As you likely have heard from the local newsies screaming EXTREE EXTREE READ ALL ABOUT IT! TOYOTA TO MAKE HIGHLANDER AN EV from outside your window, rising above the din of the fishmongers and steam-powered hurdy-gurdy music, yes, Toyota’s mainstream crossover, the Highlander, is now driven by electrons. That’s the big reveal of this Toyota event I’m at, and I have a chance to see it for “content creation” in about an hour. So, is there anything in particular you’d like me to get a good look at?
There’s a few crucial things I know I’ll be checking out: does it have a frunk? I suspect not, but I’m ever-hopeful. Are the rear turn indicators amber or red? Are there any good Easter Eggs hidden in this thing? How do the floormats taste? Can you sleep in it? What’s it smell like? Is it actually interesting?
In full, brutal honesty, the Highlander has never been a vehicle I’ve been that interested in, at least once I realized that these were not the “there can be only one” sort of Highlanders, and, as a result, were free from the torments and joys of The Quickening:
But now that it’s electric, it has a little more in common with The Quickening, which seems to involve a hell of a lot of electricity:
So, I’ll see how much this dramatic byproduct of immortality relates to these new crossovers.
So, what would you like me to find out? Or test or do? I’ll read over the comments and see if I can manage anything you’ve asked for. Unless you want me to slash the tires. Toyota has already told me not to do that. Again.
Top graphic image: Toyota
Why did they farm out the design to Hyundai (I’ve seen the photos)? Does everything have to have a huge brick for a front end these days?
Ask Toyota, where the hell is the new compact pickup.
Can there be only one?
Sigh… Came here to dig into the comments to find this. It is the first comment that pops up.
Good job.
It has been about fourteen hours since you posted that you would see the electro-Highlander in about an hour. With an hour to wait and an hour to look, you have had twelve hours (assuming math and time and space and whatnot work the same way in Toyotaland as they do in Autopiana) free, which is plenty of time to boot up the Apple IIe, record your thoughts, print them up and fax them the main Galpin hive in the heart of the Sepulveda Boulevard Hospitality, Entertainment and Automotive District, freeway close to all mankind. So, why have you not yet deigned to answer any of the questions posed below or given us, your loyal followers, any information at all?
First of all is it a global product or just US only?
And then UI considerations, I need to know if I can operate the AC and audio whilst not looking at a screen
Like our ‘21 Highlander Hybrid, is the interior and exterior designed by a dozen blindfolded committees who hate each other?
We have a ’20. I hate the brakes that have a very noticeable difference in pedal feel when coming to a stop. They go wooden, you almost think they’re failing. And the fuel gauge/tank. The low fuel light comes on when I know for a fact there’s still well over a hundred miles of range in it, and when filling up, the first nozzle click happens when there is still at least two gallons of room in the tank. Turns five hundred miles of range into three hundred pretty quickly.
Have had 3 Toyotas. 04′ Sienna, 12′ prius plugin & 17′ prius prime.
On All three I keep an eye out on the fuel guage especially when it is getting low bc the low fuel light doesn’t come on until there is 25 miles indicated range remaining.
So really only a concern when on road trips, still I was kind of surprised, I suppose fuel stations in the island nation of Japan are many with few miles in between
“Can you sleep in it?”
This is a legitimate question. Every review of a crossover/CUV/SUV should include data regarding whether the 2nd row folds fully flat. Many manufacturers (including my Mazda CX-5, grr) prioritize 2nd row comfort over a truly flat load floor, and it makes me cranky.
I have heard safe crash standards make the ability to fold front seats flat, not impossible but difficult. It can be done but costs a lot more.
I would guess that has an impact on 2nd row seats folding flat ability too.
Years ago VW (& Im sure many other brands as I’m confident the seats came from a 2nd tier supplier)…
The 2nd row bottom cushion would flip up (pivot from the front of the bottom cushion), so that the back of the 2nd row seat would then “nest” into the space where the lower cushion used to be, therefore allow a flat loading surface.
This was the arrangement on VW Golfs and Jettas at least from 1974 – 1998
Can you just run your hand underneath the side of the vehicle, and let us know how it is?
Inquiring minds need to know how it feels down there.
“So, what would you like me to find out?”
Does it have the NACS charge port and access to Tesla’s charging network?
“ Or test or do?”
