Ten thousand kilometres is barely past the running-in period. This 2024 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid has done just enough driving to lose that showroom stiffness, and not nearly enough to have any stories it would rather keep quiet.

Cruiser is the trim where Toyota stops holding back. It is the version people talk themselves into after test-driving the one below it, and the reason RAV4 waiting lists became a national conversation. Buying one already built, already complied, already sitting in Nunawading is a shortcut worth taking.

The hybrid drivetrain is the quiet headline. Around town it slips between petrol and electric without asking your permission, and the trip computer becomes faintly addictive. On a run down the freeway it simply settles in and gets on with it. You stop planning your week around the servo.

Inside, the Cruiser treats a Melbourne winter and a Melbourne summer with the same shrug - the front seats warm you in July and cool you in January, and remember where you like to sit either way. Everything your hands land on is soft, dark and unfussy.

Your phone connects before you have taken your seatbelt off, the sound system is better than a mid-size SUV strictly needs, and the boot opens when your arms are full of shopping. None of it announces itself. It just works, which is the entire point.

As a family car it is genuinely hard to argue with. Five seats with real room in the second row, a flat load space behind them, roof rails for the gear that will not fit inside, and the full suite of driver aids keeping an eye on the school run. This is the SUV people buy once and keep for a decade.

The only real risk with a RAV4 Hybrid this fresh is that you will start volunteering for airport runs just to justify the fuel figures.

All prices displayed exclude government charges. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, MM Carz recommends you confirm with one of our consultants to confirm specific specifications/features about the car. Please also note our vehicles may not always be on display, as they may be in for detailing—please contact us in advance to confirm availability before visiting our showroom.