TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2.5 HYBRID AWD-I EXCEL
Price £50,610 Kerbweight 2050-2105kg
What’s new?
The Toyota Highlander has been around for more than 20 years, but the new generation is the first example to be sold in Britain.
It’s a similar size to the Land Cruiser, but the Highlander is engineered to be more at home on Tarmac. Even so, it’s a proper 4x4, so should be able to cope with towing on a slippery surface.
Prices start from over £50,000, pitching the seven-seat Highlander between the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, and upmarket seven-seat SUVs from the likes of Audi and Land Rover. We’re testing the car in Excel spec, priced at £50,610.
What are we looking for?
Can the Highlander justify its price, or are there better and cheaper hybrid SUVs? How well does the big Toyota tow a caravan?
Towing ability
Some hybrids are hampered by their towing limits, but not the Highlander. It has a legal maximum of two tonnes, 350kg more than the equivalent Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento is permitted to tow.
Abiding by the 85% guideline, as widely recommended
