Toyota Highlander Xle
By
Alfian Adi Saputra
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Tuesday, May 22, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander Xle
Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot motivate fervor among critics. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off dealership great deals last year, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV went into 2017 with a host of adjustments focused on satisfying the masses as well as pundits alike.
Notably, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the high-grade $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, currently come conventional with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection and also automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping help, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test automobile also loaded blind-spot surveillance, a function not available on the lower-level Highlander LE and also LE And also.
Accompanying the 2017 Highlander's countless safety and security systems is the most up to date variant of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is conventional on just about the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which remains to use a frail 185-hp inline-four-- and integrates a host of contemporary technologies, including a direct and port fuel-injection system and an updated valvetrain that allows the engine to run on the more effective Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy and balanced 295 horse power as well as 263 lb-ft of torque, the revised V-6 makes 25 even more ponies and also an additional 15 lb-ft compared with the previous unit. Fuel economy is up, as well, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 gaining an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined; all-wheel-drive designs achieve 22 mpg. Both figures note a 2-mpg enhancement over in 2015's Highlander and also put the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's mixed fuel-economy numbers.
Toyota's 2GR-FKS 6 is a treasure of an engine that develops power nearly all the method up to its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander cut 0.3 2nd off of its precursor's zero-to-60-mph as well as 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 and also 3.8 seconds, respectively. However, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph death time was both slow for the class and nearly a second behind that of its forbear. Blame the new eight-speed transmission's hesitancy to downshift. No matter, the modified Highlander's V-6 provides plenty of grunt in most real-world driving situations. Thanks partly to our examination auto's automatic stop-start system, we handled a sensible 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg better compared to just 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 lovely Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's overhauled outside style is akin to the film's handsome yet featureless protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and also back fascias, upgraded headlamps, and an eye-catching set of LED taillights offer the Highlander a more natural, SUV-like look. But we still would not put it fairly on the exact same degree of attractiveness as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.
Unlike the outside, the Highlander's inside has actually been left greatly unblemished. Toyota did add four more USB ports, bringing the total to 5-- three ahead and also two in the rear. The cockpit showcases a variety of helpful storage space nooks, consisting of a rack that covers the lower control panel as well as a large center-console bin that can fit almost a cubic foot of assorted items. Ergonomic mistakes include difficult-to-grip temperature knobs for the climate-control system and a touchscreen that's too far away from the driver.
While base-level LE and also LE And also Highlanders include a basic second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Minimal Platinum qualities come with captain's chairs in the center. (The bench seat is a no-cost option on the XLE, Limited, and also Minimal Platinum.) Room is plentiful in the second row, however we discovered that our seven-passenger test car's container seats were mounted too reduced for optimal convenience. Still, the Highlander's gliding and also reclining second-row chairs were like a pair of La-Z-Boy reclining chairs compared to the thin as well as lightweight 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is just 27.7 inches, a complete six inches fewer than what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row deals. If you regularly carry enough travelers to quality constant use of the 3rd row, take into consideration the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Darkness of an SUV
In spite of the Highlander's carlike unibody building and also low step-in height, this mid-size crossover's dealing with reminds us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension permits extreme body roll in turns. On the plus side, the suspension takes in road irregularities with nary a shudder, and also the electrically helped steering is reasonably fast and also typically well heavy.
At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test automobile was no lightweight, and also the excess mass made itself recognized when applying 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 price of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE sported $3704 in choices. Of that tally, four-wheel drive adds $1460 as well as brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, as well as a display setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster display that shows torque circulation amongst the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat home entertainment system was one of the most pricey option, while $434 purchased floor mats and also body-side moldings. Criterion items consisted of navigating, a closeness key with push-button beginning, and also a sunroof, along with aforementioned functions such as a blind-spot surveillance system and also leather-trimmed first- and also second-row seats (Toyota drapes the third row in plastic).
While the Highlander's drab handling as well as cramped third row continue to curb our interest for the Indiana-built crossover, the upgraded 2017 Highlander's lengthy list of basic security and also convenience attributes, more powerful and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, as well as improved exterior designing will continue to draw in hoards of shoppers seeking a comfy and fairly priced mid-size crossover SUV.