- Toyota drops gasoline and PHEV options for the Harrier in Japan.
- The Venza twin goes hybrid-only and adds a standard 1,500W outlet.
- A slightly revised Night Shade trim gains more dark exterior accents.
North American shoppers who wanted something sleeker and pricier than the RAV4 lost their option in 2024, when Toyota dropped the Venza in favor of the Crown Signia. Its Japanese-market twin, the Toyota Harrier, never got that memo. It’s still on sale across the Pacific, and Toyota has handed it a round of model year updates for the 2027MY.
This generation of the Harrier landed in Japan back in 2020 and has carried on with few major changes since. A mild update in 2022 added a PHEV powertrain, and a 2025 revision brought more standard features, better ADAS, and a stealthy Nightshade Edition. For 2026, Toyota is trimming the lineup down to the hybrid, then throwing in a standard emergency power outlet and a few more black accents to go with it.
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Starting with the headline news, Toyota has axed both the entry-level 2.0-liter gasoline engine and the range-topping 2.5-liter PHEV. That leaves the Harrier with just the original self-charging hybrid. The carry-over setup pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with either a single motor (FWD) or a dual-motor E-Four arrangement, good for 215 hp and 219 hp respectively.
For a bit more everyday usefulness, Toyota now fits a 100V, 1,500W AC accessory outlet as standard, along with an emergency power supply system and external power attachment in the luggage compartment. The catch is you can’t have it and the optional spare tire, since there isn’t room for both.
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While the exterior and interior design of the Harrier remain unchanged, Toyota has introduced more blacked-out accents for the Z Night Shade and Z Leather Package trims. These include jet black chrome garnish on the front and rear bumpers, a glossy black grille, black chrome exhaust pipes, as well as wheel nuts, window frames, and mirrors caps finished in black. Finally, the LED taillights gain dark internal extensions and the door handles are now body colored.
The revised 2027 Harrier lineup is already up for order in Japan. Prices have climbed, thanks to the deletion of the base gasoline trim and a small bump across the hybrid range. The HEV G 2WD now opens at ¥4,396,700 ($28,100), while the loaded Z Leather Package Night Shade E-Four tops out at ¥5,561,600 ($35,600).
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This late-cycle refresh arrives amid reports of a fifth-generation Harrier that could land as soon as next year. That coupe-SUV is expected to come back to North America wearing the Venza badge, most likely on an evolution of the TNGA-K platform with electrified powertrains.
