Toyota Highlander Length

Toyota Highlander Length: Unnoticeable as well as reasonable, the Highlander could haul up to 8 in quiet comfort. The base 185-hp 2.7-liter inline-four teams with a six-speed automatic as well as front-wheel drive; the optional 295-hp 3.5-liter V-6 gets an eight-speed automatic. Four-wheel drive is optional for V-6 models as well as criterion for the crossbreed, which sets the V-6 with two electric motors; we saw 24 mpg in our examination. The Highlander offers an appropriate driving experience, yet it's even more concentrated on interior precisions and storage space.


Toyota Highlander Length


Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that fails to influence fervor among critics. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off dealer whole lots in 2015, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV went into 2017 with a host of changes focused on pleasing the masses and also pundits alike.

Significantly, 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 detection and also automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and also automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test automobile additionally loaded blind-spot tracking, a function unavailable on the lower-level Highlander LE and LE And also.

Accompanying the 2017 Highlander's numerous safety and security systems is the current variation of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is typical on all but the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continuouslies make use of a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- and integrates a host of contemporary technologies, consisting of a straight as well as port fuel-injection system and also an upgraded valvetrain that enables the engine to run on the much more reliable Atkinson cycle. Rated at a healthy 295 horsepower as well as 263 lb-ft of torque, the changed V-6 makes 25 even more horses and an extra 15 lb-ft compared to the previous device. Fuel economy is up, too, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 making an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined; all-wheel-drive versions accomplish 22 mpg. Both numbers mark a 2-mpg renovation over in 2015's Highlander and also placed the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's mixed fuel-economy numbers.

Toyota's 2GR-FKS six is a treasure of an engine that develops power mostly all the means up to its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander cut 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. Sadly, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing away time was both sluggish for the course and almost a second behind that of its forbear. Criticize the brand-new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. No matter, the revised Highlander's V-6 uses a lot of grunt in many real-world driving scenarios. Thanks partly to our examination automobile's automatic stop-start system, we managed a reasonable 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg much better than exactly what we received from a Mazda CX-9.

The Aspect of Crossover

If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the matching of Highlander's enchanting Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's revamped exterior layout belongs to the film's handsome however featureless lead character, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and rear fascias, updated headlamps, as well as an attractive set of LED taillights give the Highlander a more cohesive, SUV-like look. Yet we still wouldn't place it fairly on the exact same degree of beauty as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.

Unlike the exterior, the Highlander's interior has been left greatly unblemished. Toyota did include four even more USB ports, bringing the total to 5-- three ahead and also 2 in the rear. The cabin features a number of convenient storage nooks, consisting of a shelf that extends the lower dashboard as well as a substantial center-console bin that could accommodate nearly a cubic foot of miscellaneous products. Ergonomic faults include difficult-to-grip temperature level handles for the climate-control system and a touchscreen that's also far away from the driver.

While base-level LE as well as LE And also Highlanders come with a common second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and Limited Platinum qualities have captain's chairs in the center. (The bench seat is a no-cost option on the XLE, Limited, and also Limited Platinum.) Area abounds in the second row, but we located that our seven-passenger test car's bucket seats were placed also reduced for ideal comfort. Still, the Highlander's sliding as well as reclining second-row chairs were like a pair of La-Z-Boy reclining chairs compared with the slim and also flimsy 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a complete six inches fewer than what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you regularly transport sufficient guests to merit frequent use the 3rd row, consider the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.

Darkness of an SUV

Even with the Highlander's carlike unibody building as well as 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 enables excessive body roll in turns. On the plus side, the suspension absorbs road abnormalities with nary a shudder, as well as the electrically aided steering is fairly fast and also usually well weighted.

At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test cars and truck was no light-weight, and also the excess mass made itself known when using the brakes, as the Toyota needed 181 feet of tarmac to stop from 70 mph-- 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 choices. Of that tally, all-wheel drive includes $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and a display setup within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that reveals torque distribution among the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat entertainment system was one of the most costly alternative, while $434 bought flooring mats and also body-side moldings. Criterion things included navigating, a distance key with push-button beginning, and a sunroof, in addition to abovementioned functions such as a blind-spot tracking system as well as leather-trimmed very first- and second-row seats (Toyota cushions the third row in vinyl).

While the Highlander's drab handling as well as cramped 3rd row continuously curb our interest for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's long checklist of basic safety and benefit attributes, much more powerful as well as fuel-efficient V-6 engine, as well as improved exterior styling will remain to attract stockpiles of shoppers searching for a comfortable and also moderately valued mid-size crossover SUV.