Toyota Highlander Limited
By
Herman Syah
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Tuesday, March 20, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander Limited
Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot influence fervor amongst doubters. After more than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off dealer lots in 2015, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV entered 2017 with a host of modifications focused on satisfying the masses and also pundits alike.
Significantly, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the state-of-the-art $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, now come standard with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection and automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, flexible cruise control, and automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test cars and truck also packed blind-spot monitoring, an attribute not available on the lower-level Highlander LE as well as LE And also.
Coming with the 2017 Highlander's various safety and security systems is the current version of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is conventional on just about the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continuouslies utilize a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- as well as includes a host of modern technologies, consisting of a straight and port fuel-injection system and also an updated valvetrain that permits the engine to operate on the much more effective Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horse power as well as 263 lb-ft of torque, the revised V-6 makes 25 more ponies and an added 15 lb-ft compared with the previous system. Gas economy is up, also, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 earning an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined; all-wheel-drive versions accomplish 22 mpg. Both figures mark a 2-mpg improvement over last year's Highlander as well as 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 develops power almost all the way up to its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 0.3 2nd off of its predecessor's zero-to-60-mph as well as 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 and 3.8 secs, specifically. Unfortunately, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing time was both sluggish for the class as well as nearly a second behind that of its forbear. Blame the new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the changed Highlander's V-6 provides plenty of grunt in the majority of real-world driving scenarios. Thanks partially to our examination automobile's automated stop-start system, we handled an affordable 21 mpg throughout our time with the crossover, 2 mpg much better compared to exactly what we received from a Mazda CX-9.
The Component of Crossover
If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the matching of Highlander's captivating Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's overhauled outside layout belongs to the film's handsome however featureless protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front as well as rear fascias, upgraded headlamps, and also an appealing set of LED taillights give the Highlander a more cohesive, SUV-like look. However we still wouldn't put it quite on the very same level of attractiveness as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.
Unlike the outside, the Highlander's interior has actually been left mostly unblemished. Toyota did add four even more USB ports, bringing the overall to five-- 3 ahead as well as two in the rear. The cabin showcases a number of handy storage nooks, including a rack that spans the lower dashboard and also a massive center-console container that can fit nearly a cubic foot of miscellaneous items. Ergonomic faults consist of difficult-to-grip temperature level knobs for the climate-control system and also a touchscreen that's too far from the driver.
While base-level LE and also LE And also Highlanders have a typical second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, as well as Limited Platinum grades include captain's chairs between. (The bench seat is a no-cost option on the XLE, Limited, and Restricted Platinum.) Area is plentiful in the 2nd row, but we located that our seven-passenger test car's pail seats were mounted also reduced for ideal comfort. Still, the Highlander's gliding and also reclining second-row chairs were like a pair of La-Z-Boy recliner chairs compared with the thin and also lightweight 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is just 27.7 inches, a complete 6 inches less than what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row deals. If you frequently carry enough travelers to value constant use the 3rd row, consider the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Darkness of an SUV
Despite the Highlander's carlike unibody building and construction as well as low step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's taking care of advises us of an old-fashioned body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension permits too much body coming in turns. On the bonus side, the suspension soaks up roadway abnormalities with nary a shudder, and the electrically assisted steering is fairly quick and also typically well weighted.
At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test auto was no lightweight, and the excess mass made itself understood when using the brakes, as the Toyota required 181 feet of tarmac to quit from 70 miles per hour-- 11 feet greater than a 161-pound-lighter all-wheel-drive GMC Acadia Denali.
With an as-tested price of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE showed off $3704 in options. Of that tally, four-wheel drive includes $1460 as well as brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and a display screen setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster display that shows torque circulation amongst the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat amusement system was one of the most expensive choice, while $434 bought flooring mats as well as body-side moldings. Requirement items included navigation, a closeness key with push-button beginning, as well as a sunroof, as well as previously mentioned attributes such as a blind-spot monitoring system and also leather-trimmed initial- as well as second-row seats (Toyota upholsters the third row in vinyl).
While the Highlander's drab handling as well as cramped third row continue to curb our enthusiasm for the Indiana-built crossover, the upgraded 2017 Highlander's long list of common safety and ease attributes, more effective and fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and improved outside styling will certainly continuously bring in heaps of buyers searching for a comfy as well as reasonably priced mid-size crossover SUV.