2021 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road First Test: Temper Those Expectations
Sometimes, combining two good things makes for one super awesome thing. See: chocolate and peanut butter. Sometimes, not so much. See: the 2021 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road.
On paper, it should work. The RAV4 is a solid compact crossover that's a few minor upgrades away from being fantastic. Toyota Racing Development, better known as TRD, makes awesome off-road stuff and incorporates them on rigs like the Tacoma pickup and 4Runner SUV. Problem is, not all TRDs are made the same. A TRD Pro means the TRD people really went to town on the vehicle. TRD Off-Road means someone threw some off-road-ish parts at it and called it a day.
That's what we have here, albeit with a weaker starting point for an off-road rig than a Tacoma or 4Runner. There's already an off-road-ish RAV4 trim called the Adventure, but Toyota decided to cash in on the TRD name with the RAV4 TRD Off-Road. the TRD Off-Road gets knobbier tires, retuned shock absorbers, and some skidplates. Along with some dress-up parts, the whole thing cost an extra $3,685 over a RAV4 Adventure.
Off-Road Means Unpaved Road
Despite having "Off-Road" right in the name, though, the RAV4 TRD Off-Road isn't much more off-road-capable than the Adventure. Ride height stays the same, at 8.6 inches, as in the Adventure. Approach, breakover, and departure angles don't change meaningfully, either, so this SUV can't tackle any bigger obstacles than the Adventure can.
We should've expected that to be the case, especially after Toyota's brand manager told us as much when the vehicle was introduced. To be sure, though, we took the TRD Off-Road to an off-road park and hit the bunny slopes. Sure enough, we were dragging the long nose or the low belly in no time at all. The skidplates, at least, felt like they were worth the upcharge.
Toyota's Dynamic Torque-Vectoring All-Wheel Drive was even more disappointing. Such a system should be able to detect a spinning wheel and send power to the other side of the vehicle, but the TRD Off-Road didn't really do so. Over offset bumps or in deep ruts, it was easy to get one or more wheels barely in contact with the ground or completely in the air, at which point the all-wheel-drive system half-heartedly tried transferring power before just giving up and letting the loose wheels spin.
It's not all bad news, though. You just have to know the vehicle's limitations are much lower than the TRD Off-Road badges suggest. We also took it through sand and mud and found the beefier tires and all-wheel-drive system handled those situations much better. As long as your definition of off-road is limited to bad weather and unpaved roads, the RAV4 TRD Off-Road will get you there. Just like the RAV4 Adventure, or really, any all-wheel-drive RAV4.
The Cost Isn't Just in Dollars
If the TRD Off-Road were simply underwhelming off-road, it would be more forgivable as most owners won't do much, if any, off-roading. Unfortunately, the revalving of the shock absorbers for off-road duty hasn't served anyone well. On-road, the TRD Off-Road rides more stiffly than other RAV4s, which are already firm. This only makes things worse off-road, where you're constantly jostled. Generally, off-road shocks are softer to better absorb rough surfaces, but for some reason Toyota went the other way on this one.
The mechanical changes have had almost zero effect on the RAV4 Off-Road's instrumented performance compared to other models, though. Off-road tires tend to produce less cornering and braking grip on pavement than street tires, but the Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail 01As fitted here make no real difference.
The RAV4 TRD Off-Road stops from 60 mph in 130 feet, on the long side for the segment but otherwise even with other RAV4 models we've tested. Similarly, the 0.79 average lateral g it pulled on the skidpad and its 28.0-second figure-eight lap at 0.59 average g are right on top of other RAV4s.
Additionally, the RAV4 TRD Off-Road accelerates to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds, within tenths of any other non-hybrid sibling. It's an acceptable time for a compact crossover, but we can't help but wish the TRD Off-Road were offered with the RAV4's impressive hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. The extra power makes the RAV4 better to drive on the road and would help off-road, as well, all while getting better fuel economy. As is, the TRD Off-Road's transmission seems to be programmed the same as any other non-hybrid's and prioritizes efficiency over acceleration.
The Bottom Line
You can get a set of the TRD Off-Road's Falken all-terrain tires for less than $1,000 after tax, so we can't see any good reason to spend nearly $3,700 on the whole package. We recommend you stick with the RAV4 Adventure and buy a new set of off-road tires if you plan to spend a lot of time in mud, sand, and snow. That way, you'll retain the better ride quality and have effectively the same off-road capability. Stay out of situations where you'd need skidplates (which, as established, are hard to get into with a RAV4 anyway), and you're good to go.
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Like many of my coworkers, my love for cars was cemented at a young age, thanks in part to Hot Wheels, car magazines, and every car poster I could afford when the book fair set up shop in my elementary school library. While most kids went straight for Where’s Waldo? and Goosebumps, I was torn between the poster of the Lamborghini Countach and the ’32 Ford hot rod with airbrushed flames on the cowling. In high school, I worked at Bergstrom's Antique Autos, a historic garage in Port Townsend, Washington. Surrounded by nearly a century of automotive history, I immersed myself in cleaning, sorting, and selling car parts and memorabilia. I also spent countless hours flipping through vintage car magazines and can comfortably say that I've looked through every Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Hot Rod, and Sports Car Graphic up until the early 1980s. Around the same time, I picked up photography—naturally, with cars as my main subject. Despite my high school photography teacher's advice to branch out, I stuck to my passion and attended every car show I could find. This led me to the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, where I earned a bachelor’s degree with a focus on automotive photography. I began my career at Motor Trend as a photography intern. After freelancing for a few years, I joined the Motor Trend team full-time in late 2010. My passion for cars and photography continues to fuel my work, and I hope it shines through in every shot.
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