2008 Toyota Highlander Review

“Well, you can’t go wrong with a Toyota Highlander.” Once, that was our standard answer when asked about the crop of modern family wagons known as crossovers. Yet, it’s funny how times have changed, for as 2008 brings us a new Highlander – one that’s bigger, more comfortable, more powerful, more everything, really – we find that it’s no longer our default recommendation. If buyers don’t venture from the Toyota showroom they’ll no doubt like what they see. But if they really shop, they’ll discover they can get more comfort, room, power and even refinement in many other places at the same price.

By Keith Buglewicz Photo Credit: Ron Perry

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The 2008 Toyota Highlander Sport starts at $32,085 including the $685 destination charge. That gets you all-wheel drive, a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, and the usual array of safety gear and power accessories. Our test car featured a $1,780 rear seat DVD entertainment system, $1,840 leather upholstery, and a $2,530 navigation and audio system. The power rear door costs $400, the manual rear air conditioning system is another $385, the sunroof is $850, towing capability costs $220, and the roof cross bars, rear cargo mat and security system cost $229, $275 and $359, respectively. All told, our test car was $40,953.

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The engine in our 2008 Highlander Sport was a 3.5-liter 270-horspower V-6, connected to a five-speed automatic transmission. However, we found power was only adequate, and the 17.2 mpg fuel economy was nothing to get excited about. As if to compensate for the lack of pep, Toyota provided a throttle so responsive it borders on jumpy. But there’s no escaping the lack of low-end torque or high-revving power – or the high rev noise – although the mid-range is good and punchy. We appreciated (though rarely used) the transmission’s manual shift gate, but overall we were let down by the drivetrain.

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Peg-legged sea captains used to the North Atlantic Nor’easters are the only ones likely to call the Highlander’s ride too firm. For the rest of us, it’s one of the nicest riding crossovers out there. The suspension soaks up bumps big and small, with only a too-loud “thwack” on the small stuff to tell you something was there. Around corners it’s much the same, with the Highlander exhibiting good body control, but its limits and understeer don’t engage our enthusiasm. Still, the Highlander isn’t meant to be a poor-man’s BMW X5, and the supple ride will please the vast majority of buyers.

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Like most big crossovers these days, the view out the front and sides is good, but the rear is pinched. Look over the hood and you can see the character bulges streaming up from the headlights and grille. The mirrors are tall, but narrow; slightly longer mirrors would make lane changes easier. The rear view is lousy, and if it weren’t for the backup camera, reverse would be exceptionally tricky. The second row head restraints block the rearmost side windows, and the rearmost pillars are absurdly thick. The rear window itself is small, in part because it opens independently of the hatch.

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Perhaps the Toyota should usher in yet another variation of “SUV” with the Highlander: “AUV” for “Appliance Utility Vehicle.” There’s not much fun here, but it gets the job done. It’s not a vehicle you grab the keys to when you want some back-road entertainment, but it works well at hauling the kids, groceries, or just yourself from place to place. Problem is, these days there are vehicles that are just as good, if not better, and do all the same things with a measure of style or entertainment that the Highlander lacks.

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The 2008 Toyota Highlander sports a very comfortable driver’s seat, one that features just enough adjustments – fore/aft, up/down, seatback angle – without going overboard. The cushions are supportive, and the overall feel is very good. The leather’s on the stiff side, but we’re going to assume that the payoff is durability. There’s comfortably soft padding on the door armrests and the center console lid, but why is there hard plastic on the door panel tops? With a well-placed leather-covered steering wheel, the occasional hard plastic touch is about the only complaint we have.

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The Highlander’s second row offers comfortable seating for the two outboard occupants and a choice of uncomfortable temporary seating for a third person in the middle or extra storage. A module fits between the seats, either a console or an extra chair; whatever isn’t being used fits in a compartment under the front center console. The jump seat offers up an extra LATCH point for kiddie seats, but adults won’t want to spend much time on the hard and thinly padded stool. Outboard, things are much better, with seats that adjust fore and aft and for seatback angle, and with plenty of head and leg room.

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The third row in the previous Highlander was literally a mid-cycle afterthought, but with the 2008 model designed with three rows from the start, we expected better than we got. The seat cushion is low, there’s very little leg, head or shoulder room, and the seatback is thinly padded and bolt-upright. If you plan to use it for kids only, keep in mind there’s no LATCH anchor provided. Access is available only from the passenger’s side, where the second row seat doesn’t slide far enough out of the way; the driver’s side doesn’t slide at all. GM’s Lambda-platform crossovers (e.g., the GMC Acadia) do it all much better.

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Since when were Toyotas noisy inside? We noted plenty of wind noise coming from the outside mirrors, and quite a bit of road noise filters through at speed, too. The engine is loud under full throttle, with a thrash that’s unusual in V-6s. The suspension absorbs bumps well, but does nothing to prevent the transmission of every thwack and rumble that you hit. It’s not like your ears will bleed after an hour of this din, but considering the silence afforded in competitors like the Hyundai Veracruz at the same price, it’s hard to ignore.

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If you plan on loading more than a jewelry box in the back, step one is to fold the third row down. The single-piece seatback consumes nearly all the available cargo space back there; large families will have to move up to a Sequoia. If you put the third row down the cargo space is excellent and cleverly executed. Toyota includes two levers for folding the second-row seats from the cargo area, and the rear hatch glass opens independently from the power liftgate. It’s perfect for quickly tossing small items in back, or for hauling long items that otherwise wouldn’t fit inside.