2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV

The New Highlander hybrid is provided in four trim levels. LE is the base model. Above that XLE brings more addition to features. The Limited maintains surplus authority, while the Platinum is the top spec of the Highlander Hybrid. All are designated with the same engine and electric motors sending 243 horses to run smoothly. Adaptive cruise controls, LED headlights, a power liftgate, three-zone automatic climate control, Amazon Alexa compatibility, blindspot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, and a six-speaker audio system are offered with the basic variant.

Optional features–

Only the XLE and Limited are blessed with optional upgrades. It contains 

• Second-row bench seat 
• Navigation system 

Limited Trim-

• 12.3-inch touchscreen
• Surround view camera system 

We Recommend 

Limited trim sends the maximum features if one does not want to spend over $50k on their Highlander Hybrid SUV. Leather upholstery, 11-speaker JBL audio, automatic emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, and a heated steering wheel are offered. Plus it also brings all the features of the XLE variant including a wireless charging pad, heated front seats, eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seats, a 7-inch digital instrument panel, lumbar support for the driver seat, and much more to be worth the hike in price.

Release Date 

The 2023 generation of Highlander Hybrid is released and is available for sale in your nearest dealership.

With a 2.4L four-cylinder engine, the two electric motors when joins hands produce 243 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. Paired with one speed continuously variable transmission (CVT), Toyota sends FWD on a basic level. AWD is an option. With mixed DNA, the Highlander Hybrid can reap a 0-60 mph mark in 7.3 seconds. Fleeing at a momentum of 87 mph, the SUV can plunge a quarter-mile distance between 16-18 seconds. Being a three-row Toyota Hybrid, the car runs pretty decently leaving a bit of down that one would use to with time. The steering response is familiar with RAV4 sending thoughtful feedback with several speed counts. Running only on the CVT feels no experience with the gear shifts, but revving at high speeds does get some throttle. The car is well built for city driving, procuring good mileage numbers. On the highways, it does not specifically spread a thrilling performance. On high throttling, the engine starts screaming, advising the driver to drive it with calm exposure. 

Looking at 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid price, it conveys being the most expensive hybrid SUV for seven or eight people. Honda CR-V is the most affordable hybrid SUV. The newest Toyota Highlander is the fastest Hybrid SUV under $50k. The Subaru Crosstrek costs extra than Honda CR-V but produces the least power. Hyundai Santa Fe offers more power than both Hyundai and Subaru, but Santa Fe jumps ahead of Honda with its highest torque on any Hybrid SUV. New Toyota Highlander and Honda CR-V are SUVs with front-wheel drive (FWD). The 2023 Crosstrek SUV and Hyundai Santa Fe are the hybrid SUVs to buy under $40k in 2023 with all-wheel drive (AWD) by default.

2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Ride and Handling 

Ride quality is firmer and the lavishness increases with trim levels. Satisfied seats derive optimum happiness. Around turns, this car surprises with its composed nature. Handling experience might not a major thing to look upon, but it is not pathetic either. Very easy-to-drive vehicle, it is something that begets adequate satisfaction. It contains a bit of body roll, which feels mitigating in many other classmates of segment. While turning, it defines a turning diameter of 37.4 ft. Strut suspensions on front wheels provide structural support for the vehicle suspension, support the spring, and hold the tire in an aligned position. While the Multi-link suspensions allow the rear wheels to turn more. Toyota sends five drive modes in Highlander Hybrid SUV. The Sport mode sharpens steering and throttle response. The Normal is a daily driving mode ensuring a proper equilibrium of solace and pleasure. Eco mode tries to save maximum fuel by running the vehicle at optimum power required. The EV mode helps steer Highlander for a certain number of miles on batteries when the fuel tank dries up. Trail mode by diversifying suspensions provides higher ride quality to triumph on abstract roads. Standard 18-inch wheels with tires of dimensions P235/65VR18.

2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Braking System

The anti-lock braking system on all wheels helps them from locking under panic or harsh braking conditions. The standard adaptive cruise control maintains a necessary gap between the Highlander and the vehicle moving ahead of it. Forward collision mitigation warns of an anticipated crash and applies brakes in certain scenarios. Emergency braking assists help to bring the car to a full stop when it detects the brake pedals are used to gain a sudden stop.

