TECH UPGRADES! -- The 2023 Toyota RAV4 has *More* Changes than What Meets the Eye!

Here's the 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XSE! For 2023, Toyota has upgraded the interior with some BIG Tech and additional design choices! So is America's best-selling family car the one to buy? Or should you buy the new competition: the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, or Nissan Rogue? Go ahead: CLICK to find out :) Also, be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and tap the notification bell if you enjoyed this review -- it helps us more than you can imagine!
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0:00 Intro
1:24 Detailed Exterior Walkaround
6:03 Interior Design & Technology
15:05 Rear Seats & Cargo
18:37 Test Drive & Impressions
22:23 Sound Level Reading (dB)
25:45 Air Ball & Slam Dunk
27:33 Pricing

© Car Confections, LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
“Sampling the Latest Automotive Delicacies!”

[treads]

The issue isn't how good the car is. The issue is that Toyota can't seem to make enough of them to meet demand.

[AlexandriPatris]

I just decided on the XSE over the weekend. I long ago decided on a hybrid, but I was going back and forth between the RAV4 XSE, the RAV4 XLE Premium, and the new 2024 CRV Sport-L. I have decided that many of the features available on the XSE were worth the higher price and the slightly lower cargo volume (compared to the RAV4).
Now it's just a matter of getting my hands on one, though the dealership is aware that I won't be ready to buy until the end of August so there's not an immediate rush.

[elizabethstewart]

Great review!! I just bought this exact car (XSE Hybrid) for my 21 year old son. In fact, I think it's the exact same color (silver). His car has some cool cross bars across the top. We looked at cars for a LONG time. Since dealerships have inventory issues, it was challenging trying to test drive cars. I was leaning toward the CR-V Sport Hybrid, but 95% of the ones we looked at did not have Blind Spot monitoring (dealers told me it's the chip shortage). Honda also has ridiculous dealer mark-ups ($3, 000 +) on their cars (nitrogen, pin stripping, Lojack, paint protection, etc) making even their low trim levels pricey. I like that Toyota doesn't skimp on safety features. The lane keep assist works really well. The hybrid is so quiet, and it really has a decent amount of pep. Plus 42 MPG is awesome! We lucked out because I called a local dealership, and they they had one on their lot. We drove it, and I bought it the next day. I was worried the car would sell in a few hours, but we drove to the dealership and bought it the next morning. I know Toyotas are super reliable and hold their value. We paid $43, 000 OTD which is more than I wanted to spend on his car, but I'm thrilled he is driving something safe and something he will have for a long time.

[dambo]

That colour combo, especially with the 19 inch alloys, is absolutely stunning.

[SBohemian]

LOVE IT. I got mine late 2019. 60k done. Not a single issue

[CarConfections]

Happy Tuesday and thanks for watching! The interior has a funny deleted scene so make sure you stay tuned for that... 😂

[autobuff]

Ordered my 2023 XSE about 2 weeks ago without any dealer markup. It’s loaded without the crossbars and running board. Scheduled to be built the latter part of July.

[wantsanewvehicle]

So..I had a 2021 rav4 xse that had every package you could get on it at the time. I had it for 1 year and 13k miles. I sold it because I had the opportunity to make $5k over what I bought it for (msrp), also, I kind of wanted something different. After selling it, I couldn't really decide on what to get- I only had minor things with the rav4 that I didn't like. So, I went to the toyota dealership and ordered a 2023 with exactly the same spec lol. They told me it should be about 2 months to come in. I waited those two months and it was nowhere in sight, so on black Friday i ventured out looking at other vehicles. I decided to get a 2023 santa fe limited, thinking "well, this will hold me over until the rav4 comes in and then I'll trade this toward the rav4". Rav4 finally came in about 2 months ago, I went and drove it and got lowballed on my santa fe. I realized that I literally like EVERYTHING about the santa fe, except the fuel economy, better than the rav4. Plus, I couldn't justify losing ~$6k for 5k miles and 4 months on a vehicle that was in mint condition.

The only thing the santa fe does not have that the rav4 had is heated wipers, which didn't honestly work that great on the rav4 anyways. Also, the digital rearview mirror- I got an aftermarket digital rear view mirror from amazon for around $100 (so, much cheaper than the factory toyota digital rearview mirror) - the quality is MUCH better, and it works as a dash cam FRONT & REAR, also it's considerable larger.

