The build quality of the Highlander is not a reason for the pride of the factory in Princeton, USA. The gaps are significant between almost all body panels. The openings at the junction of the tailgate, rear fenders, and bumper are striking. And between the hood and the LED headlight. Is it Toyota?
Teramont also comes from the US but is better built. And the impression is different. The angular body, interspersed with chrome, seems to be carved from a piece of black marble. Elements of the R-Line sports package give brutality – a front bumper with enlarged air intakes, a pseudo-diffuser, and wide wheels diameter 21 inches (20-inch for Toyota). True, the quartet of exhaust pipes turns out to be cheap props: a chrome trim without holes is laid along with the bumper.
These are the giant wheels for each of the models. The test does without spikes. Toyota got tires Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV with dimensions 235/50 R20 (although the standard one is 235/55 R20), Volkswagen got Pirelli Scorpion Winter 265/45 R21.
The front doorways are equally accessible for both crossovers. Low thresholds are always clean because doors securely cover them. The fit is slightly different. Trying to maintain a balance between urban and “captain,” the Japanese still made a little more emphasis on the second. In addition, the steering wheel in the Highlander is set more sloping, so you sit a little closer to it, and your legs are bent more.
The puffed front fascia is friendly to look at and feel, but details like the speaker surrounding the A-pillars spoil the cozy interior. The windshield heating works over the entire area, but slowly, and the steering wheel heats up only in the grip areas, but quickly and firmly.
The test Toyota offers a full range of electric adjustments only for the driver, and Volkswagen also offers the front passenger. The head restraints on the Highlander are too intrusive on the back of the head. The ranges of longitudinal movement and height adjustment are more comprehensive with the Teramont seat.
Toyota is devoid of ergonomic punctures, but there are enough minor flaws. I want the steering wheel heating button to find a place on the climate control unit, not to the left of the column, surrounded by the keys for controlling the all-around cameras and the electric trunk. The central display does not immediately respond to pressing, slows down when swiping, and is located far away. Please do not reach out to him without breaking away from the chair.
In nine-point traffic jams after a snowfall, Toyota needs 15.9 liters per 100 km, and Volkswagen – as much as 19.6. Ordinary city indicators do not exceed 13.9 liters per hundred and 15.8, respectively. At the same time, the curb weight of the Highlander is only 25 kg less.
Finishing materials Teramont is close to the budget Polo, the amount of free space on the front row resembles Multivan, and ergonomics – all Volkswagens at once. A small claim only to the gear lever, which indistinctly switches from D to S mode. It is not the most modern multimedia, and the display resolution leaves much to be desired – but this info complex will easily give odds to Toyota’s archaic. However, to establish communication with smartphones, both systems could be faster.
The unpretentious-looking interior is assembled from inexpensive materials, but its thoughtfulness and equipment neutralize the negative. Teramont offers a modern multimedia system, three-mode heating of the entire steering wheel, and a preheater.
Volkswagen keeps the driver in good shape. The seat with dense padding and robust growths of lateral support perfectly fixes the body, and the sporty steering wheel with thin spokes is set more vertically. The landing geometry also supports the fighting mood: in the chair, you are located lower, the legs are extended more strongly.
The smaller Highlander is expectedly tighter in all directions, and its sofa moves 18 cm on the sled instead of 20 for Teramont. Both crossovers allow you to take a reclining position, tilting your back, but it’s more pleasant to do this in Toyota, whose sofa is softer.
Teramont is longer than the Highlander, and it has more distance between the axles. The rear door openings are so impressive that you can climb into the cabin in pairs. The space on the sofa is royal: behind the driver’s seat, adjusted to my height of 181 cm, I sit down with a 15 cm gap in front of my knees, and another 14 cm remains above my head. Highlander leaves me 11 cm at the feet and four to the ceiling.
On the second row of the Volkswagen, it is more convenient to sit with three of us – more free space in width and for the legs of the average passenger. The range of longitudinal movement of the sofa is more impressive, and the adjustment of the backrest angle allows you to sit reclining. Around – the benefits of civilization: a separate climate control unit, heated seats, a pair of USB connectors, and curtains on the windows.
However, the Highlander has all this, including the back of the second row deviating at a large angle. And let Toyota be closer, but I would go on it on a long journey as a passenger. A cozy seat in a soft leather cover over soft padding beckons.
Only the third row of the Volkswagen is complete. None of the cars offer any amenities for the gallery other than cup holders and air vents. A pair of USB sockets for charging gadgets would not hurt. It can also order the panoramic roof from Teramont.
But I would not want to be on the third row of Toyota even as part of a short trip. If you can still free up extra space in front of your knees by sliding the second-row seat, then your head rests against the ceiling anyway. At the same time, you sit low with excessively pursed legs. The Teramont gallery is more humane:
- It is easier to get there.
- The reserve of space is preserved in all directions.
- It is more convenient to land on fewer flat chairs.
Toyota holds the high-speed straight well, where low steering sensitivity in the zero zones is only good. Highlander is the only one in this test that boasts a projection of information on the windshield.
While jumping through the rows, atmospheric engines have time to warm up. They rustle themselves quietly do not vibrate. Both V-shaped “sixes” give out 249 forces each, with a minimum torque advantage in favor of Volkswagen – 360 N•m versus 356 for Toyota. In the era of supercharging, these engines are not impressive, but their duties perform well. They respond vividly to the fuel supply, pull solidly from 2500 rpm to the very red zone, do not give up on country roads within the framework of the road rules.
