Toyota Highlander 2008 for Sale

Toyota Highlander 2008 For Sale: If the upgraded Toyota Highlander is to prosper, it has its work suited it. It needs to transfer as well as captivate children, swallow freight and also dominate snow. It should be secure, comfy and luxurious, and it should do all these things without breaking the financial institution-- in car payments or at the pump. A tall order, no doubt, yet the leading midsize SUV rivals really have actually gotten that great.

The Highlander qualifies on all counts, though it does not excel in any type of one area. Offered it can preserve its superior resale worth and dependability, it should prove a smart-- otherwise especially fascinating-- choice for several years to come.

Base, Sport and Limited trim levels have front- or 4x4, and all could seat 5 or seven, depending upon the configuration. Costs vary from approximately $27,000 to $40,000 with choices.

I tested all 3 trim degrees of the regular Highlander at a Toyota occasion in Michigan.


Toyota Highlander 2008 For Sale


Edgier Designing

Toyota's California design studios formed the outside, which is larger in all significant dimensions compared to the old Highlander. To my eyes, Toyota's smaller sized RAV4 SUV looks better-proportioned, with simply adequate contours to balance out the angles. With its creased headlights, fancy grille and also amorphous bumper, the Highlander appears a little bit as well glossy-- like a convenience store shopper who will not take off his sunglasses.

The back bumper has lumpy reflectors on each side, and most trim degrees have a glass hatch that opens independent of the liftgate. Seventeen-inch alloy wheels are common; the Sport as well as Limited have 19-inchers that fill in the wheel wells well. The Sport has a dark silver grille and smoked-out fronts lights. The Limited has plainer headlights and also chrome outside moldings.

At 188.4 inches long and also 75.2 inches vast, the Highlander casts roughly the same shadow as a Honda Pilot, Subaru Tribeca or Hyundai Veracruz. The Mazda CX-9 and also Saturn Expectation are both about a foot much longer.

The In

Toyota has actually spent years building a credibility for high quality, and lacking any kind of serious competitors, the new Highlander might have preserved that criterion. The competitors is nothing otherwise serious, though, as well as SUVs like the CX-9 and also Veracruz boast some impressively high end insides. In contrast, Toyota drops a bit brief.

The Highlander shares bases with the current Camry, and also the control panel births much of the sedan's flavor. The facility controls are the all-natural centerpiece, with extra-large knobs for major functions within very easy reach. Sporting activity and also Limited designs have a 3.5-inch display atop the stereo. It presents gas mileage, outside temperature and also more. It also reveals setups for the optional automatic climate control system, which could split the cabin into as lots of as three temperature level areas-- two front as well as one back. The environment manages sit listed below the stereo, as well as they're terribly cluttered. I counted 13 buttons between the two temperature level handles; that's a lot of ground to cover when you're referencing a readout some 10 inches away. In contrast, the typical manual a/c is simple.

Cabin quality is simply average. The window switches over, turn signals and center controls can go straight right into a Lexus, and also the chrome accents and electroluminescent gauges look great. A lot of areas are cut in difficult plastics, nonetheless, as well as the textures do not have the allure of right stuff in numerous rivals. Most severe of all is the ceiling's headliner, which is several of the cheapest mouse hair this side of an economy car.

Moms and dads will certainly appreciate the storage choices. The facility console in between the front seats has four cupholders as well as a vast storage space bin. Fail to remember laptops; the handwear cover box can fit a tiny desktop. (Possibly not the screen, though-- let's not obtain carried away.).

3 common rows of seats fit up to seven, though you can drop the 3rd row in order to save a little cash money, decreasing seating ability to five. The front seats supply plenty of area, with a technique extender in the Highlander Limited that expands the cushion under the vehicle driver's upper legs. Great touch.

The 2nd row is equally wide, with reclining back-rests and seat pillows that change backward and forward. The center seat has Toyota's brand-new Center Stow feature. It's basically a jump seat, which guests could swap for a plastic facility console, turning the 2nd row right into two captain's chairs. The extra portion-- either the center seat or console-- stores in a floor compartment between the front seats. After a couple of practice runs, I was able to make the adjustment in around 25 seconds.

The dive seat is light enough for simple setup. Its convenience is hit and miss, even for a center seat; the bottom pillow is significant, however I can quickly feel the hinges beneath the back-rest padding. The plastic console is lighter still, and also both items have tough setup hooks that should make it through lots of knocking from overenthusiastic youngsters.

Relying on where the 2nd row is positioned, the 3rd row can be surprisingly adult-friendly. I'm 6 feet tall as well as discovered clearance a little bit tight, but with the second row progressed a couple of inches-- protecting a lot of legroom for a lot of adults-- the third row's legroom was such that I could tolerate a short journey.

Larger Engine, Better Gas Mileage

All Highlanders get the 3.5-liter V-6 from the Camry, Sienna and numerous various other Toyotas. In the Highlander it makes 270 horse power and 248 pounds-feet of torque. Both are significant gains over in 2015's V-6, makinged 215 hp and also 222 pounds-feet of torque. A five-speed transmission is basic. In 2015's base four-cylinder engine has actually been gone down.

Velocity is adequate off the line and also more powerful as the engine revs. The transmission aids things along, holding gears and also seldom shifting prematurely. Hard acceleration can trigger some abrupt transitions amongst reduced equipments-- better for acceleration, even worse for convenience-- but the majority of the time the changes are smooth enough to pass unnoticed. The drivetrain really feels ideal on the freeway, where it downshifts with minimal equipment searching. 3rd equipment is particularly potent for 50-to-70 miles per hour passing.

