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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  2008 Highlander Sport Disappointment - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By SS Bee - December 7 - 10:56 pm

  First 2001 Highlander was superior to my 2008. Poor visibility. Seat is so uncomfortable hate to drive for any length of time. 2008 does not handle as well as prior model. No traction in the snow. Mine is an AWD 6 cyl. Interior parts fall off. Very disappointed with 2008 Highlander.

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  2nd Highlander, very disappointing - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By John C. - November 6 - 9:35 am

  Leased 2nd in May 2017, I wish I could keep 2014 XLE which was much better car with very minor issues. New 8 speed transmission is very slow, jerky and non responsive, GDI engine doesn’t help to get better mileage than the old one. The start- stop feature does effect nothing about efficiency, probably will create a mechanical issues. There is no improvement in driving experience; it is still comfortable but steering doesn’t give any feedback, suspension makes much more noise than previous one. There is no update on the Entune system, it looks and works like designed by amateur software team. Also material quality is far behind the new generation SUVs. There are still some good things about the car; good size, roomy interior, good snow traction, exterior design is better than other Toyotas, standard safety features works fine. Competition is getting hard in this segment, Toyota needs better chassis, transmission, electronics and material quality in and out. I had 4 Toyotas, this would be the last, the new Camry doesn’t give any hope for the new Highlander that always shares the same platform.

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  Disappointed - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By herbertspoof - July 10 - 6:45 pm

  Purchased used 5 years ago with 86,000. Didnt flinch at the mileage due to Toyotas reputation for reliability; car drove well, at first. Sold at 109,000 due to expensive repair and maintainence costs including: All 4 wheel bearings, $500 a pop. Breaks completely replaced, some more than once. $2,000 spent on breaks in just 2 years. Evaporator sensor went bad; $400 just for the part. Muffler developed a small hole; $400 for a new one. Straw that broke the camels back: drive shaft developed a wobble and needed complete replacement $1,200. Cut my losses and unloaded the hunk of junk. Other car was a 20 year old Subaru Legacy that had fewer problems and was cheaper to maintain.

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  Highlander Bad - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By DK - July 5 - 5:06 am

  I bought this car based on Consumer Reports ratings. So far, the temp thermostat had to be replaced, I also had a wheel bearing replaced, and now I am told that a sequential humming is probably the differential - very costly. The car is herky-jerky and the interior leather looks more like vinyl. This is my last Toyota. DK

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  Must be a lemon - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By Joseph - March 11 - 6:01 am

  I purchased the 17 Highlander xle for my wife and the dealer has had the vehicle and put more miles on it than we have . It had a vibration and noise coming from the front end when making left turns . I was called into the dealer 3 different times to recreate the noise for them . The part they said was no good had to be ordered from Japan and they couldnt give me an eta . 22 days later still no word . I would wait until they get parts issues handled before you purchase this car . Interior quality is great but I wouldnt know because I had the car for 5 days before I took it back

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  Toyota is a joke - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By TomandCarole - March 2 - 10:00 am

  bought new in 12/03, took on trip over 1000 miles to ky and back to va. I was never more happy to get out of the worst seats, I have ever been in, in a car/suv. I always thought Toyota was a great car but now know better, seats are too small and hard as a rock, no support to the side and the lumbar is worthless. The metal in this car is very thin and sounds like a tin can when you hit a bump in the road. I will be happy when we can unload this car on someone that is in love with so called Toyota quality and resale value.

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  My first and Last Toyota Highlander - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By Ron - November 24 - 10:12 am

  The things that am disappointed in with the "Toyota Highlander are: (1) Getting in and out of the car is very difficult as I am constantly hitting my head when entering the car. (2) Wind noise is very high especially on the passenger side and my dealer says nothing can be done to help. (3) The seat belt alarm is VERY irritating and loud. (a warning is fine but constant loud noise makes me dislike this car). (4) The car is very hard to program and much too hard for me to even begin to explore the options available. (5) I cannot find any way to have more than one cell phone connected at a time, so I am unable to have both my phone and my wifes phone connected (one or the other at a time). (6) The feature that shuts down the engine while at a stop light is very agitating and should be a option to either always on or always off. Lastly I would like to comment on the dealership. I was very disappointed in the dealer in my city as I felt like I was being forced into buying things I did not want to buy and almost (should have) walked out during the finance meeting. Over all, because of the road and wind noise, along with the difficulty getting in and out of the car, I would not recommend this car.

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  toyota empty promisses! - 2010 Toyota Highlander
  By canada80 - September 11 - 10:44 pm

  Its really a gas guzzler i never got more than 11 miles per gallon on it. I did like all of us, first I look at the numbers promise by Toyota, than I tought I would make a rational decision, then comes the deception. Took it many times to the dealer, all is fine, no check engine light on, no codes, nothing at all! Tire size is the rignt one, pressure is fine, I only use premium gas (no ethanol filler gas), used recommanded oil, 99% of the time I drive on flat surface road, still get bad gas milage. I change my old 4runner for a Highlander, what a bad choice, made to deceive. Maybe whit all the new subcontacts Toyota is a china made machine with a Toyota sticker on it!

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  Better out there - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By timberdoodle - August 1 - 1:40 pm

  I have driven 4wds for 30+ years and have never been stuck until I bought this one. I had to be pulled out 3 times this past winter alone and it was a mild one at that!! The tires are worn out with less than 20,000 miles on them!!! The car is nice on a plowed road, but dont try to go in deep snow! It may be ok for a housewife who doesnt really need 4wd, but for those who do, look elsewhere! The interior is filled with cheap plastic and only available in light colors (very impractical) for those people who use a SUV in daily life. You can scratch the paint on the outside with your fingernail!!! Read the fine print on the towing capabilities and packages. A True Lie!!! What a joke.

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  Regret purchasing this vehicle - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By Will B. - June 25 - 4:43 am

  Ive had Toyotas before and been very pleased. Ive had this Highlander for about five months and have serious misgivings about having purchased it. Im reminded of this everytime I have to use two hands to push down the back door.. its very hard to close. Its been many years since Ive driven a car with a noteciably poor transmission but when starting off going down hill (which is how our drive is situated) this transmission is rough. You can see the RPMs reving then hear and feel the transmission catch up. I took it into the dealership but they claim that is the way it is supposed to be. Ive never had a problem with a car until I bought this Highlander and really wouldnt recommend it