We drove a $42,000 Toyota Highlander and a $46,000 Subaru Ascent to see which is the better family SUV — here's the verdict

Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The Toyota Highlander is one of the best selling mid-size family SUVs on the market.
Through September, Highlander sales are up 14.2% over 2017.
The Subaru Ascent all-new for 2019 and is the latest entrant into the lucrative mid-size three-row SUV market.
The base 2018 Toyota Highlander starts at $31,230, while the top-of-the-line Hybrid Limited Platinum model starts at $48,480.
The base 2019 Subaru Ascent starts at $31,995, while our top-of-the-line Ascent Touring starts at $44,695.
The Subaru's peppy driving dynamics, gutsy turbocharged engine, superior infotainment, abundant standard safety features, and well-designed cabin tip this scales in its favor over the Highlander.

The Toyota Highlander is a bonafide star in the midsize family SUV market. In 2017, Toyota sold nearly 216,000 Highlanders in the US, making it the third best selling mid-size SUV behind only the Ford Explorer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Highlander's success has rival automakers looking to cash in on the strength of the mid-size SUV market. Last year, Volkswagen jumped into the fray with the three-row Atlas crossover SUV.

However, that hasn't slowed the Highlander down.

In fact, it's doing even better this year with sales up 14.2% through September. More than 180,000 of the Toyota SUVs have rolled out of showrooms in 2018.

Now, another new challenger has arrived in the form of the 2019 Subaru Ascent.

Subaru has been on a roll in recent years with nearly seven years' worth of consecutive month-over-month sales growth in the US.

Subaru's Outback off-road wagon along with Forester and Crosstrek crossovers have been hot sellers in recent years. But its most recent midsize SUV, the B9 Tribeca, proved to be a critical and sales flop.

Unfortunately, the Tribeca's odd styling, diminutive size, and tepid performance prevented it from gaining traction in the market. Even a 2008 facelift and the addition of a more powerful engine couldn't save the Tribeca, which soldiered on for nearly a decade before Subaru pulled the plug on the SUV in 2014.

Now, the Japanese automaker is trying to make up lost ground with the larger three-row Ascent.

Earlier this year, Business Insider has had the chance to experience the Highlander in mid-grade SE trim and in top-spec Hybrid Limited Platinum guise.

Recently, we also spent a week with a top-of-the-line Subaru Ascent Touring to see how it stacks up against the Toyota Highlander.

Here's what we found.

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

First up is the Toyota Highlander.

Toyota lent us two new Highlanders for evaluation in mid-grade SE V6 AWD and top-spec Hybrid Limited Platinum V6 AWD trim. Our gray SE carried an as-tested price of $42,545, while the brown Hybrid Limited Platinum stickered for $49,499.

The base four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Highlander LE starts at $31,230.