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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  2009 Ford Flex, with over 100,000 miles. - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By JW - May 31 - 4:26 am

  No memory seat for drivers,no adjustable up, on passenger side, for short ladies, no hot power outlet ,ride not as great as hoped for.Mileage not as good as our other older Flex.

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  Happy with the Highlander - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By DaveH - May 28 - 10:00 am

  We were replacing our Honda Odyssey (the older version) and looking for a vehicle that handled in a similar fashion.The Highlander met all our criteria.It looks great,gets very good milage and fits all needs!

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  2004 is a greatly improved - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By ARFARLE - May 28 - 10:00 am

  I owned a 2001 Highlander Fwd 6 cylinder. Liked the car but not the engine. The 2004 is WONDERFUL! I cant believe the quality of the drive has improved so much. The handling is better and the third row seat is great. My six foot tall son sat in the third row seat and said it was comfortable. The only thing I dont like is the gas mileage is not as good as my previous Highlander.

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  Hesitation - 2006 Toyota Highlander
  By Linda - May 28 - 2:50 am

  This is my 4th Toyota, 2nd HL. 1st HL was a 2002 4cyl. Loved it so much that we decided to upgrade to a 2006 6 cyl Limited model. Boy what a mistake. It has no more power than the 4 cyl & the way it drives & shifts is such a disappointment. When I slow down it jerks like I missed a gear and then when you go to accelerate, there is such a hesitation that you dont know if it is going to go or just die. It really scares me when Im in traffic. Ive told the service dept about this for two years. 1st they said nothing was wrong, then they said it was a flaw in the chip & they had a new update that would fix that. That didnt work. Now they say it is normal & that thats the way it brain works.

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  Vanilla - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By DV - May 27 - 3:56 pm

  Ive owned the Highlander for five years now and have never gotten used to the exterior styling. Its about as vanilla (plain) as they come. The interior is well done, however, and the car provides a very comfortable ride, although its a bit noisy at highway speed. Reliability and quality are good - just as one might expect from Toyota. However, if youre looking for good styling and a powerful, fun car to drive this is not it - nor is any Toyota for that matter. The car lacks style and horsepower and has no towing capacity. Most importantly, it lacks rear interior space and can only carry four to five adults. (Only small children can fit in the optional rear seat.)

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  I would consider other options before purchasing - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Bill F. - May 26 - 6:44 am

  This is our 5th Toyota and by far our least favorite. The large outside mirrors cause blind spots when turning. The auto climate control seems to overshoot the temperature causing discomfort until the cabin temp has stabilized. We do not experience this on our 2014 Rav4. The navigation system was not accurate the voice command often told us to turn in one direction when the map displayed the opposite. We found out that the map data was from 2015 on a 2016 vehicle purchased in October of 2016. The dealer wanted to charge us for the update that was released prior to the purchase date. The rear windshield wiper locks up at times after the rear window is opened and closed. (The wiper is driven from a mechanical linkage located in the lower portion of the hatch and often does not re-engage after the window is closed. The brakes are awful, pedal often goes almost to the floor and the dealer says this is normal. They would not even check to see if the brakes needed to be bled as they said this would be admitting there was a problem?????????) The drivers side window makes a loud noise every time it closes. In all the prior Toyota vehicles we have owned starting in 2009 we have never had a complaint until the Highlander. Our 2014 Rav4 is a much better vehicle than the Highlander. Based on the way Toyota and the dealer responded to the issues, we will likely never purchase another Toyota.

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  Buy the V6 - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By Robcowling - May 23 - 10:00 am

  Bought the 4 cylinder for my wife, she is ok with it, but I can not stand to drive it. We thought we would get better gas mileage out of the 4 cylinder but that has not been the case. We get 19 mpg every time, sometimes less. On a recent trip, we got 22, no where near the advertised 22- 27 mpg. I have talked to those who have the 6 cylinder and they are getting the same or better gas mileage. So it makes since to buy the V6 and have 80-90 more horsepower while getting the same gas mileage.

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  Best Value for the money - 2006 Toyota Highlander
  By Tom P - May 22 - 2:26 pm

  Not many 4 cyl SUVs drive and have the ride this one does. I get great gas mileage (25+) I also liked the feature that this suv is rated to tow a 3,000 lb trailer. I was impressed by that because most of the crossover suvs can only tow 1,000 lbs. The brakes could stop on a dime.

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  Kick Booty Vehicle - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By Rainn14322 - May 19 - 2:00 am

  I went from a FordExplorer to a Rav 4 to this, all new. I will not give this vehicle up for the world. It fits 3 car seats comfy in the back and rides like a car. It is so quiet i can hear my kids breathing. I had the basic package installed from port than put in extras myself, it was cheaper, i added playstaystion 2, dvd, tvs, roof rack, mud guards, roof rack, alarm, tint. Wouldnt change it for the worl. My sister bought one the week later and my mom the Seqouia TRd edition. We are now all Toyota Lovers. :)

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  Now I know why Toyota is the worlds best selling ! - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Steven Glass - May 18 - 10:21 am

  My Highlander is the top of the line with every option. It is very lux and actually an easy replacement for my previous SUV a BMW X5. It is lighter by 1000 lbs and has 45 fewer bhp. The performance is comparable and the quality is superior! Im looking forward to not having $3000 repair bills to replace an alternator and then an air conditioning compressor.