Fourth-gen mid-large SUV will debut early next year with clean styling, more connectivity, improved refinement and more

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UPDATE Feb 2021: We’ve tested the 2021 Toyota Harrier Hybrid in Singapore!

The fourth-generation of Toyota’s popular mid-large sized sport utility vehicle (SUV), the Harrier, is due in Singapore by early 2021. 

This car first launched in Toyota’s home market of Japan in June. In Singapore, local Toyota distributor Borneo Motors says the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the timeframe for the car’s launch, but it’s looking to land the fourth-gen Harrier by Q1 2021. 

The specs quoted here are for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) model, so keep in mind that not all features will be in Singapore-bound cars – or vice versa. Recall that in June 2017, official sales of the Harrier begun – with the third-gen model – not just for the first time, but also debuted with a 2.0-litre twin-scroll turbo engine that even the JDM lacked. 

Toyota says part of the Harrier look is the ‘clean coupe form’, and the new model brings the Harrier’s styling right into the contemporary era with a large grille, slender and narrow headlights, and a shapely rear end which has a very in-fashion element, the near-full-width taillight bar, not unlike the Porsche Cayenne’s. 

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The car looks more coupe-like not only because it’s slightly less tall than before, but also because it eschews contrast-coloured fenders for a contrast-coloured lower half. Visually, that makes the car appear slimmer, especially when seen from the side. 

	Toyota Harrier 4th-gen	Toyota Harrier 3rd-gen	Toyota RAV4	Honda CR-V	Mazda CX-5
Length	4,740mm	4,725mm	4,600mm	4,591mm	4,550mm
Width	1,855mm	1,835mm	1,855mm	1,855mm	1,840mm
Height	1,660mm	1,690mm	1,685mm	1,679mm	1,680mm
Wheelbase	2,690mm	2,660mm	2,690mm	2,660mm	2,700mm

As mentioned, the car is less tall than before, but it’s also incrementally longer, wider, and with a 30mm increase to wheelbase. Like before, the Harrier is the same size as the RAV4 SUV, also sold here, which is no surprise given both share the same TNGA/GA-K platform. 

The cockpit sees a strong central area, what Toyota says is a ‘wide and imposing impression of a horse’s saddle’, there’s a high-mounted infotainment system above it, and a dash that appears to extend even to the doors, giving a wraparound feeling. 

The infotainment system is what Toyota calls the ‘T-Connect SD’ with a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with smartphone connectivity/mirroring through SmartDeviceLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a JBL sound system. 

One interesting feature is the digital rear view mirror – not only can it beam a clear view of the front and rear via cameras, it can also record footage to SD card. 

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Under the bonnet, the JDM Harrier uses a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine with 171hp and 207Nm of torque. There’s also a 2.5-litre hybrid model with a 178hp Atkinson-cycle engine and front 120hp/202Nm motor, with an additional 40hp/121Nm motor on the rear axle for all-wheel drive. There are both front and all-wheel drive models available in Japan for both the gasoline and hybrid variants, but as usual Singapore’s officially-imported models will skip the AWD, and likely also the hybrid. 

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It’s also clear that Toyota, which used to be an ‘MPV company’ with five MPVs in its lineup (Sienta, Wish, Previa, Vellfire, Alphard) is now shifting to reflect the market popularity of SUVs and could see as many as six models here in 2021 – the Yaris Cross, Corolla Cross, C-HR, RAV4, Harrier, and Fortuner. 

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