Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Toyota Harrier

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Production
  
November 2013–present

Body style
  
5-door wagon

Class
  
Mid-size luxury SUV

Platform
  
Toyota New MC platform

Assembly
  
Japan: Toyota, Aichi (Takaoka plant)

Layout
  
Front-engine, front-wheel-drive Front-engine, four-wheel-drive

The Toyota Harrier is a mid-size crossover SUV sold since December 1997 by Toyota in Japan. In export markets, the Harrier was rebadged as the Lexus RX from March 1998. At this stage, Toyota did not retail the Lexus brand to its Japanese customers.

Second generation models arrived to Japan in February 2003, paralleled with the Lexus for export. However, when the third generation Lexus RX arrived in late 2008 the Harrier continued on in second generation form unchanged. Lexus had now made its debut in Japan as an independent marque, thus the third generation RX sold there in the same livery as its export brethren.

It was not until 2013 that Toyota refreshed the Harrier, although it morphed into an independent model line constructed on a separate platform from the Lexus RX, but retaining a visual link with the RX.

XU60; 2013–present

Released on 2 December 2013 in Japan for the gasoline model and 15 January 2014 for the hybrid, the XU60 series Harrier replaces not only its XU30 series namesake, but also the Toyota Vanguard (XA30). Unlike the second and third generation Lexus RX built on the K platform, the XU60 Harrier derives from the RAV4's New MC underpinnings.

Grades available in Japan include the Premium, Elegance and Grand for both the petrol and hybrid models.

References

Toyota Harrier Wikipedia