The 2027 Toyota Highlander Is A Reborn Built In America 3-Row Electric Family SUV

25 years ago, Toyota introduced the Camry of SUVs in the form of the original Highlander all the way back in 2001. Now at the time, the Highlander was a completely different SUV versus most of its rivals because it was built on a car-based unibody construction. And over the years, the Highlander evolved to become more powerful, more comfortable, and more luxurious. And for 2027, the Highlander evolves yet again. However, this time Toyota takes a big step because this new version that we're seeing here is now a fully electric vehicle offering up to 320 miles of all-electric range and nearly 340 horsepower. So today we're actually out here in Ojai, California, taking a look at the all-new fifth-generation Highlander. And now that we're doing so, let's go ahead and take a detailed first look. So the original Toyota Highlander was the first electrified hybrid SUV that Toyota offered in North America. So it makes sense for the company to now turn this nameplate into their first battery-powered three-row SUV. Before we start talking about the design of the all-new fifth-generation Highlander, a lot of people want to know with an electric vehicle, does it have a front trunk storage space? And as you can see, when you lift up the hood, just like its siblings that are also built on this architecture, there is no front trunk storage space. What you're going to find here, of course, are the electric motors that power the front axle in addition to the available rear axle. This model that we're showing you here is the top-of-the-line limited trim. It comes standard with the dual electric motor system. This powertrain is pretty familiar to what we've seen in the updated version of the BZ. So the Highlander is offered in two different battery sizes. 77 kilowatt hours is the standard battery pack. This, however, has the larger 95.8 kilowatt hour battery pack, which means this model will go up to 320 miles of range. The smaller battery pack drops that range to as low as 270 if you guys go for an all-wheel drive model. It makes the same power as the last BZ all-wheel drive that we've driven at 338 horsepower and 323 pound-feet of torque. That power figure is pretty impressive. I think it actually makes it the most powerful production Highlander that we've ever seen, not including, of course, the Grand Highlander, which is only offered as a gas or an electrified hybrid. It all goes out through a one-speed reduction gear transmission. And Toyota didn't have any other figures really for us yet. This is a pretty early first look, but they did say the front-wheel drive models can tow up to 2,700 pounds. That increases to 3,500 pounds when you guys go for the all-wheel drive model. So I'll be curious to see what the performance is like for this model. Toyota says we won't have those specs until we get closer to the on-sale date. But closing up the hood, let's go ahead and talk about the exterior styling of this new Highlander. Because we've technically already seen a concept version of this kind of look a few years ago. And I have to say, I really like Toyota's latest design language. Their hammerhead look has kind of been grafted onto the Highlander. And it definitely has a boxier, more upright, and masculine appearance to it, especially in this new color. This is the limited trim painted in Spellbound. It's a new color this year. And it's a silver color, but it also has a different kind of hue to it when the light kind of hits it. Toyota says it actually has almost like a purple tint to it under certain lights. You can see the headlights are full LED. You have that hammerhead style LED daytime running light with the trendy full LED light bar that goes across the front. The headlights are actually separate, however, from the daytime running lights down here, which is kind of a very trendy design. But it looks good, of course, with the Spellbound color. There's some unpainted plastics here with some functional openings. And of course, the lower front splitter of this vehicle certainly looks a little bit more unique on the limited trim. I like the fact that Toyota kind of cleaned up the look. It's got a very well-integrated parking sensors. You get a 360 camera on the limited trim. And overall, the car just looks wider. It looks more upright. But let me know what you guys think in the comments section below. You can really see the extra width. Toyota says they actually made the car around 2.3 inches wider versus the previous generation. Now, moving around to the side profile, this is built on a modified version or an updated version of the e-TNGA architecture. And they also made the Highlander larger. However, it's not larger versus the Grand Highlander. At 198.8 inches long with a 120.1 inch wheelbase, this vehicle is roughly 4 inches longer than the old Highlander with a wheelbase that's been stretched by 8 inches. It actually has a longer wheelbase versus the Grand Highlander now, which was necessary to kind of make space, I guess, for the bigger battery pack. However, the Grand Highlander is still around 1.5 inches longer. But I think Toyota got the proportions right. I especially like it with the two-tone roof, which is exclusive to the Limited trim. You can see this model has an optional 22-inch alloy wheel. Toyota says the standard wheel is going to be a 19. But these 22s, I have to say, are probably one of the best-looking wheels that I've seen on an electric vehicle. Typically, EVs have these really unattractive wheels in my eyes with these aerodynamic covers. This is probably going to lower the range, however, from 320 downwards. But I would gladly sacrifice that to get much better-looking wheels. Toyota didn't mention the ground clearance of this vehicle, nor did they if it had any kind of adaptive damper system. But in general, it appears to have a similar like 7 to 8-inch ground clearance as the previous generation. Now, over