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The Toyota Highlander is just about as far as the family SUV formula needs to go. Having driven one, I can attest to this as a single man with no children. In all seriousness, the midsize SUVs sales numbers do all the talking. Yes, car sales as a whole are on the rise across the board. However, it isn’t just recently that the brand’s excellent midsized SUV has been pushed into the spotlight.

The Toyota Highlander is peak family car

The red and black leather interior of the Highlander
The leather in the Highlander is a quality item | Toyota

While I don’t have kids, I can attest to the fantastic package that is the Highlander. It’s a three-row SUV that can regularly manage 25+ MPG on the day-to-day, and more on the highway. And that’s just a start. Styling is subjective, but I find it to be one of the more handsome designs on the market right now. Most SUVs lean a little too far into the aggressive category, but not the Toyota Highlander.

And then there’s that interior. It’s easily one of the nicest sub-$60,000 interiors I’ve had the pleasure to spend time in. The leather in newer Highlanders really is a step up for Toyota. So too, is the infotainment, which has long been heralded as outdated. However, both Android Auto and Apple Carplay work flawlessly, and so does wireless charging. There’s also room for plenty of people and things. Honestly, you really can do everything in a Highlander.

Sales speak for themselves- and Toyota

The Japanese brand's red and silver logo
Toyota’s iconic logo | Nicholas Kamm via Getty Images

That’s exactly why sales are so high, especially in the last month. Last month, per GoodCarBadCar, the Toyota Highlander sold more units than any other midsize SUV measured on the site. To the tune of 24,036 units. That’s several thousand more than competitors like Jeep’s ever-popular Wrangler model. Moreover, the Japanese brand has sold 144,380 Highlanders just since January of 2021. Clearly, the brand can’t keep them in stock for long.

Put another way, that’s around a shocking 82% increase in sales year to date. Yes, some of that could be, and is, due to the utterly rabid demand for both new and used cars right now. Frankly, I believe it has more to do with just how fantastic the midsized SUV really is. It’s a win for Toyota, and the numbers certainly speak for themselves.

Highlander sales show a perfected formula

The rear of the Highlander midsize SUV
The rear of the new Highlander | Toyota

It’s hard to argue with the Toyota Highlander. Clearly, consumer’s wallets speak louder than any journalist’s fluff piece (which this most certainly is not). Toyota’s strong performance with the Highlander SUV has pushed the model into the spotlight. If the vehicle’s month-by-month sales are anything to believe, it’s here to stay. Now if only Toyota had an electric version…

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MotorBiscuit Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Chase Bierenkoven

Chase Bierenkoven has been obsessed with cars his whole life and now finds joy in sharing what he’s learned from his own daily drivers. Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a focus on legal studies from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and quickly became an automotive journalist. When he isn’t writing, Chase is either driving his passion project, a 2004 BMW M3 in Carbon Schwartz Metallic, or playing around Colorado’s terrain, mainly mountain biking and skiing.