Rav(e) Reviews: 2020 Toyota Rav4
A documentary of mods to my Rav4 XSE Hybrid
After owning two 4runners, an FJ Cruiser and a Highlander, I decided to purchase this silver/black beauty in September.
I had my heart set on the gas-only TRD off-road model, but after driving the TRD I wasn’t impressed. On the other hand, I found the XSE hybrid model to have more pep and responsive suspension. Most of all I love the midnight black rims, roof and blackout overlay emblems.
Welcome to my Rav4 XSE journey!
First up, I purchased a few goodies from Amazon based on discoveries on the Rav4Club Reddit and Rav4World forums. These are 2 must-follow communities for the Rav4 owner!
Chrome delete the window trim
I bought this pre-cut vinyl kit, and was worried about it being be first vinyl wrap install, but it was super easy and for me a must-have mod…
Interior Storage Goodies
At the same time, I purchased:
Console tray with blue accents (to match the XSE hybrid blue)
This fits perfectly but was a little shallower than I expected. There is still plenty of room in the center console to store stuff under it.
Console organizer tray that perfectly fits below the stereo/map/head unit. I actually don’t use this very much. My cell phone is too fat to fit in the cubby, and it also block the interior light that’s above it.
Instead of drilling a hole to let the light pass through, I decided to purchase this short USB charging port than plugs into the power outlet (cig lighter) under the console tray. The LED light on the USB charger gives off a little blue glow at night to illuminate the wireless charging pad under the organizer tray.
Front Grill & Bumper Embellishments
Next up I got this Toyota badge off Etsy (you can also find it on E-bay) and installed it on the front grill. You’ll see I went with blue stripes instead of the typical Yota red-orange-yellow to match my hybrid’s blue accents.
Also added the front bumper bar (mini light bar) license plate frame/holder. Eventually I will get some LED lights which should be easy to mount to the bar.
Mud guards (found them on Ebay). Easy to install, and IMO give the car a slightly more rugged appearance. Of course the actual rugged appearance will come when I get a lift and bigger tires!
Cross-bars for the roof rails. Not OEM, but less expensive, sturdy and fit perfectly.
I got this black overlay emblems kit on Amazon. They are official Toyota OEM, but cheaper onAmazon. They were very easy to install. I decided to cut the ‘4’ off the ‘Rav4’ overlay to let the original chrome ‘4’ shine…
Stay-tuned for future mods!
__TM
