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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  My First new car - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By spindry - August 12 - 2:36 pm

  Firstly, my last car was a 95 minivan. The HL handles better than the minivan, its mileage, however, is about the same: 14 mpg city (NYC) and 20 mpg HW. I do not accelerate quickly. It brakes and control is far superior!!

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  Decent, solid, reliable Toyota - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By James - August 1 - 4:26 pm

  I have owned this vehicle for 4.5 years and have had no issues. Transmission shifting from 3rd to 4th is a bit "herky jerky" at times but the overall ride is extremely smooth. Plan on buying another one in 2-3 years. A solid buy.

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  Average SUV - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By BILL - March 25 - 10:33 pm

  Disappointed in the ride - a little rough - feel every bump in the road - not kid friendly - Toyota makes you pay extra for safety ex. side curtain air bags - not an option, its a step up to a more expensive vehicle - Ill trade this car in for a Murano soon.

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  My FIrst new car - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By spindry - March 8 - 5:23 pm

  Well, it is not a car, and not an SUV. Its fuel is 16 NY city, 22 HW (best). Seems I need to go to the dealer for even a simple oil change to avoid problems... that really stinks... no more 30 min oil changes, now its 2-4 hours at a dealer. Some minor assembly defects (e.g., some wires are too short and plastic in rear left wheel well deformed), it came with a spare that has a melted sidewall, impossible so far to find so called tow prewire in rear... toyota itself was no help when I called and asked about it.

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  2005 Toyota Highlander - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Tex - April 28 - 7:13 pm

  Great pep and pick-up, good braking with 4 wheel discs. Good cross country car. Have not been back for any warranty service. Very reliable.

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  Quality gone bye bye. - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By sdcatoydriver05 - December 11 - 8:56 pm

  The car has had noises since it was bought. Brake muffler on master cylinder installed wrong, vibration on acceleration. Took 3 days to find problem. Recall on retainer clip for floor mats. Recently steering makes clicking and felt like parts are loose. Car went in twice and took 10 days to fix. Steering shaft had to be replaced it was defective. Rear doors rattle when car is warm. Two trips to find problem. This is the 5th toyota I have owned. Never had these type of things happen on the others. So much for toyota quality when put together.

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  A surprise - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By sandrag - October 16 - 10:00 am

  I was reluctant to give up my 6 yr. old Honda Accord 4 cyl which I loved. Im surprised how much I enjoy driving this, sitting up high. I am getting surprisingly good gas mileage (22- 24comb.) I think my husband likes it better than me. It has tremendous power and quick handling. I dont know how much the Lexus costs, but Im pretty sure it was more than a few thousand more. And insurance was cheaper than a new Honda would have been. Good choice!

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  The cross country vehicle - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By poorfarm44 - May 7 - 5:46 pm

  This car appears to be very well built. It replaced a Volvo V70 that did not hold up on a lot of potholed roads and washboard gravel roads. The Highlander combines adequate performance & driving comfort on freeways with the a good quiet road on rough roads. The fuel mileage is okay with a range from 19 to 23 mpg. The only maintenance cost is the first 13,000 are two oil changes.

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  My Highlander - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By G - April 22 - 3:16 am

  Ive only had my Highlander 10 weeks, but have already come to the conclusion that it will not be very comfortable on a long trip. The seats are hard. If I raise the seat at all, it makes it even harder. It then feels like Im sitting on a hard ball. Also on a recent pleasant day my grandaughter in the back seat, lowered the window and the noise produced by the air flow (or lack thereof) was terrible. It made a sound like a loud lawnmower.

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  Nice but not perfect - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Maurice - February 11 - 12:50 am

  I really like the overall package but have a couple of issues. About 6 months after I bought my Highlander, the drivers side weatherstrip came off at the bottom of the door. Toyota issued a Technical Service Bulletin about it (see edmunds.com Maintenance, Recalls, and TSBs) so it must be a fairly common problem. Closing the sunroof completely is a guessing game. If you hold the button too long the roof tilts up. Ive also noticed an excessive amount of wind noise on the highway, which was addressed in another Toyota TSB. To me those are fairly minor issues. Would I still buy one? Probably so.