Compare the2022 Toyota HighlanderVS 2022 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Discovery doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Highlander has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Highlander has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Discovery doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Discovery doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Highlander Limited/Platinum has standard Automated Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Highlander and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Discovery has not been tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Discovery. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Land Rover only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Discovery.

There are almost 7 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander’s reliability 51 points higher than the Discovery.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander third among upper midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Discovery isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 26th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 146 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

On the EPA test cycle the Highlander gets better mileage than the Discovery:

Both the Highlander and the Discovery have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Highlanders have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Discovery P360 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Discovery requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Toyota Highlander as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Land Rover Discovery is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (37.4 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Toyota Highlander may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery.

The Highlander is 5.6 inches narrower than the Discovery, making the Highlander easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Discovery can only carry 7.

The Highlander has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 2.9 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more rear headroom, 3.6 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room, 3.6 inches more third row hip room and 7.8 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The Discovery’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Highlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the Discovery.

The Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Discovery doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Discovery doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Highlander has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Highlander to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Discovery doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Highlander Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Discovery doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Highlander is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Land Rover Discovery by over 75 to one during the 2021 model year.