Road Beat: A Tale of Two Highlanders

“There can only be one.” The movie Highlander might be considered an acquired taste, but the Toyota Highlander has been anything but. Since its inception in the early 2000s, Highlander has become the dominant force in the mid-size SUV segment. As the antagonist Kurgan said in the movie, though, there can only be one. And one there is, but which Highlander might that be? Spoiler, it’s the Hybrid. For most Toyota devotees, that’s as much reading necessary to decide on their next Toyota. I say next because Toyota buyers are a different breed; they’re loyal.

Ten years ago, even 5, I would never have recommended a hybrid equivalent (except say a McLaren P1). They offered insignificant fuel economy gains, dreary performance, and an unjustifiable MSRP. They’ve come a long ways in just a short time to offer, in many ways, a better driving experience, not to mention a breakthrough in efficiency. A 2019 Highlander Hybrid was rated at 28 MPG overall. The new one, with more power even, is rated for 35. That’s a 25% increase, which is frankly absurd. It’s become impossible to overlook now.

Let’s talk about the Highlander in general, though. This is an all-new design for 2020, featuring an adapted platform from the Rav4 and Camry, a fresh interior, and new (overly) stylized sheet metal. You might like the looks, or you might think it’s a little overdone. I happen to think it’s the latter, but still exudes a presence and unrestrained class. But it just seems like the designers had a bunch of ideas and they used all of them. What also has changed is the price, with equivalent models rising about $750 compared to 2019s. The entry-price to any Highlander has increased by almost $3,000, though, but that’s in part due to the removal of the weak 2.7 I4 model of last decade.

Inside these fully-loaded and cavernous Limited Platinums, you’ll find a dominating 12 inch touchscreen that steals the visual show. There is plenty of trickery to keep you entertained, such as the futuristic rear and top-view cameras. The touchscreen, while a beautiful display and responsive, is quite fussy to use in practice. It would be much easier if a rotary knob were used to control, like that in a BMW. Some of the buttons, both virtual and physical, can be an awkward reach from the driving position. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why only half the HVAC can be controlled via manual, physical buttons. The other half are stowed away inside a screen in the infotainment.. Why split that up? HVAC should be a physical control so it’s always there, no business of meddling between pages just to change which vent the air comes out of.

The seats are covered in a quality hide and are quite comfortable. Almost everything you touch feels soft and of a craft finish, fitting of a $50,000-plus car. I prefer the darker caramel leather in the Hybrid, but the Moon Dust paint of the V6. Both of these had the optional rear captains chairs which had great comfort and leg space according to passengers, enough so that two friends (in their 20s, no less) had fallen asleep while returning from an Easter outdoor venture. Plus, the captains chairs, with their separation between them, promotes better social distancing, or keeps your bickering kids separated. Both front and rear get to admire the outside light courtesy of the large (and optional) panoramic moonroof, too.

So, the interior is…nice. The third row, though, is…simply there, but there nonetheless if you need one. Kids would do just fine back there. An adult might only put up with it if it meant a quick run through the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru. However, there are a few niggles that I didn’t like in the cabin-space. One was the placement of the wireless phone charging. It’s a tray at the top of the center console storage, meaning, anytime you ever want to put or grab something from it, you have to first swing the wireless charger out of the way. It’s even weirder if you have a phone currently placed there, as you’d have to remove the phone (which is then breaking the law if moving) first because there’s no way of the tray holding it in place otherwise. A much better locale would’ve been the neat cubby below the touchscreen. There’s an odd combination of wood plus a fake carbon-looking trim. Please, one or the other, as the two distinct materials clash in vying for attention.

The bottom of the center console bin also had no real surfacing in it, so loose things jingle around and slide. The same goes for the small pocket of space in front of the gear lever. Anything placed there will slide around obnoxiously. If only they lined it with a felt or rubber. I also found the rear doors to have too much hard plastic on them; only the arm rest was soft. These are weak criticisms in the face of the larger picture, though. But for $50k, you’d expect some small details like this to be addressed.

