Highlander Heats Up Miami Auto Show with Regional Debut
Latest Highlander comes with three rows of seating, uses Toyota’s new New Global Architecture as its foundation for greatness.
The New 2020s (or whatever they’ll ultimately be called) are right upon our doorstep. A whole new decade to start again, make memories, meet new people, and check out all that is to come.
Toyota itself is ready for the 2020s, having introduced the likes of the GR Supra, all-new Corolla and Corolla Hybrid, and the RAV4 Hybrid. None are the only new kids on the block, though, for the 2020 Highlander is ready to roll out into the great wide open in the final days of the New ’10s, including a recent appearance at the Miami International Auto Show November 1.
Making its Southeastern United States debut on the floor of the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, the 2020 Highlander arrives a year before the nameplate’s 20th anniversary in 2021. Two decades ago, the crossover/SUV market was dominated by truck-based, body-on-frame machines. The Highlander shook things up with a unibody construction, paired with four-wheel independent suspension, proving such a beast can go hard on the trail as well as any other off-roader.
The 2020 Highlander is ready to shake things up again, this time upon the all-new Toyota New Global Architecture platform. The midsizer’s foundation, the TNGA-K, also underpins the current RAV4, and the Camry, and offers more capability, comfort, and safety than ever before.
Under the hood of the 2020 Highlander will either be a V6 or, if you opt for the hybrid model, a version of the Toyota Hybrid System. There, you’ll find a 2.5-liter DOHC four-banger combined with a pair of electric motors, variable valve timing, variable cooling, and a variable oil pump to deliver maximum efficiency on the road. The V6 is expected to bring a combined rating of 22 mpg, while the hybrid takes it to another level at 34 combined mpg.
The 2020 Highlander will have five trim levels available, starting with the all-new L trim, going all the way to the top-tier Platinum trim, which includes a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and a premium JBL sound system. The gas-only version will arrive in showrooms later this year, while the hybrid model will do the same in the first quarter of 2020.
Photos: Toyota
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