here, as you can see, this is the charge port door. And I also love how Toyota has cleaned this up. It's a much smaller-looking charge port door. The vehicle comes standard with the NACS plug, which is the J3400 North American Standard plug. And this vehicle should be able to charge or accept up to 150 kilowatts. You can go to a Tesla supercharger, and it likely will take around the 30-minute mark, although it technically has a slightly bigger battery pack, so it might take a little bit longer. But in general, the charging is pretty competitive with a lot of its other rivals. Now, as you can see, looking at the rest of the profile with the two-tone roof, you get black painted mirrors. I imagine those are also power folding. And you can also see a panoramic glass roof is going to be included on this trim as well, although it doesn't appear to actually open up to vent air. I really like how these roof rails look, where they're very aerodynamic, low-profile in its design. And as you come over to the rear, you can really see that more squared-off look. The old Highlander kind of had a more curvaceous look. I really like this box here and upright design. It's got the trendy full LED taillights back here, which gives it a very unique light signature. I love the way this vehicle looks. As you can also see, the turn signals appear to be down here along with the reverse lights. So it's kind of similar to what we've seen from the front of the vehicle. It's got the usual badging back here with the Highlander. I'm surprised Toyota didn't spell out Toyota back here, but I also appreciate how they didn't want to go with that trend over there. And then, of course, it has their new Beyond Zero badge here. And of course, an all-wheel drive badge with a limited badge. There's a lot of badging back here. I think it would actually look better in black. But in general, I think it's a very clean and sophisticated look. The rear bumper, as you can see, has some combination of unpainted plastics with some plastics that are painted. And overall, I think the design looks very sophisticated and modern. Now, of course, a power liftgate is going to be included. This is the limited trim, so it should also have a hands-free function. And then in terms of the cargo capacity, Toyota wasn't ready to talk about the total amount for at least everything right now. But they did say that when you fold down the third row, it should have over 45 cubic feet of storage space, which is pretty similar to the previous generation. I think they said it was just under 16 when the seats or the third row was up. You can see underneath the floor, there's a pretty generous underfloor storage area, which offers additional storage. You can also put the cargo cover in there, which is a nice touch. The old Highlander offered around 80-ish cubic feet of total storage space with the seats all the way down. I imagine this model should be similar, but remember, it is around four inches longer versus the previous generation. Now, moving on to the interior of the all-new fifth-generation Highlander. Just like the exterior, I think Toyota did a really great job on the inside, especially with increasing the amount of technology and the amount of comfort and the amount of space. Now, this particular one that we're showing you is the limited trim. It's in a new interior color combination called Misty Gray. And I have to say, it looks a little bit more beige to me, but I love the two-tone look. I love the exclusive seats that you get on the limited trim as well with the contrast stitching and piping. These seats are also heated and ventilated, and it's covered in soft-text leatherette. The seats adjust in 10 different ways. You also get a two-person memory here on the driver's side. Keep in mind, if you want the ventilated seats, you have to go for the limited trim. That's included, of course, as part of that upgrade. Now, stepping inside the vehicle, as you can see, it has that typical SUV step-in height. Again, we don't know the actual ground clearance, but it feels really easy to get in and out of. As I shut the door, the door has a pretty solid-sounding thunk. I also forgot to mention this vehicle has their new electronic digital latch system, kind of like Lexus. The button here to open the door is basically pulled out from a lot of current-generation Lexus products. Now, here's the key fob for the vehicle. As you can see, it's the standard Toyota Intelligent Key. This is a pre-production model, so ignore the fact that it says RAV4 on the back, but Toyota's digital key system should be standard as well. It also has your usual buttons here for lock, unlock, power liftgate, and panic, along with their digital key functionality. Now, to turn the vehicle on, you basically just put your foot on the brake and then just hit the power button, which Toyota has kind of relocated to down here in the center, which is good because it doesn't get blocked by the steering wheel. And then, as you can see, in terms of technology, I remember when the Highlander first came out, the previous fourth generation, it had an 8-inch screen as standard with an optional 12-inch display. Now, Toyota says every model comes with their big 14-inch touchscreen, so this display is basically the same display that you'll find in some Lexus products, although it has a completely different look on its own with the newest software from Toyota. This is the new software that we've seen in the RAV4, of course. It includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and then the driver also gets a fully digital 12.3-inch cluster, which is also customizable. The steering wheel, as you can see, is a new steering wheel design, pretty similar to the RAV4 with the two-tone look, which I think looks fantastic. You have paddles here to control the different levels of regen braking, and Toyota's Safety Sense 4.0 is going to be standard. So that's, of course, their latest driver assistance tech, like adaptive