Did you know that the Toyota Harrier was never meant to be sold officially outside of its home country Japan? However, the Harrier nameplate is no stranger to this part of the world, thanks to parallel importers.
Malaysians have long since grown accustomed to the sight of fresh and mint Harriers in the grey market. Since its global debut in December 2013, this third-generation Harrier was offered with two engine choices: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol hybrid, both mated to a seven-speed stepped ratio CVT gearbox. Just recently, Toyota added a new 2.0-litre turbocharged variant to the Harrier lineup along with some enhancements to the Harrier range.
Bearing the engine code 8AR-FTS, the 2.0-litre direct injection engine comes with a twin scroll turbocharger and dual VVT-i, allowing a healthy output of 228 hp and 350 Nm of torque from 1,650 to 4,000 rpm. Drive is sent to either the front wheels or all-four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission with sequential shift. It’s pretty frugal too, with a rated fuel consumption of 7.7L/100km (FWD model).
Besides that, Toyota has fitted performance dampers for the turbo, reducing body roll and improving straight line and cornering stability. A sports mode button that sharpens throttle and steering response is also a unique addition to the turbocharged Harrier.
The Harrier turbo get unique styling cues such as smoked LED headlamps, exclusive front grille, carbon fibre inlays around the gear selector, Suede and leather combination upholstery and a new leather wrapped three-spoke steering wheel.
Other updates include Toyota Safety Sense P on all models, electric parking brake with auto hold function, sequential turn signals, larger 9.2-inch infotainment system, puddle lamp with ‘Hawk” emblem and automatic sliding of driver seat when the engine is switched off.
The updated Harrier is available in six exterior shades – White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Black, Sparkling Black Pearl Crystal Shine, Dark Red Mica Metallic and Dark Blue Mica Metallic. The last two are new additions to the colour palette. Prices for the updated Harrier start from ¥2.95 million (RM111k) to ¥4.95 million (RM186k) while the Harrier Turbo retails from ¥3.38 million (RM127k).
You can bet that the parallel importers are scrambling to ship these enhanced Harrier to our shores, even the turbocharged ones too.
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Toyota Harrier 2.0L Turbo
Updated Toyota Harrier
