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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  Love the ride - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Ragsny - June 4 - 10:06 pm

  I have had this car for almost 3 yrs and i love it. i have 3 small kids and a dog and we often drive down to myrtle beach and it holds all of us with no problem. My wife has a town and country mini van and she likes the way the highlander drives better. it has plenty of power and it gets pretty good gas mileage and is very good in the snow.

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  2004 Highlander - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By Billy - June 4 - 2:03 am

  Ive owned Porsches, Alfas, and about 35 American vehicles. The Highlander with stability control is the best overall vehicle I have owned and driven. A quality vehicle from the paint job to the excellent performing V-6 and automatic transmission.

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  I love this SUV - 2009 Toyota Highlander
  By VANI - June 2 - 4:40 am

  This SUV is smooth riding, very convenient and it just looks superb on its class. I love driving this and I cant wait to see the next model of the highlander. I will still be buying this kind of SUV after 5 years. Although I have regrets in buying the 4 cylinder because I think if I got the 3.5L 6 cyl. I will be more satisfied.

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  Watch Out for Unexpected - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By Disappointed - June 1 - 11:26 am

  I bought in Sept 08 after lots of comparison with Lexus, MDX, RDX, BMW, etc. Nice specs and good power. Watch out for the very poor handling in snow. I live in Northeast, and driven here 30+ years. The problem is with the tires on this vehicle. The AWD and traction control work harder than necessary.

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  Unreliable - Terrible service - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By Not Happy - June 1 - 7:10 am

  One of the main reasons I purchased this Highlander was Toyotas reputation for reliability. After about 11 months, the battery went dead. I had to tow it to Brent Brown Toyota in Orem, Utah. They evaluated the electrical system and replaced the battery under warranty, but charged me for the tow. 3 weeks later, the battery was dead again. Back to Brent Brown Toyota (which at this point Id like to say has the worst service department on the planet). The service adviser was lousy, the service manager is an obnoxious, rude liar. Ive had the car back 4 times now and they still havent figured it out. I cant believe Toyota allows such lousy people at their dealerships. Im done with Toyota

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  Toyota Sport AWD V6 - 2009 Toyota Highlander
  By Justin - May 29 - 10:46 am

  We traded in a Nissan Pathfinder 4WD V6 Limited Edition for a 2009 Highlander Sport AWD V6. The Highlander provides a much nicer ride than our Pathfinder and does not have a truck like ride even with the stiffer sport suspension. We drove the Base, Sport and Limited models and the ride seems the same in all 3. We liked the features that the Sport model gave us that the base model does not provide but finding a Sport was hard to do. The dealers said this was due to Toyota cutting back on production. The middle section of the 2nd row seat that can be arranged in ways and the roomy interior sold us on this car. The V6 power also provides a very powerful driving experience.

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  2004 highlander - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By Deb - May 27 - 9:23 am

  I bought my Highlander new.It has been an excellent car up till now @ 66,000 miles. Last week my service engine light came on also vsc and trac monitors were on. I took it to a Toyota dealership and they said my catalytic converter was my and it was still under warranty and it would take a day to repair. Now they say a fuel sensor has gone out and it has been three more days I am not very happy with my highlander now or the dealership

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  Smooth, Solid Ride - 2007 Highlander - 2007 Toyota Highlander
  By Jon - May 23 - 5:33 am

  Weve only owned our 2007 Toyota Highlander for about 10 days but we love it. We ordered a Limited RAV4 months ago and got tired of waiting for that to arrive. We waited about 100 days after ordering, and were told that it might be 100 more days. We saw the Highlander -- hadnt really considered it because we drew the line on price and fuel efficiency previously in going with the RAV, but the price came down to the point we could afford it, and the gas mileage is acceptable, and the comfort is excellent. Im a Toyota fan -- I drove a T-100 pickup to 230K miles with minimal expense. Although were dissappointed with the non-availabiliy of the Limited RAV, it was a blessing in disguise --

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  wife loves it - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By fastest - May 20 - 10:00 am

  i tried the subaru outbacks, forrester, passat wagons. This one made my wife happiest because of the ride, height, capacity, and safety ratings.

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  Faithful,Reliable, and Powerful - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By luvtoyota10 - May 17 - 12:28 am

  This highlander is my grandmothers i own a toyota venza she got this car before I got my venza, that was when I had a 2000 Toyota 4runner and This car was perfect for her. It has a nice ride, I loved the sterring feel, and it is roomy. I drove this car down to Indianapolis and it was great only thing wrong was the wind noise. Overall, This is a fine Crossover.