The Toyota Rav4 TRD Off-Road Package: A Comprehensive Review

If you're looking for an SUV that can handle tough terrain, the Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road Package is definitely worth considering. This trim level offers a range of features and upgrades that make it perfect for drivers who live in areas with harsh weather conditions or need to tackle challenging off-road routes.

One of the key benefits of the TRD Off-Road Package is its improved suspension setup. By swapping out standard shocks and springs for upgraded components, Toyota has significantly improved the RAV4's ability to handle rough roads and uneven terrain. This upgrade also allows for more aggressive tire settings, which provide better traction and control on unpaved surfaces.

In addition to the suspension upgrades, the TRD Off-Road Package also includes a range of other features that enhance the RAV4's off-road capabilities. These include a torque vectoring differential, which is typically found on higher trim levels but is included as standard on the TRD version. This system works by dynamically distributing power between the front and rear wheels to improve traction and stability.

However, it's worth noting that this feature is not unique to the RAV4 TRD Off-Road Package. The RAV4 also offers a more advanced version of the torque vectoring differential on higher trim levels, which provides even better performance in challenging off-road conditions.

Another key benefit of the TRD Off-Road Package is its towing capacity, which is significantly higher than that of standard RAV4 models. With up to 3,500 pounds of towing capacity, the RAV4 can handle smaller trailers and boats with ease, making it an ideal choice for drivers who need to transport larger loads.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the TRD Off-Road Package is not significantly better than its standard counterparts. However, this may not be a major concern for drivers who are looking specifically for off-road capability rather than fuel efficiency.

One area where the RAV4 TRD Off-Road Package does excel is in ride quality. While it's still a relatively firm ride compared to standard RAV4 models, the additional suspension travel and tuned shock absorbers help to smooth out larger undulations and provide a more comfortable driving experience.

However, this trade-off comes at the cost of some on-road handling and refinement. The TRD Off-Road Package is not designed to be a comfortable daily driver, but rather a capable off-road vehicle that can handle rough terrain with ease. As such, it may not be the best choice for drivers who prioritize on-road performance and refinement.

In terms of noise levels, the tires used in the RAV4 TRD Off-Road Package are quiet and unobtrusive, even on paved surfaces. However, as they wear out, they will become progressively noisier due to the wear of the tire compound.

Finally, it's worth noting that acceleration performance is slightly affected by the torque vectoring differential. Drivers may notice a slight tug or pull on the steering wheel when accelerating and turning, although this effect is relatively minor and typically not noticeable on paved roads.

Overall, the Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road Package is an excellent choice for drivers who need an SUV that can handle tough terrain with ease. While it may not be the most comfortable daily driver, its advanced suspension setup, torque vectoring differential, and high towing capacity make it a top contender in its class.

The Final Thoughts

Toyota has done an excellent job of creating a range of trim levels that cater to different driver needs and preferences. The TRD Off-Road Package is designed specifically for drivers who want off-road capability without sacrificing comfort or refinement.

One key aspect of the TRD Off-Road Package is its pricing, which starts at around $35,000 but can quickly add up to over $40,000 depending on the level of trim and features. While this may be a significant investment, many drivers will find that the added capabilities and features make it well worth the extra cost.

In terms of competition, the RAV4 TRD Off-Road Package faces stiff competition from other off-road-capable SUVs like the Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V. However, its advanced suspension setup, torque vectoring differential, and high towing capacity give it a significant edge in this regard.

