Toyota Highlander Excel Hybrid AWD

What is it?

Huge, for starters. Parked up outside Muddy Towers it covered at least 3 postcodes!

For those who aren’t aware, the Highlander isn’t exactly a spring chicken, it’s actually been around for the last 21 years no less, in markets such as Australia, United States and Japan. So it arrives in the UK with over two decades worth of refinement and pedigree, along with Toyota’s solid reputation of creating pretty reliable vehicles. But why?

Well, it’s obvious that Toyota want to cash in on the booming full size SUV market, and who can blame them?

Despite sharing its platform with the RAV4, at 4,966mm long, 1,930mm wide and 1,755 tall, the Highlander is significantly bigger. Don’t compare it to the formidable Land Cruiser either, using its more modern platform and hybrid drivetrain, the Highlander is a more road going family barge than an ‘off-roader’.

On the road

So, what’s it like on the road? Comfortable and quiet.

With a cracking turning circle, negotiating town centres was a breeze, despite its length, and being softly sprung meant that potholes are disregarded, even with 20” tyres as standard.

I gave the Highlander a couple of decent runs during the week, one down to Gaydon for a Land Rover event and the other up to Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, both proved that on the motorway, the Highlander is extremely comfortable.

The big surprise came about on my way back from Kirkby Stephen along the winding and picturesque A683.

Flicking the ‘Sport’ switch and the Highlander came alive with a throttle response that’s almost immediate, and it can shift like a scolded cat.

Steering was precise and on the whole it felt good to fling around corners, in fact, for a large 7-seater it remained upright, and not wallowing around as much as you would imagine. A quick dab on the brakes as you approach a corner, and the Highlander accelerates out of them with a surprising turn of speed with the AWD system offering plenty of grip.

At this point I think I need to add a caveat. Let’s not forget that I drive 4x4s for a living, not supercars, so another motoring writer who’s used driving Type R Honda Civics all day will probably disagree!

Overall the 2.5 litre, 244bhp petrol lump worked in harmony with the CVT gearbox, one of the better combinations, in my opinion.

Adding the small battery and electric motor system means that the Highlander can run on electric power over short distances, with the petrol engine acting as a generator for the battery.

Throughout the week, driving a variety of roads and distances, the Highlander constantly achieved a smidge under 40mpg, which in fairness isn’t bad at all.

Off road

As you can see by the photos, I didn’t venture too far off the beaten track, but the Highlander proved more than capable of handling ‘easy' green lanes. During our week together it didn’t rain once, so I wasn’t able to test it in mud.

Sadly there’s no low-box or locking diff buttons, instead you’re left pondering what the solitary ‘Trail’ button does. Well, engaging Trail mode simply changes the throttle and transmission responses to give you more control at slower speeds, as well as altering the all-wheel-drive system to send more torque to the rear axle. Traction control is a bit more aggressive, too.

Interior

Inside the Highlander you’re confronted with one of the most family friendly interiors I’ve ever come across - the amount of cubby holes and trays is remarkable. The centre armrest for example doesn’t lift up, it slides backwards opening up a massively deep cubby box.

On the dash there’s an impressive amount of space for oddments and such, you’ll never be short of anywhere to store your gubbins in a Highlander. The dash layout on the other hand is a bit on the ‘busy’ side; it isn’t pretty, but it’s practical and you soon get to know where things are.

Second row passengers have oodles of legroom, enough to perform a Kenny Everett ‘all done in the best possible taste’ leg crossing.

The rear-most passengers aren’t limited to small children and oompa-loompas either, again you get a decent about of legroom, considering, especially as the middle row seats slide forward 180mm.

With all seven seats in place there is 332 litres of space, enough space for a couple of good size suitcases.

In five seat mode the completely flat loading area offers a very respectable 658 litres (up to the tonneau cover), and when the second row is folded the capacity increases to 1,909 litres up the roof.

There are two versions available for the UK market, the Excel (from £50,595) and Excel Premium (from £52,575).

The former is equipped with black leather upholstery on all seven seats, with the driver and front passenger receiving seat heaters.

Three-zone climate control, heated steering wheel, panoramic roof and power-operated boot opening are standard, as are puddle lights, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Cabin technology includes an 8” touchscreen infotainment unit with navigation, and of course Apple CarPlay and Android.

Along with other luxuries, the Excel Premium includes a head-up display, a top-down parking camera, heated rear seats and ventilated fronts.

Conclusion

Despite measuring at least three postcodes, the Highlander is an easy car to live with and a joy to drive - so much so I didn’t want to give it back.

I usually say that about proper offroaders like the Land Cruiser and Defender, or sport cars like the F-Type and Mustang, not a family orientated 7-seater!