Toyota unveiled the brand new 2027 Highlander, a totally redesigned midsize SUV that marks the model’s first three-row electrical automobile for the US market and the primary Toyota EV assembled in America. It’s a well-recognized identify — Toyota has been promoting fuel Highlanders for over 20 years — with an all-new powertrain aimed immediately at probably the most well-liked automobile segments out there right this moment. To say that is Toyota’s greatest likelihood to greatest its EV rivals could be an understatement.
The announcement comes at a tumultuous time for the world’s best-selling automaker. Toyota’s technique of emphasizing hybrid autos over pure battery-electric ones appears to have been vindicated, as world EV gross sales decelerate and the corporate’s rivals report large losses associated to their EV investments. However Toyota additionally has a brand new CEO, finance chief Kenta Kon, a detailed ally and former secretary of present chairman Akio Toyoda. Kon’s ascension is seen as an acknowledgement that Toyota, beneath his monetary stewardship, has efficiently weathered the chaos round Chinese language EVs, world tariffs, and the costly and prolonged shift to EVs.
The Toyota Highlander is an acknowledgement of a few of these challenges. It’s going to be constructed at Toyota’s manufacturing facility in Kentucky, at a time when home manufacturing is one of the simplest ways to keep away from Donald Trump’s tariffs. It’s a three-row, midsize SUV, which is the most well-liked automobile phase in America proper now. And it’s utilizing a well-recognized identify plate, acknowledging that most prospects didn’t know what “bZ” stood for (it’s “past zero”) and weren’t precisely considering studying.
The Toyota Highlander is an acknowledgement of a few of these challenges.
The brand new Highlander will solely include two trims: XLE and Restricted. The XLE is obtainable with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, whereas the Restricted comes commonplace with AWD. Battery choices embrace a 77kWh pack and a bigger 95.8kWh pack, relying on the configuration. And the AWD fashions with the bigger battery will stand up to 320 miles of estimated vary, in addition to 338 horsepower and 323lb-ft of torque. (FWD trims will supply 221hp and 198lb-ft of torque).
It can include an up to date infotainment setup, very like the one discovered within the new C-HR and bZ Woodland electrical SUVs. That features a 14-inch central touchscreen, a 12.3-inch gauge cluster, customizable ambient lighting, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and intensive charging choices for gadgets in all three rows. And whenever you lookup, you’ll see a set panoramic glass roof — the biggest ever supplied by Toyota.
The Highlander’s new infotainment system, powered by AT&T 5G connectivity, gives a customizable homescreen, enhanced voice recognition with “Hey Toyota” instructions, twin Bluetooth cellphone connectivity, and built-in streaming providers akin to Spotify and SiriusXM.
The brand new Highlander seats seven, with a 3rd row capable of accommodate two passengers. When further cargo house is required, that third row folds flat to create greater than 45 cubic toes of rear storage. And there’s a raft of further options, like wi-fi charging trays, a number of USB-C ports throughout all three rows, rear HVAC controls, non-obligatory rear window shades, and a hands-free energy liftgate.
The Highlander EV will come outfitted with a NACS port for Tesla Supercharger entry. Underneath the suitable situations, the battery can cost from 10-80 p.c in roughly half-hour utilizing DC quick charging. Battery preconditioning, through which the battery is ready for optimum charging, comes commonplace, and may be activated manually or mechanically by means of a Drive Join subscription (which is about $15 per 30 days). The Highlander may also gradual cost with Stage 1 or 2 chargers, and can include a dual-voltage 120V/240V charging cable.
It can even be Toyota’s first EV with vehicle-to-load capabilities, permitting it to operate as a cell energy financial institution. Toyota says the Highlander may even function a backup energy supply throughout a blackout when outfitted with non-obligatory bidirectional equipment. Toyota says it would have extra bulletins about this new function sooner or later.
Dimension-wise, the brand new Highlander will go toe-to-toe with different three-row electrical SUVs on the street. Will probably be 198.8 inches lengthy, 78.3 inches huge, and 67.3 inches tall, with a wheelbase of 120.1 inches. That’s much like Toyota’s present gas-powered Grand Highlander and corresponding to different EVs, just like the Rivian R1S, Kia EV9, and Hyundai Ioniq 9, amongst others.
Toyota says it would launch the worth of the brand new Highlander later this 12 months, when it goes into manufacturing. However the automaker is actually having a little bit of a second within the EV world. The just lately revamped bZ (previously bZ4x) has been a shock hit for Toyota, coming in fourth in total EV gross sales within the US in January, forward of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Ford’s Mustang Mach-E. And there’s extra to come back, with each the C-HR hatchback and bZ Woodland anticipated to go on sale within the US later this 12 months.
Toyota has an opportunity to make up for its lackluster effort in EV manufacturing with all these new autos. We’ll see if it seizes the second.