Toyota Highlander Le Plus
By
Herman Syah
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander Le Plus
Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot motivate eagerness among doubters. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier whole lots in 2014, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV got in 2017 with a host of adjustments focused on pleasing the masses as well as pundits alike.
Significantly, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the high-grade $48,840 Highlander Crossbreed Limited Platinum, currently come common with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection and automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping aid, flexible cruise control, as well as automated high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE examination auto also loaded blind-spot surveillance, a function inaccessible on the lower-level Highlander LE and LE Plus.
Coming with the 2017 Highlander's countless safety and security systems is the current variant of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is typical on just about the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continues to use a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- as well as includes a host of modern innovations, including a direct and also port fuel-injection system as well as an updated valvetrain that enables the engine to run on the extra reliable Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horsepower and also 263 lb-ft of torque, the changed V-6 makes 25 even more ponies as well as an additional 15 lb-ft compared to the previous device. Fuel economy is up, too, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 earning an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined; all-wheel-drive models attain 22 mpg. Both numbers note a 2-mpg enhancement over last year's Highlander and placed the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's combined fuel-economy figures.
Toyota's 2GR-FKS six is a gem of an engine that builds power almost all the means up to its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 0.3 2nd off of its precursor's zero-to-60-mph and 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 and also 3.8 seconds, specifically. Sadly, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing time was both slow-moving for the course and virtually a second behind that of its forbear. Blame the new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. No matter, the revised Highlander's V-6 uses lots of grunt in a lot of real-world driving scenarios. Many thanks partly to our test car's automated stop-start system, we managed an affordable 21 mpg during our time with the crossover, 2 mpg far better than just what we got from a Mazda CX-9.
The Element of Crossover
If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's enchanting Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's overhauled outside layout is akin to the movie's handsome yet featureless protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and back fascias, upgraded headlamps, and also an attractive collection of LED taillights provide the Highlander a more natural, SUV-like look. But we still would not put it rather on the very same level of good looks as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.
Unlike the outside, the Highlander's interior has been left largely untouched. Toyota did add 4 even more USB ports, bringing the total to 5-- three in front and 2 in the rear. The cockpit includes a number of handy storage spaces, consisting of a shelf that spans the reduced dashboard and a huge center-console bin that could accommodate almost a cubic foot of assorted items. Ergonomic mistakes include difficult-to-grip temperature level knobs for the climate-control system and a touchscreen that's too away from the driver.
While base-level LE as well as LE Plus Highlanders include a conventional second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, as well as Minimal Platinum grades come with captain's chairs in the middle. (The bench seat is a no-cost alternative on the XLE, Limited, as well as Restricted Platinum.) Space abounds in the second row, but we discovered that our seven-passenger test cars and truck's pail seats were installed too low for optimal comfort. Still, the Highlander's moving as well as reclining second-row chairs were like a set of La-Z-Boy recliners compared with the thin and flimsy 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a complete six inches fewer than just what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you consistently carry enough passengers to quality regular use of the 3rd row, consider the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Shadow of an SUV
In spite of the Highlander's carlike unibody building and construction and also reduced step-in height, this mid-size crossover's managing reminds us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension enables excessive body coming in turns. On the bonus side, the suspension takes in roadway irregularities with nary a shudder, and also the electrically helped steering is relatively quick and also typically well weighted.
At 4560 pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test vehicle was no lightweight, and the excess mass made itself known when applying the brakes, as the Toyota required 181 feet of tarmac to stop from 70 mph-- 11 feet greater than a 161-pound-lighter all-wheel-drive GMC Acadia Denali.
With an as-tested rate of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE sported $3704 in alternatives. Of that tally, four-wheel drive includes $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and also a screen setup within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that shows torque distribution amongst the Highlander's 4 wheels. An $1810 rear-seat enjoyment system was one of the most pricey alternative, while $434 gotten floor mats as well as body-side moldings. Requirement things consisted of navigating, a proximity key with push-button begin, and a sunroof, in addition to aforementioned attributes such as a blind-spot surveillance system and leather-trimmed initial- as well as second-row seats (Toyota cushions the 3rd row in vinyl).
While the Highlander's drab handling and confined 3rd row continue to suppress our enthusiasm for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's long checklist of typical safety and also benefit attributes, extra powerful and also fuel-efficient V-6 engine, as well as improved outside styling will remain to bring in hoards of customers searching for a comfy and also moderately valued mid-size crossover SUV.