![\"2014_Toyota_Highlander_Hybrid_Platinum_12\"](\"https:\/\/media.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com\/autos\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/18170018\/2014_Toyota_Highlander_Hybrid_Platinum_12-80x53.jpg\")
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The mid-sized SUV segment is probably the most crowded in the industry, with stellar offerings from carmakers across the spectrum of price ranges. This is a good news\/bad news proposition. On one hand, there is competition. On the other, there is opportunity, particularly in the mid to high end of the segment, where no one brand holds the lion\u2019s share of the market. Currently, Toyota Highlander holds about 8.5 percent of the market share, a number that Toyota hopes to bolster with its latest redesign.<\/p>\n
For this third-generation Highlander, Toyota targeted three main areas for improvement: exterior styling, family friendliness, and driving dynamics. I had a chance to drive the XLE and Limited trims of the Highlander recently in Santa Barbara, testing its chops on twisty hillsides, open beachfront roads and around town. There are also LE and LE Plus models, but Toyota feels that the top two trims will account for about 75 percent of Highlander sales.<\/p>\n
The primary audience for the Highlander is active families, and Toyota has rightly recognized that someone with the need for an eight-passenger vehicle doesn\u2019t want to sacrifice on style. If they did, they\u2019d just buy a minivan. So, here, Toyota really brought their A game, integrating the brand\u2019s trapezoidal grille up front, and giving the back end a more angular look, with taillamps that wrap around to the side. The door panels have a concave design, and the underbody is slightly wider than the upper section of the vehicle, giving it a bold stance and sporty appearance.<\/p>\n
The roofline is lower, and optional roof rails are flush against the top for both aesthetic and aerodynamic reasons. Subtle design cues help improve Highlander\u2019s drag coefficient, ensuring that, although it\u2019s hefty, it still retains best-in-class fuel economy.<\/p>\n
![\"2014_Toyota_Highlander_Limited_Platinum_00\"](\"http:\/\/arizonafoothillsmagazine.com\/autos\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2014_Toyota_Highlander_Limited_Platinum_00-620x413.jpg\")
There are also some seemingly minor features that really demonstrate how Toyota put thought into how people use their vehicles everyday. Here\u2019s what I mean. I like to have easy access to items like my gate opener, my music player, etc. Usually these items end up in the cup holders or the ashtray or just sliding around on the passenger seat. This has resulted in mishaps like dropping my phone into an uncovered cup of water in the center console, items flying off of the seat, causing distraction.\u00a0 In the Highlander, there\u2019s a nifty shelf on the lower section of the dash, with soft padding and even a hole for cord access to the USB and 12-volt charging ports beneath. And, a roll-top center console fits oversized items, like the gargantuan mom\/work purse that I\u2019ve been known to lug around.<\/p>\n
And for those times when you have to yell, \u201cDon\u2019t make me turn this car around!\u201d but fear that the kids in the third row might not hear you, Toyota thought up a feature called Driver Easy Speak, which amplifies your voice to the back rows.<\/p>\n
![\"2014_Toyota_Highlander_Limited_Platinum_57\"](\"http:\/\/arizonafoothillsmagazine.com\/autos\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/2014_Toyota_Highlander_Limited_Platinum_57-620x413.jpg\")
All trim levels are well equipped, eliminating complicated option packages to add desirable features. In fact, options are only available on XLE and Limited models and are limited to a rear-seat entertainment system, a Driver Technology Package and a Platinum Package. All come equipped with the improved Entune audio system\/app suite with an updated voice-recognition system that \u201clearns\u201d new dialects for better responsiveness. On the safety front, a back-up camera is now standard.<\/p>\n