June 12, 2007

Preview: 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

Review and photos by Chris Chase

Photo Gallery: 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

When Toyota redesigned its compact RAV4 SUV in 2006, it was, all of a sudden, not so compact anymore. Its new dimensions put it into close competition with the first-generation Highlander being sold alongside it - so it was clear a new Highlander was on its way - but when?

A partial answer came earlier this year at the Chicago Auto Show when the 2008 Highlander was revealed, but this new model never made it to the Canadian auto show circuit. That makes the preproduction hybrid version that Toyota brought to Ottawa for the launch of its cross-country Hybrid Tour, the first 2008 Highlander to make it onto Canadian soil for public viewing.

Not that there was much wrong with the original Highlander (aside from its lack of personality), but this new one appears to be a big improvement over the first-gen model. Most notably, it's much larger, both physically and visually, with attractive, if not particularly distinctive, styling compared to competitors in the rapidly ballooning mid-size crossover class.

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

Toyota wasn't letting journalists drive this preproduction car, but encouraged journalists and the public alike to poke around in it as much as we liked.

Public Relations Manager Kathryn Ruhland said the Highlander Hybrid gets a number of unique touches that won't be shared with gas-only versions. Among these are the woodgrain dashboard trim and blue accents on the gauge faces. The exterior sports Toyota's hybrid badging, unique wheels and - though it's tough to see up close, never mind in photos - Ruhland says the Hybrid's headlight lenses are tinted blue.

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

The seats in the first and second rows are very comfortable and spacious; the two-place third row offers decent headroom, but I suspect this is an illusion created by the low bottom cushion, which takes away from legroom. The seats themselves aren't terribly comfortable, with the kind of thin padding I've come to expect from these glorified rumble seats.

At first glance, the Highlander appears to be a six-seater, with a second row consisting of two captains chairs with a console in between. But a trick jump seat that lives in a compartment at the bottom of the front-seat console can be placed in between the second-row chairs to create a bench. It's more comfortable than it looks (and sounds), but the outboard positions are still the best choices for riding coach.

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

With the third row seat in place, cargo space is limited, but folding it down opens up a generous hold. Up front, the dash is one of Toyota's more attractive in recent years (in my opinion), but keep in mind that the Highlander Hybrid will be positioned near the top of the model line-up; entry-level models will no doubt be a little less snazzy inside. In any event, the feel of the controls is top-notch, and the presence of actual knobs for the radio and climate controls is a nice touch in such a high-tech vehicle. The dash is topped by a small fuel consumption display; this, and the charge/assist gauge that replaces the tachometer in the instrument cluster, tell the driver just about all they need to know about what's happening under the hood.

Gas-only versions of the 2008 Highlander go on sale this summer, with Hybrid models to join the line-up in September. Pricing hasn't been announced yet.

More First Drives....

Chris Chase is an Ottawa-based automotive journalist.