Details on the Toyota Highlander

Toyota is emphasizing flexible capacity, attractive styling, improved performance, exceptional safety and tolerable fuel economy as it rolls out its second generation Highlander sport utility vehicle.

Of the six SUVs in the Toyota fleet, Highlander is the best selling.

Positioned between the compact RAV-4 and the mid-size 4-Runner, the Highlander is a "crossover," a sport utility body on a car chassis.

In this case, the chassis is that of the best selling car in the nation, the Camry. The 2008 Highlander is nearly 4 inches longer and 3 inches wider than the 2007 model, with an inch more ground clearance and three inches of additional wheelbase. With standard seating for five, Highlander can be optionally equipped to seat seven.

Only one engine is offered for 2008, the 3.5-liter V6, whose 270 horses outpower the preceding V6 by 55. Gone is the modest 4-cylinder engine.

Despite the increase in power, Toyota says fuel economy should match that of last year's engine: 17 miles per gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. With the five-speed automatic transmission and 19.1 gallons in the tank, that translates to a range of 324.7 miles in the city and 439.3 miles on the highway.

That's not great, but it's not as bad as many SUVs. If you want a greener engine, wait for the hybrid version arriving in September. The Highlander Hybrid Synergy Drive system has been retooled for 2008, providing the same 270 horsepower as the conventional engine while improving fuel economy to 31 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. (Hybrids are more fuel-efficient in the city than on the highway.)

Appearing in showrooms this month, the Highlander will be sold in Base, Sport and Limited trim. You can also choose 4-wheel or 2-wheel drive. Prices range from $27,300 to $34,150.

Standard safety features include seven airbags, including a driver's knee airbag and roll-sensing side curtain airbags for all three rows. Other features include anti-lock disc brakes, traction control, electronic brake-force distribution and enhanced stability control.

All models except the base version get a backup camera that shows the rearview with a multi-information screen. You don't have to order the optional navigation system to get the backup camera and screen.

Highlander will be the first Toyota with both active head restraints and a new hood and fender system designed to crumple on impact with a pedestrian.

The design of the Highlander is based on crisp lines, a wide, stable stance and muscular contours.

Inside, the passenger compartment offers flexible seating arrangements, and easy access. Second-row features captain's chairs can be converted to a bench seat for three passengers. A "Center Stow" seat, when not in use, is hidden in a compartment under the front center console. The second row also slides forward and back 4.7 inches and reclines.

Other interior features include a third-row bench seat with foldable headrests for a flat rear cargo area and a rear glass hatch for quick access to the back cargo area.

Options include a power backdoor that can be opened and closed with a key fob, a navigation system with an eight-inch screen, a rear-seat entertainment system with a nine-inch screen, and three-zone air conditioning.

Other options include JBL audio with six-disc changer and nine speakers with Bluetooth, leather seat trim and heated seats, and a tow package with a 5000-pound capacity.

Introduced in 2001, the Highlander arrived three years after the RAV4. At the top of the food chain is the full-size Land Cruiser, followed by the Sequoia and the 4Runner. Toyota plans to update the Land Cruiser and Sequoia in about a year.

The biggest change for the Highlander will come in 2010, when Toyota's new Mississippi assembly plant begins rolling out product. The current model comes from Japan.

The new plant near Tupelo, Miss., will have the capacity to build 150,000 Highlanders per year and represents an investment of $1.3 billion. About 2,000 employees will work in stamping, body weld, plastics, paint, and assembly operations.

This year, the goal is to reach upscale, "move-up" buyers, says Don Esmond, senior vice president of Toyota's automotive operations.

"Customers who rejected Highlander in the past told us they needed to be inspired by their SUV," Esmond said. "They wanted a roomier and more comfortable interior with surprising innovations and versatility. They told us to give Highlander more power, without compromising economy."

WHAT'S NEW: New generation, larger, more power, new design.

PLUSES: Interior flexibility, safety, comfort, power.

MINUSES: Fuel economy.

BOTTOM LINE: The Camry of SUVs.

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