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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Tires on factory Toyota - 2008 Toyota Highlander
By Jeff H - June 24 - 10:13 amI have owned Toyotas in the past and was very pleased. with the newer ones though I wonder? Runs great as all Toyotas, great acceleration and braking. The ride is stiff, may be that this replaced a Honda Odyssey (bad van). Seems to have more road noise than previous Toyota models. Overall at this point I would buy another Highlander.
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Exteremly Happy - 2008 Toyota Highlander
By Eve - June 23 - 7:23 pmI have had a Saturn Vue for several years, and I hated it. The MPG on the Saturn was 19. When the new style Highlander came out, I dragged my husband to the dealer to test drive it. I fell in love with it. I has everything I could want in a SUV. Its the best investment I could ever ask for. And the gas mileage is great. I am getting between 24 to 26 MPG.
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Love my Highlander - 2003 Toyota Highlander
By memere - June 22 - 10:00 amMy first SUV. Drove 2 Avalons before this. Loved the Avalon. Highlander drives just as well and feels just as comfortable. Passengers often remark on the comfort in the back.
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Our Highlander - 2004 Toyota Highlander
By elm - June 22 - 10:00 amWe put 3,900 miles on this vehicle the first month owned on a long vacation trip. It is easy to load and pack the vehicle. Really enjoy riding in and driving this car.
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Excellent vehicle. - 2002 Toyota Highlander
By JAMES HUBBARD - June 22 - 6:39 amRuns excellent. Had for 15 years, Kept all maintenance up to date. Never had trouble with it.
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Great Mid-Sized SUV - 2008 Toyota Highlander
By Loving - June 21 - 10:26 pmWow, what an outstanding SUV. We were looking at getting the RAV4 and decided to test drive the Highlander. We purchased one shortly afterward. Very nice turning radius. The engine has significant power for only being a V-6. The interior of the Limited is very nice. Very comfortable, lacking in leg support for the long trips though. For an SUV the fuel economy is outstanding at around 21-23 MPG average. We have put over 1500 mi on it in 3 wks and every trip is a blast. Definitely recommend the Sandy Beige color.
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Wonderful Car - 2006 Toyota Highlander
By ToyLuv - June 20 - 3:43 amIt has been more than 2 years since we purchased this SUV and still totally happy with it. No problems to report to date and still runs just like it did when new. More refined and quieter than our previous Acura MDX. Not to mention a lot better on gas. It gets 22 mpg in mixed driving the Acura only got 16 mpg. Only thing I want more is the Lexus RXs styling, maybe in a few years I will trade it in, but for now still happily motoring even after 34k miles.
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Good car, But... - 2004 Toyota Highlander
By jw - June 16 - 11:26 pmThe engine is sluggish on take off and the transmission (5 sp auto) seems to slip when it shifts the engine whines on take off, the dealer says this is normal. Some times shifting takes up to 3 sec. to finish the shift. Get the rear air vents it gets a little warm in the summertime. Not as quiet as I thought it should be. The door panels has cloth on them, if you use the window for an arm rest it does get dirty very quickly.
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Love this SUV! - 2010 Toyota Highlander
By Will - June 14 - 3:46 pm33 yrs old and having baby #2 on the way, I had to sell my 1998 4Runner. Got the Highlander loaded with everything I wanted all for 8K less than the MDX. Great styling interior and exterior and love the acceleration and not to mention the gas mileage for a larger vehicle. This is the ultimate family friendly SUV. 2nd row seats have massive amounts of room and still plenty of space for cargo. Like Toyota and the quality and reliability that comes with it, dont think you can go wrong with this vehicle.
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Dissapointment in entire toyota nation - 2008 Toyota Highlander
By AKsecurity7035 - June 12 - 9:23 pmI was very confident in Toyota Vehicles, starting from my 98 Camry all the way to my 05 Highlander and Toyota managed to completely destroy my confidence and dedication with my current 08 Highlander Sport. The car has a lot of defects; I dont even know where to begin! Engines horse power doesnt fit cars handling and suspension, brakes are so soft that you have to power press brake pedal, dash board constantly makes cracking noises that cant be fixed, JBL audio system has a lack of engineering all of speakers have been blown a couple of times without any explanation, Dealer is not able to find the problem. Wheel size of sport model only fits Toyo tires
