The Toyota Highlander is now a three-row electric SUV with 320 miles of range

Toyota has revealed the new 2027 Highlander, a completely redesigned mid-size SUV that is the brand’s first three-row electric vehicle for the U.S. market and the first Toyota electric vehicle assembled in America. It’s a household name — Toyota has been selling gas-powered Highlanders for more than 20 years — with an all-new powertrain aimed squarely at one of the most popular vehicle segments on the market today. To say this is Toyota’s best chance to beat its EV rivals would be an understatement.

The announcement comes at a tumultuous time for the world’s best-selling automaker. Toyota’s strategy of favoring hybrid vehicles over pure battery electric vehicles appears to have been vindicated, as global EV sales slow and the company’s competitors report huge losses from their EV investments. But Toyota also has a new CEO, CFO Kenta Kon, a close ally and former secretary to current President Akio Toyoda. Kon’s rise is seen as recognition that Toyota, under his financial leadership, has successfully navigated the chaos around Chinese electric vehicles, global tariffs and the costly and protracted shift to electric vehicles.

The Toyota Highlander is an acknowledgment of some of these challenges. It will be built at Toyota’s Kentucky plant, at a time when domestic manufacturing is the best way to avoid Donald Trump’s tariffs. It is a three-row mid-size SUV, which is currently the most popular vehicle segment in America. And he uses a familiar nameplate, recognizing that most customers didn’t know what “bZ” meant (it’s “beyond zero”) and weren’t really interested in learning.

The new Highlander will only be offered in two trims: XLE and Limited. The XLE is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, while the Limited comes standard with all-wheel drive. Battery options include a 77 kWh pack and a larger 95.8 kWh pack, depending on configuration. And all-wheel-drive models with the larger battery will get up to 320 miles of estimated range, along with 338 horsepower and 323 lb-ft of torque. (FWD versions will offer 221 horsepower and 198 lb-ft of torque).

It will come with an updated infotainment setup, much like that found in the new C-HR and bZ Woodland electric SUVs. This includes a 14-inch central touchscreen, a 12.3-inch gauge cluster, customizable ambient lighting, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and plenty of charging options for devices in all three rows. And when you look up, you’ll see a fixed panoramic glass roof, the largest ever offered by Toyota.

The Highlander’s new infotainment system, powered by AT&T 5G connectivity, offers a customizable home screen, enhanced voice recognition with “Hey Toyota” commands, dual Bluetooth phone connectivity, and built-in streaming services such as Spotify and SiriusXM.

The new Highlander seats seven, with a third row seating two passengers. When additional cargo space is needed, this third row folds flat to create more than 45 cubic feet of rear storage. And there are a host of additional features, such as wireless charging trays, multiple USB-C ports across all three rows, rear HVAC controls, optional rear window shades, and a hands-free power liftgate.

The Highlander EV will be equipped with a NACS port for access to the Tesla Supercharger. In good conditions, the battery can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes using DC fast charging. Battery preconditioning, in which the battery is prepared for optimal charging, comes standard and can be activated manually or automatically through a Drive Connect subscription (which costs around $15 per month). The Highlander can also slow charge with Level 1 or 2 chargers and will come with a dual voltage 120V/240V charging cable.

It will also be Toyota’s first electric vehicle with vehicle charging capabilities, allowing it to function as a mobile power bank. Toyota says the Highlander can even serve as a backup power source in the event of a power outage when equipped with optional two-way accessories. Toyota says it will make further announcements about this new feature in the future.

In terms of size, the new Highlander will take on other three-row electric SUVs on the road. It will measure 198.8 inches long, 78.3 inches wide, and 67.3 inches high, with a wheelbase of 120.1 inches. That’s similar to Toyota’s current gas-powered Grand Highlander and comparable to other electric vehicles, like the Rivian R1S, Kia EV9, and Hyundai Ioniq 9, among others.

Toyota says it will release pricing for the new Highlander later this year when it goes into production. But the automaker is certainly going through a bit of a period in the world of electric vehicles. The recently revamped bZ (formerly bZ4x) was a surprise success for Toyota, ranking fourth in overall U.S. electric vehicle sales in January, ahead of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Ford’s Mustang Mach-E. And there’s more to come, as the C-HR and bZ Woodland hatchbacks are expected to go on sale in the United States later this year.

Toyota has a chance to make up for its lackluster efforts in electric vehicle production with all these new vehicles. We’ll see if he seizes the moment.