Toyota Highlander gets tech refresh

The Toyota Highlander SUV will quickly get a minor update consisting of on-board tech updates and additions.

These are the to start with revisions made to the 7-seat Highlander considering the fact that it initially went on sale in early 2021, as Toyota tries to hold its greatest SUV aggressive with the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.

The most notable modify is the revised infotainment system on the centre of the dashboard. The old eight-inch multimedia console, outfitted with Toyota’s navigation application and appropriate with Apple CarPlay and Android Car, will be changed by a newer 12-inch procedure put in with several upgrades that also highlighted in the current Toyota RAV4 update.

This infotainment is outfitted with a voice management functionality, which can reply to a selection of spoken requests these types of as to change the local weather management, decide on or regulate the quantity of music tracks and other media, make a mobile phone connect with, or open up and close the home windows.

The navigation software works by using the brand’s on line cloud community to present dwell site visitors and road incident updates, as properly as speed digicam locations, and this feature is accessible with no the need to have to pair your smartphone.

On the matter of smartphones, Apple CarPlay will be wireless, but if you use an Android smartphone then you’ll nevertheless want to plug it in to use the Android Vehicle element. Toyota also says that all Highlander models will come with a wireless smartphone charging tray as conventional too.

Toyota can put in a lot more capabilities from afar at its discretion, as this infotainment is compatible with above-the-air updates, which will allow the motor vehicle to routinely download updates from the world-wide-web even though sitting on your driveway.

Other than the infotainment, the digital instrument cluster powering the steering wheel has been revised and widened to 12 inches, and a head-up screen which jobs driving data on to the windscreen is also proven in the advertising product, but it is not identified if this element is bundled as regular.

The update does contain 1 further exterior styling option – 20-inch gloss black alloy wheels will soon be readily available. Toyota suggests that it will announce British isles pricing for the up-to-date Highlander later on in the 12 months.

The Toyota Highlander has already acquired praise for its impressive conventional devices concentrations and high-high-quality in shape and complete. That explained, this update is instead not likely to have an effect on its existing Skilled Rating of 63% by any massive margin, as the most widespread criticisms of the SUV refer to its boring exterior styling and its high priced pricing.