Toyota Highlanders for Sale
By
Alfian Adi Saputra
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Sunday, May 27, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlanders For Sale
Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot inspire fervor amongst critics. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier great deals in 2014, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV got in 2017 with a host of adjustments aimed at pleasing the masses and pundits alike.
Notably, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the high-grade $48,840 Highlander Crossbreed Limited Platinum, now come common with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian discovery as well as automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure caution, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and also automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE examination cars and truck additionally loaded blind-spot surveillance, a feature not available on the lower-level Highlander LE and LE Plus.
Going along with the 2017 Highlander's various safety systems is the current variation 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 utilize a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- and also incorporates a host of modern-day innovations, consisting of a straight and also port fuel-injection system as well as an updated valvetrain that enables the engine to work on the much more effective Atkinson cycle. Rated at a healthy and balanced 295 horsepower and 263 lb-ft of torque, the changed V-6 makes 25 more horses and also an added 15 lb-ft compared with the previous system. Gas economic climate is up, as well, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 earning an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined; all-wheel-drive versions accomplish 22 mpg. Both figures note a 2-mpg improvement over last year's Highlander as well as placed the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's combined fuel-economy numbers.
Toyota's 2GR-FKS 6 is a gem of an engine that constructs power nearly all the way approximately its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 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 and also 3.8 secs, respectively. Regrettably, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing time was both slow-moving for the class and almost a 2nd behind that of its forbear. Criticize the new eight-speed transmission's hesitancy to downshift. No matter, the revised Highlander's V-6 offers plenty of grunt in a lot of real-world driving situations. Thanks partially to our examination auto's automatic stop-start system, we managed an affordable 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg much better compared to exactly what we received from a Mazda CX-9.
The Component of Crossover
If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's charming Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's spruced up exterior layout is akin to the film's good-looking yet featureless lead character, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and back fascias, updated headlamps, as well as an eye-catching collection of LED taillights offer the Highlander an extra natural, SUV-like look. Yet we still would not put it rather 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 even more USB ports, bringing the total amount to 5-- 3 in front and two in the rear. The cabin showcases a variety of helpful storage space nooks, including a shelf that covers the reduced control panel and also a massive center-console bin that can accommodate nearly a cubic foot of assorted things. Ergonomic faults consist of difficult-to-grip temperature level knobs for the climate-control system and also a touchscreen that's also far away from the vehicle driver.
While base-level LE and also LE Plus Highlanders feature a typical second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Restricted Platinum qualities feature captain's chairs in the middle. (The bench seat is a no-cost choice on the XLE, Limited, as well as Restricted Platinum.) Area is plentiful in the second row, but we found that our seven-passenger examination cars and truck's bucket seats were placed as well low for ideal convenience. Still, the Highlander's gliding and also reclining second-row chairs were like a set of La-Z-Boy recliners compared to the thin and also flimsy 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a complete 6 inches less than exactly what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you routinely transport sufficient travelers to quality regular 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 low step-in height, this mid-size crossover's handling reminds us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension permits excessive body roll in turns. On the bonus side, the suspension takes in road abnormalities with nary a shudder, and the electrically assisted guiding is reasonably fast and normally well heavy.
At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander examination auto 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 mph-- 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 alternatives. Of that tally, four-wheel drive includes $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, as well as a display setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster display that reveals torque circulation among the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat entertainment system was one of the most pricey choice, while $434 purchased flooring mats and also body-side moldings. Requirement things included navigating, a proximity secret with push-button beginning, and also a sunroof, in addition to abovementioned attributes such as a blind-spot tracking system as well as leather-trimmed initial- and second-row seats (Toyota drapes the 3rd row in plastic).
While the Highlander's lifeless handling as well as confined third row remain to suppress our interest for the Indiana-built crossover, the upgraded 2017 Highlander's lengthy list of standard safety and also comfort features, a lot more powerful and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, as well as enhanced exterior designing will continuously bring in stockpiles of buyers seeking a comfy and also moderately valued mid-size crossover SUV.