The Toyota Harrier is a five-seat crossover that Toyota has sold primarily in Japan and Asia since December 1997, when it launched as the model that would become the Lexus RX in export markets. The fourth generation, coded XU80, was announced on 13 April 2020 and went on sale in Japan around June 2020. It is built on Toyota’s GA-K platform and is closely related to the RAV4 and the Lexus NX.
Toyota describes the Harrier as an “urban SUV” that sits above the RAV4 in style and finish. The XU80 generation is notable for two reasons: it dropped the turbocharged engine of the previous XU60 model, and it became the basis for the North American Toyota Venza, which returned for 2021 after a five-year absence.
Harrier history
The Harrier began life in December 1997 as a Japan-market luxury crossover, sold only through Toyota’s Toyopet dealerships. For its first two generations it was effectively the same vehicle as the Lexus RX, rebadged for a market where Lexus did not yet exist; the XU10 and XU30 Harriers correspond directly to the first two RX generations.
That relationship ended when Lexus arrived in Japan. The third-generation Harrier, coded XU60 and launched in 2013, became an independent model built on the Toyota MC platform shared with the RAV4 and the first Lexus NX, and it took on a more road-focused, upmarket role than the RAV4. The fourth generation continues that approach on the newer GA-K platform and is closely related to the second-generation Lexus NX.
Engines and hybrids
The XU80 Harrier launched with two Dynamic Force powertrains. The entry model uses a 2.0-liter M20A-FKS four-cylinder producing 171 PS at 6,600 rpm and 207 Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm, paired with a Direct-Shift continuously variable transmission. The Harrier Hybrid uses a 2.5-liter A25A-FXS engine along with drive motors; the standard front-drive hybrid is rated at 218 PS, while the all-wheel-drive E-Four version adds a rear motor and produces 222 PS. A plug-in hybrid Harrier, with a combined 225 kW (302 horsepower) and an 18.1 kWh lithium-ion battery, was added later.
Both gasoline and hybrid models ride on 19-inch alloy wheels with 225/55R19 tires at launch. The front suspension is a MacPherson strut design and the rear uses a double-wishbone layout, with ventilated disc brakes at the front and solid discs at the rear.
Dimensions
The GA-K based Harrier is larger than the XU60 model it replaced. It measures 4,740 mm long, 1,855 mm wide and 1,660 mm tall on a 2,690 mm wheelbase, a gain of 30 mm in wheelbase and a reduction of 30 mm in height. The platform change moved the Harrier from Toyota’s older MC underpinnings to the same architecture used by the current RAV4.
Interior and equipment
The Harrier’s cabin is a step upmarket from the RAV4. Toyota said the design centers on a wide, saddle-shaped center console wrapped in instrument-panel edges, with synthetic leather, wood-inspired trim and piping. The XU80 was the first Toyota to offer a panorama roof, and it uses a new-generation Toyota Safety Sense suite with pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane tracing and parking support.
A key design feature is the double-L daytime running lamp signature and a blanked-off upper grille that visually links the headlamps. Inside, the infotainment system is displayed on a central touchscreen with available navigation and connected services. The interior seats five, making the Harrier a two-row alternative to seven-seat SUVs such as the Highlander.
Price
At launch in Japan, the fourth-generation Harrier was priced from 2,990,000 yen for the entry 2.0-liter model to 5,040,000 yen for the range-topping 2.5-liter E-Four Z hybrid with the leather package, Toyota’s global newsroom announced the model and Japanese media reported the pricing. The Harrier is not sold in the United States under that name.
The Harrier and the Toyota Venza
The most useful fact for North American buyers is that the XU80 Harrier is the same vehicle that Toyota sold in the United States and Canada as the Toyota Venza from the 2021 model year, Car and Driver confirmed when the Venza nameplate returned as a two-row hybrid-only SUV. In China the model was also marketed as the Venza. The Harrier badge itself remains a Japanese and Asian-market name, and the model has never been offered in the U.S. under that name.
Toyota has used the Harrier name since 1997, when the first generation was a rebadged Lexus RX for the Japanese domestic market. Later generations separated from the RX, and from the XU60 onward the Harrier has been its own model line built on RAV4-derived underpinnings.
Harrier, RAV4 and Lexus NX
Although the Harrier, the RAV4 and the Lexus NX share the GA-K platform, they are tuned for different buyers. The RAV4 is the mainstream, utility-focused model; the NX is the luxury version with a higher price and Lexus dealership support; the Harrier sits between them as a style-led five-seat crossover sold mainly in Japan and Asia. In Japan, the Harrier was offered in S, G and Z grades, with the Z being the most heavily equipped and the E-Four all-wheel-drive hybrid available at the top of the range.
Because the Harrier and the Venza are the same vehicle underneath, a North American shopper who wants a Harrier can look at a 2021 or later Venza and get the same GA-K chassis, the same 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain and similar dimensions, with different front-end styling and branding. The Venza was sold in the United States and Canada from the 2021 through 2024 model years.
Related Toyota guides on this site: 2020 Toyota Alphard Review, 2020 Toyota Fortuner Redesign, Review and Car Review.
