New toyota Highlander

New Toyota Highlander: Inconspicuous and also sensible, the Highlander can haul up to 8 in quiet convenience. The base 185-hp 2.7-liter inline-four teams 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 criterion for the crossbreed, which pairs the V-6 with 2 electrical motors; we saw 24 mpg in our test. The Highlander provides an ample driving experience, however it's even more concentrated on indoor details as well as storage space.


New Toyota Highlander


Like the 1986 movie Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that fails to inspire eagerness among movie critics. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier lots last year, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV entered 2017 with a host of adjustments aimed at satisfying the masses and experts alike.

Notably, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the high-grade $48,840 Highlander Crossbreed Limited Platinum, now come typical with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian discovery as well as automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping aid, flexible cruise ship control, as well as automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE examination cars and truck also packed blind-spot tracking, an attribute unavailable on the lower-level Highlander LE as well as LE And also.

Accompanying the 2017 Highlander's numerous safety and security systems is the latest version 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 continues to utilize a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- as well as includes a host of modern-day technologies, including a straight as well as port fuel-injection system and also an updated valvetrain that enables the engine to operate on the a lot more efficient Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horse power and also 263 lb-ft of torque, the changed 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 earning an EPA-rated 23 mpg integrated; all-wheel-drive versions accomplish 22 mpg. Both numbers note a 2-mpg renovation over in 2015's Highlander and also put the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's combined fuel-economy numbers.

Toyota's 2GR-FKS 6 is a treasure of an engine that constructs power nearly all the way up to its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander cut 0.3 second off of its precursor's zero-to-60-mph and 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 and also 3.8 seconds, respectively. Unfortunately, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing time was both slow for the course as well as nearly a 2nd behind that of its forbear. Criticize the new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the modified Highlander's V-6 offers lots of grunt in most real-world driving situations. Thanks in part to our examination vehicle's automated stop-start system, we took care of a practical 21 mpg during our time with the crossover, 2 mpg much better than what we obtained from a Mazda CX-9.

The Aspect of Crossover

If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's enchanting Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's revamped outside layout belongs to the film's good-looking but forgettable lead character, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and back fascias, updated headlamps, as well as an eye-catching collection of LED taillights give the Highlander an extra natural, SUV-like look. However we still would not place it rather on the exact same degree of attractiveness as the butch Dodge Durango or the hot CX-9.

Unlike the outside, the Highlander's interior has been left mainly unblemished. Toyota did include four even more USB ports, bringing the total amount to five-- 3 in front and also two in the rear. The cabin features a variety of convenient storage space spaces, including a shelf that extends the lower dashboard as well as a huge center-console container that can suit almost a cubic foot of miscellaneous products. Ergonomic faults include difficult-to-grip temperature level knobs for the climate-control system as well as a touchscreen that's also far from the chauffeur.

While base-level LE as well as LE And also Highlanders come with a conventional second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Restricted Platinum grades include captain's chairs between. (The bench seat is a no-cost choice on the XLE, Limited, as well as Minimal Platinum.) Area is plentiful in the second row, but we discovered that our seven-passenger examination automobile's container seats were mounted also reduced for optimum comfort. Still, the Highlander's sliding and also reclining second-row chairs resembled a set of La-Z-Boy reclining chairs compared to the slim as well as flimsy 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a full 6 inches less than just what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you routinely transport adequate passengers to merit frequent use the 3rd row, consider the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.

Shadow of an SUV

Even with the Highlander's carlike unibody building and construction and low step-in height, this mid-size crossover's handling reminds us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension allows extreme body roll in turns. On the bonus side, the suspension soaks up road abnormalities with nary a shudder, and the electrically assisted steering is reasonably fast as well as typically well weighted.

At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test automobile was no light-weight, as well as the excess mass made itself understood when using the brakes, as the Toyota required 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 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 also a screen setup within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that shows torque distribution among the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat entertainment system was one of the most expensive option, while $434 bought flooring mats and body-side moldings. Criterion items consisted of navigation, a proximity trick with push-button beginning, and a sunroof, along with previously mentioned functions such as a blind-spot surveillance system and also leather-trimmed first- and also second-row seats (Toyota drapes the third row in vinyl).

While the Highlander's lifeless handling and also confined 3rd row continue to curb our enthusiasm for the Indiana-built crossover, the upgraded 2017 Highlander's lengthy list of standard safety and security and benefit functions, a lot more effective and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and improved exterior styling will certainly remain to attract hoards of buyers looking for a comfy and also reasonably valued mid-size crossover SUV.