Out on the road, both feel identical in steering and handling, which is to compliment the two cars. By no means are these sporty SUVs like a Macan or Stelvio, but each surprised me by their well-behaved road manners. Driving up highway 4 and back, through endlessly twisting 55 MPH corners, the Highlander was easy to place on the road and navigate through each bend. It did so with such ease that this was the section that those same rear passengers fell asleep even. Again, it’s not gonna set your world on fire by any means, but for a Highlander, it’s quite surprising and convincingly better than a couple rivals even. The ride is well controlled and damped at all speeds, prioritizing ultimate comfort as it should in a car like this. At speed, there is a wind gust you hear going by the driver window, which is a little disappointing, as otherwise it would be a very quiet thing inside. Brake feel and performance were strong on both, with an easy to modulate pedal and adequate stopping power.

Now, where the Hybrid model pulls ahead: the powertrain department. The gas Highlander uses a 3.5L V6 making 295 smooth horsepower through an 8 speed transmission. The Hybrid, with a 2.5L I4 and electric assist, is good for 245 horsepower with its CVT transmission. While the V6 is smoother, quieter, and sounds better, the transmission misbehaved badly several times, exhibiting rough kick-downs at times, and even bouncing itself against the rev-limiter twice during acceleration testing. Was it trying to suicide and grenade itself? I’ve never had a torque-converter in auto do that.

The Hybrid powertrain made for an easier and smoother driving experience. Pulling away cleanly from stops and accelerating up to speed is a breeze thanks to the electrons’ thrust, and lack of shifting. The sound of an inline 4 at higher revs can be intrusive, but never obnoxious.

Performance in 0-60 and passing 50-70 favors the gutsy V6, with 0-60 coming up in 7.29 vs 7.63 seconds, and 50-70 passing in 3.81 vs 4.37. Uphill, the V6 slowed to 5.85 and 6.42 for the Hybrid. This is not surprising, considering the extra power of the V6, but in practice, the Hybrid never felt slower due to the keen throttle response of the electrified powerplant. In normal driving, you won’t likely notice the power difference. The V6 displayed further odd shifting behavior on the uphill acceleration runs.

So, the Hybrid was the more pleasant car to drive, but the coup de grâce comes in the mileage. Plainly, the Hybrid smokes the V6, fittingly ironic from the environmental standpoint of a hybrid. Overall mileage for normal mileage in the V6 was 21 MPG, while the Hybrid achieved 31. The gap narrowed on level freeway driving, where the V6 turned a commendable and class-leading 30 MPG, while the Hybrid stretched to 33. This is a consistent pattern for a hybrid vs its conventional siblings. But to average about 50% better efficiency in my everyday driving overall is astounding. Better yet, it achieved 34 on a 240 mile trip up Highway 4 and back. Ludicrous fuel economy.

So, there you have it. If you want the best Highlander you can buy, get the Hybrid. Is it worth $1,400 more than the gas V6? Absolutely. But is it worth five grand more than the competition? The Kia Telluride/Hyundai Palisade pair offers more value by having the same equipment, more luxury, and smarter packaging, all at great savings over these Toyotas. Mazda’s CX-9 remains the runway model and driver’s choice with its superb dynamics and handling, but sacrifices on interior space.

A Highlander Hybrid at its entry price becomes much better value, but then you lose the leather and other accessories inside that are the talking points of these two. For the Toyota faithful, it’s magnificent. These both are very good cars, excelling at basically everything they need to. But at the new, upscale pricing, it becomes difficult to recommend. Is it worth $5k more than a loaded Telluride? Even for the fuel savings of the Hybrid, $5k is a jagged pill to swallow. There must be reason I keep seeing an ever-increasing number of Tellurides on the road…

Highlander V6 Limited Platinum 3.5/5
Price as tested: $51,112
Pros: Smooth V6, Luxury appointments, style
Cons: Expensive, Tellurides, fussy infotainment, style?
Verdict: A luxury Toyota at a luxury price

Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum 4/5
Price as tested: $52,512
Pros: Incredible economy, smooth driving experience, luxury appointments, style
Cons: I4 noises, expensive, fussy infotainment, style?
Verdict: Stupendous fuel economy makes this the better Highlander, but the one you want comes at a price.