The 2021 vs. The 2022 Toyota Highlander

Moving into its third decade on American roads, the Toyota Highlander continues to be one of the most popular midsize SUVs on the market. Regularly rated as one of the top three in its segment – and often leading the class – it gets applauded for high reliability, low cost of maintenance, great safety packages and crash ratings, and excellent resale value. The 2021 Toyota Highlander was the pinnacle of this – does the 2022 Toyota Highlander step it up even further?

Performance

Under the hood of the 2022 Toyota Highlander is the same 295-horsepower engine found in the 2021 Highlander. Why change when it’s such a reliable, useful power plant? The 2022 Highlander tackles short on-ramps with ease, getting up to speed to get into traffic without straining. Available with two- and all-wheel drive, it offers stable handling and a smooth ride that is great for carting families around down and running errands.

For a fairly large SUV sporting a six-cylinder engine, the 2022 Toyota Highlander still manages to achieve acceptable fuel economy. The front-wheel drive versions can get up to 21 MPG around town and 29 MPG on the open road, while the all-wheel drive models are reduced to 20 MPG city and 27 MPG highway.

Design & Comfort

One of the major selling points for the Highlander is the ability to fit 8 passengers into the mid-size footprint. Higher trim levels replace the second-row bench seat with captain’s chairs, reducing the capacity to seven, but it offers a little more leg room for the rear seat passengers. 16 cubic feet of space between the third row is minimal but fine for grocery runs – however, by removing rows the Highlander can haul up to 84.3 cubic feet of cargo.

Throughout the cabin of the 2022 Toyota Highlander, you’ll find the same top-tier materials and ergonomic design that the 2021 model year has. This includes available ornamental or silver-painted dash trim, faux-wood door trim, painted door trim, a cargo area cover, and much more. Even at the base level the Highlander has plenty to offer. Easy-cleaning cloth is standard as upholstery, with leather-trimmed front- and second-row seating available. In terms of creature comforts, front- and second-row seats can be equipped with heating, or heating and ventilation, while tri-zone automatic climate control are standard across the line-up.

The only major update to the 2022 Toyota Highlander is inside, where the XLE trims and higher get a power height-adjustability feature on the front passenger seat. Otherwise, all of the packages and materials are the same from the 2021 Toyota Highlander models to the 2022 edition.

Technology

In terms of tech, there are no updates to the 2022 Toyota Highlander from the 2021 models. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration is standard at every level, bringing your smartphone to the central touchscreen, and all levels feature Amazon Alexa connectivity. The standard 8-inch touchscreen and available 12.3-inch screen carry over, as does the available upgraded JBL audio system with 11 speakers. SiriusXM is also standard across the entire line-up, and comes with a trial 3-month subscription. 120VAC outlets are available on some trims for charging and powering tools and more that you can’t run from the USB or 12V outlets. Of course, you can eliminate the need for plugs and wires for charging your smartphones completely if you opt for a package that includes the Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging option.

Safety

The 2021 Toyota Highlander model featured the step up to the next evolution of Toyota’s driver-assistance suite of features, the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 system. This system carries over to the 2022 Toyota Highlander. Building on the highly successful 2.0 suite, 2.5 added additional functions to the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, including intersection support that may detect and warn of an oncoming vehicle or pedestrian when making a left turn at an intersection. This is on top of the Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Automatic High Beams, and Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control that all carried over unchanged, along with Road Sign Assist that uses the vehicle’s forward-facing camera to recognize road signs and relay the information to the driver via the dash display. A backup camera is standard, while a Bird’s Eye View Camera with 360-degree view in low-speed drive, Perimeter Scan, and Curb View is available on higher trim levels.