Toyota Highlander Sport
By
Alfian Adi Saputra
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Tuesday, May 29, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander Sport
Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that fails to inspire eagerness amongst movie critics. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off dealership whole lots in 2015, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV went into 2017 with a host of changes focused on pleasing the masses and experts alike.
Especially, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the state-of-the-art $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, currently come basic with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection as well as automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping help, adaptive cruise ship control, as well as automated high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test automobile likewise packed blind-spot monitoring, an attribute inaccessible on the lower-level Highlander LE and LE Plus.
Going along with the 2017 Highlander's various safety and security systems is the latest variant of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is basic on almost the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continuouslies use a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- and integrates a host of modern technologies, consisting of a straight and also port fuel-injection system and an upgraded valvetrain that enables the engine to operate on the more effective Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horsepower and 263 lb-ft of torque, the revised V-6 makes 25 more horses and an added 15 lb-ft compared to the previous device. Fuel economic situation is up, also, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 earning an EPA-rated 23 mpg integrated; all-wheel-drive models attain 22 mpg. Both numbers mark a 2-mpg renovation over in 2015's Highlander as well as placed the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's combined fuel-economy figures.
Toyota's 2GR-FKS six is a gem of an engine that develops power mostly all the way as much as its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 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 3.8 secs, respectively. Unfortunately, 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. Condemn the new eight-speed transmission's hesitancy to downshift. No matter, the changed Highlander's V-6 provides plenty of grunt in the majority of real-world driving scenarios. Many thanks partially to our examination auto's automatic stop-start system, we handled a reasonable 21 mpg during our time with the crossover, 2 mpg far better than exactly what we received from a Mazda CX-9.
The Element of Crossover
If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's captivating Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's overhauled outside style belongs to the movie's handsome yet featureless protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and back fascias, updated headlamps, as well as an appealing collection of LED taillights give the Highlander a more cohesive, SUV-like appearance. But we still wouldn't put it quite on the very same level of good looks as the butch Dodge Durango or the hot CX-9.
Unlike the outside, the Highlander's interior has actually been left mostly unblemished. Toyota did add four even more USB ports, bringing the total to 5-- 3 ahead and two in the rear. The cabin showcases a variety of helpful storage nooks, including a rack that covers the reduced dashboard and also a huge center-console bin that can fit nearly a cubic foot of miscellaneous items. Ergonomic mistakes consist of difficult-to-grip temperature level handles for the climate-control system and also a touchscreen that's too away from the motorist.
While base-level LE and LE And also Highlanders include a standard second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, as well as Restricted Platinum grades come with captain's chairs in the center. (The bench seat is a no-cost option on the XLE, Limited, and also Restricted Platinum.) Area is plentiful in the second row, but we located that our seven-passenger examination automobile's container seats were mounted too low for optimum convenience. Still, the Highlander's sliding as well as reclining second-row chairs were like a set of La-Z-Boy recliner 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 six inches less than what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row deals. If you routinely transport enough travelers to merit constant use of the 3rd row, take into consideration the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Shadow of an SUV
In spite of the Highlander's carlike unibody building and also low step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's taking care of advises us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension enables too much body coming in turns. On the plus side, the suspension soaks up road irregularities with nary a shudder, and the electrically helped steering is fairly quick and also usually well weighted.
At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test vehicle was no light-weight, and the excess mass made itself understood when applying the brakes, as the Toyota needed 181 feet of tarmac to quit 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 sported $3704 in alternatives. Of that tally, four-wheel drive adds $1460 and also brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, as well as a display setting 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 pricey alternative, while $434 acquired floor mats as well as body-side moldings. Criterion items included navigating, a proximity trick with push-button start, and a sunroof, as well as aforementioned features such as a blind-spot surveillance system as well as leather-trimmed first- and second-row seats (Toyota drapes the 3rd row in plastic).
While the Highlander's drab handling and confined third row continue to curb our interest for the Indiana-built crossover, the upgraded 2017 Highlander's long listing of conventional safety and security and also ease attributes, a lot more powerful and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and improved exterior designing will continuously attract heaps of buyers seeking a comfy and also moderately valued mid-size crossover SUV.