- Toyota will reportedly update the RAV4 with new drive modes.
- The crossover will gain the automaker’s Multi-Terrain Select traction control system.
- The update will replace Trail and Snow modes with Mud & Sand and Snow & Dirt.
The sixth-generation Toyota RAV4 isn’t even that old, yet the automaker is reportedly already planning an update—albeit a minor one. Toyota will allegedly improve the crossover’s off-road capability with two new drive modes once reserved for the gasoline-powered variants.
According to Japan’s Creative Trend, Toyota will replace the Snow and Trail modes with Mud & Sand and Rock & Dirt in all-wheel-drive RAV4s. This will bring the company’s off-road Multi-Terrain Select system to its latest hybrid vehicles.
The new modes will arrive for the 2027 model year in Japan, according to the publication. Production for the RAV4 hybrid with Multi-Terrain Select will begin this November, with RAV4 plug-in hybrid production supposedly starting early next year.
2026 Toyota RAV4 interior.
Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1
Not Really Needed
If buyers were upset that the new RAV4 doesn’t have Multi-Terrain Select, it hasn’t stopped them from wanting one. Toyota warned dealers ahead of the launch of the sixth-generation model that inventory would be limited as production ramped up.
Despite those constraints, demand is through the roof. According to a June Automotive News report, one California Toyota dealer had more than 800 buyers on a waiting list for a 2026 model.
It’s unclear if the updated drive modes will arrive on RAV4s sold in the US, but considering our love of rugged, off-road-oriented vehicles, adding Multi-Terrain Select seems like an easy win.
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Source: Jeff Perez / Motor1
Motor1’s Take: Americans love the idea of rugged SUVs, and Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select is perfect branding for a bit more capability. It’s also familiar—Toyota previously offered it in the United States on its gasoline-powered models, so buyers should recognize the technology.
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