Review: the new Toyota Harrier (4th Generation)

TGIF! On Deployant’s inaugural car review. We are honored to kick start this new segment with the Toyota Harrier, a mid-sized Crossover SUV.

Review: the new Toyota Harrier

The Toyota Harrier currently retails for SGD 265,888 inclusive of COE (as of 5th March 2026)

Right after Peter’s interview with the world-renowned car and watch collector Jay Leno, it felt like a natural progression for Deployant to begin venturing into the world of automobiles a hobby that complements horology rather naturally. While Deployant has established itself as one of the leading watch magazines, we hope to offer our two cents in the automotive space to our valued readers as well.

YouTube video summary

For our inaugural automotive review, we are honoured to have been loaned the latest Toyota Harrier by Singapore’s authorised distributor, Borneo Motors. During the three days we had the car, it accompanied us as our daily driver and here are our first impressions.

Initial Impression

“Do you know that the Harrier is a bird?” exclaimed the marketing staff from Toyota during the handover.

Indeed, the Toyota Harrier is named after a species of predatory bird. This latest variant marks the fourth generation of the Harrier from Toyota.

The fourth-generation Harrier was first introduced in Singapore in 2021. Compared to the previous generation, it features a wider body by 20 mm and a wheelbase that is 30 mm longer. The current generation Harrier exudes a more masculine and modern stance while still retaining the unmistakable Harrier DNA that has made the model visually recognisable over the years.

When we first laid eyes on the exterior, the car certainly looked handsome. It exudes a strong “masstige” presence a blend of mass-market reliability with premium aspirations. The sharp LED lighting signatures at both the front and rear, combined with subtle chrome accents around the body, signal clearly that this is an upmarket Toyota.

Interior and Creature Comfort

Stepping into the Toyota Harrier, we were greeted by a spacious cabin with generous use of leather, continuing the “masstige” theme that Toyota is clearly aiming for.

The instrument cluster is clean and easy to read.

The car features a heads-up display, which is very clear and visible from the driving position.

The supple leather seats feel almost like a welcoming hug after a long day at the office. Both ventilated and heated seat functions are available at the touch of a button, adding to the overall sense of comfort.

However, this is also where our compliments begin to taper off.

One of our first gripes is the 8-inch touchscreen on the centre console. It feels somewhat dated, almost as if the car had been designed in the late 2010s and has yet to receive a meaningful update. While the operating system itself is intuitive and easy to navigate, the relatively small screen size feels out of place in 2026, when most of the Harrier’s competitors offer infotainment displays well above the 10-inch mark.

When shifting into reverse, the Harrier is equipped only with a standard reverse camera rather than a 360-degree surround view system. Toyota staff did mention that the 360-degree camera is expected to arrive in the upcoming facelift, but its absence in the current model is noticeable

Moving further down from the centre console, we noticed that the leather-lined plastic panel surrounding the console flexes slightly when pressure is applied for instance, when resting one’s knee against it while stopped at a traffic light. This detail left both Peter and I somewhat puzzled, particularly given the Harrier’s list price. Unfortunately, this flexing issue does not stop there. We noticed a similar behaviour on the door cards across all four doors, another high-touch area of the vehicle. These details are somewhat surprising for a car positioned at this price point.

Our final gripe concerns the placement of the front cup holders. If you happen to be a watch wearer much like the team at Deployant, you may want to think twice when placing a bottle there. The position of the holder can occasionally obstruct the driver’s wrist, and during gear changes there is a real possibility of knocking your watch against the bottle.

Moving to the rear of the cabin, the back seats are both comfortable and spacious. Even with Stanley’s 1.75-metre stature and the driver’s seat adjusted to his preferred driving position, the rear passengers are still left with ample legroom.

While the rear seats do not offer heated or ventilated functions, there are rear air-conditioning vents that ensure passengers remain comfortable in Singapore’s tropical climate.

As a mid-sized SUV, boot space is naturally an important consideration. The Harrier offers a respectable 396 litres of cargo capacity, allowing drivers and their families to transport a reasonable amount of luggage or daily necessities.

