2027 Toyota Highlander is a Three-Row EV With Toyota's Biggest Battery

OJAI, CA—After four generations of being the brand’s bread-and-butter three-row SUV, the Highlander is making a big switch.

Ever since the Grand Highlander debuted a few years back, we've wondered what Toyota would do next for the smaller, original Highlander. Now we know, as the brand on Tuesday revealed the fifth-generation model, which trades out internal combustion altogether to be the first of Toyota’s classic nameplates to switch to a fully electric lineup.

Before we jump into all of the tech specs of this new EV, let’s talk styling. The 2027 Highlander adopts the current hammerhead look pioneered by the Prius up front, though obviously massaged for a much larger and more upright vehicle. In the metal that's the closer touch point than the bZ anyway, not to mention the new Highlander is very different from the ultra-conservative Grand Highlander. The rest of the shape is unsurprisingly streamlined—an EV needs to eke out range bonuses any way it can—and while it has semi-flush door handles, at least they don't pop out.

Around back it shares much in common with the upcoming bZ Woodland, with a strong shoulder line, thin full-width light bar, and aggressive tumblehome. The top trim at launch will be the Limited, and it rolls on positively massive 22-inch alloys. Exterior colors will include a few modern Toyota options like Reservoir Blue and the excellent Everest, while new shade Spellbound joins the lineup. A contrasting black roof is available with select paint options.

The dramatic redesign can make it hard to gauge where the fifth-generation Highlander falls, size-wise. It’s smack dab in between the old one and the Grand, measuring 198.8 inches (5,050 millimeters) from tip to tail. Toyota has trimmed nearly an inch (25 mm) off the height however, while widening the Highlander by 2.3 in (58 mm). As is the case with EVs, without the need to fit a bulky engine up front the 2027 Highlander sees a big stretch in wheelbase growing by over 8 inches (203 mm), now sitting at 120.1 in (3,050 mm).

That embiggening makes for a much more spacious cabin, particularly in the third row—though it’s important to note that the way-back is a strictly two-person affair in this Highlander. Seating maxes out at seven with an available middle-row bench seat. With a flat shoulder line and an available fixed-glass pano roof—the largest ever fitted to a Toyota—the Highlander cabin feels airy, especially in the lighter Misty Gray interior. There's no leather option here, just Toyota's SofTex in that, black, or Portobello.

The infotainment is the same as that in the new RAV4, running an upgraded and snappy interface on a large 14.0-inch screen. The Highlander also has the built-in dashcam too, and can now beam native navigation directly onto the 12.3-inch instrument cluster.

Cargo space is a useful 15.9 cu ft with all seats up, nearly tripling to 45.6 cubes with the third row stowed. 

We've gone this long without talking about the powertrain because, if you’ve been keeping tabs on Toyota’s electric offerings, there’s a lot of familiar stuff here. Well, sort of: the standard battery pack is a slightly larger 77.0-kilowatt-hour pack that will be built in Kentucky. Available in the XLE, it’s good for either 270 or 287 miles of range (431 to 458 km) depending on front- all-wheel drive. An available 95.8-kWh pack—the largest ever put into a Toyota EV so far—is available on the XLE AWD and standard on the Limited, which is only available with dual-motor AWD. Horsepower and torque are 221 and 198 respectively on the front-drive models, with AWD moving up to the familiar 338 and 323 of the bZ and C-HR.

Range tops out at an estimated 320 mi (511 km), suggesting impressive efficiency from the double-digit battery pack. As expected, the Highlander uses a North American Charging Standard (NACS) port. Curiously the bZ Woodland retains its unique, more powerful setup. All-wheel drive Highlanders will retain the Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control features.

Toyota will be debuting a vehicle-to-load system in the Highlander, allowing folks to power appliances on camping trips and even function as a home backup when properly equipped. A Charge Assist and Eco Charge function allow for the vehicle to charge at more opportune times, be it lower electricity rates or increased renewable sources.

With the established segment leaders like the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 firmly in its sights, the 2027 Toyota Highlander will go on sale late this year. Expect pricing details closer to launch.

Our Take: The Highlander's days of dominating the sales charts are over: that's what the Grand is for. This is for getting a foothold in the growing three-row EV market, and on paper the Highlander comes in down on power but up on efficiency. With local battery procurement and vehicle assembly, if the Highlander can significantly undercut the Koreans it could become the new class lead. We'll have to see how Toyota prices it—and of course, how it drives.

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