The new Toyota Highlander and the new Toyota Highlander Hybrid are both outstanding three-row SUVs with room for up to eight people. Both offer plenty of cargo space and excellent safety technology. The Toyota Highlander has a new turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine while the hybrid version has a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engine under the hood working with a pair of electric motors. Here are some of the strengths of each model that you can discover for yourself with a dual test drive at Dayton Toyota in South Brunswick NJ.
What's new in the Toyota Highlander for 2023?
Higher trim levels now feature a standard 12.3-inch touch screen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. A hands-free power lift gate now comes on XLE and XSE trims and Monroe and Princeton, NJ buyers will find that power-folding mirrors have been added to the Limited and Platinum trims.
What’s new in the Toyota Highlander Hybrid for 2023?
The same higher trim levels in the Hybrid now offer a 12.3-inch touch screen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as you'll find in the gas-powered Toyota Highlander. What's more, the Hybrid also provides a hands free power lift gate on the XLE and XSE models.
The powertrain in the 2023 Toyota Highlander
The gas-powered Toyota Highlander comes with a turbocharged 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that creates 265 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive comes standard and all-wheel drive is an available option. An 8-speed automatic is the transmission across the entire gas-powered Highlander range. The gas-powered Toyota Highlander can reach 60 mph in 7.4 seconds which is a full second faster than the hybrid model.
The powertrain in the 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid operates with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that teams up with a pair of electric motors. With help from a continuously variable automatic transmission, the Highlander Hybrid has a total system output of 243 horsepower whether you choose front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Platinum trim can reach 60 mph in 8.4 seconds which is one second behind the comparable non-hybrid Highlander.
Both have exactly the same cargo space and interior room
The Toyota Highlander and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid both give East Windsor and Spotswood, NJ buyers 40.4 inches of legroom in the first row, 41.0 inches of legroom in the second row and 27.7 inches of legroom in the third row. In addition, the Toyota Highlander and the Hybrid variation both give you 16.0 cubic feet of space behind the third row, 48.4 inches of cubic feet behind the second row and 84.3 cubic feet behind the third row. So both models have more cargo space than the Kia Sorento Hybrid.
A comparison of fuel efficiency
While the gas-powered Toyota Highlander is a little faster, the new Highlander Hybrid provides better fuel economy. The Toyota Highlander with the four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission gives you 21 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on highways around Hightstown NJ. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid delivers 36 MPG in the city and 35 MPG on the highway.
A comparison of technology
Both models offer sophisticated technology and Top Safety Pick+ awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Both offer the same kind of advanced infotainment technology as well.
A comparison of value
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid costs about $4,000 more than the gas-powered Toyota Highlander but the Hybrid will help make up for the difference with better fuel efficiency. Make the short drive from Monroe NY on Ridge Road to test drive the new Toyota Highlander and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and make up your own mind at Dayton Toyota in South Brunswick NJ.
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