Over the past few years, it’s become mission critical to outfit even the tamest SUV with body cladding, roof rails and nubby tires and market that as a go-anywhere 4×4. In Toyota’s case, the existence of real off-roaders up-kitted by the Toyota Racing Development team – the outsized Sequoia and Tundra TRD builds and the ultra-rugged Tacoma TRDs – makes the existence of an off-road-oriented RAV4 seem like a more legit venture.

I spent last weekend tearing around north of Keystone and then out on the dazed-tourist-laden Kenosha Pass in the 2024 RAV4 TRD Off-Road edition, hoping that the Army Green paint job, some chunky Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires on TRD alloy wheels and actual underbody skid plates would revolutionize the drive.

As you might expect, it’s not quite the wiggling and hissing experience of the aforementioned TRDs and their jacked-up suspension and turbocharged hybrid engines. But, tires certainly make a huge difference in off-road confidence, so I see why many Coloradoans now simply outfit their own basic SUVs with chunkier rubber and save themselves a bundle.

Here, the Ontario-assembled RAV4 TRD Off-Road edition was a $42,000 effort, which included about $1,700 in off-road tech and the more helpful weather package: a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled perforated leather seating and rain-sensing wipers, plus rugged floormats and a full cargo-area mat, including the second-row seatbacks.

What’s unchanged here is the current, fifth-generation RAV4’s gas engine, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that’s good for 203 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. That first number still smokes the new Subaru Forester, but what it lacks in sheer screaming power, it kinda makes up for with up to 32 highway mpg.

The all-wheel-drive RAV4 TRD experience does provide additional suspension tuning for the coil springs and twin-tube shocks, which meant some extra smoothness on the Keystone trails or while cruising at the speed limit out on Kenosha’s bumps and occasional rocky stretches. There is, however, no additional lift to the RAV4’s regular clearance. 

The TRD and the associated Adventure trim both get a torque-vectoring AWD system, which will allow easier and more direct power distribution while cruising over contour. Motor Trend Magazine complained the system did not magically make the RAV4 feel like a tank, but I think they missed the point.

Like the other upgraded offroaders offered by many brands, the RAV4 TRD Off-Road is complete with rugged-looking wheel arches and body cladding, though its front and rear bumper plates are still sparkly, shiny plastic. I cannot gauge the weight-bearing capability of the roof rails — Google’s answers are all over the place, depending on aftermarket rack systems — but it looks like you ought to be able to thoroughly gear up the vehicle, as is the modern style.

Inside, the extra TRD badging complements RAV4’s slightly busy looking cockpit. While there’s a totally flat dash, the 10.5-inch touchscreen juts out vertically, but was easily connected to Apple CarPlay and its own built-in Toyota navigation works pretty well, especially when it can connect to a 5G signal.

The oversized, rubberized temperature controls are still big enough to be used while wearing oven mitts, and it’s got a multi-mode terrain control (rocks, sand, mud) and hard buttons for snow and hill-descent control. That system is of the screeching and clunking variety, as brakes automatically do the speed control work while you steer down scary pitches.

Overall, I felt reasonably comfortable using the RAV4 TRD Off-Road on mild routes, though bigger, loose rocks and the decreasing width of trails east of Frey Gulch caused me to backtrack. And then a gosh-darned CyberTruck passed me. I think I had better chances out there than those smirking dudes. 

And, in a similar end-of-season coda as the no-longer-offered Ford Bronco Everglades edition I drove recently, it’s also the end of the road for these purely gas-powered TRD and Adventure trims in 2025. 

Instead, Toyota offers its similar, $35,000 Woodland Edition with the RAV4 Hybrid, so it’s got 16 horsepower extra and a 37 mpg city/highway combo rating, as well as electronic AWD. In addition to the TRD’s mechanical upgrades, it adds a rear mount that you can use to attach a cargo carrier or a bumper-mounted bike rack. 

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.