2025 Toyota Highlander
Every once in a while, an SUV comes along that blows away expectations, and that's exactly what has happened with the 2025 Toyota Highlander. A staple of Toyota's lineup since the turn of the millennium, the Highlander has long been a favorite among family-oriented drivers for its perfect blend of practicality and premium styling. Now, a quarter of a century after its debut, it stands as the brand's commitment to delivering a genuinely solid vehicle that serves an array of needs and lifestyles.
The 2025 Highlander continues this tradition, offering notable safety and tech features, ample performance, and impressive fuel efficiency that leaves nothing to be desired. It's the kind of SUV you can rely on for years of faithful service, delivering a unique midsize SUV experience with the bonus of three comfortable rows of seating. Built to please, the 2025 Highlander more than earns the attention of discerning drivers.
MSRP: $40,320 [a]
Horsepower: 243
Cargo Space: 84.3 cu.ft.
MPG city/hwy: 35/35
Performance and Efficiency
The 2025 Toyota Highlander offers two powertrain options: one traditional and one hybrid. The traditional setup pairs a 2.4L turbocharged I-4 engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission, delivering a smooth yet responsive acceleration curve. Front-wheel drive comes standard, while available all-wheel drive enhances traction and control on challenging surfaces like dirt, snow, or ice.
With this engine, the Highlander produces 265 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque and can tow up to 5,000 lbs. For a three-row SUV, the 2025 Highlander strikes a perfect balance—its performance is robust without sacrificing fuel efficiency.
With such a high towing capacity, you can pair a Class 3 trailer hitch and easily haul your boat to your favorite lake or a cargo trailer for camping or tailgating. This impressive standard rating makes the Highlander a smart, cost-effective choice for families who need reliable towing power—often with strength to spare.
If you opt for the hybrid model, you'll get a 2.5L I-4 engine mated with three electric motors—two in the front and one in the rear—paired with a hybrid battery pack. This setup delivers a combined 243 hp, with the engine producing 186 hp on its own. While electric motors don't produce traditional engine torque, the 2.5L I-4 in the Highlander Hybrid generates 175 lb-ft of torque.
Another distinct difference is the transmission. Instead of an eight-speed automatic, the hybrid uses an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (eCVT), which provides smooth and—as the name suggests—continuous acceleration. The hybrid also brings the added benefit of lower emissions, making the 2025 Highlander a more eco-friendly choice without sacrificing capability.
But what about efficiency? It's here where the 2025 Highlander continues to shine, delivering impressive results that keep fuel in your tank and money in your wallet for longer. Starting with the traditional powertrain, FWD models earn 22 MPG in the city, 29 MPG on the highway, and 25 MPG combined. AWD models see only a minor drop, with EPA-estimated ratings of 21 MPG in the city, 28 MPG on the highway, and 24 MPG combined.
Lastly, the 2025 Highlander Hybrid is only available with AWD, but its fuel economy is undoubtedly the best of the lineup. It delivers 35 MPG in the city, 35 MPG on the highway, and 35 MPG combined—remarkable numbers for a three-row SUV, making it an attractive choice for drivers looking to maximize efficiency without sacrificing space or capability.
Dimensions
The 2025 Toyota Highlander is adequately sized for its class, with a spacious interior that ensures a comfortable ride for passengers regardless of which row they're sitting in. It's also decently tall and wide, measuring 194.9 inches long, 197.4 inches on the XSE, and 76 inches wide across all trims. The Highlander stands 68.1 inches tall (not including the antenna) and offers eight inches of ground clearance, giving it a confident stance and solid road presence.
Shifting to the interior, the 2025 Highlander can seat seven or eight passengers, depending on the trim and whether you choose second-row captain's chairs or a bench seat. From a passenger's perspective, riding in the Highlander is a relaxing experience, even for taller adults in any row. This is thanks to its thoughtful design, which provides a respectable amount of headroom and legroom—even in the third row, where space is often limited in similar SUVs.
