2020 Toyota Highlander Platinum V6 AWD Review – Victim of Timing – The Truth About Cars

The 2020 Toyota Highlander is a fairly good enchancment over the earlier technology, constructing off an already robust basis, however sadly for Toyota, it comes alongside simply as Kia’s Telluride and Hyundai’s Palisade soar in the direction of class dominance.

Ask anybody who made massive plans for after March 1, 2020, and so they’ll inform you – timing is every little thing.

In Toyota’s case, a really, superb three-row household hauler is getting misplaced in all of the hype in regards to the two excellent Korean entries.

Someplace, a Toyota gross sales supervisor sobs in his espresso in between Zooms.

Understandably so, as a result of the Highlander is dang good at attaining its mission – hauling your minions/stuff/pets/no matter throughout city in relative consolation, with out being a chore to drive.

The Highlander isn’t a pleasure to drive – it may really feel heavy, ponderous, and sluggish at occasions, regardless of 295 and 263 lb-ft of torque being on faucet from the three.5-liter V6. Dealing with is deliberate. The experience, nevertheless, is good and cozy. An eight-speed computerized transmission will get the ability all the way down to the all-wheel-drive system.

Nonetheless, the driving dynamics aren’t thus far off what the Kia/Hyundai twins provide that it’s fully out of vary. And most consumers on this class don’t care all that a lot about on-road dynamics, anyway. Competence is commonly ok.

And the Highlander is greater than competent within the areas that matter. The inside seemed and felt pretty upscale, and creature comforts weren’t missing. The cabin design isn’t as good-looking as that of the Hyundai and Kia, and it’s a little bit of a mish-mash of shapes, however as famous earlier than, the supplies appear and feel good sufficient to make up for any stylistic weirdness. And there’s sufficient utility by way of cupholders and cubby holes and storage areas to assist out any harried dad or mum.

Even the infotainment display is best built-in than on many Toyota merchandise, although the model’s graphics nonetheless rival Honda for being essentially the most far behind the occasions.

Shortly after I drove the gasser Highlander, I marched west an hour to drive the hybrid model of the Highlander on the suburban streets round Toyota’s Chicago-area regional places of work. I assume in relation to this Highlander, there will be a couple of.

Not shockingly, the Hybrid is barely much less partaking on-road, in service of gas financial system, however the general package deal doesn’t really feel too totally different. You do hand over energy – the two.5-liter four-cylinder has 186 system horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque. You additionally commerce an eight-speed computerized transmission for a CVT.

The outside design combines slab siding with curved fenders and a sloping roofline with a entrance face that’s greater than a tad angry-looking. Thank the slanted headlamps, together with a chrome strip that features the Toyota badge, for that. The fog-lamp openings additionally contribute to the Highlander’s perpetually pissed-off face.

It’s an aggressive look that belies the crossover’s mission as a cushty household hauler. It’s not a foul look, nevertheless it feels pointless, in addition to incongruent with the softer styling from the A-pillar rearward. Who requested for this – dads who wish to present that they’ll nonetheless be hardcore with a child seat within the again?

The options checklist, particularly on the Platinum trim I drove, was class-competitive. There wasn’t a lot in the way in which of choices – simply the paint colour ($425), carpeted flooring mats and cargo mat ($318), a pill holder ($99), and crossbars for the cargo space ($350).

Customary options included Toyota’s SafetySense suite of driver’s-aid tech: Pre-collision system w/pedestrian detection, dynamic radar cruise management, lane-departure alert with steering help, lane-tracing help, computerized excessive beams, and road-sign help. Different normal options included blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, entrance and rear parking help with computerized braking, 360-degree digicam, 20-inch wheels, LED headlamps, adaptive entrance lighting, LED fog lights, hands-free energy liftgate, panoramic moonroof, rain-sensing wipers, heated and cooled entrance seats, leather-based seats, heated second-row seats, 60/40 spilt-fold/fold-flat third-row seats, 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment, navigation, satellite tv for pc radio, premium audio with subwoofer, USB media port, 4 USB cost ports, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wi-fi smart-phone charger, and a rearview mirror that features HomeLink.

That each one added as much as $48,800. With the choices and the $1,120 vacation spot charge, the sticker was $51,112. That $48,800 base value is a number of grand greater than a Telluride SX bases for, however clicking plenty of choices containers on the Kia places it on par with the as-tested value.

Nevertheless, a Telluride spec’d near this Highlander undercut it by a number of thousand {dollars}.

The Highlander is a fairly rattling good three-row crossover, with good inside supplies. It’s not as robust all-around because the Palisade or Telluride, primarily as a result of it’s not fairly as enticing, inside or out, and it’s not fairly as partaking on-road. But it surely’s nicer than Ford’s Explorer, which may get pricey, and feels a bit upmarket in comparison with Volkswagen’s Atlas (which scores effectively on utility, if not aesthetics).

There’s a cause the Telluride and Palisade are kicking butt, but when they don’t ring your bell, the Highlander works effectively.

Perhaps that may make our hypothetical sobbing Toyota exec really feel higher.

[Images © 2020 Tim Healey/TTAC]

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