I drove a $55,000 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. These 19 features show why it's one of America's best-selling family SUVs

The fourth-generation Highlander's styling, which is defined by its sculpted and athletic curves, has remained relatively unchanged since its launch in 2020. Although not universally beloved, Highlander's looks are certainly bold and eye-catching.

The hybrid Highlander has a 2.5-liter, 186 horsepower, naturally aspirated four-cylinder mated to a pair of electric motors. All-wheel-drive models have an additional electric motor mounted to the rear axle. The ICE engine and electric motors combine to produce 243 total unit horsepower.

Instead of a lithium-ion battery pack, the Highlander has a traditional nickel-metal hydride battery.

My all-wheel-drive Highlander Hybrid Platinum boasted EPA fuel-economy figures of 35 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 35 mpg combined.

That's 10 mpg higher than a non-hybrid all-wheel-drive Highlander.

Even after being driven in a spirited manner with some generous applications of the throttle, I was able to reach 31 mpg in combined driving, so the EPA ratings should be easily achievable.

The Highlander's cabin is a thoroughly enjoyable place to be. It's stylish and thoughtfully designed with plenty of handy storage nooks and conveniently placed charging plugs.

What's most impressive is the material and build quality. The plastic interior trim pieces felt substantial, and the entire cabin felt impeccably screwed together.

The front seats of my test car were upholstered in soft, rich, perforated tan leather that felt fit for a Lexus. The heated and ventilated seats were supportive and offered good adjustability.

Base LE trim Highlanders have fabric seats, while mid-grade models are trimmed in SofTex synthetic leather. Only XLE and Platinum grade models, like my tester, get leather upholstery.

The Highlander's second-row seats offer 38.7 inches of legroom, slightly trailing the Honda Pilot and Hyundai Palisade.

Despite not being the roomiest in the segment, the heated leather captain's chairs in my test car were excellent. They were supportive and comfortable.

Captain's chairs are available on all trim levels except the base LE and LE Nightshade trims, which come only with a bench seat.

The Highlander's second-row passengers also get dedicated climate controls, charging plugs, and a pair of cup holders.

A large panoramic glass roof is available exclusively on the Platinum trim. A traditional moonroof is available on lower trim level Highlanders.

The Highlander Hybrid comes standard with Toyota's Safety Sense 2.5+ suite of driver's assistance tech, which includes pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, and automatic high beams.

The Platinum trim comes with an upgraded JBL sound that sounded terrific. The 11-speaker, 1,200-watt JBL premium audio system is standard on the Limited and Platinum trims.

Open the rear liftgate, and you'll find 16-cubic-foot cargo compartment behind the third row. That falls short of the Palisade's 18 cubic feet and the Pilot's 18.6 cubic feet.

With the third-row seats folded, the Highlander's cargo capacity expands to 48.4 cubic. In total, the Highlander boasts 84.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind its front row, trailing the Palisade and Pilot by two and 3.2 cubic feet, respectively.

The hybrid system offers three primary drive modes: Normal, Eco, and Sport. Normal mode is for everyday driving, Eco is designed to maximize fuel economy, and Sport mode quickens throttle response for peppier acceleration.

There's also an EV Mode that allows for short periods of all-electric driving at low speeds. Trail mode apportions additional power to the rear motor to improve off-road traction.

The focal point of the Highlander's front dash is its 12.3-inch touchscreen. Lower trim levels come with a smaller 8-inch unit.

The touchscreen is highly responsive, and the image quality is excellent. The eight-inch and 12.3-inch screens have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Toyota's built-in navigation system is available, but requires a paid subscription.

The Highlander Platinum comes with a surround-view camera system, which gives the driver a live rotating 360-degree view around the vehicle.

Above the Highlander's rear-view mirror is a panoramic conversation mirror that helps the driver monitor the passengers in the back.

The Highlander Platinum has a digital instrument display instead of a traditional gauge cluster. The 12.3-inch color LCD digital display looks great and is configurable.

Lower trim levels get a traditional analog gauge cluster with a seven-inch central multi-information display.

The Highlander Hybrid has a spare tire under the rear cargo floor instead of a tire inflation kit. Spare tires are becoming increasingly rare due to the cost and packaging constraints created by underfloor battery packs.

The Highlander can be equipped with a hands-free power liftgate which triggers when the driver kicks their foot under the center of the rear bumper when in possession of the key fob.

The feature comes standard on all XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum trim models.

Up front, Platium-grade Highlanders come equipped with self-leveling LED headlights that turn with the steering wheel to help the driver see better in corners.

Platinum-grade Highlanders come with a head-up display. The 10-inch HUD gives drivers easy access to key information, such as speed, hybrid system status, and driver assistance status.

A digital rear-view mirror is available exclusively on the Platinum trim. The camera, which turns on by flipping a toggle on the bottom of the mirror, is really useful when passengers or cargo compromise visibility out the rear window.