Toyota Highlander Revealed For Europe, Goes On Sale In 2021

It was just a few weeks ago when we last tested the Toyota Highlander but we thought the review would be helpful only to our readers in the United States. It turns out, our European audience could be interested in taking a look at our impressions too, as they will be able to buy a Highlander very soon. The Japanese manufacturer has just unveiled the seven-seat model for the Old Continent, where it'll go on sale at the beginning of next year.

The three-row SUV joins the already wide range of Toyota high-riding models for Europe, which includes the C-HR, RAV4, and the recently introduced Yaris Cross. The model rides on the company's GA-K platform and looks virtually identical to the version for the North American market.

Toyota lists some of the dimensions of the SUV, which are - again - the same as the U.S. numbers. These include a 658-liter boot, which can be expanded to up to 1,909 with the second row of seats folded.

Customers on the other side of the big pond will be offered exclusively with a hybrid-powered Highlander. Under the hood, it has a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine, supported by front and rear electric motors and a nickel-metal hydride battery. The peak output is rated at 244 horsepower (182 kilowatts) with CO2 emissions of 146 g/km and an average fuel consumption of 6,6 l/100 km, both measured by the new WLTP cycle. According to Toyota, these numbers represent the best power to CO2 balance in the segment.

In terms of safety, the Highlander will be sold with Toyota's Safety Sense range of safety and assistance systems. For Europe, the package consists of a pre-collision system with active steer assist to avoid a collision, adaptive cruise control, road sign assist, lane departure warning, automatic high beam, and others.

Prices are expected to be revealed closer to the on-sale date.