No barrier to Harrier

THE new Toyota Harrier SUV may have been introduced here by parallel importers only in the second quarter of 2014 but it was so popular that it became last year's third best-selling grey import model.

Since the first Harrier was first sold here in 2000, it has never been available from the authorised Toyota distributor. But the parallel-imported Harrier was desirable anyway for its price and because it looked exactly like a Lexus RX except for the badge.

The third-generation Harrier is a sleeker and more handsome crossover. However, it no longer shares the same platform as the RX, although it is similar to the one used by the Lexus NX. Instead, the latest Harrier has the same chassis and 2.0-litre engine as the Toyota RAV4, except that the Harrier uses an i…