KEY POINTS:
Even in these eco-conscious times, there's still an expectation that a new-model car will be bigger - and therefore better - than the one that came before.
When Toyota boasts that its latest Highlander wagon carries a 95mm increase in length, 85mm extra width and a 75mm-longer wheelbase, there's a sense the new model has, in some sense, arrived.
So yes, the Highlander has arrived. The problem is that you might not be able to find anywhere to park it. The designed-for-America Highlander has grown so much that it's now intimidating to drive it through town.
You sit oh-so-high, with a massive expanse of square bonnet stretching before you and a vast seven-seat cabin trailing along behind.
The parking situation is somewhat aided by a reversing camera in the dashtop colour display, but it's still a lot of metal to manoeuvre.
So the new Highlander is not for the buyer with a nervous driving disposition, but it is for those who do value their comfort and refinement above all else.
Toyota's new 3.5-litre V6 engine - as fitted to the Aurion and Previa - is a deeply impressive and powerful proposition no matter what the application, and it certainly gets the near-two-tonne Highlander along in effortless fashion. The five-speed gearbox is unobtrusive too, but it offers one less cog than the transmission in the Aurion sedan.
But what really stands out with the Highlander is a surreal level of mechanical refinement and a near-absence of road and wind noise. If travelling in complete serenity is your thing, this is the car for you. Providing you need a massive seven-seat cross- over wagon, that is.
Although it works better as a six-chair car, the middle row is arranged around a 40/20/40 split, so seating three across feels a bit "occasional" for the man in the middle. Fold that centre section away and you have two massive captain-style chairs, complete with fold-down armrests.
Access to the third row isn't brilliant given the size and people-moving nature of Highlander - the second-row backrest clicks forward and the squab slides - but space in the rearmost row is impressive given that so many vehicles of this type require amputation of limbs for passengers to be comfortable in the third row.
There are no fewer than 10 cup-holders in the cabin of this seven-seat vehicle - Toyota's maths not so good there - and a separate air conditioning system for people in the back.
Toyota offers front-drive and four-wheel-drive Highlanders. Our top-specification Limited comes with the all-paw system only, and good job too.
While front-drive sounds like a good idea to save fuel if you only use your Highlander on-road, the reality is that the weight and soft suspension of the big Toyota generate a fair bit of inertia in tight corners or on wet tarmac, and all-wheel-drive does an important job in keeping the car on the straight and narrow. Besides, the extra traction consumes only 0.6 litres of extra fuel per 100km than the front-driver.
The old Highlander was refined, but criticised for the bland nature of the styling and driving experience.
Not much has changed in those respects with the new model, which still suffers from being too bland inside, out- side and underneath.
But if you want to carry people in comfort rather than pose, the bigger Highlander is quite a bit better.
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WE LIKE: Surreal refinement, impressive build, smooth engine.
WE DON'T LIKE: Bland beyond belief, supersized exterior dimensions.
THE FACTS
Basic price: $61,990.
Options fitted: None.
Price as tested: $61,990.
Warranty: 3 years/100,000km.
POWERTRAIN AND PERFORMANCE
Engine: 3456cc petrol V6.
Power: 201kW at 6200rpm.
Torque: 337Nm at 4700rpm.
Transmission: 5-speed automatic, on-demand four-wheel drive.
Performance: 0-100km/h in 11.6 seconds.
ADR fuel consumption: 11.6 litres per 100km.
SAFETY
Active driver aids: Anti-lock braking with force distribution and brake assist, traction and stability control, hill-start and downhill-assist.
Passive restraints: Front, side and curtain airbags, seven lap-sash seatbelts.
EuroNCAP adult occupant crash test rating: Not tested.
VITAL STATISTICS
Wheels and tyres: 17-inch alloy wheels, 245/65 tyres.
Length: 4785mm.
Height: 1760mm.
Width: 1910mm.
Wheelbase: 2790mm.
Kerb weight: 1930kg.
Boot volume: 290/1200/2700 litres (seats up/down).
Fuel tank: 72 litres.
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THE RIVALS: Challengers to the Toyota Highlander
Ford Territory Ghia
Price: $65,990.
Powertrain: 190kW/383Nm 4.0-litre petrol straight six, 6-speed auto, full-time four-wheel drive, ADR fuel economy 12.5 litres/100km.
Looking a little aged against more recent rivals, and pretty thirsty, but still a brilliantly packaged, brilliant-to-drive machine.
Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Quattro
Price: $122,900.
Powertrain: 171kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6, 6-speed automatic, full-time four-wheel drive, ADR fuel economy 10.5 litres/100km.
Evidence of how much you get for your money with the Highlander. The Q7 gets a superb diesel engine but costs twice as much as the Toyota.
Hyundai Santa Fe Elite
Price: $52,490.
Powertrain: 138kW/248Nm 2.7-litre petrol V6, 4-speed automatic, ADR fuel economy 10.6 litres/100km.
Not nearly as much cabin space as the Highlander, especially in the third row, but the Santa Fe remains a high-quality, value-for-money proposition.
- Detours, HoS
