2008 toyota Highlander for Sale
By
Pusahma satu
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Sunday, May 6, 2018
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2008 Toyota Highlander
The Highlander makes the grade on all counts, though it doesn't master any type of one location. Supplied it could keep its superior resale worth and integrity, it needs to verify a wise-- if not specifically captivating-- selection for several years to find.
Base, Sporting activity and Limited trim levels feature front- or four-wheel drive, and all can seat five or 7, relying on the configuration. Prices range from roughly $27,000 to $40,000 with alternatives.
I evaluated all three trim degrees of the regular Highlander at a Toyota event in Michigan.
2008 Toyota Highlander For Sale
Edgier Styling
Toyota's The golden state layout workshops sculpted the outside, which is bigger in all significant measurements than the old Highlander. To my eyes, Toyota's smaller sized RAV4 SUV looks better-proportioned, with simply enough contours to offset the angles. With its creased fronts lights, showy grille and characterless bumper, the Highlander seems a bit also glossy-- like a corner store consumer who will not take off his sunglasses.
The rear bumper has lumpy reflectors on each side, and most trim degrees have a glass hatch that opens up independent of the liftgate. Seventeen-inch alloy wheels are conventional; the Sporting activity and Limited have 19-inchers that complete the wheel wells nicely. The Sporting activity has a dark silver grille and smoked-out headlights. The Limited has plainer headlights and also chrome exterior moldings.
At 188.4 inches long and also 75.2 inches broad, the Highlander casts roughly the exact same shadow as a Honda Pilot, Subaru Tribeca or Hyundai Veracruz. The Mazda CX-9 as well as Saturn Outlook are both concerning a foot much longer.
The Inside
Toyota has actually spent years building a track record for high quality, and missing any type of severe competition, the brand-new Highlander may have maintained that requirement. The competitors is nothing otherwise serious, though, and also SUVs like the CX-9 as well as Veracruz flaunt some impressively upscale insides. In contrast, Toyota falls a bit brief.
The Highlander shares underpinnings with the existing Camry, as well as the control panel births much of the sedan's flavor. The facility controls are the all-natural focal point, with large knobs for significant features within simple reach. Sport and Limited models have a 3.5-inch display atop the stereo. It presents gas mileage, outside temperature level and also even more. It additionally shows settings for the optional automated climate control system, which could divide the cabin into as numerous as three temperature level zones-- 2 front as well as one back. The climate manages rest below the stereo, and also they're very messy. I counted 13 switches in between the two temperature handles; that's a great deal of ground to cover when you're referencing a readout some 10 inches away. On the other hand, the typical manual cooling is basic.
Cabin top quality is simply average. The home window switches over, turn signals and also center controls can go straight right into a Lexus, as well as the chrome accents and electroluminescent determines appearance excellent. Many locations are trimmed in difficult plastics, however, and the structures do not have the allure of the stuff in several rivals. Most awful of all is the ceiling's headliner, which is a few of the most affordable computer mouse fur this side of an economic situation car.
Parents will appreciate the storage space alternatives. The facility console between the front seats has four cupholders and a vast storage container. Neglect laptop computers; the glove box might fit a little desktop. (Most likely not the monitor, though-- let's not obtain carried away.).
3 standard rows of seats fit as much as seven, though you could drop the third row in order to save a little cash, reducing sitting capacity to five. The pole positions provide a lot of area, with a technique extender in the Highlander Limited that prolongs the cushion under the vehicle driver's upper legs. Wonderful touch.
The 2nd row is similarly commodious, with reclining back-rests and seat pillows that change backward and forward. The center seat has Toyota's new Center Stow attribute. It's essentially a dive seat, which travelers can exchange for a plastic center console, turning the second row into two captain's chairs. The unused part-- either the middle seat or console-- shops in a flooring compartment between the pole positions. After a couple of practice runs, I had the ability to make the change in around 25 secs.
The jump seat is light sufficient for very easy setup. Its comfort is hit and miss, even for a middle seat; the bottom pillow is considerable, however I could easily really feel the hinges below the back-rest padding. The plastic console is lighter still, and also both pieces have tough installment hooks that need to survive lots of knocking from overenthusiastic children.
Depending on where the second row is placed, the third row can be remarkably adult-friendly. I'm 6 feet tall and also discovered headroom a bit limited, however with the 2nd row progressed a few inches-- maintaining lots of legroom for many adults-- the 3rd row's legroom was such that I might endure a brief journey.
Bigger Engine, Better Gas Mileage
All Highlanders get the 3.5-liter V-6 from the Camry, Sienna as well as a number of other Toyotas. In the Highlander it makes 270 horsepower and also 248 pounds-feet of torque. Both are substantial gains over last year's V-6, which made 215 hp as well as 222 pounds-feet of torque. A five-speed transmission is common. In 2015's base four-cylinder engine has been dropped.
Velocity is adequate off the line and also stronger as the engine revs. The transmission helps things along, holding equipments and also seldom shifting prematurely. Difficult acceleration could trigger some sudden transitions among lower equipments-- much better for velocity, even worse for convenience-- however most of the moment the shifts are smooth enough to pass undiscovered. The drivetrain really feels finest on the highway, where it downshifts with minimal equipment hunting. 3rd equipment is especially powerful for 50-to-70 mph passing.
The optional four-wheel drive is transparent to the driver. It incorporates a facility differential to split power 50/50 between the front as well as rear wheels all of the moment. Four-wheel-drive designs have a downhill help function. Press a control panel switch, and also it will slow the SUV to a crawl down high qualities. The feature appears a little bit disingenuous: There is no low equipment for offroad rock crawling, which indicates you need to probably prevent anywhere treacherous adequate to need the downhill aid.