cruise, automatic lane change, or automatic lane changing, lane keep assist, all that stuff that you'd like. The Limited also includes a head-up display, which is a great tech feature that a lot of people really like. And then in terms of the materials, let's go ahead and talk about that, because the previous Highlander was, I'd probably say, average in terms of its quality. This new version, now this is an early pre-production model, you can see this upper portion. The trim pieces may change. It's slightly padded here. I like the soft text here with this beautiful ambient lighting, which you can change to 64 different colors. That's standard equipment on all models. I like how it kind of flows into the design for the memory seats. You have a padded area here where you rest your elbows, and then the window controls, they are one-touch for all four. They have that signature high-quality feel from Toyota. They're also illuminated. Your release here for the door is down here. You can also pull it out twice in case the power goes out. Down here, it's all hard-touch plastic with additional storage. And then the steering wheel, as you can see, also has a manual tilt telescoping arrangement. You can get a pretty comfortable driving position in this vehicle easily. And then in terms of the dashboard, you can see it has a soft-touch injection molded plastic with some bronze color trim, the leather out over here. And then I love how Toyota is still including a lot of traditional hard buttons. For example, your drive mode is right here. There's like a sport mode, an eco mode, a normal mode, basically three different drive modes. And then as you can see, the interface for this definitely has been improved. I really appreciate how Toyota has made the 14-inch display basically as standard. Now, my phone was connected here, but this is an early, early prototype. So I'm going to see if I can get it to reconnect. There we go. That's what the CarPlay looks like. You can also push this little button here and expand it out to basically get rid of the native sidebar down there. But that screen looks fantastic. The quality and the resolution looks amazing. I love the big icons here. So that's great if you guys can't see small icons very well, and you can see it just is so quick and snappy and responsive. And I think a lot of people are going to be really impressed with the way this screen looks. Now, down here, you can see you have traditional air vents. There are dual wireless phone charging pads that are standard. And of course, the gear selector is right here. It's pretty similar to what we've seen in other Toyota EVs. If I push this button here, you can see there's your 360 camera. Although right now, this is again, a really early prototype. So there's a couple of features that aren't working on it. But in general, you can see material quality is pretty high with the leather over here. These massive cup holders, which I believe are slightly adjustable. You can actually take this out and adjust how, or if you want something a little bit taller, like a taller water bottle, this will actually change out the floor level of the cup holders. And then the center console you can see opens up in two different ways. It also has a shelf here that you can take out to reveal an even deeper storage area. So this is fantastic for hiding a few items down there. I like how Toyota kind of gives you that additional versatility. The glove compartment forgot to mention is also pretty big. It goes into the dash. The lid itself is damped, but not lined with felt. And then this model here has the upgraded JBL sound system, which I haven't had a chance to listen to it. But if you guys are an audiophile, I highly recommend going for that. Obviously the seats, they are comfortable and supportive. Actually, the seat cushioning feels perfect. I also love how luxurious the seats look. They almost look like they could be pulled out of a Lexus product. And I also really like this misty color above me. You can see it's got that panoramic glass sunroof, although this doesn't open up. So it's technically a moonroof. It's a fixed glass moonroof, but you can see the tint is extremely dark, which is good, but it also goes like all the way past the second row. So that might be one of the biggest panoramic glass roofs that I've seen in any Toyota product. The rear view mirror is also a digital camera or it's a frameless auto dimming. You have led map lighting, of course, above me, along with a woven material here for the headliner. And you also have lighting here, led lighting in the actual sun visor. So overall the interior feels very luxurious, very modern, but it's also not overwhelming. I like how Toyota gave you a combination of actual hard buttons with the touchscreen controls. And it also has for, I think, one of the more comfortable seats that I've tested or that I've sat in so far in this space. Let's go ahead and hop into the backseat area. I can show you guys what that space is like. Now, as you can see, getting back here, this limited trim comes standard with captain's chairs. Now, if you guys want a bench seat, Toyota will happily option that in. If you guys go for the XLE all-wheel drive trim, this captain's chair arrangement is what a lot of people prefer. The seats look very luxurious. They're manually adjustable and these seats are also heated. Sadly, if you're looking for a ventilated second row seats, some of its competitors offer that. Toyota, however, does not offer that feature. Now, getting back here, as you can see, this is not particularly my set driving position, but Toyota didn't actually quote any legroom figures yet for this car. I would imagine 39-ish inches of legroom. This feels pretty comparable to the previous generation. The floor, as you can see, surprisingly, is not completely flat. There's a little bit of a raised hump area down here, which is surprising considering this is a dedicated EV. You can see it's got some