Topic: Test Drive: 2014 Toyota Highlander LE AWD

[Autos_Editor]

Contributor Haney Louka loads up his family and heads to Chicago for a summer road trip. This entry-trim model proved to have everything it needed to get them there and back in comfort and style, and won't break the bank.

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[mixmanmash]

Nice article.  Regarding the MPH markings, I find this a common problem.  My wife's US model Rogue has the km/h text in red which combined with the small font is very difficult to read.

She has gotten use to it while I have not.  Whenever I drive her car, I do the math in my head and read the MPH markings.

In the case of this article it is fairly easy to do.  Take the MPH speed limit, divide it by 10, multiply by 6 and add it to the MPH speed limit to know the km/h.

70 mph speed limit:

70/10 = 7
7 x 6 = 42
70 + 42 = 112.

[johngenx]

What's surprising to me is that if you compare the 2004 and 2014 Highlanders, the new one is priced barely above the ten year old one (when new, of course) but in so many ways offers so much more.

I don't need the extra room of the Gen III over the Gen I, but I know that all the players in the segment have grown and so the HL must to be competitive.

The interior is much nicer than the Gen II.  Toyota paid a lot of attention to upscale (not luxury level, but nice) materials in the Gen I, but cost pressures changed that in the second generation.  I think by keeping some parts (like the engine, etc) from the previous model it freed up the budget to jazz up the interior.  And why change for the sake of it?  The "old" 3.5L is a very nice engine that has great power delivery and still top notch fuel economy.

[JRM]

I really like the look of the interior.  The exterior, as in many suvs/cuv/tall wagons, looks as if it was over inflated.  This one looks like a cross between a van and an SUV and a bulbous wagon.  Not pretty to these eyes.

[Northernridge]

I'm liking this new Highlander more and more. I think it looks very good within the segment and although I'm not always a fan of Toyota interiors, I think they did a bang-up job on this one. Reasonably good value too. I think this would be my pick within the road-going mid-sized CUV category.

[OliverD]

What's surprising to me is that if you compare the 2004 and 2014 Highlanders, the new one is priced barely above the ten year old one (when new, of course) but in so many ways offers so much more.

That's hardly unique to the Highlander though. A lot of cars in Canada are similarly priced when compared to 10 years ago thanks to the value of the Canadian dollar now.

[Noto]

Our all-wheel drive LE tester started life at $34,475 and added the $2,800 convenience package. A tidy sum for a few options, but that buys satellite radio, three-zone automatic climate control, power rear liftgate, upgraded cloth upholstery, power lumbar support for the driver, heated front seats, and flip-up rear hatch glass.

^^^ This is why I take issue with the Odyssey in that thread.  For the same price as the EX-RES trim, this Highlander is a hella better deal, but a minivan offers more interior volumes.

I'm not sure that I can accept that the minivan is more expensive, as a value proposition, than a Mid-Size SUV with AWD and a power liftgate.

If the trunk or any of the doors are open, the doors won’t lock via the key fob until they are closed. Instead, the operator of said key fob is greeted with a constant and annoying tone if they dare try to lock the vehicle while a door is yet to be closed.

Our RX400h does that.  It's STUPIDLY annoying.  The Forester XT will honk at me 5 times (in quick succession) if I try to lock the car without all doors being shut, but once the doors are shut, it automatically locks all doors as requested.  With the RX, we get an annoying "BUZZZZZZ" if I try to lock the doors while one door is open, and it continues until I press "unlock" - it doesn't even go away even if I close the door.  A VERY big niggle, and I'm glad to hear that it's been fixed in the new highlander.

[BradT]

"Ergonomically the only issue I had with the infotainment system is that the icons flanking the screen on each side are strictly touch sensitive and require no pressure to activate. That means accidental brushes while, say, adjusting the volume or using the tuning knob, caused unintended changes on the display".

Sensitivity can be adjusted using the setup screen on the radio display, or at least it can be on the models above the LE.