The sound system is better in the santa fe, the heated steering wheel works as it should (the whole thing heats up, instead of just the sides as it does in the rav4), I have ventilated seats (a bit of a gimmick, but helps a little), the digital gauge cluster looks much better (the 2023 rav4 I ordered had one), the panoramic roof is considerably larger and opens much more, more room, the app works better for remote starting the vehicle, it rides much much nicer, much more power from the engine, interior looks and feels much higher quality, headlights are better, etc.

The only con is the fuel economy, it's hard getting ~20mpg combined when I got ~45mpg combined all day every day in the rav4 with no change at all to my spirited driving style.

My biggest complaint with the rav4, and all 2019+ rav4's have this issue (my 2021 did since day 1, and the 2023 did as well and it's well known within the community that it's an issue). The side view mirror glass shakes the whole time you're driving. You can get used to it, but it's very annoying to say the least. Toyota has a 'fix' for this- they put more reinforcement between the mirror itself and the inside of the door. This does nothing at all to fix the issue, the issue is that actual glass..however it is connected to the fixture is a terrible way of doing it. Also, the first time I used my heated mirrors, my driver's side mirror shattered. They fixed it under warranty, but I feel it made this issue worse on that side lol.

Would I go back to a rav4 hybrid? Maybe.. if a loaded xse as like $30k or under. But for ~$42k when there are much better options? No thanks..

[Shambles]

I really impressed with this RAV4 . Prop to Toyota 👌

[AlHarameenUSA]

Thank you for the review. But, please note that the XSE HYBRID Battery Type is: Sealed Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Voltage: 259.0V not Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) 244.8V according to the E Brochure from Toyota's website on page #25. Toyota has 3 deferent type of batteries on the 2023 RAV4. 1) Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) Voltage: 244.8V for the trim models: (LE, XLE & Woodland Edition). 2) Sealed Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Voltage: 259.0V for the trim models (XLE Premium, SE, XSE & Limited). 3) Sealed Lithium-ion (Li-ion) Voltage: 355.2V for the Prime SE & Prime XSE.

[bjsimon]

My Rav4 is 14 years old, and has taken me in the toughest snow and terrain in Canada, but the new one is much better than mine.

[darriontunstall]

It looks alright! Toyota makes good cars

[stancartmankenny]

Testicle stickers? I guess I'm in that part of youtube again.

[josephpayton]

Its like a you get what you get and you dont have a fit like situation when talking about the price. This rav4 offers a lot for this class. Yes its costly but when u think about it , majority of the competition don’t have as much to offer as this does specifically the new CRV. And on top of that not only is the Hybrid more efficient its also more powerful than its gas version which is something not all hybrid toyotas are capable of. Now imo, this is has the best overall design and factually this has the best sells and resale value. You can tell by just how many are on the road. Every time u blink theres a rav4 in sight. But ye back to the pricing. Automotive manufacturers tend to send automotive journalist a vehicles that offers everything they have. Like the exterior accessories, those really aren’t needed. It just makes the car look better and more unique for the camera. And i have to say, they did a pretty damn good job on this spec because not all Rav4’s look this “cool”. And to have all these feature you are gonna have to pay the price.

[jprizzleson]

I absolutely love my 2023 Rav4 XLE. I'm hitting an easy 30mpg.

[robertg]

I personally went with the LE version, and added the mudflaps, rear electronic lift gate, all windows tinted to match the stock rear tint, i didnt want the moonroof which was automatic in the xle package but i paid 29, 899 for it added extended 150k mile warranty 12 years added the other parts myself for 1, 800 so i basically got the XLE for 32, 000 with no sunroof😂😂😂😂

[witchofthewildwoods]

I recently made a deposit on an XLE Premium hybrid, due to enter production this month. If it's anywhere near as reliable as my 2007 Prius I'll be ecstatic!

[ponch]

I’ve had mine for almost 3 months it’s a 2023 RAV4 hybrid and I think it’s one of the best vehicles own

[ryanfrisby]

Excellent review and I—don’t even want to know what images you would’ve gotten had these been Siri

[RajaMungamuri]

EV ratio plays a key role in plug-in or hybrid vehicles fuel economy example my outlander PHEV does gives 1L~2L/100 i.e. 235/114 MPG if I drive within 100km range after each charge, & when battery depleted with one pedal drive it gives 6L/100 approx 40MPG when I drive 700 kms without charge but official figures speaks otherwise!