Being younger, more athletic and paying more attention to driving experience is the main tone of TNGA. Its thinking is not limited by the word "platformization" like other brands, but it has maintained sufficient diversity and can be seen on different models. Different Toyota.
So, what about the next car?
As a famous Highlander, there must be several cars parked in your neighborhood. From the listing in March of 20 15 to now, the market terminal has been in the state of raising the price and picking up the car. During this period, other brands have also launched similar models, but so far they have not posed a threat to Highlander. Without him, it is because Highlander has done everything that this kind of car should do well, and it is easy to win the favor of the market.
In a blink of an eye, five years passed. As a Japanese car, the time window for Highlander's replacement has arrived. Coupled with the promotion of TNGA architecture, Toyota has also accelerated the pace of product iteration in recent years, so the fourth generation Highlander under TNGA architecture is close at hand.
What will happen when Highlander meets TNGA?
TNGA has "sequela"
For many Toyota models, catching up with TNGA is undoubtedly a good thing, such as Camry. The previous Camry has never made people think so much, and the eighth generation Camry based on TNGA architecture has already made people want to drive faster.
The changes of Ralink and Corolla are more obvious. The compact chassis makes you feel that you have really become the Fujiwara Takumi on the mountain road, driving the AE86. It's a pity that Toyota didn't put the latest and best power system on the China version of Ralink and Corolla, thus "sealing up" the sports potential of these two cars.
TNGA can indeed bring changes to Toyota's texture and personality, but change does not mean overall improvement. The new Toyota car led by TNGA is not as good as before in some respects.
For example, riding space.
In order to pursue a better driving experience, TNGA lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle, so that the layout of the underbody components will be "frugal". You can see that Camry, Lei Ling, Corolla and even RAV4, as SUVs, have "degenerated" into uneven back floors.
From the above picture, it seems that the new generation of Highlander has not escaped this "degradation", and there is an obvious bulge in the center of the back floor. Of course, for this thing, the center of the back floor is raised. We should also treat it rationally. There is a necessity of existence, and there is no benefit of non-existence. On a medium-sized SUV like Highlander, we actually hope it doesn't exist.
Similarly, TNGA brings a relatively tight driving feeling. If this feature is also possessed by Highlander, it will make Highlander as compact as Camry and Lei Ling, which is not necessarily good news. Both Camry and Ralink adjust the steering wheel very heavily, the chassis is tight, and the sense of communication between people and cars is rich, but these should not be needed by a consumer group like Highlander.
Moreover, Highlander, which is currently on sale, also has just the right performance in driving quality.
It doesn't need the qualitative change like the old Camry and Lei Ling. What Highlander needs is to make some small improvements with the development of the times.
Therefore, if TNGA's performance on Highlander is turned upside down like Camry and Lei Ling, then Highlander may really not need TNGA.
The momentum seems to be weak, too
Let's look at the shape again. Although Highlander currently on sale has nothing brilliant in design, it just hits the target group taste of medium-sized SUV, with a muscular appearance and full momentum. When Rutting Jun first met this generation of Highlander on the road, there happened to be a BMW X5 next to him. When the two cars are put together, Highlander's momentum does not lose X5 at all.
But looking at the official map of the new generation Highlander, the overall momentum is weak.
The new car used a lot of curved strips, and began to pay attention to the detail design, changing the style of rough and tough guys before. The original solid mesh has become a trapezoid with rounded corners, and the patterns embedded in it also show the attitude of women. The overall design of the front face is much simpler than the current one, and the taillights have become more slender, but more like Korean cars.
Well, it should be said that Americans and Japanese went to South Korea for plastic surgery.
In terms of momentum, the new Highlander and the old Highlander commented on each other. The new model is less domineering and more exquisite, and the multi-frame wheel hub further enhances this sense of exquisiteness. Although the change is necessary, Rutting Jun is not sure whether such a change can be accepted by consumers, especially in the China market, a car that looks aggressive is an innate advantage. Obviously, this is also one of the killers to let Highlander, which is currently on sale, gain a foothold in the market. The new Highlander is not only weaker, but also not as big as the previous generation.
