Happy Friday! Welcome to this week’s edition of the Official DoubleClutch.ca News Rundown, where we recap the top automotive headlines from the week that was in one convenient package. Let’s go.
2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV starts at $48,750
Toyota has announced pricing for its highly anticipated 2026 RAV4 PHEV. Yeah, about that — it’s no the “Prime” anymore, sadly.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, as it’s now known, starts at $48,750. That’s a cool three grand less than the 2025 RAV4 plug-in, for a whole new look inside and out, better tech, and an improved powertrain. Factoring in everything else including destination but not taxes, you’re looking at $52,408 for the new-and-shiny 2026 RAV4, versus $54,792 for the 2025.
That price-of-entry gets you the SE trim decked out with 18-inch wheels, a sunroof, and of course, a pair of screens. A 10.5-inch touchscreen handles infotainment, while a 12.3-inch “multi-information display” sits in front of the driver. You also get Toyota’s full suite of active safety gizmos and driver-assist gadgets, a six-speaker sound system, and heated cloth seats.
Stepping up to the XSE gets you 20-inch wheels, a bigger touchscreen, leatherette seats with blue stitching, heated and cooled front seats, memory settings for the driver’s seat, and a lot more for $56,400 — or $60,058 with destination and stuff. Adding the Technology Package brings a number of tech and driver assists such as front cross-traffic alert, lane chage assist, and a more powerful 11 kW on-board charger paired to a CCS port for $59,350, or $63,008 with destination and stuff.
The one you really want is the RAV4 PHEV GR Sport. Despite sitting at the top of the lineup, it’s smidge cheaper than the XSE Tech, at an MSRP of $57,500, or $61,158 when you factor in the fees and whatnot. Obviously the big deal here is the sweet body kit, which pairs well with the sport-tuned suspension, unique wheels with red brake calipers peeking out from behind, and some sweet seats inside.
All RAV4 PHEVs use the same upgraded hybrid powertrain, now rated at 324 horsepower and up to 80 kilometres of electric-only range. Look for them in Canadian dealerships around late spring or early summer.
BMW reveals a bunch of racy accessories for the M2
The BMW M2 is a favourite around the DoubleClutch.ca Magazine office, especially with three pedals — even two, as long as the car’s stripped out. Now, BMW is turning up the heat with a bunch of go-fast bits.
These new accessories include a manually adjustable front splitter, dive planes, a swan-neck-style wing, and under the skin, four-way-adjustable dampers with adjustable support bearings that can lower the car by about an inch, and a scoop under the engine oil cooler.
BMW says they’ve introduced these new parts because their customers are increasingly interested in track days — and all these parts are derived from their racing efforts. The rear wing, for instance, is borrowed from the Elantra N TCR M4 GT3 and GT4 race cars. BMW also uses a similar damper design in their race cars. Neat!
The rest of the mechanicals remain the same, including the 473-horsepower turbocharged inline-six, as well as the option to spec a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission. You’ll be able to order these goodies as of this fall, just in time for Christmas. Dear Santa…
Mercedes-AMG teases upcoming GT 4-Door interior
Mercedes-AMG is plugging away at the electrified successor to its GT 4-Door Coupe. It isn’t due out for a while, so to whet our appetites, the automaker just dropped a sneak peek at its new interior.
It’s precisely what we’d expect from the automaker, but with a few twists. The dash, for instance, is dominated by three displays, but the central touchscreen is tilted towards the driver, rather than being positioned dead-even. The meaty steering wheel also includes a pair of scroll wheels, rather than the finnicky, old-school-Blackberry-style trackpads previously.
Beyond that, there isn’t much physical switchgear, but the centre stack retains the triple rotary knob layout that’s become an AMG GT staple, flanked by glossy carbon fibre. Mercedes says the quilted stitching on the door cards are inspired by their motorsports history, while Mercedes’ love-it-or-leave-it ambient lighting treatment lives on.
Mercedes-Benz also promises the four-door AMG GT will have “generous” headroom and legroom given its coupe-like intentions, and it’ll receive a new, optional fixed glass roof that can switch from clear to opaque, and display ambient lighting and the AMG logo at night. Neat!