storage cubbies here. It's got climate control functions. Your three-level heat seats are back here, and then you can see this is kind of similar to what Hyundai and Kia does. They're putting the USB chargers kind of right here on the seat back, although Hyundai and Kia puts it off to the side. The limited trim also includes second row retractable sunshades, which is a feature a lot people really like. And you can see lots of additional leather, and that ambient lighting back here carries over. The padded area down here is also nice. The window controls, again, they feel really high quality, and Toyota puts the vents up here, which makes for easy adjustments. And then, as you can see with the headroom clearance, the glass roof goes way past my head into almost the third row area, but there's still a solid maybe four inches of additional headroom. So, lots of headroom, even though this car is almost an inch lower than the previous generation. So, that's surprising. The seats, they do offer a slight recline, where I can actually get pretty comfortable, and you can also adjust the seat forward and back. This is with it all the way back, obviously. So, this is really easy to get comfortable and find, you know, a nice position here on those longer road trips. But let's go ahead and hop into the third row area, because the Highlander is still, again, a seven-seater, up to a seven-seater SUV. And there's a button here on the side of the seat. You basically just push that button and hold it. And as you can see, once you hold it for a second, early pre-production car, this is kind of where you can go into the back seat of the third row area. Now, the third row of the Highlander has always been a little bit more cramped than some of its rivals, and Toyota didn't have any actual legroom figures just yet. But I have to say, this seat, I've moved it all the way back. This is actually not bad. I would estimate this car probably has a couple more inches of legroom than the prior generation. If I had to guess, maybe 32 inches of legroom seems about right. The third row, for me, actually, I could sit back here on shorter trips. Now, unlike the Grand Highlander, which sits three across, this only seats two across. Above me, you can see there's a decent amount of headroom space. My knees aren't jammed up against the seat, which is nice. You have a pretty sizable window back here, along with your LED map lighting and some air vents back here, a USB-C charging port, which is also nice. The seats themselves, you technically could recline it. Actually, you can recline it manually there, because this is not a power reclining third row. But overall, aside from the seat bench being kind of low, this is surprisingly a decent place to spend time. It feels pretty comparable to its main rivals from Hyundai and Kia with the IONIQ 9 and the EV9. The Toyota Highlander has always been one of the top-selling vehicles in the midsize three-row crossover segment. Of course, when the Grand Highlander came out, it started to affect the sales of the Highlander. It's a really interesting proposition how Toyota decided to split the two models and make the regular Highlander a full electric vehicle. I actually think it's probably a really good decision, because the Grand Highlander has basically been taking a lot of those customers who bought a Highlander due to its increased space. And now, of course, if you guys want something with even more technology and going fully electric, there's now the new three-row Highlander. And I have to say, after seeing the new vehicle in the sheet metal, I'm really liking what Toyota has done here. Obviously, the company started off slow in the EV space, and they were a little bit behind the times in terms of range and charging. But they're quickly rectifying that, because with up to 320 miles of range, nearly 340 horsepower, I suspect this car should probably get to 60 in the mid-five-second range, which is going to be pretty competitive with a lot of its rivals. It also has a design that stands out. It looks muscular. It looks very futuristic. But it also looks like it still belongs in the family of Toyota EVs. The interior also has a lot of luxury features, a lot of technology. And Toyota has also simplified the trim lineups, offering only the XLE and Limited. This Limited in this spellbound color, I think, really stands out. And I think a lot of people are going to like the design when this vehicle comes out. Speaking of which, if you're looking to get your hands on the new Highlander, you're going to have to wait until the end of 2026 to early 2027, because this is a 2027 model year. And of course, we don't have final pricing figures just yet on this model. Toyota will have that information available to us as we get closer to the on-sale date. But if I had to speculate, the current Highlander starts at around $45,000, goes up to around $56,000. I would estimate that this car is probably going to be more expensive, obviously. But really, if you're looking at some of its competitors, the EV9 and Hyundai IONIQ 9 starts at $59,000 and $55,000. If Toyota can get the pricing right, I would estimate a base XLE with front-wheel drive, maybe just under $50,000. This model here could probably climb up into the mid-60s. I think this is going to be a great option out there, especially if you guys are looking to buy a Toyota vehicle, but you also want to dip your toes into the EV space, and you also want something that has enough space for your family and all their stuff. With all that said, I hope you guys have enjoyed my very detailed overview on the brand spanking new 2027 Toyota Highlander BEV. If you're also looking to see the latest cars I'm testing, be sure to follow me on Instagram at Redline Underscore Reviews. Like us on Facebook. And as always, guys, please keep subscribing to the Redline Reviews YouTube channel for all the latest reviews. Thank you so much for watching. I'll catch you all in the next video.