All Highlanders have a hill-start aid that holds the brakes for up to three seconds from a stop to avoid the SUV from rolling backward prior to you have time to strike the gas.
Using the EPA's more realistic 2008 score system-- which typically results in lower numbers-- gas mileage is rated at 18/24 mpg (city/highway) for two-wheel-drive versions and 17/23 mpg for those with four-wheel drive. These ratings lead most midsize SUVs by 1 or 2 mpg. They also beat the old V-6 Highlander by around 1 mpg (adjusted utilizing the EPA's brand-new estimation)-- a remarkable feat, offered the brand-new Highlander has more power and considers some 300 extra pounds a lot more. (Four-cylinder fans won't miss much: The old four-cylinder Highlander obtained simply 1 mpg more than the new one performs with the V-6.).
Trip & Handling
The unibody building and construction pays for a comfortable trip, with none of the underbody vibrating that pestered the previous Highlander (which was likewise unibody) as well as numerous body-on-frame SUVs. The four-wheel-independent suspension is sport-tuned in the Highlander Sport, yet I couldn't spot a difference in ride firmness amongst the base, Sporting activity and also Limited. All three have a little bit more suspension noise over significant bumps compared to I've concerned anticipate in a midsize SUV.
Wind noise is very little. Offered a smooth stretch of asphalt, the tires are reasonably silent. The Sport and Limited's 19-inch wheels and also P245/55R19 tires release a small hum at freeway speeds, which I couldn't spot with the base design's 17-inchers and also thicker P245/65R19 rubber.
All models currently come with electrical power guiding. These systems conserve a little bit on gas intake-- a little low-hanging fruit to satisfy the federal government's gas economic situation standards, I suspect-- yet they commonly lead to drab, man-made steering feeling. Expectedly, the Highlander steers with a light touch, never supplying much in the way of feedback or turning accuracy. The CX-9 fares much better hereof, yet couple of other rivals stand apart. The very same is true for body roll: Like a lot of SUVs, the Highlander leans away in curves, reminding vehicle drivers it's not to be cornered rapidly.
Four-wheel-disc antilock brakes are standard. The pedal supplies squishy response, but the brakes clamp down hard when needed.
Cargo & Towing
With all three rows mounted and raised, cargo space in back is a meager 10.3 cubic feet. The third row folds up level into the flooring, and also the second row folds nearly flat. Highlanders without the third row rather consist of a fairly huge storage space area under the back flooring.
With all seats folded up, maximum freight quantity is 95.4 cubic feet, which compares more positively with the group.
When effectively outfitted, the Highlander can tow as much as 5,000 extra pounds.
Safety and security.
In Insurance Policy Institute for Highway Safety and security frontal crash examinations, the 2008 Highlander scored the highest possible rating, Good. IIHS has not evaluated the Highlander for side influences.
Toyota really did not stint security features. All Highlanders come basic with four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, traction control and an electronic security system. The security system now deals with the electrical power guiding, which improves the power help when the chauffeur is steering to correct a skid. It additionally helps fight steering pull under hard stopping in order to help the Highlander stop in a straight line. (Toyota claims the system can not steer the SUV on its own, as some advanced systems now do, so if you guide the wrong way in a skid, do not expect any kind of added power aid.).
7 air bags are basic, including the required twin front air bags, a vehicle driver's knee airbag as well as side-impact air bags for the front seats. There are also roll-sensing side curtain airbags for all three rows, which deploy throughout a rollover to prevent occupant ejection.
All seats have head restrictions, and in Sporting activity and also Limited models, the front ones are forward-adjustable for much better whiplash security. Energetic head restrictions are conventional on the front seats of all trims. The 2nd row consists of Latch child-seat supports in the outboard seats, with easily obtainable top-tether anchors midway down the seatback.
Attributes & Pricing
Excluding the location fee, the base Highlander with two-wheel drive starts at $27,300. A Highlander Limited with a full bunch of options runs around $42,000. 4x4 on any kind of trim adds about $1,500. All trim degrees feature three rows of seats, though a third-row remove choice on particular designs could conserve $740.
-For $27,300, the base Highlander comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entrance, a CD stereo with a supporting MP3 jack, a/c, cruise ship control, and also power windows, mirrors as well as door locks.
-For $29,950, the Sporting activity adds darkened outside components, 19-inch wheels, fog lights, a power vehicle driver's seat, a multifunction wheel, a backup electronic camera as well as six-CD sound.
-For $32,700, the Restricted includes a keyless start-up system, automatic environment control, natural leather furniture and a power traveler seat. Many of these features are optional on the Sport. Alternatives on both trim degrees include a navigating system, JBL costs sound, a rear seat DVD gamer, a moonroof, a power tailgate and also heated pole positions.
Highlander in the marketplace
Competitors from GM, Mazda as well as Hyundai will offer the Highlander a run for its loan. Its biggest opponent, the Honda Pilot, is due for a redesign in the next year or two, and Toyota's key resource-- its credibility for high quality as well as reliability-- has actually been sliding lately. The car manufacturer has actually pledged to enhance its initiatives, as well as its most recent SUV should show that.
The brand-new Highlander has great deals of textbook perceptiveness, like good gas mileage and also tons of safety features, yet there's nothing exceptional regarding it. If it shows as bulletproof as its precursor, however, reliability will become its defining quality, which is a book draw a great deal of buyers can get behind.