Toyota Highlander Le

Toyota Highlander Le: Low-profile as well as reasonable, the Highlander could haul up to 8 in quiet convenience. The base 185-hp 2.7-liter inline-four groups with a six-speed automatic and front-wheel drive; the optional 295-hp 3.5-liter V-6 obtains an eight-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is optional for V-6 designs and also standard for the crossbreed, which sets the V-6 with 2 electric motors; we saw 24 mpg in our test. The Highlander provides an ample driving experience, however it's more concentrated on indoor niceties as well as storage.


Toyota Highlander Le


Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot inspire eagerness among doubters. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier whole lots in 2014, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV got in 2017 with a host of adjustments focused on satisfying the masses and also experts alike.

Especially, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the high-grade $48,840 Highlander Crossbreed Limited Platinum, currently come conventional with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian discovery and also automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure caution, lane-keeping aid, flexible cruise ship control, and also automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test vehicle also packed blind-spot tracking, a feature inaccessible on the lower-level Highlander LE and also LE Plus.

Going along with the 2017 Highlander's various safety and security systems is the most up to date variation of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is standard on all but the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which remains to make use of a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- and also incorporates a host of modern innovations, consisting of a direct as well as port fuel-injection system and also an upgraded valvetrain that permits the engine to run on the much more effective Atkinson cycle. Rated at a healthy 295 horse power as well as 263 lb-ft of torque, the modified V-6 makes 25 even more ponies and an extra 15 lb-ft compared with the previous system. Gas economic climate is up, as well, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 gaining an EPA-rated 23 mpg incorporated; all-wheel-drive designs achieve 22 mpg. Both numbers note a 2-mpg improvement over in 2014's Highlander as well as put the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's combined fuel-economy figures.

Toyota's 2GR-FKS six is a treasure of an engine that constructs power almost all the method as much as its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 0.3 2nd off of its predecessor's zero-to-60-mph as well as 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 as well as 3.8 seconds, specifically. However, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph death time was both slow for the course and also nearly a second behind that of its forbear. Criticize the brand-new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the changed Highlander's V-6 provides plenty of grunt in the majority of real-world driving situations. Thanks partly to our test cars and truck's automated stop-start system, we took care of a sensible 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg far better than exactly what we obtained from a Mazda CX-9.

The Element of Crossover

If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the matching of Highlander's lovely Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's revamped exterior layout is akin to the film's good-looking yet forgettable lead character, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front as well as rear fascias, updated headlamps, as well as an appealing set of LED taillights provide the Highlander an extra natural, SUV-like look. Yet we still would not place it quite on the same degree of attractiveness as the butch Dodge Durango or the hot CX-9.

Unlike the exterior, the Highlander's interior has been left largely untouched. Toyota did include four even more USB ports, bringing the overall to 5-- three ahead and also 2 in the rear. The cockpit includes a variety of helpful storage nooks, consisting of a shelf that covers the reduced control panel and also a substantial center-console container that can suit virtually a cubic foot of various items. Ergonomic faults consist of difficult-to-grip temperature knobs for the climate-control system and a touchscreen that's also far away from the chauffeur.

While base-level LE and also LE And also Highlanders feature a common second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Limited Platinum qualities come with captain's chairs between. (The bench seat is a no-cost option on the XLE, Limited, and Limited Platinum.) Room abounds in the second row, yet we located that our seven-passenger test vehicle's bucket seats were mounted too reduced for optimal comfort. Still, the Highlander's moving and reclining second-row chairs resembled a set of La-Z-Boy recliners compared with the slim and lightweight 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a full 6 inches less compared to exactly what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you routinely carry sufficient passengers to advantage frequent use of the third row, take into consideration the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.

Darkness of an SUV

In spite of the Highlander's carlike unibody building and construction and also reduced step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's taking care of reminds us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension allows excessive body coming in turns. On the plus side, the suspension absorbs roadway irregularities with nary a shudder, as well as the electrically helped guiding is relatively quick and also normally well weighted.

At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander examination auto was no light-weight, and also the excess mass made itself recognized when using the brakes, as the Toyota needed 181 feet of tarmac to stop from 70 miles per hour-- 11 feet more than a 161-pound-lighter all-wheel-drive GMC Acadia Denali.

With an as-tested rate of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE showed off $3704 in options. Of that tally, all-wheel drive adds $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and also a display screen setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that reveals torque circulation among the Highlander's 4 wheels. An $1810 rear-seat home entertainment system was one of the most pricey choice, while $434 bought floor mats as well as body-side moldings. Requirement items included navigating, a closeness secret with push-button begin, as well as a sunroof, along with abovementioned features such as a blind-spot monitoring system and leather-trimmed very first- and also second-row seats (Toyota upholsters the 3rd row in vinyl).

While the Highlander's lifeless handling as well as confined 3rd row continue to suppress our excitement for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's lengthy listing of basic security and also convenience features, much more effective and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, as well as enhanced exterior designing will certainly continuously bring in heaps of buyers looking for a comfy and moderately valued mid-size crossover SUV.