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The Highlander is an
excellent vehicle. Its comfortable, very quiet ride and high-quality,
luxurious interior make it feel more like the $30,000 vehicle it is than any
of the others here. Yet despite these traits, the Highlander is also a good
value, with a surprising amount of features for the money. If only it had a
roomy enough interior to accommodate a better third row seat, one that could
hold adults while leaving room for groceries behind it. Its mediocre interior
space was the singular aspect that dropped this otherwise excellent vehicle to
second place overall.
The Highlander rides very
comfortably. It is controlled yet not too firm, and very absorbent. There are
no low-speed jitters or high-speed floating motions. Handling is capable
enough; the car feels safe, but never close to agile, and body roll is not
well-suppressed. The steering is fairly quick to respond, but too light and
devoid of feedback. The 3.3-liter V6 is surprisingly quick, and the engine
smoothness disguises the car's speed. Road noise is also very well-suppressed,
though some wind noise is evident. Fuel economy is excellent for a midsize
SUV.
Inside, the Highlander
features firm, well-shaped, and very comfortable front seats that could still
benefit from a longer seat cushion. The rear is also quite comfortable, with a
well-shaped cushion and excellent leg and headroom. The available third row
seat is low, hard, small, and very cramped, even for children. The dash uses
high quality materials that fit together very well, and the rich colors help
its first impression. The instruments are well-sized, well-placed, and easy to
use. The gauges are large and clear. The driver sits comfortably and has good
visibility, unless the third row seat is occupied by an adult or has its head
restraints raised. Entry/exit is easy, but it is next to impossible for an
adult to access the third row, and is not even a simple matter for children.
Only a very small amount of carefully-placed groceries will fit behind the
third row seat, but it at least stows very quickly. The Highlander’s
relatively small exterior dimensions limit its total cargo volume compared to
many of the others here.
The Highlander did very well
in crash testing. NHTSA awarded it a rating of five stars for the driver and
five for the front passenger in its frontal crash test, and five for the
driver and five for the rear passenger in the side crash test, even without
the optional side airbags. They also estimate a 17% chance of rollover in a
single vehicle accident, good for four stars. The IIHS rated the Highlander
Good in its offset crash test, but have not evaluated its head restraints.
The Highlander reviewed here
came in at an impressively low $29,184 reasonably well-equipped. It lacks
leather seating, but has side-curtain airbags for the first two rows of seats
as well as front-seat torso airbags, stability (but not traction) control, an
automatic climate control system, a sunroof, and a 6-disc CD player.
Overall, the Highlander's lack of a decent third row seat is
enough of a concern to take it down to second place, offsetting its excellence
in other areas. However, those who would simply keep the seat stowed unless it
was used only when necessary (and not often) and by children, or those who
would never use the seat at all, the Highlander's other virtues make it a
class leader. Otherwise, the Highlander is worth at least a look, and a
re-evaluation of the necessity of a comfortable third row.
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