Toyota Highlander 0 60

Toyota Highlander 0 60: Unnoticeable and also reasonable, the Highlander can haul up to eight in silent convenience. The base 185-hp 2.7-liter inline-four groups with a six-speed automated and also front-wheel drive; the optional 295-hp 3.5-liter V-6 gets an eight-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is optional for V-6 versions and criterion for the hybrid, which pairs the V-6 with 2 electric motors; we saw 24 mpg in our test. The Highlander offers an ample driving experience, however it's even more focused on indoor niceties and also storage space.


Toyota Highlander 0 60


Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that fails to influence eagerness amongst movie critics. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier whole lots last year, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV entered 2017 with a host of adjustments targeted at pleasing the masses as well as pundits alike.

Especially, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the top-of-the-line $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, now come standard with a pre-collision caution system with pedestrian detection as well as automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure warning, lane-keeping help, flexible cruise control, and also automatic high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test car additionally packed blind-spot monitoring, a function not available on the lower-level Highlander LE and also LE And also.

Accompanying the 2017 Highlander's many safety systems is the most up to date version of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is standard on all but the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continues to utilize a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- and integrates a host of modern-day technologies, including a straight and also port fuel-injection system as well as an upgraded valvetrain that permits the engine to operate on the much more efficient Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horse power and also 263 lb-ft of torque, the revised V-6 makes 25 even more ponies and an extra 15 lb-ft compared to the previous device. Fuel economic situation is up, also, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 gaining an EPA-rated 23 mpg integrated; all-wheel-drive models achieve 22 mpg. Both figures note a 2-mpg renovation over in 2015's Highlander and placed the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's mixed fuel-economy figures.

Toyota's 2GR-FKS six is a treasure of an engine that builds power almost all the means approximately its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 0.3 second off of its precursor's zero-to-60-mph and also 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 and also 3.8 secs, respectively. Regrettably, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph death time was both slow for the course as well as nearly a second behind that of its forbear. Condemn the new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the changed Highlander's V-6 offers plenty of grunt in most real-world driving scenarios. Many thanks partly to our test cars and truck's automatic stop-start system, we took care of an affordable 21 mpg during our time with the crossover, 2 mpg better than exactly what we got from a Mazda CX-9.

The Aspect of Crossover

If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's enchanting Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (played by Sean Connery), then the crossover's revamped exterior design is akin to the movie's good-looking however featureless lead character, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and also rear fascias, upgraded headlamps, and also an appealing set of LED taillights give the Highlander an extra natural, SUV-like look. However we still would not place it fairly on the very same level of appearance as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.

Unlike the outside, the Highlander's inside has been left greatly untouched. Toyota did include 4 more USB ports, bringing the total to five-- 3 in front and also two in the rear. The cabin includes a number of helpful storage space nooks, consisting of a shelf that covers the reduced control panel and also a massive center-console bin that could suit nearly a cubic foot of various things. Ergonomic mistakes consist of difficult-to-grip temperature handles for the climate-control system and a touchscreen that's too far away from the vehicle driver.

While base-level LE and LE Plus Highlanders include a basic second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and Restricted Platinum qualities include captain's chairs in the center. (The bench seat is a no-cost choice on the XLE, Limited, as well as Minimal Platinum.) Area abounds in the second row, however we located that our seven-passenger test auto's pail seats were mounted too low for ideal convenience. Still, the Highlander's moving and reclining second-row chairs resembled a set of La-Z-Boy recliner chairs compared to the thin and also flimsy 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is just 27.7 inches, a complete six inches less compared to what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you frequently transport enough travelers to benefit frequent use the third row, take into consideration the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.

Shadow of an SUV

Even with the Highlander's carlike unibody building and low step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's handling reminds us of an old-fashioned body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension allows too much body roll in turns. On the plus side, the suspension absorbs roadway irregularities with nary a shudder, and also the electrically aided steering is reasonably quick as well as normally well weighted.

At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test car was no lightweight, and the excess mass made itself understood when applying the brakes, as the Toyota needed 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 rate of $43,184, our Toasted Walnut Pearl Highlander XLE showed off $3704 in choices. Of that tally, all-wheel drive includes $1460 and also brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and also a display setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that reveals torque circulation amongst the Highlander's 4 wheels. An $1810 rear-seat enjoyment system was one of the most expensive option, while $434 acquired flooring mats and also body-side moldings. Criterion items consisted of navigating, a distance key with push-button begin, and a sunroof, in addition to aforementioned attributes such as a blind-spot monitoring system as well as leather-trimmed very first- and second-row seats (Toyota drapes the third row in plastic).

While the Highlander's drab handling as well as cramped third row remain to suppress our excitement for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's lengthy checklist of basic safety and also benefit features, extra effective as well as fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and also enhanced exterior styling will remain to draw in heaps of shoppers seeking a comfortable as well as reasonably priced mid-size crossover SUV.