2027 Toyota Highlander Becomes A Three-Row Electric SUV

The Toyota Highlander may not be a familiar nameplate to our Filipino readers, but this three-row SUV has become vital in Toyota’s North American lineup. Outside North America, the Highlander is also sold in Europe, as well as in Australia, where it is called the Kluger. For the 2027 model year, the Highlander enters a new generation in pure electric form.

The 2027 Toyota Highlander is heavily inspired by one of the plethora of EV concepts that the company previewed back in 2021. Previewed by the bZ Large SUV concept, the new Highlander probably ditched the confusing bZ nomenclature for something that has greater consumer recall. If anything, a vehicle’s name can make of break its success.

Starting with its design, Toyota’s now ubiquitous Hammerhead fascia is applied here in the new Highlander. C-shaped LED daytime running lights, combined with a full-width light bar, create a distinct fascia, while the LED headlight projectors are housed in a separate unit below. There’s a lack of a front grille, as this is an EV, which also gives the Highlander a cleaner look.

This leads us to the vehicle’s side profile, wherein the lower height, combined with a longer body, means that it now measures 5,050 mm or about 100 mm longer than the gas-powered model it’s replacing. The longer and lower side profile features an available black contrasting roof, along with electronic door handles, which will be banned for use in China starting in 2027. Moving towards the rear end, the roofline is mostly upright until it tapers down to the full-width LED taillights, while the reverse light and turn signals are in a separate triangular-shaped unit.

Moving inside the 2027 Toyota Highlander, you will see familiar design cues that were kicked off by the new RAV4. The overall aesthetic is angular and wide, with two displays measuring 12.3 inches and 14 inches dominating the dashboard. These screens run the latest Arene OS, yet despite leaning heavily on software, there’s still a healthy amount of physical knobs and switches. Likewise, there are electronic door handles inside, but they also operate a mechanical door handle when you pull the buttons.

Features include a JBL sound system, a head-up display, SofTex or genuine leather upholstery, 64-color ambient lighting, and the large panoramic glass roof ever fitted to a Toyota. Captain’s chairs for the second row are standard, but lower variants have the option to go for a bench seat instead. Thanks to the EV architecture, Toyota also claims that the third row can fit full-size adults.

Two power outputs for the 2027 Toyota Highlander are available. The single motor front-wheel drive (FWD) version produces 221 horsepower and 269 Nm of torque, while the all-wheel drive (AWD) dual-motor version has 338 horsepower and 438 Nm of torque.

As for battery sizes, the FWD gets a 77 kWh battery that’s good for 462 km, while AWD with the 77 kWh battery is good for 435 kilometers of range. A larger 95.8 kWh battery is available only to the AWD, and this offers up to 515 km of range. These are Toyota’s estimated range figures, and not yet by the EPA or WLTP. In North America, the Highlander comes with the NACS port, and it is capable of charging from 10 to 80 percent in a DC fast charger in about 30 minutes.

The prospect of the 2027 Toyota Highlander arriving in the Philippines is slim to almost non-existent, considering that this vehicle is mostly meant for North America. In fact, production is going to commence in Toyota’s Kentucky factory and not in Japan.