What is it?
2008 Toyota Highlander
What's special about it?
Built on the same platform as the Camry sedan, the original Toyota Highlander SUV was doomed to dullness from the beginning, wedged squarely between the homely wagon and the dreaded minivan.
Apparently this hasn't bothered Toyota, as the fully redesigned 2008 Highlander pursues the same look of mainstream American suburbia as before. It looks like a RAV4 with meaner headlights and a bigger roof rack.
It's still a sport-ute designed for families who don't want a minivan, yet many of the Highlander's features are straight out of the minivan playbook.
Take the second-row captain's chairs with a removable center section. This "Center Stow" seat turns the second row into a three-passenger bench seat. When you don't need it, you can fold it flat into the floor, leaving an aisle for access to the third-row seats. You know, like a minivan.
Safety is also one of this Highlander's calling cards. All models will come standard with seven airbags, including a knee airbag for the driver and side curtain airbags for all three rows. Traction control, antilock brakes and stability control are also part of the package.
The 2008 Toyota Highlander is slightly bigger than before, 3 inches wider and with a wheelbase stretched by 3 inches.
Only one engine will be offered: a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 270 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque. Hooked to a five-speed automatic transmission, Toyota says the new V6 will deliver nearly the same fuel economy as its predecessor. Front-wheel drive is standard; all-wheel drive remains an option.
A 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid will join the lineup two months after the standard model's debut in July. Net output for the all-wheel-drive gas-electric drivetrain will be 270 hp. Despite 500 pounds of additional weight, the Highlander Hybrid will achieve the same 31 mpg city and 27 highway as it did before.
Standard Highlanders will come in three trim levels. Although Toyota claims all Highlanders will be well-equipped, most of the minivanlike options will remain on the options list. Notable features include a power liftgate, keyless ignition, rear-seat DVD entertainment system and three-row climate control.
What's Edmunds' take?
No more exciting than before, the Highlander will continue to appeal to buyers looking for a minivan that doesn't look like a minivan. — Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor
2008 Toyota Highlander
What's special about it?
Built on the same platform as the Camry sedan, the original Toyota Highlander SUV was doomed to dullness from the beginning, wedged squarely between the homely wagon and the dreaded minivan.
Apparently this hasn't bothered Toyota, as the fully redesigned 2008 Highlander pursues the same look of mainstream American suburbia as before. It looks like a RAV4 with meaner headlights and a bigger roof rack.
It's still a sport-ute designed for families who don't want a minivan, yet many of the Highlander's features are straight out of the minivan playbook.
Take the second-row captain's chairs with a removable center section. This "Center Stow" seat turns the second row into a three-passenger bench seat. When you don't need it, you can fold it flat into the floor, leaving an aisle for access to the third-row seats. You know, like a minivan.
Safety is also one of this Highlander's calling cards. All models will come standard with seven airbags, including a knee airbag for the driver and side curtain airbags for all three rows. Traction control, antilock brakes and stability control are also part of the package.
The 2008 Toyota Highlander is slightly bigger than before, 3 inches wider and with a wheelbase stretched by 3 inches.
Only one engine will be offered: a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 270 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque. Hooked to a five-speed automatic transmission, Toyota says the new V6 will deliver nearly the same fuel economy as its predecessor. Front-wheel drive is standard; all-wheel drive remains an option.
A 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid will join the lineup two months after the standard model's debut in July. Net output for the all-wheel-drive gas-electric drivetrain will be 270 hp. Despite 500 pounds of additional weight, the Highlander Hybrid will achieve the same 31 mpg city and 27 highway as it did before.
Standard Highlanders will come in three trim levels. Although Toyota claims all Highlanders will be well-equipped, most of the minivanlike options will remain on the options list. Notable features include a power liftgate, keyless ignition, rear-seat DVD entertainment system and three-row climate control.
What's Edmunds' take?
No more exciting than before, the Highlander will continue to appeal to buyers looking for a minivan that doesn't look like a minivan. — Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor
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