Ultimately, the Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road Package is an excellent choice for drivers who need an SUV that can handle tough terrain with ease. Its unique blend of off-road capability, comfort, and refinement makes it an ideal choice for those who want to take their daily driving experience to new heights.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ennow you may have gotten a chance to see my Toyota rav4 video that covers all the detail if you haven't watched that because I'm just gonna give you a brief overview on the rav4 itself and then cover the TRD off-road specific elements so we don't take up too much your time let's get started oh yeah that filter is lit much like the TRD off-road package this is yet another trim level that Toyota has slapped on most of their newer models and according to one of the VP's from the company it's to offer buyers a little bit more excitement more choices it keeps the brand's hot and that's exactly what I feel like when I'm in this and to be completely fair I just did a Toyota rav4 video and this is identical in every single way on the interior so I'm going to cover the pros and cons briefly the first the way that you utilize everything on the interior space from the HVAC controls the physicality of everything including the shifter there is no guesswork here and it's one of those nice vehicles you get in where you know how everything works without having to spend hours and hours trying to figure it out so that's great the next thing is it's pretty durable all these surfaces still look good they don't look super cheap but they're easy to clean up they'll take abuse they will take usage over the course of your 10-year ownership if you buy this and that is more than likely why you would look at a rav4 now let's get into some of the other details now before I move on to the negatives let's talk about some of the other great things usability I can fit my large Portillo's cup and the center of cup holder area with zero fuss with room to spare there's nooks and crannies for everything like my phone can go in the center storage area if you have a wireless charger it sits in there well it doesn't slide around and again functionality is as good as you're gonna get in a vehicle of this type now the negatives are are basically like I said in the other rav4 video so it is so far behind and they're graphical user interface their technology implementation this new wave of design with sticking a screen on the dash that looks like a third-grader designed it it just feels and looks super super cheap camera resolutions bad for backup cameras and this is the trade-off you get a great interior you get a vehicle that you're going to keep for a long time but these certain aspects just do not age well but let's head into the shop and we're gonna talk about some of the TRD specific things that you get with us hi I'm underneath the Toyota rav4 TRD off-road package or trim level if you want to know all the details about the new rav4 watch the previous video so I'm gonna cover the changes they made here one it has eight point six inches of ground clearance however it does not have any underbody protection no skid plates the departure and approach angle have not changed so this is not going to be rock crawling but they have made some changes to the suspension which is basically three things one it has TRD springs and revised spring rates and it has TRD dampers which have a fancy little stamp on the outside body they've changed the compression and rebound they've changed the bump stops so if you're on a trail you're getting all this wheel travel it's not gonna hit the bump stops as quickly as the traditional TR the traditional rav4 model the last thing that they've changed in terms of suspension tuning is the Falcon wild pique semi off-road tires now this is not gonna be you know tearing up serious offroading but it's good enough and there's a good enough amount of meat on here to drive on the street and go on a trail again so the last part is the torque vectoring differential they claimed to have slightly retuned it and it was already tuned great to do take care of multiple conditions but this allows you to do down hills descent control it has a mud and gravel and all of that so if you're really going off-roading it's capable of sending power to either one of these wheels exclusively so a hundred percent of the torque to the rear left 100 percent of the torque to the rear right or it can be couple itself completely and just go front-wheel drive but that's all electronically controlled but that's enough of that let's take this for a drive and see how it operates the Rev for TRD off road the same negatives are here from the previous or have for video I did there's some strange transmission performance it gets a little bit herky-jerky once in a while the stability control system is far too aggressive if there's any amount of wheelspin what we'll do is just completely cut the power from the engine and it will progressively feed it back in but there's times where it feels like it's running on two cylinders rather than four if you break traction and with these off-road ish tires it makes it a little bit worse the last negative part that carries over is this engine as far to ratalie they need to figure out how to control NVH from it either with engine coverings or more coverings in general because it's the one of the things is this is such a refined product for this class the engine is just too noisy but again that's carryover from the other rav4 video now with the TRD specifically you're buying this because you want a little bit more off-road capability you get higher ground clearance you get retune shocks and springs and you get tires that are more suited for trails and that's what you would buy this for if you're in a bad climate like Alaska or something where you get a lot of snow or a lot of sand the torque vectoring differential that's in this which is also on the higher trim levels of the other RAV force it does a much better job than a traditional on-demand system because it's more flexible that way so this would be the model that you would get if you're in really bad conditions now the other part is of course it toes up to 3,500 pounds so you can tow some smaller stuff like PwC's and this the the reason you get this is if you don't want a much bigger SUV that feels bigger that is a lot heavier gets worse fuel economy this eliminates the need for most people to get like a 4runner or another toyota product like that where that's far more truck ish now the last part to talk about is you know you have this suspension setup this is not something you're going to whip around corners but surprisingly even with these tires it does a good job thanks to one the suspension tuning into the torque vectoring differential the ride quality hit that you get from having more wheel travel on the up you know the suspension that is more accommodating for off-road use is you get a 10% in my approximation the ride is about 10% worse which means it's a little bit more truck ish it doesn't handle it doesn't smooth out larger undulations and it doesn't feel as smooth and it's compliant over most bumps you get just this little jitteriness to it and that again it's like a 10% difference and most people are never gonna pick up on it now the tires are quiet so far but it's only got 1500 miles on it as it turns like this where they're gonna get progressively more noisy but I feel like they did a good job of picking the tire compound to make sure this is not gonna distract you when you're driving now the last part is acceleration there's a little bit of torque steer that comes off of this it doesn't particularly matter how you're driving if you're turning and accelerating you feel it tugging just a bit which is the only driving thing that that annoys me besides from the engine noise again this is a really good product overall I think they're giving you another trim level that makes the Rev for the person who wants the Evie ish car the plug-in hybrid version they have a hybrid version which is powerful and great fuel efficiency they have a you know naturally aspirated engine like this where you don't want to deal with any of that you're gonna keep this a long time they have something for everybody and that's exactly what Toyota is trying to do with this so let's get into the final thoughts and we'll talk about the pros and the cons final thoughts on the TRD off-road package for the rav4 so here it is Toyota is getting more and more inventive with all of their cars and SUVs to create these different trim levels and the trim levels go from the poverty spec for somebody that doesn't want to spend a lot of money all the way to the TRD version which this starts at 35 and ends at 40 the way that this is optioned out that is a ton of money now the thing is they are doing their best to try to keep people inside their family of vehicles so I talked to Jack about this he's like well if you get a base model and you love it and you don't want to go outside of the Toyota lineup but you still want to a rav4 they're trying to invent these new trim levels and all of this to keep people interested in the product now in the case of the TRD at least this it's not offering a whole lot I mean it's just doing springs dampers tires and wheels and that's something you can do in the aftermarket and there's no skid plates there's not really anything that's gonna make this more durable if you need to take it off roading so this is doing the same thing that other the other trim levels are doing for the most part and the subtle tweaks of the rear differential are not noticeable on the street at all now it still rides good I think they found a great balance between ride quality wind noise all of that it's just they've massaged this car just enough to get the mainstream buyers interested in it without it being a total cookie cutter appliance in every single level and that's why they sell so many and that's why people are loyal to it it just works and I think that's the best part about the rav4 even the TRD version whether you want this or not thanks for watching I'll see you next time you you\n"