How about the new Highlander?
In fact, there is still a way to see if GAC Toyota will launch a slightly rougher version of the kit so that Highlander can find the man buried in her heart again.
Expectations still exist.
Although TNGA tonality, which may become more sporty, and the combination of domineering and elegance may make the new generation of Highlander more suitable for the needs of China consumers than cash, there are still some things worth looking forward to, such as hybrid system.
In fact, the hybrid version of the current Highlander has been launched in the US market. Rutting Jun has been expecting Guangfeng to add a hybrid version of Highlander as soon as possible since the day this generation of Highlander was listed in China, but I didn't expect it until the new version came.
However, according to related news, a new generation of Highlander will provide a hybrid version in the China market in the future.
At present, the main model of the current Highlander in China market is the 2.0T engine code-named 8AR-FTS, which is also a power model that the American version of Highlander does not have. However, compared with the 2.7L self-priming four-cylinder engine used in the previous generation of Highlander entry models, the power is still abundant, and 220 horsepower is just right for such a medium-sized seven-seat SUV.
Its disadvantage is that it consumes a lot of oil. Although a large SUV like this cannot avoid the problem of high fuel consumption, we still hope that Highlander can launch a hybrid version in China. For medium-sized SUVs, hybrid systems are more necessary than other models.
First of all, because the body of a medium-sized SUV is relatively heavy, the load in the initial stage is greater than that of a car, and the hybrid system can be driven by a motor under this working condition, so its fuel saving effect may be more obvious than that of a car. Secondly, because the medium-sized SUV has a certain spatial foundation, the arrangement of the battery and other components of the hybrid system is more friendly than that of the car.
Moreover, after the implementation of the national six emission regulations, the domestic Highlander 3.5L? The V6 model was also cancelled. At present, only one model, 2.0T, is fighting alone. Although the performance is good, it is still too single and the production capacity is limited. If the new generation of Highlander can really launch a hybrid version, on the one hand, it can alleviate the problem of tight production capacity of 2.0T engines to a certain extent, on the other hand, it also gives consumers a good choice.
Another place worth looking forward to for the new generation Highlander is the interior design of the carriage. The interior of the current Highlander belongs to the central idea of practicality first, while the new aesthetic design, which pays more attention to details, echoes the exterior design to a certain extent, but the appearance is too delicate and the interior is just right.
The large storage slot on the center console of the current model was split in two, and the upper screen was changed to stand on the center console, which became a wide screen, adding CarPlay interconnection function, which is rare in Toyota cars. I hope there will be a China version in the future. Coupled with the black paint treatment of the piano around and the large-area leather package of the center console, the new generation Highlander carriage presents a sense of grade that is indeed much higher than the cash.
When will TNGA Highlander arrive?
Although there are indications that Highlander is not in a hurry to upgrade in the China market, after all, the cash is still increasing, and it is still in a state of not worrying about selling at all, and the new models may not meet the preferences of domestic consumers, according to the gossip obtained by Rut Jun, GAC Toyota has begun to prepare various matters for the domestic listing of a new generation of Highlander.
Rutting Jun was also quite shocked when he got the news, because there was no information about GAC Toyota's new generation Highlander on the Internet before, and there was no spy photos of the road test. It seems that GAC Toyota has done a good job in this wave of confidential operations.
However, before the new generation Highlander landed in China market, Guangfeng still had a very important thing to do, that is, to arrange the sister model of RAV4-Willanda.
Therefore, 2020 will be an SUV year for GAC Toyota. What we are most concerned about is, of course, the concrete performance of the new generation Highlander based on TNGA architecture.
-
There are hundreds of thousands of riders here. If you want to know more about cars, please join us. For more exciting, please pay attention to the official account rut of WeChat WeChat (directly input rut or long press to copy micro-signal cartracks) and wait for you!
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.