Toyota Highlander White
By
pupu sahma
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Wednesday, April 4, 2018
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Toyota Highlander
Toyota Highlander White
Like the 1986 film Highlander, the Toyota SUV that shares its name is a crowd-pleaser that fails to motivate fervor among movie critics. After greater than 190,000 Highlanders rolled off supplier lots in 2015, Toyota's mid-size crossover SUV got in 2017 with a host of adjustments focused on pleasing the masses and pundits alike.
Notably, all Highlanders, from the base $31,590 LE to the high-grade $48,840 Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum, currently come basic with a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection and also automated emergency braking, plus lane-departure caution, lane-keeping help, flexible cruise control, as well as automated high-beams. Our all-wheel-drive $43,184 Highlander XLE examination auto also packed blind-spot surveillance, a function unavailable on the lower-level Highlander LE and also LE Plus.
Coming with the 2017 Highlander's numerous safety and security systems is the current variation of Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The six-cylinder is common on almost the base front-wheel-drive Highlander LE-- which continuouslies use a wimpy 185-hp inline-four-- and also integrates a host of modern innovations, consisting of a straight and port fuel-injection system as well as an upgraded valvetrain that permits the engine to operate on the much more efficient Atkinson cycle. Rated at a healthy 295 horse power as well as 263 lb-ft of torque, the revised V-6 makes 25 even more horses and an added 15 lb-ft compared to the previous system. Fuel economic situation is up, too, with the front-wheel-drive 2017 Highlander V-6 gaining an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined; all-wheel-drive models accomplish 22 mpg. Both figures mark a 2-mpg improvement over in 2014's Highlander as well as placed 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 builds power mostly all the way as much as its 6800-rpm redline. At the track, this Highlander shaved 0.3 second off of its precursor's zero-to-60-mph and 30-to-50-mph times, hitting the marks in 7.0 and 3.8 seconds, respectively. Regrettably, the 2017 Highlander's 5.6-second 50-to-70-mph passing time was both sluggish for the class as well as almost a second behind that of its forbear. Blame the brand-new eight-speed transmission's hesitancy to downshift. Regardless, the modified Highlander's V-6 supplies lots of grunt in most real-world driving situations. Thanks in part to our test cars and truck's automated stop-start system, we managed a reasonable 21 mpg during our time with the crossover, 2 mpg much better compared to what we obtained from a Mazda CX-9.
The Component of Crossover
If the 2017 Highlander's V-6 powertrain is the equivalent of Highlander's captivating Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos RamÃrez (played by Sean Connery), after that the crossover's spruced up outside layout belongs to the movie's handsome yet featureless lead character, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). New front and also rear fascias, updated headlamps, and an attractive set of LED taillights offer the Highlander a more natural, SUV-like appearance. Yet we still wouldn't put it quite on the exact same degree of attractiveness as the butch Dodge Durango or the shapely CX-9.
Unlike the exterior, the Highlander's inside has actually been left largely unblemished. Toyota did add 4 even more USB ports, bringing the overall to 5-- three ahead and also two in the rear. The cabin includes a number of convenient storage space spaces, consisting of a shelf that covers the lower control panel and a huge center-console bin that can fit almost a cubic foot of various things. Ergonomic mistakes include difficult-to-grip temperature knobs for the climate-control system as well as a touchscreen that's too far from the chauffeur.
While base-level LE as well as LE Plus Highlanders come with a typical second-row bench seat, the XLE, SE, Limited, and also Limited Platinum grades have captain's chairs in the middle. (The bench seat is a no-cost alternative on the XLE, Limited, and Restricted Platinum.) Area is plentiful in the 2nd row, but we found that our seven-passenger test auto's container seats were placed too reduced for optimum convenience. Still, the Highlander's sliding and reclining second-row chairs were like a pair of La-Z-Boy reclining 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 full 6 inches fewer than just what the Volkswagen Atlas's rearmost row deals. If you frequently transport enough guests to quality frequent use the 3rd row, think about the Atlas, a Honda Pilot, or a Ford Flex.
Shadow of an SUV
Despite the Highlander's carlike unibody construction as well as low step-in elevation, this mid-size crossover's managing advises us of an antique body-on-frame SUV, as its softly sprung suspension permits excessive body coming in turns. On the bonus side, the suspension absorbs roadway abnormalities with nary a shudder, and the electrically aided steering is relatively fast and typically well heavy.
At 4560 extra pounds, our all-wheel-drive Highlander examination automobile was no lightweight, as well as the excess mass made itself known 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 sported $3704 in options. Of that tally, all-wheel drive includes $1460 and brings vestigial mud flaps, hill-descent control, as well as a display setting within the 4.2-inch gauge-cluster screen that shows torque circulation amongst the Highlander's 4 wheels. An $1810 rear-seat entertainment system was one of the most expensive option, while $434 acquired flooring mats and also body-side moldings. Criterion things consisted of navigation, a proximity key with push-button start, and a sunroof, in addition to abovementioned functions such as a blind-spot surveillance system and also leather-trimmed very first- as well as second-row seats (Toyota upholsters the 3rd row in plastic).
While the Highlander's drab handling and confined third row remain to curb our interest for the Indiana-built crossover, the updated 2017 Highlander's long listing of basic security and ease attributes, extra powerful as well as fuel-efficient V-6 engine, and enhanced outside designing will certainly continuously bring in heaps of buyers seeking a comfortable and moderately valued mid-size crossover SUV.