Additional passenger capacity glimpses in the curb weight of new Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV. The newest Subaru Crosstrek is the most lightweight hybrid vehicle on the market. Honda CR-V brings additional large brake calipers than Crosstrek compensating for the additional pounds to stop a bit faster. Being the most expensive hybrid SUV in 2023, the Highlander carries the biggest brake calipers in its front and rear wheels supporting it to come to a standstill effectively in the segment. Crosstrek is built with the shortest brake calipers that do justice to its lowest curb weight. An educated guess about the Sana Fe says that its braking distance would be a bit higher than the rest of the rivals, keeping its curb weight and caliper size into account. 

Because it is a hybrid vehicle, there would be hardly anyone who will not appreciate the mileage figures over a basic Highlander. Earning a combined mpg of 36, it fetches the same 36 mpg in city and less one pony 35 on the highways. With 17.1 gallons of fuel tank. City and combined miles of range are 615.6, while on highways it sends 598.5 miles.

The newest Honda CR-V is the most efficient hybrid SUV under $40k. The newest Toyota Highlander hybrid mpg is also leading in the segment by scoring an extra one or two mpg over the new Hyundai Santa Fe. The biggest fuel tank of Santa Fe derives the highest miles of range. The bigger it is, the better it is–this helps Highlander bring more range despite lesser mpg numbers than Honda CR-V.

From inside the Highlander Hybrid, unlike the other cars of Toyota, feels planned accordingly, delivering maximum ease to the driver to operate anything. A simple-looking layout of cabin delivers a sense of sophistication offered on high-end cars. The doors open wide enough to approximate the average size of people. One would get no loss when boating in and out of the cabin. The soft-touch cloth and leatherette material greet people on LE and XLE trims. Window controls, some storage to occupy bottles of water, and cloth-suited hand rest are carried on with rear door panels. Designed with the same intent, the front doors also promise additional switches to move front seats. Toyota only offers two shades for the interior, going for black is a nice choice. Seats are politely furnished and are reliable on long distances. The LE, contains seating of eight people, while other variants send only seven seats with a second-row captain chair format. By default front seats are power-adjustable, things get better with XLE and above trims with heating and ventilation functions respectively.

Easy-looking dashboard washes a hard-touch material painted with some texturing on it. It centers on a standard 8-inch infotainment touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Two AC vents on either pole counting four with an extra two underneath the display. Three-zone climate control. The steering wheel does not bear any chrome accent excluding the Toyota logo itself. The center console offers a nice armrest, some controls to alter drive modes, an optional wireless charging pad, and cup holders.

The front seats of Hyundai Santa Fe are highly spacious and fetch the highest amount of legroom. Room available inside the 2023 Toyota Highlander is ahead of many of its classmates. Except for the Highlander, all the vehicles are five-seater, so talking about a room in third-row seats makes no sense. But the last row seats genuinely are of no use on Highlander Hybrid. It can only lodge kids. Behind the front row, the cargo space of the Highlander is the most in comparison. The most affordable hybrid brings the least cargo space.

Highlights of the interior –

• 8-way power adjustable driver seat
• 4-way power adjustable front passenger seat
• Manual tilt and telescopic steering column
• Power rear windows with fixed third-row windows
• 40-20-40 folding second and third-row seats 
• Leather trim on the steering wheel
• Front and rear cupholder 
• Proximity key for doors and push-button ignition 
• Remote keyless entry 
• Cruise controls with steering wheel controls

How intuitive is the 2023 Toyota Highlander Infotainment system?

A definitive 8-inch center touchscreen is the main working unit to do most of the infotainment tasks. The platinum model equips a larger 12.3-inch display with same-size digital instrumentation. The screens connect Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly. It is also compatible with Amazon Alexa. Toyota's easy-to-use infotainment system always works elegantly with a lofty refresh rate on the screen. Standard 6-speaker audio on LE brings an update to 11-speaker JBL sound, while Limited and Platinum trims cover it standard. A wireless charging pad and two 120v charging outlets are seen as standard on higher trims.

