Toyota to Export Revamped Highlander Crossover

Toyota Motor Corp. has begun exporting about 29,000 of the revamped 2014 model Highlander crossovers built at its assembly plant in Princeton, Ind. The factory also makes the Sequoia large SUV and Sienna minivan.

The vehicles, which retail between $29,200 and $3,600 in the U.S., will be shipped to Australia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand and Russia.

The 2014 Highlander sits on the same 110-inch wheelbase as the previous model but has a slightly longer body to accommodate three passengers in the third row. The extra seating space is aided by a new double-wishbone suspension, which replaces the previous strut architecture.

The front-drive crossover retains the same two engine choices: a 1.7-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 185 hp and a 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 270 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. Both are mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Toyota says fuel economy for the V-6 gains 1 mpg to 19/21 mpg in federal city/highway ratings.

The hybrid version of the Highlander carries over the system used in 2013: a 3.5-liter V-6 engine rated at 231 hp and a 167-hp primary drive electric motor on the front axle. Toyota says the powertrain's combined net output is 280 hp. New for 2014 is a separate 68-hp electric motor on the rear axle that gives the vehicle all-wheel-drive capability.