Toyota Highlander Limited

Toyota Highlander Limited: Unnoticeable and practical, the Highlander can haul up to 8 in quiet comfort. The base 185-hp 2.7-liter inline-four teams with a six-speed automated 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 models and also requirement for the crossbreed, which sets the V-6 with two electric motors; we saw 24 mpg in our examination. The Highlander gives an ample driving experience, however it's even more concentrated on indoor niceties and also storage space.


Toyota Highlander Limited


Like the 1986 movie Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot motivate eagerness among doubters. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off dealership great deals last year, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV got in 2017 with a host of changes targeted at satisfying the masses and pundits alike.

Notably, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the top-of-the-line $48,840 Highlander Crossbreed Limited Platinum, currently come conventional with a pre-collision caution system with pedestrian detection and automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure caution, lane-keeping aid, adaptive cruise ship control, as well as automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE examination auto likewise loaded blind-spot monitoring, an attribute not available on the lower-level Highlander LE as well as LE Plus.

Going along with the 2017 Highlander's numerous security systems is the latest variation of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is conventional on all but the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continues to make use of a frail 185-hp inline-four-- as well as includes a host of modern technologies, consisting of a direct as well as port fuel-injection system as well as an updated valvetrain that permits the engine to work on the much more efficient Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horse power and 263 lb-ft of torque, the revised V-6 makes 25 even more horses and an additional 15 lb-ft compared with the previous unit. Gas economic climate is up, too, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 gaining an EPA-rated 23 mpg incorporated; all-wheel-drive versions accomplish 22 mpg. Both figures note a 2-mpg renovation over last year'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 6 is a treasure of an engine that constructs power nearly 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 and 3.8 secs, specifically. Sadly, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing time was both slow for the class as well as nearly a 2nd behind that of its forbear. Criticize the brand-new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the revised Highlander's V-6 provides lots of grunt in many real-world driving scenarios. Many thanks in part to our test cars and truck's automatic stop-start system, we handled a reasonable 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg much better compared to what we got from a Mazda CX-9.

The Aspect of Crossover

If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's captivating Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's spruced up outside style belongs to the film's handsome but forgettable lead character, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and back fascias, updated headlamps, and also an attractive collection of LED taillights give the Highlander a more natural, SUV-like appearance. But we still wouldn't put it rather on the very same degree of appearance as the butch Dodge Durango or the hot CX-9.

Unlike the outside, the Highlander's interior has been left largely untouched. Toyota did add four more USB ports, bringing the total to 5-- three ahead and 2 in the rear. The cockpit includes a number of handy storage space nooks, including a shelf that covers the lower dashboard and a substantial center-console container that can suit almost a cubic foot of various items. Ergonomic mistakes include difficult-to-grip temperature level knobs for the climate-control system as well as a touchscreen that's also far from the driver.

While base-level LE and LE And also Highlanders have a common second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and Limited Platinum qualities feature captain's chairs in the middle. (The bench seat is a no-cost option on the XLE, Limited, and Restricted Platinum.) Area abounds in the 2nd row, however we discovered that our seven-passenger test auto's pail seats were placed as well low for ideal comfort. Still, the Highlander's sliding and also reclining second-row chairs resembled a set of La-Z-Boy recliner chairs compared to the thin and also lightweight 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a full six inches fewer than just what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you consistently haul adequate travelers to quality constant use of the third row, think about the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.

Darkness of an SUV

Even with the Highlander's carlike unibody building as well as low step-in height, this mid-size crossover's handling advises us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension enables too much body coming in turns. On the bonus side, the suspension absorbs road abnormalities with nary a shudder, as well as the electrically assisted steering is fairly quick and normally well heavy.

At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander examination vehicle 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 mph-- 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 alternatives. Of that tally, four-wheel drive includes $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, as well as a screen setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that reveals torque circulation among the Highlander's 4 wheels. An $1810 rear-seat amusement system was one of the most pricey choice, while $434 acquired flooring mats and body-side moldings. Criterion products included navigating, a closeness key with push-button begin, and a sunroof, along with aforementioned features such as a blind-spot surveillance system as well as leather-trimmed very first- and second-row seats (Toyota drapes the 3rd row in vinyl).

While the Highlander's drab handling as well as cramped third row continuously suppress our excitement for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's lengthy checklist of basic safety and convenience features, extra effective and also fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and improved exterior designing will certainly continue to bring in hoards of customers looking for a comfy and reasonably priced mid-size crossover SUV.