Toyota’s largest hybrid SUV, the
Highlander, will go on sale in Western Europe next year, marking the first time
the nameplate becomes available in the region. Already available in North
America, Australia (Kluger), Russia and other parts
of the world, the Toyota Highlander will arrive in European markets in early
2021 equipped exclusively with a full hybrid powertrain and standard AWD-i to
rival the Ford Explorer Plug-In Hybrid.
Based on Toyota’s GA-K platform, the
Highlander is a massive SUV for European standards, measuring 4,950 mm in length. This enables a standard seven-seat layout and a 658-liter cargo volume with all seats in place. When the second- and
third-row seats are folded down, the load capacity increases to a cavernous
1,909 liters.
Accessed by a kick-sensor operated power
tailgate the 658-litre boot space and with additional underfloor storage may be
dramatically expanded by the fully flat folding of both the third and second
row seating, bringing the load capacity up to 1,909 litres.
The Highlander is a true seven-seater,
offering spacious accommodation for two adults on the third row, with access
made easy by the 180-mm sliding second-row seating. In European
specification, the Toyota Highlander comes in a choice of Black or Graphite
color schemes, with standard 20-inch alloys, power tailgate, power USB sockets
in the first and second row seating areas, as well as “comprehensive storage compartments”
through the cabin.
Features also include a 12.3-inch
multimedia display with satellite navigation, a head-up display, Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto, as well as wireless phone charging, seat ventilation and a
switchable digital rearview mirror.
Power comes from Toyota’s
fourth-generation full hybrid system combining a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle
petrol engine with front and rear electric motors and a powerful Nickel-Metal
Hydride battery located under the second-row seats. The combined system power
is 244 PS and Toyota claims the massive Highlander returns 6.6 l/100
km (42.8 mpg UK / 35.6 mpg US) and 146 g/km on the combined WLTP cycle.
A Drive Mode Select switch enables the
driver to choose one of four available drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport and
Trail. All four modes may be used when the vehicle runs on the
separately-switchable EV mode. Needless to say, Europe’s Highlander will offer
the latest Toyota Safety Sense kit. It consists of Pre-Collision System (PCS)
with active steer assist, Full Range Adaptive Cruise Control with Road Sign
Assist (RSA), Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Lane Departure Alert (LDA), Automatic
High Beam (AHB) and Road Sign Assist (RSA).
