Toyota Highlander Interior
By
Alfian Adi Saputra
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Thursday, May 24, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander Interior
Like the 1986 movie Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot inspire fervor amongst doubters. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier whole lots in 2015, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV entered 2017 with a host of adjustments aimed at pleasing the masses as well as experts alike.
Significantly, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the top-of-the-line $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, currently come typical with a pre-collision caution system with pedestrian discovery and automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, flexible cruise control, as well as automated high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test vehicle additionally packed blind-spot monitoring, an attribute unavailable on the lower-level Highlander LE and also LE Plus.
Coming 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 basic on almost the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which remains to make use of a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- as well as integrates a host of modern-day innovations, including a straight and port fuel-injection system and an updated valvetrain that permits the engine to run on the more reliable Atkinson cycle. Rated at a healthy 295 horse power and 263 lb-ft of torque, the modified V-6 makes 25 even more ponies and also an extra 15 lb-ft compared to the previous unit. Gas economy is up, too, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 gaining an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined; all-wheel-drive versions attain 22 mpg. Both numbers mark a 2-mpg improvement over in 2014's Highlander and also 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 nearly all the way approximately its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander cut 0.3 second off of its predecessor's zero-to-60-mph and also 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 and also 3.8 seconds, respectively. Regrettably, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing away time was both sluggish for the course as well as almost a second behind that of its forbear. Criticize the new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. No matter, the modified Highlander's V-6 provides lots of grunt in most real-world driving scenarios. Many thanks in part to our test car's automated stop-start system, we managed a practical 21 mpg during our time with the crossover, 2 mpg better than what we got from a Mazda CX-9.
The Aspect of Crossover
If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the matching of Highlander's charming Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's spruced up outside design belongs to the movie's handsome but forgettable protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and rear fascias, upgraded headlamps, and an appealing set of LED taillights give the Highlander an extra natural, SUV-like appearance. But we still wouldn't put it fairly on the same level of appearance as the butch Dodge Durango or the hot CX-9.
Unlike the exterior, the Highlander's inside has been left largely unblemished. Toyota did add 4 more USB ports, bringing the total to five-- 3 in front as well as two in the rear. The cabin showcases a variety of useful storage spaces, including a shelf that spans the reduced dashboard and an enormous center-console bin that can accommodate almost a cubic foot of miscellaneous products. Ergonomic faults include difficult-to-grip temperature knobs for the climate-control system and a touchscreen that's too far from the driver.
While base-level LE and LE Plus Highlanders have a typical second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Minimal Platinum qualities include captain's chairs between. (The bench seat is a no-cost alternative on the XLE, Limited, and also Restricted Platinum.) Space abounds in the 2nd row, but we found that our seven-passenger examination auto's pail seats were installed also reduced for ideal comfort. Still, the Highlander's moving and also reclining second-row chairs resembled a pair of La-Z-Boy recliner chairs compared with the thin and also flimsy 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a full six inches less than just what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you consistently transport adequate passengers to value regular use the 3rd row, consider the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Darkness of an SUV
Despite the Highlander's carlike unibody construction as well as reduced step-in height, this mid-size crossover's handling reminds us of an old-fashioned 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 also the electrically assisted steering is fairly quick and usually well weighted.
At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander examination cars and truck was no light-weight, and the excess mass made itself understood when using the brakes, as the Toyota needed 181 feet of tarmac to quit from 70 miles per hour-- 11 feet greater than a 161-pound-lighter all-wheel-drive GMC Acadia Denali.
With an as-tested cost of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE sported $3704 in options. Of that tally, four-wheel drive includes $1460 and also brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and also a display setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster display that reveals torque distribution among the Highlander's 4 wheels. An $1810 rear-seat entertainment system was the most expensive alternative, while $434 gotten floor mats and body-side moldings. Criterion items included navigation, a proximity key with push-button start, and a sunroof, as well as previously mentioned functions such as a blind-spot monitoring system and leather-trimmed initial- as well as second-row seats (Toyota drapes the 3rd row in plastic).
While the Highlander's lifeless handling as well as cramped 3rd row continuously curb our excitement for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's lengthy checklist of conventional safety and comfort attributes, extra powerful as well as fuel-efficient V-6 engine, as well as boosted outside designing will certainly remain to attract stockpiles of shoppers searching for a comfy as well as moderately priced mid-size crossover SUV.