[johngenx]

One HUGE bummer to me is the lack of roof rails on models below the XLE trim.  Really?  They're one of the most valued items to me when it comes to using a CUV/SUV.  Judging by the number of these things I see with stuff on the roof, I'm far from the only one.

[Fobroader]

The more I see this on the road, the more I like them. In this class between this and the Pilot, I would be hard pressed to make a decision.

[johngenx]

The more I see this on the road, the more I like them. In this class between this and the Pilot, I would be hard pressed to make a decision.

I really like the original Pilot and strongly considered one, but were I shopping new models, the Highlander wins on the interior alone.  The newest Pilot's interior just doesn't do it for me, and the exterior is also awkward looking to me.  I'd buy a used MDX ahead of a new Pilot anytime.  Also, anecdotal reports of owners I know say the Pilot is particularly hard on fuel.

[Fobroader]

The more I see this on the road, the more I like them. In this class between this and the Pilot, I would be hard pressed to make a decision.

I really like the original Pilot and strongly considered one, but were I shopping new models, the Highlander wins on the interior alone.  The newest Pilot's interior just doesn't do it for me, and the exterior is also awkward looking to me.  I'd buy a used MDX ahead of a new Pilot anytime.  Also, anecdotal reports of owners I know say the Pilot is particularly hard on fuel.

My dads friend has had 3 different MDXs, absolutely loves the vehicles but he will be the first to admit that the fuel economy sucks, about 15L/100km. I did not mind the interior of the Pilot I saw at the car show this year and my wifes cousin has a 07-08 and I really loved the seats out of that.

[fixer]

Better than the one it replaces but considering it was worst in class that's not saying much. someone would have to be very hard up to buy one of these.

[bombastic]

Between Japanese competitors I will probably go with new Pathfinder. Pilot is quite an old design and badly needs an update.

[mixmanmash]

Between Japanese competitors I will probably go with new Pathfinder. Pilot is quite an old design and badly needs an update.

I'm not so sure I would go with the Pathfinder given the number of reported issues with the CVT (shuddering, etc).  This is a new CVT that Nissan rates to tow 5000lbs.  Not sure if I could trust it to carry the vehicle's own weight plus passengers given the failures reported.

[dkaz]

The more I see this on the road, the more I like them. In this class between this and the Pilot, I would be hard pressed to make a decision.

I really like the original Pilot and strongly considered one, but were I shopping new models, the Highlander wins on the interior alone.  The newest Pilot's interior just doesn't do it for me, and the exterior is also awkward looking to me.  I'd buy a used MDX ahead of a new Pilot anytime.  Also, anecdotal reports of owners I know say the Pilot is particularly hard on fuel.

My dads friend has had 3 different MDXs, absolutely loves the vehicles but he will be the first to admit that the fuel economy sucks, about 15L/100km. I did not mind the interior of the Pilot I saw at the car show this year and my wifes cousin has a 07-08 and I really loved the seats out of that.

The Pilot's square body looks tough but must not be conducive to good fuel economy. The new Pilot essentially has the same engine as my 2000 Odyssey with a few tweaks.

I love how we were discussing the Highlander in the Odyssey thread and Pilot in the Highlander thread. Despite ragging on a few weak spots of the Highlander, I really do like the Highlander. I was hoping some of the interior advancements in this new Highlander would make its way to a refreshed 2015 Sienna, which it sort of did. There's only so much you can do with a refresh.

[dkaz]

Oh wow I really like that cloth. So purdy....

[Scaerio]

The Mitsubishi Lancer called - it wants its grill back.

[BradT]

One HUGE bummer to me is the lack of roof rails on models below the XLE trim.  Really?  They're one of the most valued items to me when it comes to using a CUV/SUV.  Judging by the number of these things I see with stuff on the roof, I'm far from the only one.

They are available as an accessory with the LE models, standard on the XLE and Limited models.

[johngenx]

Cool. As long as I could get them. Hopefully lots of people do so that when I finally replace my 04 with a 14 or 15 lots have rails.


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