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| 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD. |
The stakes were especially high here at TireKicker World Headquarters for the all-new 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD---the replacement for the exact 2019 model that Mrs. TireKicker and I took on our epic nine-day, 3,000-mile road trip last September and loved.
The verdict? We needn't have worried. The 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD is better in almost every way than its predecessor. Let's get to the specifics:
The biggest change is under the hood, as the 3.5-liter V6 paired with an electric motor making 300 horsepower has been replaced with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 243 horsepower.
That is actually an improvement. Higher torque output and greater electric motor efficiency keeps the performance loss to a minimum. Zero to 60 takes about a half second more than last year at 7.6 seconds. But the EPA estimated fuel economy has skyrocketed. Last year's 29 city/27 highway is now 35 city/34 highway. And the ride is smooth and quiet. Although we didn't get the chance to take a road trip while we had it, I have no doubt this would be every bit as terrific a long-distance cruiser as last year's was.
The transmission continues to be an electronic Continuously Variable Transmission and, in the AWD models, there's electronic on-demand AWD with Trail mode.
At a starting price of $50,200, the top-of-the-line 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD also comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (Pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, automatic high beams and road sign assist).
There's also the Star Safety System (Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking assist with auto-braking and bird's eye view camera and Toyota Safety and Remote Connect with a one-year trial).
Plus 20-inch alloy wheels with a temporary spare, LED headlights with adaptive front lighting system and auto-leveling, LED fog lights, heated power mirrors with puddle lamp, a hands-free power liftgate, rain-sensing windshield wipers and a panoramic moonroof.
Also standard for $50,200:
- Leather-trimmed seating
- Power, heated and ventilated front seats
- Heated second-row seats
- 60/40 split-folding, flat-folding third-row seats
- JBL 11-speaker Premium Audio system with subwoofer and amplifier
- 12.3-inch touchscreen
- Dynamic navigation
- USB media port and four (4) USB charging ports
- SiriusXM Satellite Radio with a three-month All Access trial
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Two (2) 120-volt power outlets
- Qi Wireless smartphone charger
- Digital rearview mirror (camera/traditional mirror) with HomeLink
Our tester had very little in the way of extra cost options, just the Ruby Flare Pearl paint ($425), carpeted floor mats and cargo mat ($318), cargo cross bars ($350) and the universal tablet holder shown above that attaches to the front seat back for rear seat passengers to use with their iPads or other personal tablet computers ($99).
With $1,120 delivery processing and handling fee, the bottom line on the window sticker is $52,512, a less than $2,500 increase over the 2019 we took on our road trip last year. That's not insignificant, but the 2020 Highlander is larger, offers similar performance, markedly better fuel economy, a higher level of feature content and higher-quality materials.
The 2020 Highlander had a high bar to clear---especially with us. Mission accomplished. Assuming we'll have a road trip late this summer (by no means a certainty), Toyota can expect a call from us asking about availability.