Extracts of infotainment system–

• 8-inch infotainment touchscreen 
• 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen on Platinum
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity 
• Amazon Alexa compatibility 
• 6-speaker audio system
• 11-speaker JBL sound on Limited and Platinum
• SiriusXM radio with 3 monthly subscription 
• Speed-compensated volume control 
• Steering wheel control 
•  Voice activation 

Outer appeal of Highlander Hybrid is just like the ordinary Highlander. Clean, good-looking, and stylish aesthetics are what some characterize as the identity of this SUV. It maintains a gentle presence among the vehicles of its class. A flat-looking hood bent towards the ground contains a four-cylinder engine. Some distinctive lines over it don't appear when preferring basic white exterior paint. The front small grille composed of black accents provides a Chrome forged Toyota Logo hanging in between with chrome ropes, connecting corners. The front spoiler is simple and brings some line orientation to situate parking sensors and pass the air through it. Agonizing LED headlights give a separate area for daytime running fog lamps. 

Side scenery just like the entire car structure does not gain much-focused area. It is uncluttered. It is straight-looking. Standard 18-inch wheels moving around tires of fraction P235/65VR18–get expanded to 20-inches on Limited and Platinum. Thick cladding over wheels to protect the clearcoat paint. black side windows with body-colored door handles and windows, and outside rearview mirrors look complementing each other. Offered in ten shades, we like to have Moondust on our Highlander. The rear end organizes the Toyota logo with some blue extents showing the hybrid technology. LED brake lights and Highlander wrote on down the left corner. 

2023 Toyota Highlander Ground clearance is offered to view the competition trend. The least expensive hybrid SUV in 2023 shows the shortest body, while the newest Highlander carries the longest on the table. Hyundai Santa Fe offers a further wheelbase than both Subaru and Honda, while the wheelbase length of Highlander jumps ahead of every hybrid vehicle.

A glimpse of the exterior design –

• 18-inch painted alloy wheels
• Steel spare wheel 
• Clearcoat paint 
• Compact spare tire mounted under the cargo 
• Body-colored front bumper
• Body-colored rear bumper 
• Black wheel
• Black grille 
• Chrome border across windows
• Heated and body-painted outside rearview mirror

Toyota’s Safety Sense (TSS) 2.5+ proposes assorted necessary driver-assistive features that are often seen absent on other SUVs of the same caste. Standard lane-keeping system by making minor steering adjustments supports car bringing back to a predefined path. You will be warned when a vehicle is in your blind spot while changing lanes or reversing a vehicle with a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert. Standard adaptive cruise control by controlling the speed of the Highlander conserves a prominent distance between the vehicle moving in front of it.

Salient features of safety system–

• Standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection 
• Standard blindspot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert
• Standard lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
• Dual front side-mounted airbags 
• Front, second, and third-row head airbags 
• Airbag occupancy sensors 
• Stability control 
• ABS and driveline traction control 
• Child seat anchor 
• Rear door child safety locks 

2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vs. 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid

With less money comes less power. This is what Subaru conveys through Crosstrek. Subaru Crosstrek is a more off-road and rugged-oriented hybrid, whereas the Highlander is more formal and uniform. The Highlander costs more but brings around a hundred hp extra, more passenger space, more cargo space, and a huge number of standard driver-assist features that are required in the Subaru Crosstrek.

2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vs. 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

Costing over a thousand dollars less, the Santa Fe fetches a six-speed automatic transmission that complies with an all-wheel drive system by default. The Highlander hybrid brings a CVT and RWD platform. Toyota sends more power to run a little faster. Santa Fe provides shorter wheels, with a bit of extra ground clearance. Highlander is good at dealing with better mileage numbers, seen relatively less on Hyundai.

2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vs. 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid 

Honda CR-V is a more safe car as it spawns overall five-star ratings from NHTSA, while Highlander has not been sent for testing. Both are highly good at rendering ample driver-assistive and safety features. CR-V is more fuel-efficient but Highlander earns more miles of range thanks to a larger fuel tank. Honda is lightweight and shorter, while the extra-long Highlander is built on the longest wheelbase in the segment.

This is one of the most affordable hybrid vehicles to buy in 2023–that provides seating for seven or eight passengers. Simple yet cool-looking dashboard, wealthy seats, composed handling, a gentle ride, and several standard features offered are some of the key factors. Keeping the appraising mileage and reliability of Toyota aside, there are some factors to consider before getting your hands on it. Third-row seats are highly restricted to rooms. The engine does not cope with rev at high speeds. If one wants a hybrid SUV solely for day-to-day purposes, then the least-powered and most affordable Subaru Crosstrek is the one. Hyundai Santa Fe does not get seats for more people but is budget-friendly. The Honda CR-V is a vehicle with neck-to-neck competition and offers the highest mpg with less money than Toyota Highlander Hybrid.