2022 Toyota Highlander Platinum V-6 AWD First Drive: Does Platinum Equal Premium?

• Motivating Factor
• It’s the Economy
• Nice Touches
• What’s Its Age Again?
• Luxe or Not?

toyota highlander Full Overview

The fourth-generation Toyota Highlander is now in its third model year, and it’s still notable that the popular three-row SUV is less vanilla-looking than its predecessors. The slim lighting, modestly flared fenders, and rear roof spoiler not only modernize its look but also add sophistication. And the Platinum model reviewed here adds puddle lights and front door-sill illumination in an attempt to march it further up the luxury ladder.

That’s critical, because at its highest trim levels, we’ve said the Highlander’s polish might give some luxury-minded shoppers pause. But that got us thinking about the many shades of differentiation between a vehicle that’s just nice and one that’s genuinely posh. Where does the 2022 Highlander Platinum, the lineup’s highest trim level, land on that spectrum? Is it legitimately luxe? Or just a wannabe with promise?

Motivating Factor

The 2022 Highlander Platinum is equipped with the same 295-hp naturally aspirated V-6 and eight-speed automatic transmission we tested in the 2020 XLE and 2021 XSE models. The Highlander Platinum also comes with standard all-wheel drive, as did our previous test vehicles (front-wheel drive is available on lower trims), but the systems on the XSE and Platinum models feature more advanced torque vectoring functionality—so, shuttling power from left to right to aid handling and stability—than on lower trims.

In general, power delivery is strong and smooth and the accelerator response prompt, except when launching hard from a standing stop in Normal drive mode. At this point the powertrain, likely due to programming, takes a beat before lunging the SUV into action. Switching to Sport mode slightly sharpens the Toyota’s reflexes, though.

Every 2022 Highlander has the same suspension hardware, and in regular driving conditions, the Highlander Platinum’s ride is comfortable and distinctly quiet. That latter trait is partly because it’s the only model in the lineup to get standard noise-reducing front side windows.

With a curb weight of more than two tons, this is a bulky SUV and its handling follows suit. While it always feels composed, there’s plenty of body roll on twisty roads, and even at relatively restrained speeds the suspension isn’t shy about reaching its travel limits when traversing dips or speed bumps. But in normal, day-to-day driving, the Highlander handles just fine, even if the experience is somewhat less than engaging. Despite its size, though, this Toyota is easy to climb into and out of.

It’s the Economy

The 2022 Highlander rewards drivers for peaceful, easy driving, anyway. At 20/27 mpg city/highway, it boasts higher EPA fuel economy ratings than AWD models of the V-6 2022 Kia Telluride (19/24 mpg) and 2022 Honda Pilot (19/26 mpg). It also makes more horsepower. The Telluride is rated at 291 hp and the Pilot at 280 hp.

Looking for V-6 AWD luxury rivals at Highlander Platinum prices, the only candidates are perhaps the base model 2022 Acura MDX and the mid-grade 2022 Buick Enclave Premium. Other models, such as the Genesis GV80, are equipped with turbocharged four-cylinder engines and require more money for more cylinders. (That said, the updated 2023 Highlander ditches its V-6 for a turbo-four with less horsepower but more torque.) The MDX’s powertrain develops a smidge less horsepower, 290, and trails in fuel economy at 19/25 mpg. The Enclave has a slightly larger V-6 engine that makes 15 more hp than the Highlander’s, but it also gets the worst fuel economy of the bunch, 17/25 mpg.

For 2022, Highlander XLEs and above added an eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat that replaces the previous four-way version (the driver still gets a 10-way seat). Both are heated and ventilated in the Highlander Platinum. The interior design is pleasant enough, although a few materials—the faux wood trim throughout and the driver’s coin tray, for example—aren’t quite up to snuff. But you’ll much more likely focus on the soft-touch leather upholstery on the seats, doors, dash, and center console, as the sumptuously soft hides seem lifted from something more expensive.

In a similar way, the infotainment system’s knobs feel weighted and premium. We also appreciate the clean, simple layout of the switchgear. The analog gauges might seem quaint and incongruous in an era of screen overload, but they get the job done.

Nice Touches

Space optimization is another strength of the Highlander’s first row. We won’t say any more about the shelf that extends across more than half the dash (because we’ve already enthused enough), but the center console storage is also quite slick, although we’re not fans of the hinged wireless phone charger pad. Better to locate it in one of the dash cubbies, as the refreshed 2023 model does, to simplify access to the center console’s ample storage available.

Seating for seven is standard on the 2022 Highlander Platinum. Its heated second-row captain’s chairs easily fold and slide manually, and passengers in the row have access to standard rear door shades, ceiling HVAC vents, and their own HVAC controls on the back of the center console. Legroom compares favorably to that of the Pilot, MDX, and Enclave, but the Telluride has them all beat.

The Highlander Platinum’s standard panoramic glass roof is awesome unless you’re an adult seated in the third row. In that case, there’s a good chance your head could be pressed up against the headliner, and the SUV’s high rear floor might have your knees up there, too. The space is ideal only for young kids, or you can put away the third row to open up 16.0 cubic feet of cargo space, although that figure trails every rival we’ve mentioned.

What’s Its Age Again?

We had zero issues with the Highlander Platinum’s infotainment system in practice, as the standard 12.3-inch touchscreen interface is responsive. But it nevertheless looks extremely out of date compared to most rivals’ systems, and it could still use some layout improvements. (Once again, the 2023 model adopts improvements in this area.) The crossover’s standard 11-speaker JBL audio delivered deep, rich sound, while the 360-degree camera system worked as billed.

Version 2.5+ of Toyota Safety Sense is installed in the 2022 Highlander, and it includes standard automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and centering systems, automatic high-beams, and traffic sign recognition. Of note, the lane centering function is helpful rather than intrusive, while the other functions we did test—thankfully none of the emergency ones—worked as intended.

Luxe or Not?

So, is the 2022 Highlander Platinum a suitable analog for a luxury three-row SUV? When stacked against entry-luxury stuff like the lower-model MDX and Enclave, its capabilities, efficiency, and comfort are comparable. The Highlander Platinum’s cabin boasts plenty of room in the first two rows of seating and comes with more speakers than and the same size infotainment touchscreen as the 2022 MDX.

But beyond that cursory level of features and capabilities, the Toyota is still best measured against its mainstream competition, where it holds its own. Its features-per-dollar value proposition is partly why it’s currently the third best-selling SUV, and eighth best-selling vehicle overall, in the U.S.

The fourth-gen Highlander is practical, comfortable, and yes, nice when you get it in the Platinum grade. For those looking to check a top-of-the-line box, the Platinum model is a solid choice, but those set on shopping the Toyota would still be advised to check out the rest of the lineup to find their personal sweet spot, including hybrid models that offer higher efficiency and more range.

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Keyword: 2022 Toyota Highlander Platinum V-6 AWD First Drive: Does Platinum Equal Premium?