Toyota Highlander Model Years

Toyota Highlander Model Years: Low-profile and practical, the Highlander can haul up to 8 in peaceful comfort. The base 185-hp 2.7-liter inline-four groups with a six-speed automatic as well as front-wheel drive; the optional 295-hp 3.5-liter V-6 gets an eight-speed automated. All-wheel drive is optional for V-6 versions and also criterion for the crossbreed, which sets the V-6 with two electric motors; we saw 24 mpg in our test. The Highlander supplies an ample driving experience, however it's even more focused on interior niceties and also storage.


Toyota Highlander Model Years


Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot inspire fervor amongst doubters. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier whole lots in 2014, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV got in 2017 with a host of changes focused on pleasing the masses and pundits alike.

Significantly, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the state-of-the-art $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, now come conventional with a pre-collision caution system with pedestrian discovery and automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping aid, flexible cruise ship control, and also automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test auto also packed blind-spot tracking, a function not available on the lower-level Highlander LE and LE Plus.

Accompanying the 2017 Highlander's numerous safety systems is the most up to date variation of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is standard on almost the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continues to use a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- as well as integrates a host of modern-day technologies, consisting of a direct as well as port fuel-injection system and an upgraded valvetrain that enables the engine to run on the much more efficient Atkinson cycle. Rated at a healthy and balanced 295 horsepower and also 263 lb-ft of torque, the changed V-6 makes 25 more horses and also an additional 15 lb-ft compared to the previous unit. Gas economic climate is up, as well, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 gaining an EPA-rated 23 mpg integrated; all-wheel-drive versions accomplish 22 mpg. Both figures note a 2-mpg enhancement over in 2014's Highlander and placed the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's consolidated fuel-economy figures.

Toyota's 2GR-FKS 6 is a treasure of an engine that develops power nearly all the means approximately 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 and 3.8 secs, respectively. Sadly, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing away time was both slow-moving for the class as well as almost a 2nd behind that of its forbear. Criticize the new eight-speed transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the revised Highlander's V-6 supplies a lot of grunt in a lot of real-world driving circumstances. Many thanks in part to our test automobile's automated stop-start system, we managed a sensible 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg far better compared to what we got from a Mazda CX-9.

The Component of Crossover

If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's captivating Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's overhauled outside layout is akin to the film's good-looking however featureless protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and rear fascias, updated headlamps, and an attractive collection of LED taillights provide the Highlander a much more cohesive, SUV-like appearance. But we still wouldn't put it fairly on the very same degree of beauty as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.

Unlike the outside, the Highlander's inside has been left mainly untouched. Toyota did include 4 more USB ports, bringing the total amount to 5-- 3 ahead as well as two in the rear. The cabin showcases a number of helpful storage space spaces, consisting of a rack that extends the lower dashboard and a massive center-console bin that could suit nearly a cubic foot of assorted items. Ergonomic mistakes include difficult-to-grip temperature knobs for the climate-control system and also a touchscreen that's too far from the driver.

While base-level LE as well as LE Plus Highlanders feature a common second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, as well as Minimal Platinum qualities include captain's chairs in the middle. (The bench seat is a no-cost choice on the XLE, Limited, and also Limited Platinum.) Area abounds in the 2nd row, but we discovered that our seven-passenger examination cars and truck's bucket seats were mounted also low for optimal comfort. Still, the Highlander's moving and also reclining second-row chairs were like a pair of La-Z-Boy recliners compared to the thin as well as lightweight 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a full 6 inches less than exactly what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row deals. If you regularly haul sufficient travelers to advantage constant use the third row, think about the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.

Shadow of an SUV

Even with the Highlander's carlike unibody building and reduced step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's handling advises us of an old-fashioned body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension enables too much body roll in turns. On the plus side, the suspension absorbs road abnormalities with nary a shudder, as well as the electrically aided guiding is relatively fast and also normally well weighted.

At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander examination vehicle was no light-weight, and the excess mass made itself understood when applying the brakes, as the Toyota required 181 feet of tarmac to stop from 70 miles per hour-- 11 feet greater than a 161-pound-lighter all-wheel-drive GMC Acadia Denali.

With an as-tested price of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE showed off $3704 in choices. Of that tally, four-wheel drive adds $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and a screen setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster display that shows torque distribution among the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat entertainment system was the most pricey alternative, while $434 acquired flooring mats as well as body-side moldings. Standard products consisted of navigation, a closeness key with push-button beginning, as well as a sunroof, in addition to previously mentioned features such as a blind-spot surveillance system and also leather-trimmed first- and also second-row seats (Toyota drapes the 3rd row in plastic).

While the Highlander's lifeless handling and also cramped third row continue to curb our excitement for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's lengthy list of common safety and also ease features, a lot more powerful and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and enhanced outside styling will certainly remain to bring in hoards of consumers seeking a comfy and also reasonably valued mid-size crossover SUV.