A fierce fighter and a very beautiful car this is. The 2020 highlander surely do live up to it’s expectation.
The battleground, the three-row crossover market. It’s a car made for african royalty, with two dozen competitors all eyeing for customer dollars.
The current Highlander has been fighting with essentially the same tools since 2014, and yet it still set a new sales record in 2018, shifting over 244,000 examples.
It sits at the top of the pile, accounting for around nine percent of the market all on its own. This is something extraordinary.
The 2020 Highlander now stretches 194.9 inches, up 2.4 over the previous model. All of that has gone into the wheelbase, now 112.2 inches, offering up more interior room.
Gone is the Gillette Mach 5 grille, giving the Highlander a classier, more chiseled visage. The thinner LED headlights help too, framing a chrome-winged Toyota badge.
At 68.1 inches tall it’s the same height as before, but blacked-out A-pillars pull visual weight out of the top of the rig, paired with the strong character line that runs from the bottom of the front doors up and over the rear wheels.
Toyota’s cleaned up the tail with slimline lighting units and a pert lower bumper. It thankfully hasn’t sacrificed utility for style either, with the tailgate lift-over height remaining low.
Trust me, the toyota highlander has got a new tailored suit, and an amazing beautiful interior design.
On the streets of lagos Nigeria, this car will flow like a smooth sail without you noticing the bumps and hassles of the road.
What you’re looking at here is something Toyota calls “Glazed Caramel”. Yes, i told any representative who would listen that it needs to show up elsewhere in the Toyota lineup.
Buyers will need to pony up for the top Platinum trim to gain access to this sweet shade, however.
The high-zoot range topper certainly nails Futonagane-san’s (chief engineer) target of a premium feel, with a tasteful three-tone treatment on the dash and just a bit of wood.
It feels good to touch too, outside of the fiddly buttons below the large 12.3-inch infotainment screen.
A trick dual-level lid on the center console allows you to wirelessly charge your phone while still accessing the main storage space, if needed.
Meanwhile the two storage cubbies built into the dash should prove practical day-to-day use. Just don’t put anything in there that’ll muck up the caramel its priceless.
A full-color heads-up display, heated second row seats, bird’s eye camera, adaptive headlights, and a digital rear view mirror are all the features included to manufacture this piece of beauty.
If you have ever owned a toyota highlander then you’d know what i’m talking about.
The front seats of the toyota highlander (2020) are supremely comfortable, and their highest heating setting takes the sting out of a rainy highway schlep in the morning.
The second row are not too shabby either, with standard captain’s chairs in the XLE, Limited and Platinum.
They’re not as heavily bolstered as the perches up front, but they are heated, which should please friends and family alike.
There’s an additional inch of movement fore and aft here, which could conceivably make the third row more accommodating.
That one’s still best for short trips or short people lol!! however. Compounding the feeling of claustrophobia back there in the Platinum is the standard panoramic moonroof, which stops just shy of the third row.
Much to my surprise, Toyota announces it has brought along a base model. Well, not exactly a base: it’s the lowest L trim, but this Highlander comes with optional all-wheel drive.
In full-on Uber spec, the Highlander L naturally misses out on the gadgets and soft leather, but it doesn’t feel like a penalty box.
The infotainment screen is still a solid 8.0 inches, and still offers Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Alexa compatibility.
Also standard across the board: three-zone automatic climate control, stop-start, keyless entry, an intercom system, plus LED head- and taillights.
After going the distance and getting a base line reading the Toyota highlander is a superior model among all the other brands of cars there is. It is highly economical and it is the best for the african populace.
Like its little brother the RAV4, the Highlander’s more compelling under hood option is the hybrid. Net horsepower here is 243, but the numbers only tell part of the story.
Toyota doesn’t quote a torque figure, but two electric motors work alongside the ICE to fill out the lower rev range.
On the butt dyno there’s little between the two engine options during everyday use, even with the hybrid’s CVT.
That the hybrid boasts 50 percent better gas mileage is the icing on the cake, with a combined 36 mpg trouncing 24.
The Highlander may not have to stop on the way to the grandparents; the kids will be another story.
Toyota has dropped the unloved 2.7-liter four-cylinder Highlander for the 2020 model, meaning V6 power is now standard.
There is a four-cylinder—a 2.5-liter—though it’s now shacked up with a refreshed version of Toyota’s hybrid setup, available on all trims bar the L.
Opting for the six-pot nets 295 hp and 263 lb-ft, with an eight-speed automatic. It’s as smooth and agreeable here as it is everywhere else in the Toyota lineup, proving a perfectly serviceable partner for cruising or passing.
The highlander rides with class and sport as Comfort is the name of the game, a mission statement that applies to the steering too. It goes where you tell it with minimal fuss, and that’s about it.
We all know that the toyota brand ensures safety, reliability, soft cruise and a posh official nature if you say it’s not true take a look around at all the toyota series there is and you will spot the difference in each and every one of them. Thank you for reading.