Toyota RAV4 facelift teased – includes a hybrid RAV4 for the first time

The Toyota RAV4 is getting a facelift for 2016 – with a debut at next week’s New York Motor Show – and will come with a RAV4 Hybrid option for the first time.

It’s only three years since we got a new Toyota Rav4, but Toyota’s sensible SUV is heading for a makeover – to be revealed at the New York Motor Show next week – and we’ll be seeing the first RAV4 with a hybrid power-train too.

We’re not expecting the cosmetic makeover for the RAV4 to be major – and in the photo (above) Toyota released to tease the hybrid we can’t see much difference to the current car – so it will probably be just tweaks to the bumpers, grill, alloys and colour options, new engine options and a bit of extra technology.

But the big deal will be the hybrid powertrain, which will doubtless be sourced from Toyota’s existing hybrid models, but what hybrid powertrain will it be?

Will it be a straight lift from the Prius, or could it come with an extra electric motor to give the hybrid RAV4 4WD. And will it be a proper plug-in hybrid to take on cars like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV?

With the New York show starting next week, we’ll know soon enough.