Toyota Highlander -
DR
Launching the largest SUV in the lineup now may seem paradoxical, at a time when environmental concerns are increasingly pressing.
But hey, we are no longer surprised by anything, and remember that this is not the first "typically American" SUV that tries the European experience, since just a year ago, Ford launched here the 'Explorer Plug-in Hybrid, comparable in size to the Highlander.
Toyota Highlander - DR
More discreet
And despite this similarity in size, the Highlander is far less exotic than its American competitor.
Question of style, less massive, more sharp in the case of the Toyota.
And this is also due to the fact that the design of the vehicle fits into that of a family with which we are already familiar.
So much so that to the untrained eye, the Highlander could pass for a Rav4.
Toyota Highlander - DR
No more change of scenery on board, since Toyota is used to offering the same kind of environment everywhere in the world.
So despite a center console more massive than usual and a more generous multimedia screen, up to the position at the top of the brand's range, here we have a typically Toyota interior: qualitative, functional, but not necessarily very sought after. level of forms.
Toyota Highlander - DR
Still from the trunk
The major argument of the Highlander compared to a Rav4 is therefore to offer 7 places in series.
And thanks to its slightly unusual length of 4.996 mm, it still has only 336 liters of trunk when all the seats are occupied.
What to bring back school bags or sports bags for children and their friends.
Note, however, that the friends should not be too tall, because despite the sliding central bench which allows to find the best possible compromise, the legroom in the 3rd row is limit-limit for anyone measuring more than 1.75 m .
In the 5-seater configuration, however, everyone has a royal space, and the trunk then carries at least 865 liters of luggage.
Here, suddenly, we think of the holidays ...
Toyota Highlander - DR
Hybrid
Offered in classic versions in other markets, the European Highlander will be hybrid, and nothing but hybrid.
It receives the same mechanics as the Rav4 and the Camry, namely a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, here associated with two electric motors, all delivering a total of 248 hp.
One of the electric motors is fitted to the rear axle, so the vehicle is also automatically 4x4, and this also offers another characteristic to the Highlander: a towing capacity of 2 tons, the highest for a Toyota hybrid vehicle.
Toyota Highlander - DR
This hybrid system had already amazed us when we discovered it in the two models mentioned above, because in addition to being as economical in the city as all of the brand's hybrids, it is also on the highway.
Which is rarer.
We owe it to its more "beefy" gasoline engine, and our test of the Highlander proved it again.
Toyota reports an average of 6.6 to 7.1 L / 100 km according to WLTP standards.
We are convinced that anyone will be able to reach 7 liters without going to too much trouble and we, on a mainly peri-urban course, with a little anticipation and a good knowledge of the system, we noted… 6.3 l / 100 km!
For a machine of this size, which is not a plug-in hybrid and therefore does not claim tens of km of electric autonomy, it is simply remarkable.
Finally, also know that the Highlander is a very comfortable vehicle, very soothing and that we quickly forget its unusual dimensions.
A direct competitor to the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, the Toyota Highlander starts at € 56,500.
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The Toyota Highlander in a few figures
Engine: 4 cyl.
hybrid gasoline, 2.487cc;
248hp;
500Nm
Transmission: to 4 wheels.
Gearbox: auto CVT
L / w / h (mm): 4.996 / 1.930 / 1.755
Empty weight (kg): 2.015
Boot space (l): 865 - 1.909
Tank (l): 65
0 to 100 km / h (sec.): 8.3
Max speed (km / h): 180
Combined consumption (l / 100km): 6.6-7.1
CO2 (g / km): 149-161
Price (€): 56.500
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