9 Toyota SUV Models Available In 2024 (And Which Is The Bestseller)
Toyota produced its first vehicle, the Model AA, in 1936. Toyota's United States division was formed on Halloween of 1957, but only sold 288 vehicles the next year. All but one of those sales were of the Toyopet Crown, a sedan with rounded fenders and a 60 horsepower, 1.5-liter engine. The other unit sold was a Series 20 Land Cruiser.
The Land Cruiser became a hotter seller as American car buyers became more familiar with SUVs, and from 1961 to 1965, the FJ40 Land Cruiser was Toyota's bestselling stateside model. The Land Cruiser went through several series updates before going on hiatus after the 2021 model year, but Toyota brought it back for the 2024 model year in three trim levels. The new hybrid-only Land Cruiser helped Toyota sell almost two million vehicles in the U.S. in 2023, ranking it in the top three automakers along with Ford and Chevrolet.
The 4Runner debuted in 1984 and the sixth-generation 2025 model was issued in nine different versions. Toyota's current SUV lineup includes nine distinct models: Land Cruiser, Highlander, Grand Highlander, 4Runner, Sequoia, Venza, Corolla Cross, bz4x, and RAV4.
The Sequoia is Toyota's biggest SUV
The largest and most expensive Toyota SUV is the Sequoia, which starts at just over $61,000 and has a third row of seats that can be folded away to make more room for cargo.
In 2023, Toyota began offering the Sequoia with the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain that produces as much as 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. SlashGear's Chris Davies reviewed the 2024 Sequoia, which can be had in base-level SR5 trim at $60,875 plus a $1,595 destination charge. The Sequoia lineup also includes the luxury Capstone version, which starts at $77,865 plus that same destination charge. At the top of the Sequoia mountain sits the TRD Pro, which has a base price of $78,710.
At the smaller and more affordable end of Toyota's SUV range sit the Venza and Corolla Cross. The Venza starts at just over $35,000, and the Corolla Cross has a base MSRP of $23,860. The Corolla Cross hybrid starts at just over $28,000 and allows Toyota's most affordable SUV to join the Sequoia, Highlander, RAV4, and Grand Highlander in the lineup of models available with hybrid drive.
The bZ4ex EV debuted in 2022
Toyota also offers the all-electric bZ4x, which SlashGear's Alex Kalogiannis reviewed back in 2022. The bZ4x starts at just over $43,000 and provides a range of up to 252 miles to go along with its futuristic styling. That range number drops to 222 miles for the all-wheel drive version, although ponying up the extra $7,000 or so for the all-wheel drive Limited trim knocks the bZ4x's 0-60 time down from 7.1 to 6.5 seconds.
Kalogiannis found the cabin of the bZ4x to be a bit busy with its array of interior surfaces and awkwardly placed driver-centric features, including a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that is integrated with the center console. When combined with a digital gauge cluster that is placed at a less-than-ideal angle, he felt this arrangement of important features sat "on a multitude of visual planes [that] constantly challenges the driver's focus."
He found the bZ4x to be a solid if unexciting performer, with ample torque and balanced handling. The bZ4x has not been a boon for Toyota dealers, with sales of less than 2,000 units in the first quarter of 2024. Two factors could be at play in explaining the bZ4x's tepid sales. It is structurally and functionally similar to the Subaru Solterra, which was developed together with the bZ4x in a partnership between the two manufacturers. Potential customers may also have concerns about a 2022 recall of the bZ4x, where Toyota notified owners of a problem with fasteners that could cause wheels or axles to come loose while driving.
The RAV4 is Toyota's bestselling SUV
Toyota's most popular SUV is the RAV4, which can be purchased with gasoline, hybrid, or electric drivetrains. The gas-powered version starts at $28,675 and delivers fuel economy of as much as 27 miles per gallon in the city and 35 on the highway. The RAV4 Prime EV will cost you at least $43,690 but provides as much as 94 MPGe.
Toyota sold almost 435,000 RAV4s in the U.S. last year, making it the bestselling SUV from any carmaker and the fourth bestselling model of any kind. 161,125 of those RAV4s sold were hybrids, and just over 26,000 were all-electric RAV4 Primes. RAV4 sales remain strong in 2024, with Toyota reporting an increase of 45.1% in March of 2024 over March of 2023 and a first-quarter jump of 47.4% over last year. Those improvements saw the RAV4 hybrid set all-time model-specific highs for sales, ensuring that the RAV4 will stay atop the pyramid of Toyota's nine SUVs for the time being. Toyota's EV sales are up 60.9% for March and 74.1% for the first quarter, so we expect the RAV4 Prime to have a bigger share of the model's sales at year's end.