Cargo space is an important feature for an SUV. How does the Toyota RAV4 cargo capacity stack up to the competition?
Cargo capacity is an essential feature in most vehicles outside of sports cars. However, it is often overlooked when shopping for an SUV.
If you’re in the market for a sport utility vehicle, you’re most likely hauling family members, kids to practice, or loads of groceries. When shopping for a new or used Toyota RAV4, you want to be positive you’ll have enough room for any activities that come your way.
Whether it is a family vacation or a short camping trip, it is comforting to have space to pack whatever you want, not just what you need.
The Toyota RAV4 immediately started impressing the American market after its release in 1997. Although the Toyota RAV4 has become an iconic off-road-focused compact SUV, there have been a few stand-out competitors from varying brands over the years.
Unfortunately, the RAV4 was outshined by its biggest competitor, the first-generation Honda CR-V. More recently, the Toyota RAV4 came into its own in the SUV market by being America’s best-selling SUV for 2019, as reported by Car Pro USA.
When you’re in the market for a new or used vehicle, you generally end up comparing price, mile per gallon, and reliability. These are some of the most critical points to hit, of course, but when it comes to everyday usage, is getting a few more mpg worth not fitting all your luggage on a trip?
Fear not, in this article, we are going to walk you through the past couple generations of the Toyota RAV4 and see how they measure up in terms of cargo space compared to its rivals.
When comparing, we will use SUVs in similar price ranges to give you the most accurate judgment of the Toyota RAV4. Third-row seating full-size family SUVs be damned; these comparisons are for compact SUVs only.
Toyota RAV4: 5th Generation (2019-Present)
The redesigned 2019 Toyota RAV4 brought a fresh, futuristic feel to the RAV4 lineup. Offering five gasoline-powered and four hybrid-powered models, Toyota gave you plenty of options when it comes to choosing which RAV4 is suitable for you.
Top trim Adventure and Limited models feature torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive making it easy to put all 200 horsepower from the 2.5-liter gas engine to use when driving out to your favorite campsite.
The RAV4 Hybrid offers smoother acceleration due to the electric motors and surprising gas mileage at 41 mpg in the city. All this sounds wonderful, but how does it weigh up to the competition in terms of practicality?
You’ll be pleased to hear the current generation Toyota RAV4s have class-leading cargo space. With all seating in use, the rear cargo area measures 37.6 cu. ft.
Although it ruins the family-hauling aspect, you can fold the rear seats flat to gain more storage. By doing so, you can increase capacity to 69.8 cu. ft.
Toyota designed the RAV4 to have a low-slung, flat floor. This design forethought makes for better space utilization while keeping the RAV4 in a compact SUV class. See more details on the cargo space by checking out Car Wow auto influencer Mat Watson going over the specs in the video review below.
Aside from the standard cargo area, there are plenty of smaller storage cubbies scattered throughout the cabin.
As for the Toyota RAV4 Prime (Hybrid), the cargo space suffers, dropping luggage area to 33.5 cu. ft., and 63.2 cu. ft. with the seats folded flat.
The decrease in space is due to its large battery pack, but somehow it offers more space than other Toyota SUVs like the Venza.
5th-gen Toyota RAV4’s Competition
Being in the compact SUV class, the Toyota RAV4 has many competitors. Most notably, the Honda CR-V has battled with the RAV4 since its release. When pitting the latest versions against each other, it is tough to pick one or the other.
A 2020 Honda CR-V is powered by a 1.5 Liter turbo four-cylinder which puts out 190 horsepower putting power figures very close to each other.
The Honda CR-V also has similar cargo space figures, coming in at 37.6 cu. ft. with seating in use and 68.7 cu. ft. with seating flat.
Along with the previously mentioned features, legroom, and even some styling cues, the CR-V is almost interchangeable with a RAV4.
Even down to the pricing, they are practically indistinguishable. Mildly optioned 2020 Toyota RAV4s and mildly optioned 2020 Honda CR-Vs float around $34,000 at the time of writing.
Another notable mention has to be the 2020 Nissan Rogue. Offering 36.5 cu. ft. of cargo space, the Rogue is still plenty spacious for the average family.
The rest of the interior shapes up nicely, with plenty of leather and other soft-touch areas throughout the cabin. Technology shines through as well, with an eight-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, and numerous active safety features.
Impressively, the Rogue is offered around $26,000, which puts it at a steep discount compared to the Toyota RAV4. Where this bargain price shows face is in the drivetrain.
With the engine pumping out 181 horsepower, the Nissan Rogue engine isn’t far off numbers-wise but rather houses a droning and lousy power plant.
If you’re shopping for a new compact SUV from 2020, there are two clear options. While the Nissan Rogue is a more budget-friendly choice, the actual decision lies between the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4.
