Toyota Highlander Review, Specs & Performance

Overview of the Toyota Highlander

ENGINES AND PERFORMANCE FOR THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

There's just one engine choice for the Toyota Highlander, it's a mild-hybrid 2.5-litre petrol unit that is mated to an electric motor and a small battery. The battery is topped up whenever the Highlander slows down, and drivers can use battery power for short distances. The fuel consumption is around 40 mpg with emissions of 160g/km.

It's also quicker from a standing start than most rivals with a 0 to 62 mph sprint time of 8.3 seconds. There's a CVT transmission to deliver smooth progress and drivers also get a 'Sport' mode along with paddles on the steering wheel to move more quickly through the gears.

EQUIPMENT AND HANDLING

As a seven-seater, the contract hire Toyota Highlander is a spacious SUV for families to enjoy. There's a lot to like about it and whether it is driven in 'Eco' or 'Normal' mode, it's a responsive and stable car to drive around town and relaxing for motorway journeys.

It sits above the popular RAV4 in the line-up and the steering gives good feedback. The Highlander is geared towards delivering a comfortable driving experience rather than a sporty one and the interior is a stylish place with good use of soft-touch materials. The overall build quality is impressive, and the soft leather seat upholstery is stylish.

The infotainment system consists of an eight-inch touchscreen and there are two trims to choose from, the Excel and the Excel Premium. The entry-level model should meet most needs with lots of equipment including a heated steering wheel, leather upholstery, triple-zone climate control and a panoramic roof. There's also a rear-view camera, reversing sensors, a powered boot and heated front seats.

The infotainment system is also smartphone compatible, and there's a wireless smartphone charger and an impressive 11-speaker sound system.

Opt for the Excel Premium and Toyota adds ventilated and heated front seats, a 360° camera surround-view and a head-up display.

Toyota offers very safe cars and that is true for the Highlander as well. While the car has not been rated by Euro NCAP yet, it does feature the firm's 'Safety Sense' suite which includes an autonomous emergency braking system that can detect cyclists and pedestrians, road sign recognition, lane departure alert and there's also adaptive cruise control.

The Highlander comes with three rows of seats fitted as standard which will be popular with families, with the middle row able to slide backwards and forwards on runners to create more legroom space for passengers. This is also a practical choice with a boot of 658 litres, but with the middle row seats folded, that stretches to 1,900 litres of space. Essentially, for a family looking for a well-made and well equipped seven-seater SUV, there's a lot to like about the Toyota Highlander which is versatile and practical with reasonable running costs. In a competitive segment, it is highly recommended.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Why not have a look at the Highlander on the official Toyota company website? Or why not look at some of these similar car lease deals from First Vehicle Leasing: the Skoda Kodiak or the Kia Sorento.