Overview & Reviews

A pioneering vehicle in many ways, the Toyota Highlander was one of the first midsize crossover SUVs to be sold in America when it debuted in 2001. With its car-based unibody design, the original Highlander provided many benefits over Toyota's more traditional SUVs, including better handling, higher fuel mileage, a quieter cabin, improved crashworthiness and easier entry and exit for passengers.

Since then, the Toyota Highlander has gone on to become one of the most popular crossovers available, appealing to shoppers who want a vehicle with SUV styling, plenty of versatility for hauling cargo and a third-row seat. The third-generation Highlander has the most seating capacity, while the second generation has the most rear cargo space. That said, a Highlander of any vintage is one of the better values out there for those seeking a comfortable, easy-to-drive vehicle that can carry a fair amount of cargo and passengers and handle snow and ice during the winter months while still delivering decent fuel economy.

Current Toyota Highlander
Redesigned for 2014, the current Toyota Highlander is a few inches longer than the previous-generation model and sports notably more aggressive styling. The cabin has also been modernized: Many of the cabin's previously hard plastic surfaces are now covered with softer materials, and the electronics are more up to date.

The Highlander is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Base front-drive models come with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine making 185 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. All other Highlanders have an impressively efficient 3.5-liter V6 good for 270 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard with either engine. There is also a Toyota Highlander Hybrid that delivers considerably better fuel economy. It is covered in a separate review.

Toyota Highlander shoppers can choose among four trim levels: LE, LE Plus, XLE and Limited. Highlights of the base LE include 18-inch wheels, a touchscreen display, a rearview camera, Bluetooth and an iPod/USB interface. Moving up to the LE Plus gets you a flip-up rear window, a power liftgate, a power driver seat and tri-zone climate control. The XLE's perks include keyless ignition and entry, a sunroof, leather upholstery, a navigation system and Toyota's Entune suite of smartphone app-based services. The top-dog Limited sports 19-inch wheels, upgraded leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, second-row captain's chairs, ambient interior lighting and an upgraded audio system. Additional safety features like blind-spot monitoring, frontal collision warning/mitigation and lane-departure warning systems are also available on the Limited.

On the road, the Highlander's near-silent V6 engine is complemented by a liquid-smooth six-speed automatic transmission with the refinement you might expect in a Lexus. Acceleration is among the best in this class. Unless your budget will only allow the four-cylinder engine, the V6 is the way to go. Maximum passenger capacity is eight -- more than most other crossovers. The third-row seat is still really only suitable for children, but the second row slides and reclines, maximizing comfort. The interior looks and feels upscale and there are plenty of storage areas for your personal items. Overall, we highly recommend the Highlander if you're shopping for a large, three-row crossover SUV.

Used Toyota Highlander Models
The second-generation Toyota Highlander was produced from 2008-'13. It was significantly larger than the previous model in nearly every way, adding shoulder room, hiproom and legroom all around as well as additional cargo capacity.

This generation Highlander felt spry on the road and was easy to drive, with especially brisk acceleration coming from the V6 engine. We liked the quiet, roomy cabin that seated up to seven passengers. While the Highlander's third row was less spacious than those of some rivals, it was easy to reach thanks to a nifty 40/20/40-split second row with a removable center seat that facilitated walk-through access. Cargo space was also down compared to larger crossovers, but this Highlander should still be roomy enough for almost any family.

For 2008, the only available engine was a 270-hp 3.5-liter V6. In 2009 it was joined by a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine that made 187 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive were standard, and all-wheel drive was available with the V6.

Available trim levels, depending on the year, were base, Sport, SE, Plus and Limited. Standard equipment on the base Highlander included air-conditioning, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and the 40/20/40-split second row bench seat. The Sport trim level (2008-'10) added a more firmly tuned suspension, a rearview camera, a flip-up rear window in the liftgate and a power-adjustable driver seat.

For 2011, Toyota discontinued the Sport trim level and made most of that trim level's equipment standard on the SE (2010-'13). The SE also had a sunroof, heated seats, leather upholstery and an upgraded audio system. The Plus (2013 only) had similar equipment to the Sport. For the Limited, Toyota added 19-inch wheels, tri-zone automatic climate control, upgraded upholstery and a front passenger seat. Major options for this Highlander included a navigation system and a rear-seat entertainment system.

If you're shopping for a second-generation model, take note that the 2008 through 2010 models had a less versatile third-row seat with a one-piece bench design rather than the 2010-'13 model's 50/50-split seat. For 2011, Toyota also mildly updated the Highlander's exterior styling.

