2017 Toyota Highlander: First Impressions
CARS.COM — The refreshed 2017 Toyota Highlander SUV is nothing but good news … for family SUV shoppers who are preparing to buy a 2016, or already have. Unless you’re particularly moved by powertrain upgrades and the promise of more power and efficiency, there’s not much to get excited about here.
The grille now plunges down to the very bottom of the bumper, recalling Lexus’ “spindle” grilles, but without the spindle shape. It’s exactly the type of design that will be deemed by impulsive people to be the ugliest thing they’ve ever seen — only to blend in after a few months on the road and go completely unnoticed. The version on location at the 2016 New York International Auto Show is the new SE trim level, on which the grille is completely black. We’ll have to see some other trims and their silver and chrome grilles to determine if they are more or less appealing.
One good thing I can say about the SE’s grille is that the whole giant thing appears to be perforated — in other words, at least it’s a functional grille.
The other SE treatments, including exclusive wheels and darkened headlight clusters, give it a slightly sportier look, but once again it’s difficult for us to get excited, because Toyota’s SE trim levels come with sport suspensions that consistently are firm and less comfortable without much payoff in sportiness. If anything, the Highlander’s suspension tuning needs to go in the other direction.
The most welcome development in the 2017 lineup apart from the powertrain changes are that the 2017 Highlander’s hybrid version will come in more affordable LE and XLE trim levels in addition to the current Limited and Limited Platinum trims.