If we had to choose one, we’d select the 2020 Toyota RAV4 because of its outlandishly fun TRD model that impressed auto critics like Alex Lense of Motor Trend. This top trim model is the only significant upside from the CR-V, which doesn’t have an off-road-focused variant.
Toyota RAV4: 4th Generation (2013-2018)
The fourth-generation redesign of the iconic Toyota RAV4 proved to be one of the most significant improvements to the lineup.
Toyota took the third-generation RAV4 and did away with some of the nagging, early 2000s design that plagued the SUV.
Dropping the V6 engine for a more compact 180 horsepower four-cylinder engine, the RAV4 fell a bit in power figures but made up for it in reliability.
Toyota also ditched the side-hinged tailgate–pleasing the likes of Doug Demuro–for a traditional roof-hinged tailgate. This tailgate redesign means the spare tire now sits inside the cargo floor and a typical opening tailgate makes for more effortless loading into the rear of the vehicle.
Continuing to stray from the traditional Toyota RAV4 style, Toyota gave the compact SUV more angular front and rear fascias. The aggressive exterior changes were coupled with a more luxurious, soft-touch interior that made the RAV4 jump ahead of its long-standing Honda CR-V competitor.
Cargo space is one of its most notable advantages. The 2013 Toyota RAV4 has 38.4 cu. ft. with all seating in use. Fold all your seats down, and you can utilize the RAV4’s massive 73.4 cu. ft. of cargo area.
Not only was this impressive, but if ample room is what you’re after while still hauling passengers, nothing has the 2013 Toyota RAV4 beat.
4th-gen. Toyota RAV4’s Competition
Between the Honda CR-V and Hyundai Sante Fe, Toyota had its work cut out if it wanted its compact SUV on top. Honda’s CR-V is closest to knocking the RAV4 off the top spot.
Horsepower for the CR-V is provided by a compact four-cylinder engine, putting out 185 horsepower and 163 lb.-ft. of torque. The naturally aspirated four-cylinder made the CR-V merge with ease onto the freeway or get the kids to school in a hurry.
The 2013 Honda CR-V cargo space, for the first time in a while, was less than its rival the Toyota RAV4. Honda CR-V cargo area comes in at 37.2 cu. ft. with all seating in use and 70.9 cu. ft. with everything folded flat. Another major category to consider when buying an SUV is gas mileage.
No need to worry about the dueling compact SUVs; the EPA mileage is a matching 31 mpg highway between the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
The RAV4 beats the Honda CR-V in city mileage at 24 mpg, but this is only one mpg more than the Honda CR-V at 23 mpg city.
One other major competitor for the Toyota RAV4 is the Hyundai Santa Fe. The Hyundai Santa Fe originally debuted alongside the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 in the early 2000s.
Primarily going under the radar, the Hyundai Santa Fe never had much to offer over the competition. It wasn’t until the third generation released in 2013 that it became a threat.
Hyundai gave customers a simple, single model to choose from. Options and features were added via an array of different packages for the SUV.
Engine options consisted of a 2.4 liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder or a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Turbo-powered cars gained nearly 75 horsepower and 85 lb.-ft. of torque over the naturally aspirated versions.
Where the Hyundai Santa Fe truly shines is with its overwhelming cargo area. A 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has 35.4 cu. ft. available with all seating in use only comparing the five-seater model. Folding all those seats down allows for 80 cu. ft. to be used.
Holding 10 more cu. ft. over the Honda CR-V and seven cu. ft. over the Toyota RAV4 makes the Hyundai Santa Fe the clear answer if you’re worried about fitting all your gear for band practice.
Although the used car market can be picky, each compact SUV we’ve mentioned still floats around the same price range.
A 2013 Honda CR-V with around 100,000 miles can be found for $15,000 at the time of writing. The same went for a similar year and optioned Toyota RAV4 or Hyundai Santa Fe, keeping within a couple of thousand dollars of that $15,000 price range. This begs the question of which one you should pick?
Should You Buy a Toyota RAV4?
All things considered, the Toyota RAV4 has made a name for itself as the dependable and practical compact SUV. Whether that be the rugged first-generation or a future-focused 2021 RAV4 Hybrid, it is hard to go wrong when shopping for a compact SUV. Weighing against the competition, it truly comes down to nit-picking details as to why you’d choose one of the RAV4’s rival SUVs.
If you’re shopping for a brand-new or certified pre-owned compact SUV, it is hard to steer away from the Toyota RAV4. Edged out in price only by the Nissan Rogue, the RAV4 makes up for the price difference in safety features, interior quality, and overall space.
Unless you’re a diehard Honda fan, there isn’t much advantage of hopping into a CR-V over the RAV4 either. With similar interior features, power figures, and even cargo ratings, it comes down to which one you feel more comfortable in. At the end of the day, you won’t be disappointed choosing any of the Toyota RAV4 models of the past few years.
Photos: Toyota, Honda, Hyundai
