looking for an adventure vehicle, the Forester can go just about anywhere you can take a RAV4.
What may be the deal breaker here is that it is only available in CVT, while the RAV4 offers plenty of trim levels with conventional automatic transmission. Some people don’t mind it, but others would rather buy a bus pass than deal with a CVT.
To see a more detailed side-by-side comparison between these vehicles, check out this Vehicle History coverage.
2019 Toyota RAV4 vs. 2019 Nissan Rogue
The 2019 Nissan Rogue is the most budget-friendly option on this list, coming in at around $3,000 under the average. The question is if it’s actually a bargain, or if you’re getting what you pay for.
Well, it’s CVT-only, and the entry level S Sport packs 141 horsepower and 147 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s not a bad daily driver, but you probably won’t want to take it on any camping trips. It does feature an all-wheel-drive option on most trim levels, but with just 141 horsepower, that’s only going to get you so far.
To see a more detailed side-by-side comparison between these vehicles, check out this Vehicle History coverage.
Best Option Between the 2019 RAV4 and its Competition
Based on the Honda Civic, the CR-V might be the best car on this list. That’s if we’re just going by the numbers. You can count on a CR-V to get you where you’re going, and it’ll probably fly right past its estimated 250,000-mile life expectancy.
If you’re looking for something more outdoorsy, that extra horsepower in the RAV4 really makes you feel like the king of the jungle, and without having to spend the extra money you’d need for a full-size truck or a Jeep.
We’d bet on a CR-V outliving a RAV4 by a few years, but you’ll have more fun in a RAV4. If you want to get out there on sand dunes, creek beds, and broken roads, the 2019 RAV4 is probably the best way to do it.
Is a 2019 RAV4 a Good Purchase?
Starting at under $25,000, the RAV4 might be the best entry-level adventure vehicle on the market today. The SUV’s 203-horsepower inline-four engine may not be a V6, but it feels the part, and the 219-horsepower hybrid variant may make the XSE the cleanest-running AWD available for the 2019 model year.
It won’t compete with a 2019 Wrangler or an F-150 in terms of sheer strength, but a Wrangler Rubicon starts at around $50,000, it barely gets over 20 mpg, and it’s estimated to run you about $700 a year for basic maintenance. Compared to that, the compact-sized 2019 RAV4 is surprisingly potent for the price, cheap to keep on the road or off it, and serves as a more practical daily driver than a Jeep or a full-size truck, to boot. As fun as a RAM 1500 may be to drive around town, you don’t always want to spend $10 on gas to pick up $5 worth of snacks at the corner store.
If you’re looking for a sensible family wagon that doubles as an outdoorsy adventure vehicle, this is about as good at it gets for under $30,000. It’s roomy, it’s comfortable, it can climb hills and march right through mud, gravel, and snow, and it’s exceedingly fuel efficient, even for its class. Simply put, there’s very little to complain about with the 2019 Toyota RAV4.
Photos: Toyota; Nissan; Subaru; Honda