Toyota Highlander Sport
By
pupu sahma
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Monday, April 9, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander Sport
Like the 1986 movie Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that cannot motivate eagerness amongst movie critics. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier great deals last year, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV entered 2017 with a host of adjustments focused on pleasing the masses and experts alike.
Notably, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the state-of-the-art $48,840 Highlander Crossbreed Limited Platinum, now come typical with a pre-collision caution system with pedestrian discovery and automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure caution, lane-keeping aid, adaptive cruise control, and automated high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE test vehicle also loaded blind-spot surveillance, a feature not available on the lower-level Highlander LE and also LE And also.
Coming with the 2017 Highlander's many safety systems is the most up to date variation of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is common on all but the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continuouslies utilize a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- and includes a host of modern-day technologies, including a straight as well as port fuel-injection system as well as an updated valvetrain that allows the engine to operate on the a lot more reliable Atkinson cycle. Ranked at a healthy 295 horse power as well as 263 lb-ft of torque, the modified V-6 makes 25 even more ponies and an extra 15 lb-ft compared with the previous system. Gas economic situation is up, as well, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 earning an EPA-rated 23 mpg integrated; all-wheel-drive designs attain 22 mpg. Both numbers mark a 2-mpg enhancement over in 2014's Highlander as well as put the crossover within 1 mpg of the four-cylinder Mazda CX-9's consolidated fuel-economy numbers.
Toyota's 2GR-FKS six is a gem of an engine that develops power almost all the means approximately its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander cut 0.3 second off of its predecessor's zero-to-60-mph and 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 as well as 3.8 seconds, specifically. Regrettably, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing time was both slow for the class and also virtually a second behind that of its forbear. Condemn the new eight-speed automatic transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the revised Highlander's V-6 offers lots of grunt in many real-world driving situations. Many thanks partly to our examination auto's automatic stop-start system, we took care of a practical 21 mpg during 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 equivalent of Highlander's enchanting Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's spruced up exterior design belongs to the film's good-looking however forgettable protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front as well as rear fascias, updated headlamps, and an eye-catching collection of LED taillights offer the Highlander a more cohesive, SUV-like appearance. Yet we still would not put it quite on the exact same degree of appearance as the butch Dodge Durango or the hot CX-9.
Unlike the outside, the Highlander's inside has actually been left greatly untouched. Toyota did add 4 more USB ports, bringing the overall to 5-- 3 ahead as well as two in the rear. The cabin includes a variety of helpful storage space nooks, including a rack that spans the reduced control panel and also a substantial center-console bin that can accommodate nearly a cubic foot of miscellaneous items. Ergonomic faults consist of difficult-to-grip temperature level handles for the climate-control system and also a touchscreen that's as well far from the chauffeur.
While base-level LE as well as LE Plus Highlanders have a common second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Minimal Platinum grades feature captain's chairs in the middle. (The bench seat is a no-cost choice on the XLE, Limited, as well as Restricted Platinum.) Room is plentiful in the second row, yet we discovered that our seven-passenger examination vehicle's container seats were installed too low for optimum comfort. Still, the Highlander's moving and reclining second-row chairs were like a pair of La-Z-Boy reclining chairs compared to the thin as well as lightweight 60/40 split-folding third-row bench. Legroom in the wayback is simply 27.7 inches, a full six inches fewer than just what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row offers. If you routinely transport adequate travelers to benefit frequent use of the third row, take into consideration the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Darkness of an SUV
Even with the Highlander's carlike unibody building and construction and reduced step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's handling reminds us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension enables extreme body roll in turns. On the plus side, the suspension takes in road irregularities with nary a shudder, and the electrically helped steering is relatively quick and generally well heavy.
At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander test cars and truck was no lightweight, and the excess mass made itself understood when applying the brakes, as the Toyota required 181 feet of tarmac to quit from 70 mph-- 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 choices. Of that tally, four-wheel drive adds $1460 and also brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, and a display setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster display that shows torque circulation among the Highlander's four wheels. An $1810 rear-seat entertainment system was one of the most expensive choice, while $434 gotten floor mats and also body-side moldings. Requirement items consisted of navigation, a proximity secret with push-button start, as well as a sunroof, in addition to aforementioned functions such as a blind-spot surveillance system as well as leather-trimmed very first- as well as second-row seats (Toyota drapes the 3rd row in plastic).
While the Highlander's lifeless handling as well as confined 3rd row remain to curb our excitement for the Indiana-built crossover, the upgraded 2017 Highlander's lengthy checklist of basic security and also comfort attributes, a lot more powerful as well as fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and also improved exterior styling will continue to bring in hoards of buyers seeking a comfortable and reasonably valued mid-size crossover SUV.