2023 Toyota Highlander gets more tech and a new engine

In today’s car market, any cushy monocoque crossover is guaranteed to set even the most stagnant sales charts moving. Toyota Highlander, despite its late arrival to our market, did accelerate the sales and now here is a new one. The 2023 Toyota Highlander arrives with more tech and a more powerful engine.

Do not strain your eyes. There is not much on the skin of the 2023 Highlander that is new. It carries the same design from the last year. But once you open the door, you may be able to spot a bit of a change. To no one’s surprise, these are bigger screens.

Instead of a 7-inch digital cluster, the 2023 Toyota Highlander sports a 12.3-inch display, matching the size of the 12.3-inch infotainment screen in the Limited and Platinum trims. The infotainment system supports the latest connectivity tech like wireless Android Auto, wireless Apple CarPlay, and dual Bluetooth phone connectivity. Toyota also adds the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ system with multiple driver assistance tech.

The lower trims can opt for the bigger display instead of an 8.0-inch standard unit. In these trims, a powered liftgate comes standard, and with hands-free functionality. The tiny 4.2-inch digital cluster also grows to 7-inches.

Apart from the feature upgrade and rejig, the 2023 Highlander features major mechanical changes. The naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 exits, leaving room for a new 2.4-lire turbocharged four-cylinder unit. This is good for 265 hp and 419 Nm of torque.

The Highlander Hybrid though gets no changes. It carries on using the 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and two electric motors, good for a combined output of 243 hp.

The changes in the 2023 Toyota Highlander are not out of the world. But as a family crossover that does everything just fine, these small changes will only improve the appeal of the Highlander.