Toyota Highlander Length
By
Herman Syah
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Sunday, March 25, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander Length
Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that fails to inspire eagerness among movie critics. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off dealership great deals in 2015, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV went into 2017 with a host of modifications aimed at pleasing the masses and pundits alike.
Significantly, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the top-of-the-line $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, now come conventional with a pre-collision caution system with pedestrian detection as well as automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping aid, flexible cruise ship control, and automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test car additionally packed blind-spot tracking, a function inaccessible on the lower-level Highlander LE and LE And also.
Going along with the 2017 Highlander's many security systems is the latest version of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is conventional on almost the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which remains to make use of a frail 185-hp inline-four-- and integrates a host of contemporary innovations, including a straight as well as port fuel-injection system and also an updated valvetrain that permits the engine to operate on the more efficient Atkinson cycle. Rated at a healthy and balanced 295 horse power as well as 263 lb-ft of torque, the revised V-6 makes 25 even more horses as well as an extra 15 lb-ft compared with the previous unit. Gas economic climate is up, as well, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 making an EPA-rated 23 mpg integrated; all-wheel-drive versions accomplish 22 mpg. Both figures note a 2-mpg renovation over in 2015's Highlander as well as placed the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's consolidated fuel-economy figures.
Toyota's 2GR-FKS 6 is a gem of an engine that develops power mostly all the way as much as its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 0.3 second off of its predecessor's zero-to-60-mph and also 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 as well as 3.8 seconds, respectively. Sadly, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph death time was both slow-moving for the class and nearly a second behind that of its forbear. Blame the new eight-speed transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the modified Highlander's V-6 supplies plenty of grunt in the majority of real-world driving scenarios. Thanks partly to our examination auto's automated stop-start system, we took care of a sensible 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg better than exactly what we got from a Mazda CX-9.
The Element of Crossover
If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the matching of Highlander's enchanting Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's spruced up outside design is akin to the film's handsome yet featureless protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and back fascias, updated headlamps, and an appealing set of LED taillights offer the Highlander a more cohesive, SUV-like appearance. Yet we still wouldn't place it fairly on the same level of good looks as the butch Dodge Durango or the hot CX-9.
Unlike the outside, the Highlander's inside has actually been left mostly untouched. Toyota did include four more USB ports, bringing the total amount to five-- 3 ahead as well as two in the rear. The cabin includes a variety of useful storage nooks, consisting of a rack that spans the reduced control panel and also a huge center-console container that can fit nearly a cubic foot of assorted things. Ergonomic faults consist of difficult-to-grip temperature level handles for the climate-control system as well as a touchscreen that's too far from the driver.
While base-level LE as well as LE And also Highlanders come with a typical second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, as well as Restricted Platinum qualities come with captain's chairs in the center. (The bench seat is a no-cost choice on the XLE, Limited, and Minimal Platinum.) Area abounds in the second row, however we located that our seven-passenger examination vehicle's container seats were installed also reduced for ideal convenience. Still, the Highlander's gliding as well as reclining second-row chairs were like a pair of La-Z-Boy reclining chairs compared with the thin as well as lightweight 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is just 27.7 inches, a complete six inches less than just what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row deals. If you on a regular basis transport sufficient travelers to benefit frequent use the 3rd row, consider the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Darkness of an SUV
Even with the Highlander's carlike unibody building and construction and low step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's dealing with reminds us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension allows excessive body roll in turns. On the plus side, the suspension takes in roadway irregularities with nary a shudder, as well as the electrically aided steering is relatively quick and generally well heavy.
At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test auto was no light-weight, and the excess mass made itself understood when applying the brakes, as the Toyota needed 181 feet of tarmac to stop from 70 mph-- 11 feet more than a 161-pound-lighter all-wheel-drive GMC Acadia Denali.
With an as-tested cost of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE sported $3704 in options. Of that tally, all-wheel drive adds $1460 as well as brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and also a display screen setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster display that shows torque circulation among the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat enjoyment system was the most costly choice, while $434 gotten floor mats and body-side moldings. Criterion products consisted of navigating, a proximity trick with push-button start, and also a sunroof, in addition to aforementioned functions such as a blind-spot tracking system as well as leather-trimmed initial- and also second-row seats (Toyota drapes the 3rd row in plastic).
While the Highlander's drab handling and cramped 3rd row remain to curb our enthusiasm for the Indiana-built crossover, the upgraded 2017 Highlander's lengthy list of standard security as well as comfort functions, extra powerful as well as fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and improved exterior styling will continue to draw in hoards of buyers looking for a comfy as well as reasonably valued mid-size crossover SUV.