If you’re shopping for a new sport utility vehicle, there’s a good chance you have at least one Toyota on your list. We pick the best Toyota SUV of them all.
Toyota is currently the largest automaker in Japan, offering seven unique SUVs across its 2021 model lineup. These include the C-HR, RAV4, Highlander, Venza, 4Runner, Sequoia, and the Land Cruiser. From its humble beginnings as a small Japanese loom company (more below), Toyota drew inspiration from the industrial revolution to become an automotive powerhouse that’s now known the world over.
Toyota SUVs are widely recognized for their utilitarian, workmanlike performance as well as their above-average reliability ratings. Currently, each model holds a minimum overall rating of 80/100 on J.D. Power, spread across categories like quality and reliability, driving experience, and resale.
Which is the best Toyota SUV currently available? To understand the answer, you’ll first want to know the basics of each SUV model that the automaker currently offers.
Toyota History: Building a Brand
Long before Toyota would become internationally renowned as the creative force behind iconic vehicles like the 4Runner, RAV4, Camry, Land Cruiser, and many more, the company started with very humble beginnings.
At age 23, a carpenter’s apprentice by the name of Sakichi Toyoda drew inspiration from his mother’s weaving career and patented the first wooden, manually operated loom and automatic loom. This led to his first company, Toyoda Loom Works Ltd.
However, in 1910, Toyoda was forced out of the company due to excessive spending, losing rights to his factory, employees, and assets. A short time later, Sakichi visited the U.S., drawing inspiration from American automotive culture.
In 1918, Toyoda returned to Japan and formed the Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company, which focused on the manufacturing and sale of cloth. At this time, his son Kiichiro, who was an engineer, joined the company.
In 1929, for 1 million yen, Toyoda sold the rights to his automatic loom line to Kiichiro, with the condition the funds were used for his son to travel to America to learn automotive production, build Japan’s first automobile, and help the country compete in the global industrial revolution.
After Sakichi’s death in 1930, Kiichiro put research and development into overdrive, establishing an automotive division. By 1935, the firm developed Japan’s first prototype engine, which was used on its very first vehicle, the model A1. It was an inspiring feat, especially considering Kiichiro’s family and management team were not optimistic about an automotive-led future.
Also in 1935, Toyoda was rebranded to Toyota, taking advantage of linguistic rules with only eight brush strokes required for simpler branding and an easier-to-read logo.
At this point, the newly formed Toyota Motor Corporation established a network of dealerships across the country with a second company, Toyota Motor Company Limited, focusing on facilities production, including its famed Koroma factory.
In early 2021, Sakichi Toyoda’s great-grandson, Akio Toyoda, who is the current President and CEO of Toyota was bestowed the 2021 World Car Person of the Year Award by a panel of international journalists.
“In 2020, under his leadership, Toyota remained profitable, despite COVID-19, thus protecting jobs worldwide,” announced the World Car Awards. “He has maintained Toyota’s steady pace of development for the Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric era … All while actively participating in motorsports himself, as a driver.”
Toyota Highlander: Comfortable Three-row Crossover
Toyota introduced the Highlander SUV for the 2001 model year as a car-based counterpart to the 4Runner. In short: better on-road handling at the expense of off-road capability. First-year sales were just short of 87,000 units, topping out at nearly 140,000 units by the end of its first generation in 2007.
The latest 2021 Highlander comes in six unique trims (not counting hybrid), including the L, LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, Platinum. The entry price for a base L sits at $34,910 and the top-tier Platinum starts at $47,065. Regardless of the trim, LED headlights, three-zone climate control, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ (to name just a few) are standard. The same goes for the one engine that’s available, a 296 hp 3.5L V6.
In the last five years, the Highlander has had several recalls, the most expansive being a faulty fuel pump that affected around 1.5 million models. The 2021 Highlander currently has 0 recalls, eight registered complaints, and an overall five-star safety rating from the NHTSA. If you’re after a Toyota SUV with a third row that can go off-road but is more at home on pavement, the Highlander will be your go-to.
