Big news from Toyota. The brand is bringing the brand new Highlander to Europe, but that’s not all. The seven-seat SUV is also coming to the Netherlands!
Last April, Toyota introduced the brand new Highlander to the world at the New York International Auto Show. That new SUV, which has to measure up to cars like the Honda Pilot and Subaru Ascent in the United States, is now also presented in European form. Very nice news for the Dutch market: the big brother of the RAV4 is also coming to the Netherlands!
The Highlander is a 4.95 meter long SUV which is about 35 centimeters longer than the RAV4. The wheelbase of the high-legged is 2.85 meters, making the distance between the front and rear axles of the Highlander 16 centimeters longer than with its smaller brother. The Highlander does not have those extra centimeters for nothing. The car is always a seven-seater and therefore has a third row of seats. It should come as no surprise that the Highlander, like all new Toyota products, is also on a modular platform developed according to the TNGA philosophy, christened ‘GA-K’ in the case of this new SUV.
Where the Highlander is available in the United States with a 3.5-liter V6, Toyota only brings the hybrid variant to our country. That Hybrid has the drivetrain known from, among others, the RAV4 and Camry, which includes a 2.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine. In the Highlander, however, we find a small electric motor on both the front and the rear axle. In the Highlander, that configuration is good for a system power of 288 hp. The four-wheel drive SUV has a maximum towing weight of a decent 2,000 kilos. According to Toyota, the average consumption is 6.6 l / 100 km.
The Highlander is standard on 20-inch alloy and fits well with the RAV4 in terms of design. In the interior we find, among other things, a rear seat that can be moved over a distance of 18 centimeters. This undoubtedly offers advantages for those in the third row of seats. The luggage compartment is 658 liters with the third row of seats folded down. If you also throw the second row of seats flat, you can bring 1,909 liters. Toyota gives the Highlander a JBL audio system with 11 speakers as standard. Toyota already reports a Premium version that includes a 12.3-inch display that comes with the infotainment system, a system that can handle both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This version also includes things like a head-up display, ventilated seats and a digital rear-view mirror. Toyota Safety Sense, a comprehensive suite of safety systems including Pre-Collision System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Road Sign Assist, Lane Trace Assist, Lane Departure Alert and High Beam Assist is standard.
The Highlander will be at dealers from the beginning of next year. Prices will follow in the run-up to the market introduction.
Highlander
The Highlander presented last year is the fourth generation of a model that has never been delivered in the Netherlands. The first generation, introduced in 2000, shared its basis with the second generation Lexus RX and was available as a five- and seven-seater. Earlier generations of the SUV were known as ‘Kluger’ in Japan and Australia, among others.