Toyota Highlander

Toyota has given the Highlander a fuss-free interior layout, something which it has followed for most of its offerings across all price ranges. The SUV has a spacious three-row setup, which feels practical and ergonomically well laid out.

The Toyota Highlander has a large housing for the instrument console behind the multi-functional steering wheel, which has a 7-inch TFT screen for most of the data display. The centre console looks fascinating with a large touchscreen infotainment system in a stand-out manner, sitting above the sleek air vents. This entire housing for the infotainment system has a small storage space below it, in the middle of the centre console. The dual-tone black and beige theme for the cabin makes it look even airier.

The Highlander is equipped with several state-of-the-art features, including powered front seats with memory function, leather upholstery, tri-zone automatic climate control, push start-stop button, panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, head-up display, wireless charger, and more.

The Toyota Highlander looks like an evolved form of the RAV4 and can make one feel like how the RAV4 can look if it grows in size. However, that doesn’t mean that it looks exactly like a RAV4 – it is inspired by the RAV4 and has a sleek yet towering stance to it.

At the front, the fascia of the Toyota Highlander looks very much similar to the RAV4. The large trapezoidal grille of the Highlander is aggressive, which gets chrome surrounds and fang-like chrome inserts on its upper part flanking the Toyota logo. The sweptback headlamps of the Highlander have a sleek appearance and house LED projector bulbs and sleek daytime running LEDs. The LED projector fog lamps have inverted L-shaped housings on the corners of the front bumper.

For a full-size SUV, the Toyota Highlander has a very sleek design, which is something rare in its category. The side body panels have smooth contours, while the raised bonnet still reminds us that it is a proper SUV with a tall stance. The Toyota Highlander gets a triangular design for the rear quarter glass, squared wheel arches with body mouldings, gunmetal grey alloy wheels, and door-mounted rearview mirrors.

The wide rear fenders of the Toyota Highlander move towards the rear profile of the SUV, which also continues the essence of sleekness, with its sleek two-part combination lamps and a cleaner design for the boot lid. It has a trapezoidal housing for the license plate on the boot lid and a simple-looking black rear bumper with rear fog lamps neatly integrated into the corners.

It is where the Toyota Highlander outshines its rivals, with its fine balance of ride and handling. While the overall driving experience of the Toyota Highlander is not too enthusiastic, it feels nimble and plush to drive, an experience that many full-size SUVs might not replicate. The Toyota Highlander measures 4950mm long, 1930mm wide, and 1730mm tall.

The only powertrain option with which the Toyota Highlander is being offered in the UAE is a 2.4-litre petrol-hybrid mill. This powertrain is a combination of a 2.4-litre petrol engine, a front-mounted motor, a lithium-ion battery, and an eCVT. The maximum power output of this powertrain is rated at 240 bhp, which is decent for lower urban speeds. However, one might wish for more power when the speeds rise. The maximum fuel efficiency of this powertrain is a claimed 20 kmpl.

The long equipment list of the Toyota Highlander includes features like front, side, curtain, and driver knee airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, dynamic radar cruise control, lane trace assist, pre-collision system with lane departure alert, automatic high beam, panoramic view monitor, blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Toyota Highlander is one full-size SUV which feels good to drive and is impressively spacious and comfortable, while at the same time, defies all the odds of a full-size SUV by being massively fuel-efficient for its size.