Overview & Reviews

New standard features this year include a roof rack with cross bars, remote keyless entry and a cargo cover. Standard on the Limited and optional on the base is a new windshield wiper de-icer grid.

• Seats up to seven, carlike ride and handling, smooth and powerful V6 engine, fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine, lots of safety features.

• Limited towing and off-road ability, bland personality.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 193.00

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  Heater Woes - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By jojodamonkeyboy - August 26 - 9:40 am

  Temperature control stopped working. I contacted parts department at local dealership. Knob was okay but told unit was faulty and would cost $825 to replace (not including dealer costs). Found a website that discussed same problem with Highlanders and Tacomas. Friend & I removed heater/air- conditioner unit. There are three welds for temperature on left side and system control on right. Two of the three welds on the temp gauge had broken. Rest of unit is made up of electronics and circuit boards. My friend has worked on RC vehicles and was able to take care of re-welding parts. Now works almost good as new & I saved lots of bucks. Im not happy that Toyota hasnt ided problem

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  Not what I expected from Toyota - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Marc - April 4 - 1:10 am

  About the only things I like about my Highlander is the reliability and it drives pretty good for an SUV. Others hit themajor disappointments starting with the poor MPG about 17 summer & 14 winter. Tires were replaced at 21,000 miles. Transmission is jerky if you step on the gas and then let off. Paint does scratch very easy (just rubbing finger on paint). The best part is while getting an oil change at the same dealer it was purchased from (about 1 year old) I asked how much I could get for trade-in on a new Hybrid. After review (on my almost as good as new condition vehicle) they offered $12,400 less than what I paid one year previously. What a big disappointment.

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  Best SUV - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Julie - March 15 - 3:20 am

  If there is anyone who has never owned a toyota, now is the time to try one. I once owned a toyota camry and upgraded to the highlander. Driving the highlander is just like driving a camry. The drive is smooth and operates just like a car. The gas consumption is decent I usally can get about 350 miles to a full tank. This car is equiped with up to date safety features. As a mom I would highly recommend the highlander to other women who value safety when looking for a car. I have only has this suv for 8 months now but I have been driving with toyota for over 8 years now and I truly believe they make the most reliable vehicles.

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  Pretty Good SUV So Far - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By anw - February 20 - 6:50 pm

  We are pretty happy to get the 2005 model instead of 2004 even though they are identical and is more expensive. We love the safety features of this car which Honda does not even offer as an option. The gas mileage is not as good as my Sienna.

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  Awesome vehicle - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Jeff - February 6 - 9:26 am

  Rides like a car and extremely comfortable on trips. Wife drives it to work daily and loves it. No comparison and test drove a lot before settling on this. Like it a lot better than the 2 4Runners I owned before. Plenty of power and good gas mileage. All in all a great vehicle that I plan on keeping for a long time.

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  Great Buy! - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Paul - January 21 - 9:50 pm

  Researched SUVs extensively and picked this one b/c it drives like a car. The camry base makes it a much smoother ride than most SUVs. Gas mileage is great for SUV (better than our 2000 VW Jetta). Plus trunk area is great for moving large items (larger than Lexus RX 330). Two complaints: 1) Toyota does not give oil changes included in warranty and 2) Whats with the 15 cup holders in the car?? Youd think camels designed interior. Maybe Toyota runs a sweat shop for their designers and all they could think about was water. So for the rare case you want to buy 15 Cokes (or Pepsis) in one sitting, you at least will have a place for all of them. Overall: Highly recommended.

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  Good SUV - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By frank - January 2 - 7:03 pm

  Owned a Blazer then an Explorer that I traded in for this. Much better on gas then the Explorer, smoother ride not as truck like, more like a car. Went back to Toyota because of our experience with an Avalon which was trouble free for the three years we owned it.

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  Reliability Problems - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Jim - November 26 - 10:06 am

  Bought new; since then 3 windshields, 3 sets of rear and 2 sets of front brakes, 3 transmission transfer cases, and both sets of rear wheel bearings. Everything except the engine seems to be under specified. The Toyota dealer tells me to sell it as it was made on Monday! My 97 Avalon required only $40 worth of unscheduled maintenance at 130K miles. Whats happened to Toyota quality?

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  My excellent highlander - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Allan Franklin - November 24 - 10:43 pm

  Excellent ride, very comfortable, lots of cargo space, great mileage on recent trip to Dayton, Ohio in range of 35/36 mpg at 110km/hr average. Smooth ride. Overall an excellent vehicle.

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  Quality and Customer Service Failing - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By SUV Woes - November 19 - 9:46 pm

  I bought my Highlander new and I have been disappointed in the quality and customer service since that day. The SUV had rail dust that required several treatments but still exists. My front differential began leaking at 42,000 miles and it was repaired. But at 65,000 miles it is leaking again. Told cost to repair is 1,900 and no break from the dealership or the corp. Factory tires had to be replaced too soon and the rear rotors as well because Toyota installs cheap ones now. Ive learned to stay away from Toyota and always buy the extended warranties.