The Japanese automaker has kept itself very busy this year as it tried to recapture the lead from General Motors in the US car market. However, at half-time, things didn't look any better.
GM was still undefeated, even after Toyota issued a barrage of new model introductions such as the 2023 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, the 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid, and superstars like the 2024 Grand Highlander, N400 Tacoma, plus the 2024 Land Cruiser.
However, not all of them are already on the market, so Toyota continued the tidal wave with models that can be implemented more efficiently – such as the big Corolla Nightshade family, the GR special editions (GR86 Trueno, GR Corolla Circuit, GR Supra 45th Anniversary), 2024MY RAV4, or the hybrid-powered Tundra 1794 Limited Edition, among others.
Even the mid-size Highlander (also known as Kluger across different markets) wasn't forgotten, even though the focus of the red carpet's spotlight has been on the bigger Grand Highlander sibling and its Lexus TX cousin for some time. Instead, Toyota gave the Highlander Hybrid some stealthy things to think about as it joined the sprawling Nightshade family.
Now, though, some people are even more focused on giving the Highlander justice – even if only from across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. As such, the good folks over at the AutoYa info channel on YouTube have imagined the CGI looks of the 2025 Toyota Highlander mid-size crossover SUV's facelift.
Indeed, the nameplate has been around since 2000, and its fourth generation arrived in spring 2019 at the year's edition of the New York International Auto Show. It is produced on the TNGA-K platform – a unibody version of the modular architecture focused on mid-size and full-size passenger cars and crossover vehicles, alongside the larger Grand Highlander and TX, so it won't be hard to give it a new lease of life.
More precisely, the channel's resident pixel master was (again) called into action to showcase the potential looks of the refreshed 2025 Highlander. According to the host, the potential changes could include a new look for the bumpers, a slightly revised front fascia with modified headlights, fresh taillights, and a thoroughly updated interior.
And luckily, (almost) everything is illustrated in the recent video feature embedded below – complete with a quick look at the new cabin goodies and the usual reel of ritzy color options, plus the quick old versus new comparison. Now, all that remains to discuss is the potential powertrain changes.
No worries, the rumor mill has that covered, too. As such, according to the latest whispers, the 2025 Highlander will soon borrow the Hybrid Max option with the 362-hp turbo 2.4-liter and two electric motors assembly from the 2024 Grand Highlander to keep up with the times. In return, though, Toyota is said to drop the 3.5-liter V6 mill as a counterpoint.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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