The first-generation Toyota Highlander was produced from 2001-'07. It was powered by either a 155-hp four-cylinder engine or a 220-hp 3.0-liter V6. A four-speed automatic transmission was standard. In 2004 the V6 was bumped up to 3.3 liters and 230 hp, and models so equipped received a five-speed automatic transmission, while four-cylinder models soldiered on with the four-speed unit (and 5 extra hp). Available trim levels were base, Sport and Limited.

Base models came equipped with a respectable amount of equipment, including air-conditioning, power accessories, cruise control and a CD player. The Sport trim spiced things up with 17-inch alloys, a sport-tuned suspension, foglights, a power driver seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter. The Limited added heated outside mirrors, power front seats, a fold-flat third-row seat (as of 2004) and an upgraded JBL sound system. Popular options included leather seating, an in-dash CD changer, a towing package and -- on the Limited model only -- a navigation system.

Shoppers interested in a used Toyota Highlander might want to confine their search to 2004 models and newer, not just because of the power increase, but also because a third-row seat and rear DVD entertainment system were newly available, enabling the Highlander to remain competitive with the strengthening crop of midsize crossover SUVs. Other significant changes for '04 included the addition of stability control and a tire-pressure warning system as standard equipment, as well as newly optional side curtain airbags for the first and second rows (which became standard on '07 models).

User Reviews:

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  Impressed for my first Toyota - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By Greg M - July 11 - 1:13 pm

  This is my first Toyota purchase. I have only owned Hondas before. I wanted to try something different and found the 08 Highlander to be that vehicle. It rides nice and has all the bells and whistles. I like the push button start and the power rear door. The rear door is great when shopping, just push the button and the rear hatch opens. I love the look of the 19 inch wheels also. The JBL stereo sounds awesome.

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  Toyota as usual - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By J James - July 10 - 4:06 am

  Smooth ride, plently of power, 3rd row seat is almost a waste. Usual Toyota great build quality

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  Toyotarrific - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By toyotasareawesome - July 8 - 2:00 am

  I bought this suv over a year ago and havent had a problem with it yet. Just add gas and go - with regular maintenance of course. Its by far the best vehicle I have owned. Smooth as can be, plenty of room, and extremely reliable.

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  Awesome Vehicle!!! - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By nshaw - July 3 - 10:00 am

  Its been a two weeks that Ive this Toyota. Cant say how much happy Im with it. Had to decide between Van and SUV. Im glad I chose Highlander.Gives same city milege my v6 Honda Accord gives.

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  highlander review - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By bill bortz - July 3 - 10:00 am

  great vehicle all arouind!!!

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  Love it - 2006 Toyota Highlander
  By tami - July 3 - 1:03 am

  I absolutely love my new highlander. It drives extremely smooth and very quiet. You can not hear the road noise. I highly recommend the Highlander.

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  Good, but rattles a lot... - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By A Kumar - June 29 - 2:56 pm

  I bought the Highlander thinking that Toyota is the venerable brand. The vehicle had good build quality, the panels were very closely aligned with no obvious spacing, however, the big issue was that within 20,000 miles, I heard lots of rattles. Those rattles were coming from all over the vehicle. I felt that paying so much for Toyota made me feel like driving in a tin box, everything in the vehicle looked flimsy and about to break.

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  Great Car - 2001 Toyota Highlander
  By Lila - June 27 - 10:00 am

  We have had this car for over three years now and have been extremely happy with it. The back seat is roomier than most larger cars and we have been amazed at how much we can haul inside (furniture, skis, bikes ). The Highlander handles somewhat like a car, drives well in ice and snow, accelerates quickly and is small enough to park just about anywhere. Very dependable - highly recommend it.

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  AWESOME CAR! - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By Nicole - June 26 - 6:10 pm

  I just got my 2008 Highlander today and Im very excited! I traded an Audi A4 and have never had an SUV. I drove a lot of the smaller SUVs: CR-V, Santa Fe, Rogue and Rav4. None of those got me excited. Then I discovered the base model Highlander is in the same price range as the higher end models of these smaller SUVs and ROCKS compared to the others. Its like night & day. I did have to sacrifice some of the fancy gadgets that I may have been able to afford on the others, but I felt it was well worth it to have a car that I really loved inside and out. The base model Highlander is very well equipped for those on a budget and the gas mileage is about the same as the smaller SUVs.

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  Rock Solid - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By Mike D - June 25 - 6:53 pm

  This is my 4th Toyota (1st Highlander), after 1 Corolla & 2 Camrys prior. All stellar. I am not an impulsive buyer and not made out of money, so researched this purchase thoroughly. With Toyotas build quality, could not see spending big $ on a new one, or even a 3-year-old off lease model. Have only owned for about a month. Car has 52K miles & is ROCK SOLID, much as I had suspected it would be. At 7 years old, it drives like its brand new. Will go to 200K miles no doubt.