Toyota Highlander Specials

Toyota Highlander Specials: Unnoticeable and also reasonable, the Highlander could haul up to eight in quiet 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 obtains an eight-speed automatic. Four-wheel drive is optional for V-6 designs and requirement for the hybrid, which sets the V-6 with 2 electrical motors; we saw 24 mpg in our test. The Highlander provides an adequate driving experience, however it's more concentrated on interior precisions as well as storage.


Toyota Highlander Specials


Like the 1986 movie Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that fails to influence fervor amongst movie critics. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier great deals in 2014, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV got in 2017 with a host of changes aimed at satisfying the masses and also pundits alike.

Especially, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the state-of-the-art $48,840 Highlander Crossbreed Limited Platinum, currently come conventional with a pre-collision caution system with pedestrian discovery as well as automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure caution, lane-keeping aid, flexible cruise control, as well as automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE examination car additionally loaded blind-spot monitoring, a feature unavailable on the lower-level Highlander LE and also LE Plus.

Accompanying the 2017 Highlander's various safety and security systems is the latest version of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is common on almost the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continuouslies utilize a frail 185-hp inline-four-- and also incorporates a host of modern-day innovations, including a direct as well as port fuel-injection system and also an upgraded valvetrain that allows the engine to work on the more effective Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horsepower and also 263 lb-ft of torque, the changed V-6 makes 25 even more ponies and an additional 15 lb-ft compared with the previous system. Fuel economy is up, also, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 making an EPA-rated 23 mpg incorporated; all-wheel-drive designs accomplish 22 mpg. Both figures mark a 2-mpg improvement over in 2014's Highlander as well as 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 gem of an engine that develops power mostly all the means approximately its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander cut 0.3 second off of its precursor's zero-to-60-mph and also 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 as well as 3.8 secs, specifically. However, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing away time was both sluggish for the class and almost a second behind that of its forbear. Condemn the brand-new eight-speed transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the changed Highlander's V-6 provides lots of grunt in most real-world driving scenarios. Thanks partially to our examination car's automated stop-start system, we took care of a sensible 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg better than exactly what we got from a Mazda CX-9.

The Element of Crossover

If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the matching of Highlander's lovely Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's revamped exterior layout belongs to the movie's handsome yet featureless protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and also rear fascias, updated headlamps, as well as an appealing set of LED taillights provide the Highlander a more natural, SUV-like appearance. Yet we still wouldn't put it fairly on the exact same level of appearance as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.

Unlike the outside, the Highlander's inside has been left greatly unblemished. Toyota did include 4 more USB ports, bringing the overall to five-- 3 in front as well as 2 in the rear. The cockpit features a variety of helpful storage nooks, including a rack that spans the lower dashboard as well as a substantial center-console bin that can fit nearly a cubic foot of various things. Ergonomic mistakes consist of difficult-to-grip temperature knobs for the climate-control system as well as a touchscreen that's as well away from the motorist.

While base-level LE and also LE And also Highlanders feature a standard second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Restricted Platinum grades have captain's chairs in the center. (The bench seat is a no-cost choice on the XLE, Limited, and also Limited Platinum.) Space is plentiful in the 2nd row, however we discovered that our seven-passenger examination vehicle's pail seats were placed as well low for optimum convenience. Still, the Highlander's sliding and reclining second-row chairs resembled a set of La-Z-Boy recliner chairs compared with the slim and 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 consistently transport enough passengers to merit constant use of 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 also low step-in height, this mid-size crossover's managing reminds us of an old-fashioned body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension allows excessive body roll in turns. On the bonus side, the suspension absorbs roadway irregularities with nary a shudder, and the electrically assisted steering is relatively fast and normally well heavy.

At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test auto was no light-weight, and also the excess mass made itself understood when using the brakes, as the Toyota needed 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 cost of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE sported $3704 in choices. Of that tally, all-wheel drive adds $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and also a display screen setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that reveals torque circulation amongst the Highlander's 4 wheels. An $1810 rear-seat amusement system was one of the most costly choice, while $434 acquired floor mats as well as body-side moldings. Criterion products consisted of navigation, a closeness trick with push-button begin, and a sunroof, in addition to previously mentioned functions such as a blind-spot monitoring system and leather-trimmed first- as well as second-row seats (Toyota upholsters the third row in vinyl).

While the Highlander's lifeless handling as well as cramped third row continue to suppress our interest for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's long listing of typical security and comfort functions, much more effective and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and enhanced outside styling will continue to bring in stockpiles of customers searching for a comfy and reasonably priced mid-size crossover SUV.