Toyota of Plano is excited to introduce Plano, Richardson, Frisco, McKinney and surrounding areas to the brand new, highly anticipated 2023 Toyota Highlander - set to release in October 2022. As the reigning best selling midsize SUV on the US market, our team looks forward to welcoming the new generation of this impressive Toyota model. To help introduce the 2023 Toyota Highlander, Toyota of Plano has put together a comparison against one of its biggest competitors, the 2023 Subaru Ascent. Our team will evaluate each vehicle based on overall performance, gas mileage, safety, passenger and cargo space, reliability, and price. Let’s see how the 2023 Toyota Highlander holds up against the competition.
Both Toyota and Subaru have established themselves as environmental leaders in the automotive industry, but how do the 2023 Toyota Highlander and 2023 Subaru Ascent hold up in average fuel economy? Let’s start with the Highlander, which offers a fuel economy of up to 24 combined mpg on its gas-powered model and 36 combined mpg on the Highlander Hybrid. The Ascent trails the Highlander, with an estimated fuel economy of 23 combined mpg. While the Subaru Ascent has a respectable fuel mileage, the 2023 model falls short against both the gas-powered Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
So how do their performances compare? The 2023 Highlander model generates 265 horsepower and 309 lb-ft of torque, and the more efficient hybrid model has a system output of 243 horsepower. While more impressive than the Highlander Hybrid, the Subaru Ascent once again falls short of the gas-powered 2023 Highlander, with a maximum output of 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque.
Let’s discuss safety. Subaru is well known for producing some of the automotive industries most durable and safe vehicles to drive. You may be surprised to learn that while Subaru’s are revered for their safety track record, the Toyota Highlander has comparable ratings to the Subaru Ascent. In fact, the previous generations of both SUVs have received the same impressive recognition for safety, earning a IIHS Top Safety Pick+. To our Toyota of Plano team, this comes as no surprise, as only a few years ago, Toyota announced that they spend a whopping million dollars every hour towards safety research and development. Since Toyota’s announcement, Toyota has been recognized time and time again for leading the market in safety development.
Cargo, passenger, and overall cabin space can be major factors in the decision to upgrade to a midsize or a larger SUV. While the 2023 Toyota Highlander and the 2023 Subaru Ascent have a comparable amount of cabin space and both can seat up to eight passengers, the Subaru Ascent has more passenger space - with 153.5 cu-ft compared to the Highlander’s 141.3 cu-ft, but don’t write off the Toyota Highlander just yet. The Highlander makes up for this disparity with its relatively large cargo space. The midsize Toyota SUV has an impressive maximum cargo capacity of 84.3 cu-ft, compared to the Subaru Ascent’s 75.6 cu-ft. For individuals looking for a midsize SUV that will hold eight passengers, maintain its midsize charm, and still have plenty of room to fit all your luggage, the Highlander may be the vehicle for you!
Both automotive manufacturers have not publicly released the pricing information for their upcoming 2023 midsize SUV models, but our team used previous models pricing structures to provide some insight into what we can expect from the 2023 models. What we do know is that the 2023 models will likely cost slightly more than their 2022 versions, and the 2022 Toyota Highlander’s starting MSRP is $35,855, while the 2022 Subaru Ascent’s starting MSRP is $32,795. Despite a $3,060 difference, the Toyota Highlander comes with a two year or 25,000 mile free maintenance plan, which is not offered to Ascent owners, and as previously mentioned, the Highlander has a better combined fuel economy. While at a first glance it may seem as if the Subaru is a better deal, Toyota’s free maintenance plan combined with the vehicle’s superior fuel economy may end up saving Highlander owners much more than just $3060. Based on The Toyota Highlander’s impressive performance, fuel economy, safety features, and spaciousness we believe that the 2022 Highlander was fairly priced, but the added free maintenance plan proves that Toyota still values affordability.
Overall both the 2023 Toyota Highlander and the Subaru Ascent are great vehicles, but the 2023 Toyota Highlander has the Subaru beat across a number of valuable categories. In fact, JD Power also gave the Toyota Highlander a higher overall predicted reliability rating than the Ascent. Where the Highlander appears to fall short against the Ascent is in passenger space and pricing, but after a closer look, it should be noted that the Highlander has a greater overall maximum cargo space than the Ascent and features money saving advantages that will likely make up for the pricing disparity. For these reasons, the Highlander is our clear winner. Visit Toyota of Plano today, and ask about reserving your new 2023 Toyota Highlander.