2005 Toyota Highlander consumer reviews

After owning a Toyota Corolla my first college car. When purchasing an SUV I only shopped Toyota hoping for the same great service. I feel that had I have shopped around as I was only able to afford a base model- I think that I could have gotten more features from other manufactures for my money- I would have liked a car with the outside temp display as this is helpful in the winter predicting ice conditions. Living in the mountains esp. I think that Toyota feels that they can justify higher priced base model vehicles just because of their name. However this Highlander has somewhat uncomfortable -seats. Difficult to see out of -glad newer models have rear cameras. Also would like to see bumpers with rubber covers- these painted bumpers seem to scratch easily- and are ugly after awhile. Gas mileage could also be better-lucky for those that can afford the hybrids. Also my heater is broken, $800.00 to repair so I have chosen to just purchase an extra coat. The moral of the story- Toyotas are not made like they used to be and be sure and shop around -dont just buy a brand-

The most inportant reason I bought this car was for good gas mileage. Sticker 21 & 26. Well not even close. The year I had to travel I 275 the best I ever got was just under 21mpg. Now that I have only a few miles to go with the air on I am getting 14.5 to 16.0 mpg. This is a 4 cyl. & I see no reason the mpg should be so low & the dealership is no help. I put nitro in the tires & now the milage did go to almost 17mpg. BUT this is still less that a 1996 Blazer 6cyl. with 80,000 plus miles. I would not but another Highlander & not advise anyone to if they want any type of good mileage.

First let me start off by saying we have owned this car for 6 months and we have only put 3000 miles on it. It has visited the dealer about every thousand miles. We love the features in the car, the power is great!! and as a around town run around the car functions perfectly. But when you get out on the highway and try to set the cruise at 75 to 80 mph, all of the sudden the wonderful car that we love turns into a SUPER SHIFTING MACHINE. at even the slightest change in elevation the Highlander will jump from overdrive to third gear and tach 5500 rpm, for about 15 second it will then skip fourth gear and jump into overdrive,only to jump back into third and rev out again. Each time I have taken it to the dealer they tell me it all falls within the factory specs. Well then somebody at the factory needs to take it for more than a 25 minute run up the freeway. The constant shifting will drive you bonkers. I hope that I am the only one with this problem and that it can be fixed. it pulls our MPG from the expected 25mpg to around 20-19 so I guess I should have bought the sequoia. I still love Toyotas and I really love the Highlander I just want the problem fixed.

VERY QUIET,EASY TO DRIVE,STRONG ENGINE FOR A MIDSIZE SUV,EXCELLENT CAR AN HIGHLY RECOMMENDABLE TO OTHER

I love this SUV! I have always wanted a Highlander since the day I could remember seeing it for the first time. I like the design, it is a sleek SUV, not big and bulky! It is so easy to drive, it pratically can drive itself. My folks own a Jeep Cherokee and when riding with them I feel like I am on a bumpy ride to no where. I always insist on driving my Highlander when we go anywhere together. It is a smooth ride with plenty of room in the back seat and lots of room in the back (trunk) area. You can easily load 4-5 people and their luggage in this car and go for a trip. The fold down back seats really opens up the car and leaves plenty of room for hauling. I wouldn't be selling this SUV unless I had to. I will buy a Highlander again someday real soon. Everyone who has ever taken a ride in my Highlander loves it. If you don't buy this one still consider buying a Highlander, you'll love it. Also Toyota has been number one in sales for a reason. They have the best performing vehicles for their money, very reliable and fun to drive. In addition I have lived 6 years without seeing snow and I was very nervous about driving this winter, with the Highlander it was a breeze. It has a ETC snow button that provides additional traction to the 4 wheel drive and handles like a beauty in the snow and ice. Not once did I skid or loose control. I can't say enough good things about my Highlander.