The Toyota RAV-X Would Be the World’s Most Versatile Daily if It Weren’t Just a Concept

The current-gen Toyota RAV4 already has a mildly angry mug, but turns out you can coax even more fierceness from it with a little lift, fender flares, and some chunky tires. This RAV-X SEMA concept reimagines the RAV4 as a Dakar Rally-style vehicle, and honestly, it looks great. With the functionality of fat, adjustable shocks it could be a hoot to drive, too.

I love that we’re circling back to the concept of off-road capable crossover vehicles. A few decades ago, many compact SUVs, even unibody ones, had some charming gruffness to them. The first Mercedes-Benz ML came with true low range. Early RAV4s could be had with canvas roofs. Even the Land Rover Freelander had a run in the Camel Trophy.

Between Honda’s TrailSport trim and Pilot HRC concept, Subaru Wilderness models, the Hyundai Santa Fe‘s new knock-off Defender look, and the already-in-production RAV4 TRD Off-Road and Adventure trims, I think it’s fair to say that crossovers are trying hard to be cool again. But the RAV-X ventures beyond casual capability into novelty territory, with some caricature touches that remind me of how a Raptor trim changes a Ford.

If Toyota really could build a vehicle with the efficiency, driving dynamics, and general practicality of a RAV4, which also looked like a Dakar race vehicle and had highly stress-tolerant suspension, we’d have one heck of a rig on our hands! It’d be great for most people’s idea of off-roading, too: Flying down an unpaved state forest road out west, or the pothole-cratered roads of Newark in the great American east.

Toyota describes the concept’s suspension as: “Custom, fully adjustable, 2.5-inch internal bypass shocks are found front and rear. Dual Speed Compression adjustment allows precise tuning of the shock absorbers to smooth out the terrain and enhance vehicle handling and control. Front external reservoirs and rear piggyback reservoirs are added to keep shock oil temperatures in check when wheeling the vehicle off road. Ensuring the vehicle can repeatedly tackle the high desert terrain at speed, the SPAD engineers [Toyota’s Service Parts and Accessories division] developed forged aluminum front lower control arms and forged aluminum rear upper supports.”

OK—now that I’ve read all that, I’m realizing this car would have to cost about as much as a Ranger Raptor anyway, and still probably wouldn’t be able to take quite as much of a beating if it landed on a rock the wrong way. Still, I love the idea of a compact runabout you could fling over rough terrain once in a while.

The setup gives this RAV-X a two-inch lift, and widens the track by 6.3 inches. The tires are 265/65R17 which would be about 30 inches in diameter—small for a true truck, but definitely big for a RAV4. I really like the look of those wheels, too; the offset lines up with the fender flares so nicely. And the spoiler and high-clearance exhaust setup in the back really completes the rally raid vibe.

Toyota’s never going to put this into production, but honestly, it might serve people better than a heavy truck with a similar setup. As long as you drive it within the limits of its chassis. Or who knows, if that Honda Pilot HRC ends up selling well, Toyota might start making RAV4s meaner after all.

Anybody out there taking their RAV4 wheeling? Drop the author a line at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.