The optional four-wheel drive is transparent to the chauffeur. It integrates a facility differential to split power 50/50 in between the front as well as back wheels every one of the time. Four-wheel-drive versions have a downhill aid function. Press a control panel switch, as well as it will slow down the SUV to a crawl down high qualities. The function appears a little bit disingenuous: There is no low gear for offroad rock crawling, which means you ought to probably prevent anywhere treacherous sufficient to need the downhill help.

All Highlanders have a hill-start help that holds the brakes for approximately 3 seconds from a quit to stop the SUV from rolling in reverse before you have time to hit the gas.

Making use of the EPA's more practical 2008 score system-- which usually results in reduce numbers-- gas mileage is ranked at 18/24 mpg (city/highway) for two-wheel-drive models as well as 17/23 mpg for those with four-wheel drive. These rankings lead most midsize SUVs by 1 or 2 mpg. They also beat the old V-6 Highlander by around 1 mpg (adjusted making use of the EPA's new estimation)-- an outstanding task, offered the new Highlander has even more power as well as considers some 300 pounds a lot more. (Four-cylinder followers will not miss much: The old four-cylinder Highlander got just 1 mpg greater than the new one makes with the V-6.).

Flight & Handling

The unibody building pays for a comfortable ride, with none of the underbody vibrating that plagued the previous Highlander (which was additionally unibody) and several body-on-frame SUVs. The four-wheel-independent suspension is sport-tuned in the Highlander Sport, yet I could not spot a distinction in trip firmness among the base, Sport and also Limited. All 3 have a bit more suspension noise over major bumps than I've pertained to expect in a midsize SUV.

Wind noise is marginal. Offered a smooth stretch of asphalt, the tires are reasonably quiet. The Sport as well as Limited's 19-inch wheels and also P245/55R19 tires release a minor hum at highway rates, which I couldn't spot with the base version's 17-inchers and thicker P245/65R19 rubber.

All models now feature electrical power steering. These systems save a bit on fuel intake-- a little bit of low-hanging fruit to fulfill the federal government's fuel economic climate requirements, I suspect-- however they often result in lifeless, synthetic guiding feeling. Expectedly, the Highlander guides with a light touch, never delivering much in the way of comments or turning accuracy. The CX-9 fares much better here, however few various other rivals stand out. The exact same is true for body roll: Like a lot of SUVs, the Highlander leans away in contours, reminding drivers it's not to be collared quickly.

Four-wheel-disc antilock brakes are conventional. The pedal offers mushy feedback, however the brakes clamp down hard when required.

Cargo & Towing

With all three rows set up and also elevated, cargo space in back is a meager 10.3 cubic feet. The third row folds flat right into the floor, and also the 2nd row folds up almost flat. Highlanders without the 3rd row rather include a fairly large storage area under the back floor.

With all seats folded, optimal freight quantity is 95.4 cubic feet, which contrasts extra positively with the group.

When correctly outfitted, the Highlander can tow as much as 5,000 pounds.
Safety.

In Insurance Coverage Institute for Freeway Security frontal collision tests, the 2008 Highlander scored the highest possible rating, Excellent. IIHS has not evaluated the Highlander for side effects.

Toyota really did not skimp on safety and security features. All Highlanders come common with four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, grip control and a digital stability system. The stability system now deals with the electrical power guiding, which improves the power aid when the motorist is steering to fix a skid. It likewise assists fight steering pull under hard stopping to assist the Highlander stop in a straight line. (Toyota claims the system could not guide the SUV on its own, as some innovative systems currently do, so if you steer the wrong way in a skid, do not expect any type of additional power aid.).

7 air bags are basic, including the needed dual front airbags, a driver's knee airbag and side-impact air bags for the front seats. There are likewise roll-sensing side drape airbags for all three rows, which release during a rollover to prevent owner ejection.

All seats have head restrictions, and in Sporting activity and Limited versions, the front ones are forward-adjustable for better whiplash defense. Active head restraints are typical on the pole positions of all trims. The second row includes Latch child-seat supports in the outboard seats, with quickly available top-tether supports midway down the seatback.

Attributes & Prices

Omitting the location cost, the base Highlander with two-wheel drive begins at $27,300. A Highlander Limited with a complete collection of choices runs around $42,000. 4x4 on any type of trim includes concerning $1,500. All trim levels include three rows of seats, though a third-row erase alternative on certain models can conserve $740.

-For $27,300, the base Highlander includes 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, a CD stereo with an auxiliary MP3 jack, cooling, cruise ship control, and power windows, mirrors as well as door locks.
-For $29,950, the Sport adds dark outside components, 19-inch wheels, fog lights, a power motorist's seat, a multifunction steering wheel, a back-up video camera as well as six-CD audio.
-For $32,700, the Limited includes a keyless start-up system, automatic environment control, natural leather upholstery as well as a power passenger seat. Much of these attributes are optional on the Sport. Options on both trim levels include a navigation system, JBL premium audio, a backseat DVD player, a moonroof, a power tailgate and also warmed pole positions.

Highlander in the Market

Competitors from GM, Mazda as well as Hyundai will certainly give the Highlander a run for its loan. Its biggest rival, the Honda Pilot, schedules for a redesign in the next year or 2, and Toyota's key resource-- its reputation for quality and also reliability-- has been slipping lately. The car manufacturer has vowed to enhance its initiatives, as well as its newest SUV should show that.

The new Highlander has great deals of textbook sensibilities, like suitable gas mileage as well as loads of safety attributes, yet there's nothing outstanding about it. If it verifies as bulletproof as its precursor, though, stability will become its specifying feature, which is a book draw a great deal of customers could get behind.