The Toyota Highlander is the newest three-row EV SUV…for America

Remember that Toyota that was teased a few days back? That turned out to be the latest-generation Highlander, Toyota USA’s long-running midsize unibody SUV nameplate that is now a battery electric vehicle.

This three-row family SUV has long been known to be one of the earliest examples of an SUV with a hybrid powertrain, and now, it’s one of the very first Toyota models of its size to fully embrace electrification.

Underpinned by a modified TNGA-K platform, which is a first as the other BEVs use the e-TNGA platform, it’s available either in a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive configuration. Power figures are with 221 horsepower and 268Nm, or with 338 horsepower and 437Nm, respectively.

Battery sizes are either a 77kWh battery or a 95.8kWh battery, with up to 461km (FWD) or up to 434km (XLE AWD with 77kWh), or up to 514km of range with the 95.8kWh-equipped AWD models. Charging is with the North American Charging System (NACS) standard, and it can charge from 10 to 80% in 30 minutes.

The newest Highlander goes all-in with Toyota’s futuristic design, with sleek, minimal body panels, slim “Hammerhead” headlight signatures, and LED lighting underneath, a light strip behind, and wheel sizes of either 19- or 22-inches, and optional panoramic sunroof and two-tone paint jobs.

The interior is very roomy, with all trims coming with synthetic leather upholstery, climate-controlled front seats, and, as standard, heated second-row captain’s seats.

The XLE AWD can be specced out with a bench seat as well, and the third row is easily accessible with a one-touch fold button on the second row. Of course, USB-C charging points and dual wireless chargers keep devices topped up, and there are multiple storage spaces everywhere within the cabin.

This also has the latest Toyota Audio Multimedia operating system, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and other features such as built-in 5G connectivity, a voice assistant, Spotify integration, built-in navigation, and a dashcam feature to supplement Toyota Safety Sense 4.0.

While our chances of getting this model are very, very slim, the specifications and implications that this model opens up are quite huge, as we could see something like this but adapted for our local markets.

^{Photos from Toyota USA}