The Toyota’s peak of power and traction comes at higher revs, and it weighs nearly as much as the Teramont, yet the parallel launches reveal its total superiority. The difference is most noticeable when accelerating from a standstill when the Highlander pulls ahead powerfully in the first couple of seconds and slowly builds up the advantage up to 130 km / h. A little more modest hurt when accelerating on the move, but what about accelerating from 60 km / h to 100, that from 80 to 120 Toyota will certainly leave Volkswagen. Teramont remains to seize grief – its fuel consumption in similar conditions is 2–3.5 l / 100 km more.
Toyota should be ashamed of such a multimedia system. She looks worse than Volkswagen and works more slowly. Next year, Highlanders for Russia will receive a more advanced complex with a 12.3-inch display instead of an eight-inch one. And here and there, he is in a good mood. Even in response to slight pressure on the accelerator, it quickly shifts one gear down, and if you push it properly, it goes down without much delay, for example, from eighth to fourth. Therefore, in Toyota, you don’t even remember the absence of a separate sport mode, and in Volkswagen, you rarely use it. However, the ability to keep the current range longer is not excessive.
Cars are equipped with LED headlights with automatic switching from high to low. There are no complaints about the Teramont headlights, and the Toyota beam hits a little high in the zero position of the corrector.
For example, when you drive fast on a winding road. It is atypical for a large car, but the five-meter Volkswagen does it. The steering wheel’s fairly natural reactive action is combined with moderate rolls and good tenacity in high-speed arcs. Teramont with the “fifth” Haldex is remembered for predictable and exciting gliding on the snow. The setting of the brake pedal is a little out of the picture, whose stroke could be shorter. There are no questions about the performance of the mechanisms.
Volkswagen irons a flat road without problems. With the advent of the rut, it begins to crawl unpleasantly on its large wheels.
Suspension gurus made Teramont almost the most daring class and went home. Judging by the shaking, they never met again. Even average irregularities respond with sharp vertical accelerations, and on large potholes, the “German” shakes with its entire two-ton body. The body wobbles uncomfortably from side to side, straining passengers a lot, and vibrations from the wheels diverge across the floor. Only small road ripples do not infuriate the Volkswagen.
In Highlander, you cannot select settings separately for each adjustable component implemented in Teramont. However, I would refuse the forced artificial gravity of the steering wheel in sport mode.
Highlander is not so responsive and accurate in reactions. An unnatural effort on the steering wheel removes the car from the driver – and this state of affairs is fixed by a strict non-switchable stabilization system, to be sure. Setting up an all-wheel-drive transmission is boring, and too much force must be applied to the brake pedal. Therefore, the feeling of weak deceleration efficiency does not leave, even in everyday driving modes.
Do not believe the stabilization system shutdown indicator – Toyota drives through the snow-covered arc solely under electronics supervision in a long demolition. Safety is paramount.
Both the handling and the Teramont’s transmission are more reckless. The clutch in the rear axle drive responds to the addition of gas almost immediately and, after a minimal pause, puts the car into a power slide that is easily controlled by the steering wheel and gas. Class!
But the ride is noticeably better on any bumps. Particularly indicative of the road, dotted with pits, where the Highlander seems less flabby and vibration-loaded from unsprung masses. Although a tight kick when driving through joints hints that it is better to choose 18-inch wheels when buying a Toyota.
The distance from the ground to the rear bumper of Toyota reaches 32 cm, the Volkswagen is only half a centimeter less. Under the front, we measured 22 and 26.5 cm, respectively.
Toyota’s A-pillars are thinner, the coverage of the side mirrors is better. Volkswagen responds with a larger glass area, smaller B-pillars, and better visibility out the rear window. And also – a high-quality picture of all-around cameras, none of which is washed.
The Highlander holds up better on a bumpy grader. Know yourself rushes without breakdowns, demonstrating energy intensity and softness inaccessible to Teramont. It is only necessary to monitor the buildup of the body so as not to hit something hard with a power unit devoid of full-fledged metal protection.
Volkswagen has it. In addition, it has the best geometric cross-country ability and a better off-road assistant setting. While driving the Teramont, you don’t have to turn on the off-road set up to deal with diagonal hanging. Toyota, without the support of off-road mode, helplessly rotates unloaded wheels.
Under the power units – 19.5 cm each, only Volkswagen is protected from below by a metal sheet. In this position, the Highlander tailgate warps in the opening and does not close completely. Teramont has no such problems.
As a family car, the Highlander is wealthier than the Teramont. It does not spray on enjoyable handling but offers better ride comfort, more significant within the segment. Toyota has a cozier interior. It is more dynamic and consumes less gasoline, “ninety-second,” while Teramont is shown AI-95. True, all the money saved on fuel will dissolve in the overpayment for Toyota. Not sure if she’s worth it.
Toyota’s trunk volume is noticeably smaller, regardless of the position of the seats, but it is not inferior to the width of the opening, and its loading height is more petite. Power is added to both doors, but Teramont raises its a couple of inches higher.
The factory warranty for Toyota is three years or 100,000 km. For Volkswagen – four or 120,000. Highlander owners will need to check-in at the dealer every 10 thousand kilometers, and in the case of Teramont – once every 15 thousand.
Test Teramont also does not pull on the purchase of the century. He is gluttonous, and the chassis is not balanced. But if you sacrifice the fashionable V6 in favor of a practical supercharged “four,” the crossover will become faster and more economical. Smaller wheels will add a little comfort and reduce the vibration background – this was precisely the case before restyling, which, alas, did not affect the suspension. A more spacious cabin with an entire third row, a big trunk, and Toyota-like equipment at a lower price point make the Teramont an attractive choice.
