2021 Toyota Highlander Review, Pictures, Pricing and Specs – Three-row SUVs are the contemporary matching of the traditional household station wagon, as well as the 2021 Toyota Highlander dutifully does the job– and then some. Customers can choose from the basic V-6 engine or select the fuel-sipping hybrid alternative; both powertrains are readily available with four-wheel drive. Inside, there are 3 rows of seats– although the rearmost perches are sized for youngsters or young people.

2021 Toyota Highlander Review & Pictures
The nicely-equipped cabin is loaded with infomercial features as well as thoughtful storage space cubbies. Toyota additionally gears up every Highlander with a considerable suite of common driver-assistance attributes to give an additional layer of safety. The Highlander’s trip is peaceful and also its velocity efficiency is adequate, yet a passive driving behavior places it simply behind leading challengers– such as the Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade– in the mid-size SUV course.
What’s New for 2021 Toyota Highlander?
The sporty-looking XSE trim level joins the Toyota Highlander schedule for 2021. It punches up the looks with even more hostile exterior designing, special 20-inch wheels, black outside accents, and also a sportier calibration for the-suspension. Elsewhere, LED projection headlamps-are now a standard feature & all designs obtain extra driver-assistance functions, including semi-automated emergency situation guiding innovation that’s created to assist a chauffeur prevent collisions.

2021 Toyota Highlander Review & Pictures
Prices and Which One to Purchase
- L. $ 35,985.
- LE. $ 38,185.
- Hybrid. $ 39,585.
- XLE. $ 40,985.
- XSE. $ 42,580.
- Limited. $ 44,940.
- Platinum. $ 48,140.
In our view, the mid-range XLE is the-pick of the litter. It has heated pole positions, a wireless smartphone-charging pad, and a power sunroof, among other niceties. We ‘d likewise spring for the Premium Sound with Dynamic Navigating plan, which brings in-dash navigating as well as an updated stereo system. All-wheel drive will certainly add $1600 to the bottom line. And opting for the hybrid-powertrain over the standard V-6 will set you back an added $1400.
Engine, Transmission, as well as Performance.
The Highlander includes a 295-hp 3.5-liter V-6, which couple with an eight-speed automatic transmission as well as either front- or all-wheel drive. During a short examination drive, we located the V-6 could deal with brief on-ramps without stressing; at our test track, our four-wheel drive test vehicle made it to 60 miles per hour in reasonably-quick 6.7 secs. Handling is unexciting but steady, and the ride is flawlessly appropriate for family-chauffer responsibility. A lot more driving satisfaction can be found in the Mazda CX-9.

2021 Toyota Highlander Review & Pictures
2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Powertrain.
A 2.5-liter four-cylinder and two electrical motors team up for a combined 243 horse power in the Highlander Hybrid. This model features a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and also a choice between front- as well as all-wheel drive. Leveraging Toyota’s hybrid expertise, this powertrain offers buyers with something a lot more gas effective than the basic version.
The tradeoff can be found in velocity efficiency, both due to the hybrid’s lower horse power ranking and also the reality that this design makes use of a CVT rather than the nonhybrid’s eight-speed automatic. At our test track, the hybrid version made it to 60 mph in 7.3 secs. Possible customers in this sector will possibly know that the Ford Explorer comes in hybrid kind, as well.
But matching these utes against each other, the Toyota comes out on top in terms of fuel economy, and the Highlander Hybrid’s beginning cost of $39,585 is a monstrous $11,810 less than the Explorer Hybrid’s.
Fuel Economy as well as Real-World MPG.
The EPA approximates that the Highlander V-6 will certainly deliver up to 29 mpg on the highway-when equipped with front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive cuts that by 2 mpg. Hybrid-models carry higher rankings, with front-wheel-drive variants earning 36 mpg in the city as well as 35 mpg on the highway.
We’ve checked the basic Highlander on our 200-mile freeway fuel-economy route, where it supplied the 28 mpg. When the hybrid visits our workplace, we’ll be putting its fuel efficiency to the test on the same route.
2021 Toyota Highlander Interior, Convenience, and Cargo.
Base L and also mid-range LE models can seat 8 guests utilizing bench seats in the second and also 3rd rows, however a seven-seat arrangement with second-row captain’s chairs is offered on greater trims. Guest area is a lot more charitable right here than in the CX-9, however not as spacious as in the Chevrolet-Traverse, especially in the third row.

2021 Toyota Highlander Review & Pictures
Materials throughout the cabin are much enhanced over those in the last-generation Highlander. Upscale Limited and Platinum designs supply the most creature conveniences yet compared to the attributes proffered by the Palisade or Kia Telluride, they fall short. The freight area behind the 3rd row fit a simple four carry-on traveling bags; the Traverse fit six.
Infomercial and Connection.
An 8.0-inch infotainment system comes criterion on a lot of trims, however the Highlander Limited as well as Platinum obtain a 12.3-inch display. An 11-speaker JBL stereo is available. Toyota offers SiriusXM satellite radio, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, as well as Apple CarPlay, Android Automobile, and Amazon.com Alexa assimilation for all versions.

2021 Toyota Highlander Review & Pictures
2021 Toyota Highlander Safety And Security and Driver-Assistance Characteristics.
The National-Highway Traffic Safety And Security Management (NHTSA) has actually provided the Highlander a luxury security rating; the Highlander was also called a Leading Safety Select by the Insurance Coverage Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). As is the Toyota way, the 2021 Toyota Highlander uses a typical collection of driver-assistance features.

2021 Toyota Highlander Review & Pictures
The bundle includes adaptive cruise ship control, lane-keeping aid, automated emergency braking with pedestrian discovery, and automated high-beam headlamps. Key safety attributes consist of:.
- Standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian discovery.
- Standard blind-spot surveillance with rear-cross-traffic alert.
- Requirement lane-departure caution with lane-keeping help.
2021 Toyota Highlander Warranty and Maintenance Insurance Coverage.
Toyota’s guarantee protection sticks to the norm of the section; nonetheless, customers obtain two years of free scheduled maintenance, which is a nice perk that many opponents don’t supply. The energized Highlander includes a separate hybrid-component warranty that provides eight years or 100,000 miles of coverage.
- Restricted guarantee covers 3 years or 36,000 miles.
- Powertrain service warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles.
- Hybrid-component service warranty covers eight years or 100,000 miles.
- Complimentary maintenance is covered for two years or 25,000 miles.