Toyota Highlander review

So what’s it like on the inside? Well, as far as the figures go, the boot is 865-litres to the roof with five seats in place - including, weirdly, the 27-litre underfloor box - 332-litres with all seven in use. Drop all the rear seats and you get 1,909-litres, which is perfectly acceptable for this size of vehicle.

There’s plenty of storage, loads of places to hide, charge and integrate, and everything feels well made. But it certainly feels a couple of generations old, especially in terms of the graphics on the displays - it’s just not as slick or as pretty as the competition.

To be more specific, the Highlander is available in two high-specification versions in the UK, Excel and Excel Premium, both with the exactly the same drivetrain. Both are well equipped, with the marginally more expensive Excel Premium gaining a set of 10-spoke 20-in alloys (both get 20s, the ‘base’ Excel are just a different design), one of those kick-operated electric tailgates, ventilated front seats, heated outer second row seats, a digital rear-view mirror and Panoramic View Monitor, and a head-up display.

Common to both model designations are, and this is a wodge of kit: a seven-inch display in the driver’s instrument binnacle plus the multimedia system with an 8-in display, satellite navigation, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charger, triple-zone air con, heated and ventilated front seats, heated wheel, electric tailgate, big ‘Skyview’ panoramic glass roof, black leather seats and the feisty 11-speaker JBL Premium Sound System. So you get plenty of buttons to push and things to look at, it’s just not as sexy as some in the sector.