Summing up Toyota’s new SUV

Toyota reckons the new-to-Europe Highlander is a winning formula – is it?

MOTHER LOVED LOOKS

Visual echoes of the latest RAV4 and Lexus RX L don’t quite gel, but the seven-seater has been a US success based on function, not style. Inside, expect hints of C-HR and kit including an Evoqueesque digital rear-view mirror that lets you ‘see through’ stu on the rear seats and in the boot.

HYBRID POWER OBVIOUSLY

What else would Toyota use? The Highlander has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and two electric motors for a combined 241bhp and all-wheel drive. It shares its platform basics with the Camry and RAV4, not the Land Cruiser. A Trail setting optimises those e-motors for muddy lanes.

STADIUM LIKE SPACE

But, fortunately, seats better than those at your average footy ground. The middle row slides by up to 180mm, and when rows two and three are folded you get 1900 litres of boot space. Toyota boasts about the Highlander’s refinement, aided by extra insulation in the roof, dash and floor.

Toyota’s new Highlander, like the baby Yaris Cross at the other end of the SUV range, will arrive in early 2021. Expect to pay around £35k