Driving Dynamics and Safety Features

Powering the 1,670 kg Harrier is a 2.5-litre inline-four, 16-valve DOHC VVT-iE petrol hybrid engine. The petrol engine produces 176 horsepower, complemented by a 118-horsepower electric motor, resulting in a combined output of 215 horsepower and 221 Nm of torque delivered to the front wheels. The Harrier completes the century sprint from 0–100 km/h in 8.1 seconds.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this powertrain is its fuel efficiency. In 2023, Toyota conducted a Hybrid Challenge where the Harrier managed to travel an impressive 1,050 km on a single tank of fuel.

Despite its focus on efficiency, the Harrier performs admirably in urban driving conditions. It provides sufficient torque for brisk acceleration from traffic lights and confident overtaking on the expressway.

However, the weakest link in the drivetrain is arguably the e-CVT gearbox, which tends to produce a noticeable drone under hard acceleration.

During our drive, it became clear that the Harrier is tuned primarily for comfort. It is built on Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA-K) platform, which underpins many of the brand’s mid-sized vehicles.

As expected for an SUV with relatively soft suspension tuning, there is some noticeable body roll when the car is pushed through corners. Nevertheless, when used as a daily driver, the Harrier delivers a comfortable ride and absorbs road imperfections well.

During our test drive, we also found Toyota Safety Sense to be a particularly useful suite of features for daily commuting. The system includes Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Automatic High Beam, Lane Departure Alert, Pre-Collision System, and Lane Tracing Assist. In a dense urban environment like Singapore, these features help make stop-and-go traffic far more manageable. While such technologies are not exclusive to Toyota, they remain a welcome addition in modern vehicles.

Competitive Landscape

The Toyota Harrier sits firmly at the urban SUV category, a landscape which is quite crowded in the Singapore market. This sector is seen as the perfect family car with the prestige to double up as an executive carrier. The Germans perhaps are strong contenders, with the Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X1 coming in at about the same price point. But both are significantly smaller vehicles – in powertrain specifications (1.3-2liter vs 2.5l for the Harrier) as well as the external dimensions and internal space available.

On vehicles with comparable size within the same price range, we offer for consideration, the Skoda Kodiaq RS.

The Kodiaq RS is similar in overall dimensions to the Toyota Harrier, but it features a full-time all-wheel-drive system paired with a more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 261 horsepower. It completes the 0–100 km/h sprint in just 6.4 seconds. The interior appears significantly more modern, featuring sporty black leather bucket seats with contrasting red stitching. The cabin also includes a large 13.1-inch infotainment display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, along with a 360-degree surround view camera. All of this comes at a price of SGD 286,900, just under 8% more than the Toyota Harrier.

Another notable competitor is the Hyundai Santa Fe Turbo Hybrid 1.6 Calligraphy.

It is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid engine producing a combined output of 215 horsepower, delivering power to the front wheels and achieving the century sprint in 9.6 seconds. Among the vehicles in this comparison, the Santa Fe’s drivetrain is arguably the closest to the Harrier’s in concept. Externally, the Santa Fe is slightly larger than its Japanese rival and features a design language that is more futuristic and boxy. Inside, the cabin is trimmed with Nappa leather seats and a modern dashboard layout. The centre console houses a 12.3-inch infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, alongside a standard 360-degree camera system. The range-topping Hyundai Santa Fe Turbo Hybrid 1.6 Calligraphy is priced at SGD 269,999.

What sets the Harrier apart is the reputation for reliability and ease of maintenance. The Toyota brand is very strong in this regard, keeping resale prices rather higher than competing brands.

Concluding Thoughts

At SGD 265,888, the Toyota Harrier is an SUV that feels slightly expensive for what it offers.

To be fair, it remains a highly reliable vehicle with a proven hybrid drivetrain and a comfortable driving experience. However, it is no longer the only compelling option in the segment.

Until Toyota introduces a refreshed facelift equipped with more modern technology and updated interior features, it may prove challenging for dealerships to position the Harrier convincingly against increasingly competitive rivals in the market.