The Toyota Harrier is a compact, later mid-size crossover SUV sold by Toyota since December 1997 in Japan and once exclusive to Toyopet Store Japanese dealerships. In export markets, the Harrier was rebadged as the Lexus RX from March 1998 to July 2013. At this stage, Toyota had yet to retail the Lexus brand to its Japanese customers. The second-generation model debuted in February 2003, along with the export Lexus version. The third-generation RX arrived in late 2008, while the Harrier continued on in second-generation form unchanged. Lexus had by now made its debut in Japan as an independent marque, thus the third-generation RX was sold in the domestic market in the same livery as its export counterpart. Toyota refreshed the Harrier in 2013, when it morphed into an independent model line constructed on a separate platform from the RX but retaining a visual link with it. Starting from the XU60 model, it is considered as a more road-oriented and upmarket alternative to the RAV4, comparable to the luxury-classLexus NX. From the XU80 model, it is sold as the second-generation Venza in North America. The Harrier is named for the eastern marsh harrier, a bird of prey common to Hokkaidō and northern Honshū called the chuki in Japanese, and an emblem depicting the bird in stylized profile can be found on the grille until the XU60 model.
Released on 2 December2013 in Japan for the petrol model and 15 January 2014 for the hybrid model, the XU60 series Harrier replaced not only its XU30 series namesake, but also the XA30 series Vanguard. Unlike the second and third-generation RX, which is built on the K platform, the XU60 series Harrier derived from the XA40 series RAV4's New MC underpinnings. Trim levels available in Japan include Grand, Elegance, and Premium for both the petrol and hybrid models. The top-of-the-line Premium trim came with JBL GreenEdge audio with 8-inch T-Connect touchscreen entertainment system with navigation and sensing features. A "Style Mauve" special edition and subsequently the "Style Ash" special edition was released later. The XU60 series Harrier received a facelift on 8 June 2017. For the facelift model, the Grand trim was removed and Elegance became the base trim. The Progress trim replaced Premium as the high-end trim, with the "Metal and Leather Package" added to both Premium and Progress trims. The "Style NOIR" special edition for naturally-aspirated Premium trim were also added later. A Turbo model was introduced with a 2.0 L turbocharged8AR-FTS engine mated to a 6-speed ECT automatic transmission, while the 2.0 L naturally-aspirated 3ZR-FAE and 2.5 L 2AR-FXE hybrid engines remained. Toyota Safety Sense P safety system were standard across the trim levels. The XU60 series Harrier was the first Harrier to be officially sold outside of Japan. This generation is currently sold officially in Singapore and Malaysia. In Malaysia, it was introduced in 9 November 2017 with two trim levels offered: Premium and Luxury. Both trim levels are powered by a 2.0 L 8AR-FTS engine.
Fourth generation (XU80; 2020)
The XU80 series Harrier was announced on 13 April 2020 and went on sale on 17 June 2020. It is built on the same TNGA-K platform as the XA50 series RAV4. Compared with the outgoing model, the width and the wheelbase is up by and respectively, while the height has been cut by. Unlike the previous model, the turbocharged engine option is not available in this generation. It is available in S, G and Z trim levels in Japan. The Leather Package is also available in G and Z trims.
The Harrier was unveiled in North America as the second-generation Venza on 18 May 2020. It will go on sale in August 2020 and, unlike the Harrier, it is only available in hybrid powertrain. The second-generation Venza is built alongside the Harrier in Japan at the Takaoka plant, as opposed to the first-generation model which was built in the United States at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky. It is offered in LE, XLE and Limited trims.