How many cheeseburgers can you put on the windshield before the wipers aren’t strong enough to wipe them off?
” Unless you want me to slash the tires. “
Nah… don’t do that. Instead… see if there are any easily-removable knobs… and steal them!
But speaking of tires… does it come with a spare tire and jack? And if it has a spare, is it an under-the-floor deal where it’s exposed to the elements or is it inside under the trunk floor?
If it’s now electric did Toyota preserve the core Highlander experience?
I mean, does driving this Highlander still make you feel exactly the same way one feels when contemplating a bucket of wallpaper paste?
How many cup holders?
When will they fix the TTV6
After seeing all of the domestics cancelling and writing down the losses on their EVs, are they actually going to sell this in the US?
How does it compare to Hyundai/Kia? They’re pretty dialed in right now.
As much as I love the Hyundai/Kia twins and own an I5 myself, the Toyota won’t have ICCU issues.
I see a lot of people so put off by Hyundai ICCU failures that they refuse to buy what are otherwise fantastic EVs.
I hope Hyundai gets their act together soon. However, there also seem to be a lot of bots and bad actors on social media making ICCU failures look much more common than they really are.
I was under the impression all of those problems were solved in 23/24. Is that not true?
Unfortunately not. Definitely some 25-26 models that are affected.
ICCU issues impact all eGMP platform vehicles except the two 3 row suvs the Kia EV9 and the Hyundai Ionic 9.
The reason these two models are Not impacted by ICCU issues is bc in order to help with effeciency on what relatively large and heavy suvs, Hyundai/Kia used a different ICCU design on these models with 2x as many switches inside thus enabling (along with a 4th main wire on the ev motor(s)) the ability to switch between a delta and a Y motor configuration. As one of these (Delta or Y can’t remember) is more efficient for the ev motor(s) to get the vehicle moving and the other is more efficient at higher vehicle speeds.
Ev motors that switch between delta and y config is a decades old technique, previously the costs of the contact switches involved were prohividely high. Ev manufacturing scale has lowered the cost so that this can be incorporated in to at least these relatively expensive suvs
Unfortunately, this is not true. There have been many reports of ICCU failures on both the Ioniq 9 and EV9.
Ugh looks like I was 1/2 right
And you ate 100% right.
My half tight is that the iccu for the ev9/I9 is a different design
You 100% right that sadly even The ev9 And the Ionic9 are having occurred issues too.
https://www.torquenews.com/1/call-hyundai-corporate-about-iccu-replacements-leaves-ioniq-owners-waiting-and-wondering-about
Gives some hope to me for people that own / lease kia/hyundai/Genesis egmp EVs bc at least KNA knows they have a significant reputation risk if they dont fix this the right way.
Overall this seems incredibly disappointing as I was considering an ev9 or ionic 9 for a next vehicle in a few years.
To the point in the article, of course every auto company has TSBs and Recalls. It is in how the company responds to those situations and how they both communicate with and treat their customers is what matters and sadly it appears for H/K/G how they communicate and treat their customers is sub par.
That’s what pains me about the HyunKia duo. They typically make solid cars that almost always seem to have some sneaky fatal flaw that’ll kill it.
The ICCU that still isn’t fixed, the multitude of undersized wiring/fire risks from trailer hitch to ABS to HVAC fan speed three, the Theta II (improved but not fixed), the no-immobilizer thing, 3.3’s being prone to the headbolts backing out, the early EV’s having a shit reduction gearbox design, etc.
Just can’t recommend them long-term still. And I used to consider them as much improved back 15 years ago but nope, so much for that.
I agree completely. The current EV lineup is so solid aside from the ICCU issues, and what’s more frustrating is that Hyundai doesn’t seem to have figured out what is causing the failure. Some people are on their second or third ICCU, and depending on the mode of failure, it often shuts down the car completely with only minutes of warning.
I knew about the ICCU problem before I leased my I5, but the vehicle is head and shoulders above the competition in so many areas that I was willing to live with this potential problem. However, I can understand why some people might not want to take the risk and go with something like a Mach-E or MY that seems to be more reliable.
FWIW, I’m in love with my I5 and would very happily lease another one if I could go back in time.
Does Toyota have any V2H plans? If not, does it do V2L? Are there integrated outlets?
Spare tire?
Is heat pump standard?