Toyota RAV4: Capable Compact
In 1994, Toyota released the RAV4 SUV in Europe and Japan after it spent five or so years in concept purgatory. Two years later it hit U.S. shores sporting a 120 hp 2.0L four-cylinder paired to either a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual. Toyota sold more than 300,000 RAV4’s globally in the first three years, with that number increasing to more than 10 million as of 2021.
What’s more, the RAV4 was the world’s best-selling SUV in 2019, followed by the Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Hyundai Tucson.
Toyota offers the RAV4 in six trim levels (non-hybrid), including the LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure, TRD Off-Road, and Limited. These range from a starting MSRP of $26,250 to $55,980, with the LE being the value option and the TRD Off-Road topping the list.
Although the base 2.5L four-cylinder has more power than its competitors, it’s also the only engine available. If you have a heavy foot or need to tow more than 3,500 pounds, the RAV4 may not be for you.
2021 Toyota Venza
The Venza hit the North American market for the 2009 model year with just a single trim level available. While nearly 55,000 units sold its first year, this number continued dropping (even after a 2012 mid-cycle refresh) and was ultimately discontinued in 2015. To the surprise of many, in 2021 Toyota brought the Venza back. But this time around as a hybrid-only two-row crossover slotted between the RAV4 and Highlander.
The Venza now comes in one of three trims, the LE, XLE, and Limited. For its second-go, Toyota packed the Venza with standard features, including 18 in alloys, an eight-way power seat, an eight in infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a blind-spot monitoring system, and more.
For nearly $7,500 more, the Limited trim adds features like heated and cooled front seats, an available Star Gaze panoramic roof, a bird’s eye view camera, and a 12.3 in touchscreen (to name just a few).
The latest rendition of the Venza boasts an impressive 40 mpg city and 37 highway, making it the second most fuel-efficient SUV in the Toyota lineup, right behind the RAV4 Hybrid. What’s more, it does this while also being four-wheel-drive. If you find the ride and styling of the RAV4 to lack refinement, the Venza is the perfect alternative with its upscale, modern interior, and nearly unmatched efficiency.
Toyota C-HR: Subcompact with Full-size Personality
The C-HR came out in 2018, sporting much of what was already loved about the RAV4, but wrapped in a smaller package and geared for a younger crowd. Toyota ended 2018 by selling just under 50,000 units, which is a far cry less than the 430,000 RAV4’s that were sold, but still admirable for a newer model.
One of the biggest issues with the C-HR, just one engine has ever been offered, a 2.0L four-cylinder good for 144 hp that’s paired to a CVT. While capable of decent fuel economy (27 city/31 highway), the 11-second 0-60 time is just too slow for many.
The other thing you’ll see owners mentioning is that the C-HR’s interior is small and cramped and that it has a blind spot problem. Thankfully for the latter, the C-HR comes standard with Toyotas Safety Sense 2.5, which adds features like lane-departure alert (with steering assist) and dynamic radar cruise control to increase visibility on the road.
If you’ve settled on a Toyota SUV but want to stretch your budget, the C-HR is a great option. Not only is it nearly $5,000 less than the next model up (RAV4), but it comes standard with much of the same features.
Toyota 4Runner: Rugged Mid-size Off-roader
The beloved 4Runner was initially released in 1984 as a successor to the Toyota Trekker compact SUV. Early sales figures were low, with less than 6,500 units being sold in its first year.
However, this improved to around 20,000 units annually within five years. Nowadays, Highlander sales are consistently above 200,000 units, which is about half of what the smaller RAV4 does each year.
Toyota offers the 2021 4Runner in nine trim packages. These being the SR5, Trail Special Edition, SR5 Premium, TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium, Venture Special Edition, Limited, Nightshade Special Edition, and TRD Pro. Base prices range from $37,765 to $50,745, with a plethora of different convenience, safety, and off-road features making up the spread.
