Advantages👍
- It's a nice spot to be.
The Highlander is spacious and well-equipped. The ride is geared toward comfort, and the surroundings support this. Our Limited Platinum AWD trim's interior components are stitched and cushioned in a lovely caramel coloured leather. Unless you blast the 11-speaker JBL system, which was presumably built to drown out the kids, it's pretty silent inside. Leather-covered front and second row (captain's chairs) seats are heated, supportive, and spacious.
- It's relaxing.
The bumps are well-absorbed, and the ride is smooth. While Toyota has made the look more truck-like to appeal to suburbanites who are wary of minivans, the ride is still very much a car.
- The screen is enormous.
We recall when minivans were competing for the hearts and minds of American families, and the number of cupholders appeared to matter more to consumers than anything else. It got to the point where one manufacturer had a product with 3.4 accessible cupholders per passenger. People now want more screen real estate and USB power ports, and the Highlander delivers with a massive 12.3-inch monster that would look right at home in Best Buy's TV section, as well as USB outlets throughout. Only the infotainment software isn't quite as impressive.
- The Mileage.
In mixed driving, we obtained 29.5 miles per gallon. According to the EPA, you can see 35 miles, but even a quarter-mile in a nearly full-size SUV is astounding. Toyota has been making hybrid systems longer than anyone other, and the Highlander's is no exception. On acceleration, the four-cylinder, 2.5-liter engine produces a slight thrum, but that's the only time you'll notice it. Total horsepower is 243.
- All of the security.
As a family car, you'd expect the Highlander to come equipped with a full complement of modern safety features, which it does.
- A circle is turning.
This is one of those seemingly insignificant details that makes a car more livable. The turning radius is substantially smaller than that of a larger vehicle. This makes turning and parking the Highlander in supermarket parking lots, driveways, and other tight spaces much easier.
- Rear angle of the video.
The video rearview mirror is fantastic. Instead of seeing headrests, headliner, snotty noses, and the bezel surrounding the rear window with a tiny bit of actual traffic behind you in the standard rear view mirror/screen, the video feed displayed on the standard rear view mirror/screen shows an unobstructed feed from a camera integrated into the tailgate. It's bright, clear, and colourful, and it lets you see everything that's going on behind you. The only drawback we found was that when we looked back to see if we had any spinach stuck between our teeth, the only grill we saw was that of the BMW behind us.
- The Toyota influence.
Toyotas are known for their high reliability and resale value. They also appear to be reasonably priced. Our Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum AWD cost slightly over $52,500. Although not inexpensive, you get a lot of luxury SUV for that price. It appears to be decently priced for everything you get. The hybrid battery, by the way, has a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty.
Disadvantages👎
- As you get closer to the rear, it gets worse.
The Highlander Hybrid has a class system, with the accommodations getting worse as you get further back. The phrase "oof" will come out of your mouth if you sit on the third row of seats. In comparison to the non-hybrid variant, when you fold down the third bench to load freight, you'll notice a high load floor and limited capacity (or a minivan). It has a heavy-duty floor.
- Software for infotainment.
Toyota hasn't figured it out yet, which is surprising. The software that runs the screen information is a little complicated and seems a little antiquated. We were continuously at odds with it in order to obtain the information we needed presented. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both built-in, so plan to plug in your phone as soon as possible and avoid the Toyota system.
- It's a reach.
While the physical controls are well-designed and simple to operate, the entertainment system's "tuning" button feels like it belongs in another country. It's probably due to the extra-wide screen. Fortunately, you won't have to use it very often.
Comments
Post a Comment