2020 Toyota Highlander Kicks Ass, Proclaims Doug DeMuro
YouTuber says Toyota designed a great looking Highlander with lots of interesting tech.
With the 2020 Highlander, Toyota created an excellent family crossover with loads of capability. Fortunately, they also spent quite a bit of time sculpting it too. As a result, the new model represents a serious visual upgrade over its predecessor. As much as we may covet vehicles like the Toyota 86 and Supra, it’s the bread-and-butter products that allow the company to develop more exotic offerings. The good news is that the new Highlander seems to be better than ever.
Doug DeMuro recently reviewed the 2020 Highlander and came away impressed with the new model. Overall, he felt Toyota did a good job of designing the crossover for the next generation of customers who will likely be cross-shopping it against the Kia Telluride and Ford Explorer. He also felt the Highlander contained a lot of useful features for backseat passengers and front-seat occupants.
New and Improved
With a fresh design and an all-new platform, Toyota seems to have injected the Highlander with some extra pizazz. DeMuro immediately commented on that switch-up at the beginning of his video. The character line that runs along the lower portion of the front door before rising up over the rear wheel well earned a kudos from the reviewer. “It’s rare you see such a sculpted line on sort of boring mid-size family crossover. And it’s nice to see that they cared enough to add it. And it helps to give the new Highlander a more distinctive look,” says DeMuro. He also discussed the new taillights, which he felt made the Highlander look quite upscale.
Unsurprisingly, DeMuro also evaluated the Highlander’s rear seat access. He praised Toyota’s foresight in designing easy-to-use seat controls for anyone sitting in the back. A big plus was the latch responsible for pulling the second-row seat forward, which allows passengers access to the third row. “That latch on the side of the seat is perfect. It’s positioned low, easily reachable for children, and it does exactly what it should,” says DeMuro. The Highlander’s accommodating interior also extended to the first row as well. In addition to an abundance of storage areas, the Toyota boasts a lot of nifty tech to help parents avoid serious accidents. The camera system pulls back and highlights everything around the Highlander from a bird’s eye view and overall it looks very useful. “I have seen this feature on some of the highest-end vehicles. The top Lexus models, Rolls Royce, BMW…but now it’s in the Highlander,” says DeMuro. DeMuro felt the camera system is the best in the segment.
Driving the Highlander
When Doug gets behind the wheel of the Highlander, he finds an extremely refined and luxurious three-row. “But road noise is muted. Not hearing any wind come through the windows. Which is better than I can say about the Ford Explorer,” says DeMuro. He also ended up being a fan of the Highlander’s interior quality. “The interior of this…very nice in here. On the level of Lexus from a few years ago. It’s a really, really high-end interior,” says DeMuro. That’s high praise. About the only real fault, DeMuro found with the Highlander was its position in the segment. It’s not that the Highlander is bad. It’s just that others have risen to the challenge and are more competitive than ever. “I will say: it’s excellent. It’s a great vehicle. It’s just as great as it ever was. But it wouldn’t necessarily be the only thing I look at,” says DeMuro.
His comments sound like they’re a bit negative about the Highlander. In fact, that’s the incorrect take. The bottom line is that rival automakers have seen what Toyota has done with the Highlander and introduced their own three-rows based on that research. Toyota set the segment standard and continues to shine in an important segment. We’re confident that buyers will continue to recognize what Toyota has created once they visit their local dealer. DeMuro is always worth watching and this latest video is definitely recommended for anyone interested in the new Highlander.