If your goal is to use a 4Runner as it’s intended — as an off-road warrior — we suggest the TRD Off-Road trim at a minimum for its locking rear differential.
If you’re comparing a 4Runner to the similarly-sized Highlander, think of the former as the rugged, outdoorsy counterpart, and the latter more of a road-cruiser/daily driver.
Regardless, we’ve received thousands of positive owner reviews about the 4Runner in just the last five years alone. While it’s long overdue for a redesign, it’s still one of the best off-road SUVs you can get from Toyota without stepping up to the $85,565 base price of the Land Cruiser.
Toyota Sequoia: Room for the Whole Family
While the Toyota Sequoia hasn’t seen a massive number of sales since its 2001 release — peaking just shy of 46,000 in 2005 — it has built a reputation for reliability, even landing second on AutoWeek‘s “Vehicle Most Likely to Reach 200,000 Miles” list. The 2006 Sequoia also picked up our “Owner’s Choice” award, which we only grant to the top 20 models in their class.
The 2021 Sequoia comes in six trim variations, consisting of the SR5, TRD Sport, Limited, Nightshade Special Edition, TRD Pro, and Platinum. One thing to remember about the latest Sequoia is that it hasn’t changed much since the release of its second-generation in 2008, so the platform itself is dated.
However, Toyota has kept it mostly updated, including many of the same standard safety features found on other models in its lineup. Some of these include Toyota Safety Sense P, Blind-Spot Monitoring with Cross-traffic Alert, and the Star Safety System.
We love the Sequoia, but with the second-highest starting price in the Toyota SUV lineup ($50,200), the platform is just too dated to be the “best” of them all. The same goes for the only offered engine, a 381 hp 5.7L V8. While there’s really no problem with it other than its mediocre fuel economy (14 city / 20 highway), a more efficient engine option would have been nice. The good news is that the next-gen 2023 Sequoia isn’t too far away.
Toyota Land Cruiser: Unstoppable Road Warrior
The Land Cruiser was a product of the Korean War amidst increased demand for off-road vehicles. Used by Japan’s National Police Reserve Forces, the Land Cruiser was initially christened the Jeep BJ before a trademark dispute with Willys-Overland Motors forced a name change to the Land Cruiser. Early on, the Land Cruiser achieved international acclaim for its ascent up nearly Mt Fiji by Ichiro Taira, a daring test driver.
Today, the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser is a respectable workhorse in the luxury large SUVs segment. It sports a 381 horsepower 5.7L V8 engine with four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
However, it lags with fuel economy compared to other vehicles in the segment, producing a modest 13 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway. We also wish there were more than two trims available, which consist of the base model and the Heritage Edition.
However, similar to the Toyota Sequoia, the platform is pretty dated. Other than the 2020 release of the Heritage Edition, no major changes have been made since 2016. We love the heritage and capabilities, but not the $85,565 starting price — unless you’re an avid off-roader.
Best Toyota SUV Overall: RAV4
The 2020/2021 RAV4 wins our pick for Best Toyota SUV for its unmatched versatility. Do you spend a lot of time in stop-and-go traffic? The RAV4 Hybrid offers an impressive 41 city mpg thanks to features like the Stop and Start Engine system, making it the most efficient Toyota SUV. Are you looking to head off-road? The TRD Off-Road package adds dynamic torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive (AWD), a TRD-tuned front and rear suspension, and 18 in six-spoke alloy wheels.
The 2020 RAV4 currently holds a 4.41/five-star owner satisfaction rating across 136 reviews, and a 4.8/5 expert review on Vehicle History (2021 data coming soon). While it can’t seat more than five like the Highlander or Sequoia, it does actually seat five, comfortably, which you’ll rarely hear Venza or C-HR owners say. The price range is also one of the lowest on this list, starting at just $26,250 for the LE, up to $37,330 for the Limited Hybrid.
Want to see a full video review of the 2020 RAV4? Check out Car Wows review below:
Photos: Toyota