But what are these interior measurements? For starters, the 2025 Highlander has 41.2 inches of headroom at most, which is when there's no moonroof installed. With the moonroof, you get 39.6 inches of front-row headroom, which is slightly reduced to 38.4 inches with the panoramic moonroof. Second-row headroom measurements are similarly affected by the panoramic moonroof's presence, though you'll get 39.4 inches of second-row headroom without the regular moonroof, and 37.1 inches with the panoramic one.
As for the third row, you'll get 36.1 inches of headroom with every configuration. Legroom remains identical across every trim and setup, with 42 inches in the first row, 38.7 inches in the second row, and 28 inches in the third row. These figures ensure that passengers, regardless of seating position, can enjoy a comfortable ride without feeling cramped.
Lastly, let's discuss cargo space, because the 2025 Highlander has you and your family covered for everything from weekly grocery runs to adventure-filled weekends at the lake or a tailgate before the big game. Even with all eight seats occupied, you'll still have 16 cu.ft. of cargo space—about the same as a midsize sedan, but with room for three to four extra passengers.
If your party is smaller and you can fold the third row down, cargo space jumps to 48.4 cu.ft., which is significantly more than with the seats upright. Fold down both the second and third rows, and you'll nearly double that for a total of 84.3 cu.ft., giving you the versatility to handle anything from bulky gear to moving-day loads.
Features
The 2025 Highlander comes packed with notable features designed to enhance your comfort, safety, entertainment, and connectivity. Starting with tech, the LE, XLE, and XSE trims feature an eight-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
With these systems, you can make phone calls and send text messages to anyone in your contacts directly through the infotainment center using voice commands. This gives you access to turn-by-turn directions, your favorite playlist or podcast, weather forecasts, and more.
This infotainment center also supports SiriusXM radio and plays audio through a standard six-speaker system. If you opt for the XSE, an upgraded 11-speaker JBL Premium Audio system with a subwoofer becomes available. This premium audio setup comes standard on the Limited and Platinum trims, which also feature a larger, more advanced infotainment screen.
The Limited and Platinum trims use a 12.3-inch touchscreen as their media hub, which includes four USB charging ports and one USB media port for data transfer—though the media port is optional since wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included. On the XLE, XSE, Limited, or Platinum, a wireless charging pad is standard, meaning you can use the USB charging ports to charge your passengers' wireless devices instead of yours.
The Limited and Platinum trims also feature a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster that displays fuel economy, average speed, cruising range, audio details, incoming call notifications, AWD torque distribution, and more.
On other trims, a seven-inch Multi-Information Display shows similar metrics, though with less screen real estate. And on the Platinum trim, you'll also get a 10-inch Head-Up Display that projects essential information, such as navigation, Road Sign Assist alerts for speed limits and other signs, and your current speed, directly onto the windshield. This allows you to keep your eyes on the road while staying informed.
Let's shift focus to comfort. In the base trim, you'll find an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat and a four-way manually adjustable passenger's seat. Moving up to the XLE and XSE replaces these with SofTex-trimmed, heated seats, including a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar support and an eight-way power-adjustable passenger seat.
The Limited takes comfort up another notch with genuine leather upholstery—also available on the XSE—and adds ventilated front seats. Finally, the Platinum delivers peak luxury, offering heated leather seats for both the front and second rows, keeping passengers cozy during colder months.
Check Out the 2025 Toyota Highlander With Us Today
Welcome to Toyota of Bowling Green, your go-to destination for all things Toyota. We offer an impressive selection of new and pre-owned Toyota models, including this year's Highlander, which you can purchase directly from our lot or custom order from the factory to your exact specifications. Our finance team is ready to help you secure easy, flexible financing through one of our trusted lenders or assist you in leasing a brand-new Highlander, complete with a clear upgrade path when your lease ends.
When it's time for maintenance, we'll be here for all your service needs—from oil changes and tire rotations to wheel alignments, brake service, and more. Our prices are fair, and our experts are here to give you the dealership experience you've been looking for. At Toyota of Bowling Green, we look forward to helping you achieve your goals and making your dreams a reality by placing you in the driver's seat of a Highlander.