Toyota gave me the keys for a quick 20-minute spin around the small town of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Elkhart Lake is home to the famed Road America racetrack. Toyota personnel weren't bonkers enough to allow the GR to take to the track, but that's OK -- the roads around the area are quite fun when one gets behind the wheel of the right vehicle. And, surprisingly, the RAV4 GR Sport qualifies as a "right" vehicle for this sort of duty.
Shocking, I know.
Torque News Says The 2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport Is Tuned Just Right
Toyota could've half-assed this thing. Give it some sporty exterior trim bits and interior colors, make a minor tweak to the suspension, slap a GR badge on it, and call it a day. Fire some GR-related buzzwords into the media materials, too, just for good measure.
But, no. Toyota went to work. The company lowered this RAV's ride height, gave it specific power-steering mapping for the Sport mode, added 20-inch summer performance tires, gave it special tuning for the dampers and coil springs, reinforced the rear-suspension cross member, gave it a front performance damper, and added in a front lip and rear-wing spoiler. It also gave the RAV4 cooling ducts and a rear diffuser.
It all comes together nicely -- the RAV4 GR Sport is a delight to drive on the backroads. Family crossovers are rarely this fun. Body roll is muted well, the steering is accurate and appropriately heavy, and the hybrid powertrain is up to the task when you kick the spurs. Even the brakes seem happy to help out, though the drive loop didn't require too much serious use of the binders.
Slow it all down and take it out of Sport mode, and the RAV4 works just fine as your standard, run-of-the-mill commuter vehicles. You don't have to sacrifice comfort and convenience at the altar of fun-to-drive.
The plug-in hybrid system combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and an electric motor to put out 324 system horsepower. It felt more lively than many hybrids I've driven, with relatively smooth transitions between modes. This RAV4 is all-wheel drive with electronically controlled continuously variable automatic transmission.
A little extra power would be appreciated, but this RAV4 doesn't feel slow, and that lively hybrid powertrain feels nice and responsive.
Downsides are few -- the biggest issue was engine noise. That, however, was also a byproduct of pushing hard, and it wasn't as obvious in more sedate driving.
Torque News Says The Toyota Interior Is Divisive
As fun as the GR Sport is, Toyota interior design is a bit wonky these days. Angles and edges dominate the look, and the huge 12.9-inch center stack screen dominates one's view. It's a little odd, but the controls work well, and that's what matters the most.
Headroom and legroom for the driver were more than adequate.
The GR Sport does present one problem -- it's a little pricey, with a starting tag around $48,000. Yes, that's within spitting distance of the average MSRP for a new car, but it's still not cheap.
Available features include a power liftgate, all-season tires, LED lighting, dual exhaust, a dash cam, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, satellite radio, premium audio, paddle shifters, Bluetooth, heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, and heated front seats.
Fuel economy is listed at 40 mpg city/33 mpg highway/36 mpg combined.
Your author was a little skeptical when Toyota decided to go all-hybrid for the RAV4. Not because I am a hybrid hater -- I am not -- but because I wondered if the move away from internal combustion engines meant that the focus would be wholly on fuel efficiency. But the Camry has shown that Toyota can build a hybrid that's well-balanced enough for commuting duty, fuel economy, and even a bit of sporty driving.
Now, this RAV4 shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Toyota can cook up a fun SUV and use a hybrid powertrain to do it.
Car enthusiasts often have to set aside the fun-to-drive factor in favor of utility. Adult responsibilities tend to do that. Here, though, drivers can have their cake and eat it, too. Kids? Pets? Stuff? You can haul things around all day, and then when the opportunity presents itself, haul a little ... you know what.
The Toyota of 10 years ago never would've cooked something like this up. I am glad that the Toyota of 2026 let the engineers loose.
About The Author
Tim Healey is an experienced automotive writer and editor from Chicago. He has covered automotive news at Consumer Guide Automotive, Web2Carz, AutoGuide, and was the managing editor at The Truth About Cars. Tim is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association. You can find him on Facebook, X/Twitter, and on LinkedIn.
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