1 day Ago By [email protected] (Patrick Phillips)
The Highlander has been part of Toyota's SUV lineup for more than two decades and has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable SUVs ever made . Like any vehicle in production for such an extended period, the current model of Highlander is a very different beast than those which first bore the nameplate. Apart from the noticeable change in body style, newer Highlanders boast more bells, whistles, and features than, arguably, any model that came before.
The number of features your Highlander boasts will invariably depend on the level of trim you select. At present, the Highlander and Highlander Hybrid are available in five trim levels each — in both versions of the crossover build, the Platinum is the top trim level you can get. There are, of course, many things you need to know before you consider buying a Highlander in any of its available trim levels.
But specific to the Platinum level Highlanders, there is one feature that may remain a mystery to owners unless they know exactly where to find it. If you've examined the cargo area of those Highlanders, you've likely noticed square holes on the walls designed to hold a tonneau cover (aka a cargo cover). However, the cover itself is typically nowhere in sight, even though it's listed among the vehicle's included accessories.
Don't worry if that's the case in your Highlander — you didn't get shorted a cargo cover. Rather, the feature is hidden in the vehicle's cargo area. It might seem odd for an automaker to hide an item like a cargo cover within the confines of the vehicle.
And as many Highlander Platinum owners appear to be wholly unaware of the accessory's existence, it's a safe enough assumption that even many Toyota dealers are not aware that the cargo cover is actually hidden in the boot of the vehicle along with the spare tire, jack, and lug wrench. Of course, even as handy as cargo covers are — tonneau cargo covers may even help improve gas mileage on a pickup truck – it is not always ideal to have them in place. In fact, specific to SUVs like the Highlander, they may limit the available storage space whether they're pulled shut or not.
That being the case, Toyota's design team, arguably, did a bang up job in finding a clever spot to stow the cover away when it's not needed. The failure has clearly been in making sure Highlander dealers and owners actually know where it's hidden. If you want to find the hidden feature in your Highlander Platinum, you'll first need to open the back hatch and access the storage compartment located beneath the surface of the cargo space.
There, you'll see the aforementioned spare tire gear, and just above that, you'll see a long case that is attached to either side of the storage compartment. That is indeed your cargo cover, which can be removed and fit into place in the cargo space whenever it's needed. And if you don't need it, you can just leave it there until you do.
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