All-New 2019 Toyota RAV4 Wins Compact SUV of Texas at 2018 Texas Truck Rodeo

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2019 RAV4 Adventure Grade and RAV4 XSE HV Debut in Texas Before Arriving in Dealerships

Toyota Tacoma Named Texas' Mid-Size Truck for the Fourth Consecutive Year

Toyota took home two awards at the Texas Auto Writers Association's (TAWA) Texas Truck Rodeo. The all-new 2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure grade won top honors in the Compact SUV of Texas category, and the 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro was named Texas' Mid-Sized Truck of the Year for the fourth consecutive time.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181017005905/en/

The all-new 2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure won top honors in the Compact SUV of Texas category at the 2018 Texas Truck Rodeo. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Bringing home awards for the all-new 2019 RAV4 and 2019 Tacoma TRD Pro validates why Toyota's vehicles are chosen for the next generation of off-road dominance," said Lisa Materazzo, vice president, vehicle marketing and communications, Toyota Motor North America. "Performing on the courses this year with new and highly capable vehicles showcases exactly how Toyota has developed its lineup of trucks and SUVs to conquer a variety of driving situations."

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure grade and Toyota RAV4 XSE HV grades were introduced to TAWA members showcasing the versatility of the line-up. The 2019 Toyota RAV4 XSE HV, the sportiest RAV4 yet, offers greater horsepower, faster acceleration, a sport-tuned suspension and, of course, higher MPG. But the journalists' votes gravitated toward the 2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure grade which features a rugged exterior, thanks in part to its more aggressive grille, fog light surrounds, and unique wheel design, while also featuring an optimally tuned multi-link rear suspension, providing ideal damping for handling, minimum interior cabin noise, and the utmost ride comfort. With the segment- and Toyota-first Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD system with Rear Driveline Disconnect, combined with Multi-Terrain Select, the RAV4 Adventure grade can handle it all, from city exploration to a jaunt on the trails. The 2019 RAV4 Adventure grade, as well as all 2019 RAV4 gas models, will be available in dealerships by the end of this year.

Designed by engineers at Toyota Racing Development (TRD), the 2019 Tacoma TRD Pro impressed TAWA members with the most eye-catching Tacoma upgrade – the all-new TRD Desert Air Intake. Designed to sustain consistent off-road performance no matter how silty or dirty the terrain gets, the TRD Desert Air Intake takes the 278-horsepower 3.5L V6 engine's air intake away from dust that hovers inside the wheel well (where traditional air intakes are located) during off-road operation. Its suspension, made up of 2.5-inch TRD Pro-exclusive Fox Internal Bypass shocks, is tuned specifically for each vehicle by the engineers at TRD. The aluminum-bodied Fox shocks offer impressive performance and supreme damping for a wide variety of driving situations including high-speed desert running, slow-speed rock crawling, or simply driving to and from work.

This year's Texas Truck Rodeo brought together 69 journalists to test drive 57 vehicles in 18 different categories in Bee Cave, Texas. Trucks and SUVs from the world's top manufacturers were evaluated on their performance, value and design. The Tacoma TRD Pro and RAV4 Adventure grade defeated two days of tough competition against competitors.

TAWA is a Texas-based nonprofit association for automotive journalists promoting professionalism and quality in journalism for more than two decades. TAWA has grown to become one of the most influential and recognized automotive journalist associates in the United States. The group produces two annual events – Texas Auto Roundup and Texas Truck Rodeo – that allow members to experience vehicles from various manufacturers in one place, at one time.

For more information on the 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and the 2019 Toyota RAV4, visit the Toyota Newsroom.

About Toyota

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Toyota TM has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.6 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.

About TAWA

Texas Auto Writers Association is a nonprofit organization that has promoted professionalism and quality reporting in automotive journalism for more than two decades. TAWA produces two annual events that have gained national traction; the Texas Truck Rodeo at the Long Horn River Ranch in the Texas Hill Country and the Texas Auto Roundup at Texas Motor Speedway. Each year, TAWA awards scholarships to Texas College and university students majoring in journalism. The group's annual Excellence in Craft Competition recognizes its members' exceptional coverage of the automotive industry.

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