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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  Nice SUV - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By newone/larry - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Great SUV, new powerful 3.3L engine, smooth riding, lots of standard features, lots of space and drives like a sports car.

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  Hail to the Highlander - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Jim Patterson - March 12 - 7:33 pm

  Rides great, looks great, gets great mileage for a 6 cyl SUV. We tried several SUVs before deciding to buy the Highlander and were happy with what we have. Weve had a lot of Toyotas (Camrys, Corollas) and we feel they are one of the top products on the road. We look forward to good trade-in value, also.

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  great car - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By sc23 - March 12 - 2:00 am

  excellent drive and handling. one design flaw is high pithced noise the moon roof makes when open which is alleviated when the front passenger windows are slightly opened.

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  More than I expected - 2010 Toyota Highlander
  By nigthhawk779 - March 7 - 4:32 am

  Well I wrote a review after 15000 miles and nothing has changed. Same car tires etc., excellent 33000 miles the tires. I read reviews about tire wearing our at 5000 miles . I now wonder what that diver did to make them wear out. Like I stated in the initial review great pick-up styling and love all of the extras. The only think is that I got a couple of rock chips in the windshield and it is 700+ to replace because of the heated base for the wipersse of heated base for the wipers

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  Nice smooth ride - 2013 Toyota Highlander
  By Kenneth Sarpong - March 6 - 2:03 am

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  Excellent Car!!! - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By DON - March 3 - 7:36 am

  Shopped it!! This is the Best in its Class plus some!!!

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  Toyota run around - 2001 Toyota Highlander
  By highlander24 - March 2 - 6:28 pm

  I purchased a 2001 toyota highlander from toyota financial in september 2011. The highlander has 110000 miles on it and it has a lot of oil blowby near the PCV valve. I heard there was a sludge issue with these vehciles so I went to Libertyville Toyota and asked them to check it out. I told them i was adding a quart of oil every 500 miles and I said they should check the PCV area because I heard the sludge build up was in an unusual area of the engine. We removed the PCV plug and stuck a tube in the engne area and pulled out alot of sludge. dealer teck called and said NO Warrentee because the engine was clean. They did not check PCV area, they said I would need to pay $400 first.

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  Dissapointed - 2009 Toyota Highlander
  By Randy - February 28 - 4:50 am

  I left GM for Toyota with the expectation of a better vehicle. This hasnt been the case. My Highlander has made eight trips to the dealer to address problems. The problems: defective gas tank, of all things, which had to be replaced; incorrect fuel gauge reading (on its second sending unit and still not fixed); dis- colored dash panels; on its second XM receiver and all within 5,000 miles. The Dealer has been very helpful, but perplexed at times at the Highlanders oddities. Now, I wonder if the unintended acceleration bug will be next! I did not have as many problems with the Buick I traded in on this Highlander. What an unexpected disappointment this Highlander has been for what it cost.

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  Excellent for big guys - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By Sagray - February 27 - 6:30 pm

  Ive had this for 5 days now, and I took it on a weekend trip already. Its wonderful to drive. Not super duper quiet, but much better than most non-luxury cars. I searched for an upper-tier vehicle that would fit my 64", 300 lb frame. None of the luxury vehicles fit me, and I almost gave up before I read that Toyota made the Highlander bigger for 2008. All I can say is EUREKA! They did a great job, because its a great vehicle, and it fits me quite nicely. Everything seems designed quite well. Since I got all the bells and whistles, Im still learning my way around but I havent found anything to really disappoint me.

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  Just bought our new suv! What an improvement! - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By aaron barnard - February 27 - 6:32 am

  Our first suv was a murano, and that was a nightmare. So many issues, including the head gasket blowing @ 90k!? Anyway, the Highland Performs better on every level. Looks great, feels great, we just love our new family vehicle.