Toyota Highlander: Highlander
“Highlander” is a car for those who cannot buy a Lexus, but would like a car with the same level of comfort and wealth of equipment — short and clear, Don Esmond, vice president of the American branch of Toyota, identified a niche for the company’s new off-road vehicle, which debuted this spring at the New York Auto Show.
Indeed, in the most complete package “Limited” the newest representative of the segment of cars for outdoor activities will not yield anything to “Lexus”. And in terms of capacity – and not only for passengers – it will generally give a countryman a head start. In particular, the useful volume of the luggage compartment “Toyota” is 300 liters more. However, the most important thing is the price.
At home for the “Highlander” ask from 23 995 to 30 000 dollars. Tempting? Still would!
Stylistically, the “Highlander” is a typical representative of its class. Quite high (1745 mm) and wide (1825 mm), the five-door station wagon is elegant, stately and at the same time a little conservative. The most it is for the mass buyer. It is smaller than the imposing Land Cruiser, a little less extravagant than the youth RAV4, but you should be sure that Highlander will respect the dense city traffic like any full-fledged SUV.
Speaking of usefulness. In Russia, a jeep is excusable for not having a transfer case or a rigidly connected front axle. But if your “all-terrain vehicle” suddenly doesn’t have a leather interior, they will laugh at you. Owners of “Highlander” can not worry about their reputation. The skin in this “Toyota” is not only on the seats and doors, but even on the dashboard. And besides, there is also a stereo system with CD changer and JBL acoustics, climate and cruise control, an onboard computer, anti-skidding system, a sunroof, power windows, mirrors and driver’s seat, alloy wheels, a lot of cup holders, built-in sunscreen driver’s visor remote control for opening the garage door.
To match the breathtaking list of equipment and the temperament of the Highlander. Powerful and quiet 220-horsepower engine paired with an automatic 4-speed gearbox easily accelerates the SUV weighing 1760 kg to 180 km / h. Transmission boasts a number of lower gears and limited slip differential. Just what you need to climb a steep slope. All you need to do is move the gearshift lever to the Low position, release the brake and turn the brake back on. Only at the top is to keep the bottom. 185 mm ground clearance is not a Bigfoot indicator.
And yet most of all “Highlander” liked on a suburban highway. Slightly swaying on the gentle waves of the road, the car easily reached the direct promised maximum speed. It is not surprising, because this all-terrain vehicle is built on the platform of the Camry sedan, whose road habits are extremely reliable. In extreme cases, the irreconcilable driving fervor will stop the electronics. In just a few hours of driving, the combination of an energy-intensive long-stroke suspension and excellent sound insulation developed a bad habit of not noticing even large bumps and potholes on the road. Great!
So, “Highlander” is a new Toyota bestseller? Of course. In the US, the “mountaineers” diverge like an eskimo in the midday heat – in the first months of sales, over 20,000 vehicles were sold. The production plan for the next year is 72 thousand. That’s just to Russia, I think, get a few.
The fact is that the most “packaged” Highlander will cost our buyer 53 thousand dollars. As they say, they fought for what they did, because the cost of the Lexus-RX300 in the same configuration is $ 54,900.
We decided: “Toyota”, not inferior to the “Lexus” in comfort, equipment, road habits and … price