I can comfortably answer that without knowing anything about the vehicle: No.
The current Prius hybrid has space for a spare tire and tools, but the car does not come with them. You can buy all the parts from the service department should you so desire. The Prius PHEV has no space for a spare due to the larger battery so you are completely SOL unless you want to carry it in the cargo area. I see no reason why Toyota would give you one on the EV. It’s unlikely to be the deciding factor in whether someone purchases the vehicle. Most people may not even realize it doesn’t have a spare until they need it.
I’d love to know if
1) can it V2H?
2) can the rear seat be fully removed?
3) what’s the battery chemistry?
4) where’s the charge port, I very much dislike trying to NACS charge at a drivers side front port.
Sometimes I feel like I am the only woman in this entire commentariat.
How many cup holders does it have? Are the HVAC controls physical or do I have to risk life and limb looking at a goddamn touch screen? How many granola bars can I fit in the glove box? What’s the charging port situation? Does it have CarPlay? Can it easily switch between my work and personal phones? Is there a built in garbage can (how come no one has these anymore?)? Do the seat warmers automatically turn on when I remote start? Does the kick feature for the power liftgate actually work? IS THERE SPACE IN THE FRONT FOR MY PURSE OR DO I HAVE TO KEEP SHOVING IT UNDER MY LEFT ELBOW??
I’m not a woman, but I am married to one, I do want to learn more about family vehicles, and I do wish there was a little less of this:
from the writers/reviewers.
Like it’s fine if Torch personally isn’t interested in this vehicle, but considering that’s the case, would it be so hard to send someone who *is* interested to review it? I enjoy reading his reviews, but now I’ll likely enjoy this one a little less knowing it’s a begrudging review. All the questions you ask are ones that I hope get answered, and I kind of wish someone who cared about the vehicle a little more was there to write about it.
Kind of reminds me of when Jeremy Clarkson would be annoyed that he had to review “normal” cars.
Please note that I am not in any other way comparing Torch to Clarkson. 🙂
Given that they won’t tell you what you’re going to be looking at beforehand (a big secret reveal!), a little harder to match the likely interest level to a particular writer.
A Highlander is not a vehicle that interests me either, but I’ll read Torch’s review just because I expect to find the write up entertaining.
You’d love my I5. The floor is completely flat, which means there’s space for a normal-sized purse in between the front two seats, and space for a hugeee purse underneath the arm rest.
I did not even consider this until a female friend of mine got on and went “wow-there’s space for my purse!” and put it underneath the armrest.
I then started looking at every other car and had an absolutely epiphany, suddenly wondering HOW HAS NO ONE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE!?
I remember my mom always having to put her purse in the passenger footwell, which annoyed me when I was sitting in that seat, and also the floor can get kinda dirty in winter!
By the way, a lot of Hyundais, including mine, have this feature where instead of trying to kick underneath the rear hatch, you can just stand there for 3 seconds and it will open. I turned it off, but I have to think that’s a better solution than the kick. I have two friends with Lincolns, and the kick to open works like 20% of the time. I have no idea what it wants me to do to get the trunk to reliably open with a kick.
Good to know! Priuses used to have a big space in front of the center console for a purse. Not sure if the new ones do. I have every aftermarket hook, sling, basket, whatever. Just make space in the front!
The liftgate thing is interesting. The “stand there for 3 seconds” could be great or terrible …
My friend has a 2020 Prius, and it has a traditional center console; definitely not enough room for a purse. Now that I think about it, that’s weird. His is AWD, but there’s no driveshaft because the rear wheels are driven exclusively by an electric motor.
I don’t know about the current gen Priuses.
The nice thing about not needing to kick to open the tailgate is that you aren’t throwing yourself off balance if both arms are full of groceries/kids/dogs, etc., However I am honestly not sure how well the “stand there for 3 seconds” option works. I’d be opening the tailgate all the time by accident in my garage, so I disabled it.
You’re not the only woman.
I too want to know about kick power liftgate.
I also wanna see one of those overlays that shows the difference in dimensions between, say, a 2006 Highlander and this one.
The dimensions thing is a good idea! I find it interesting to see how much a particular model has bloated over the years.
What’s your opinion on the tail lights?
I would like to know why they aren’t releasing a small, electrified truck.
I saw this at exactly an hour after it was posted.