One thing that really sets your driving reviews apart is you judge the car on its own terms. Too many reviewers are entrenched in enthusiast thinking, which is really a minority in car drivers. Not every car is going to knock your socks off; competence has many flavours.
Leased 23 Highlander platinum.. The Highland has every option I’ve ever wanted excellent power extremely satisfied with the four-cylinder turbo engine highly recommended!!!
Well said. I think it's a compliance thing as we move towards an electric future. We're in this middle-ground where companies like Toyota are ditching their tried and true engines and replacing them with complicated hybrid systems that really don't add much benefit and sacrifice the overall refinement of the original powertrain.
@@saiーツThe problem with this “electric future” compliance is that at this point it is nothing more than an unrealistic poIiticaI mantra that is hurting the not weaIthy working class and is making products even more dealer-dependent, unreliable, and disposable than they ever were.
The platinum is worth it, leased a 24 4cyl turbo very happy with the power! Handling is great.. the platinum package is pure luxury.. nicer than my Lexus GX
I just purchased the platinum I absolutely love mine. I got the pearl white with the glazed caramel interior.i only have 245 miles on it so I can’t give any mpg information. The head up display can’t be seen with sunglasses on and I live in Florida…
We have a V6 2021. It sounds good and is smooth but the 8-speed gearing isn’t well suited to the powerband and we average ~18-19mpg. The 2.4T sounds like a better match for the existing transmission and if it can average 23-24mpg probably a better option than the V6.
@@Camrydriver-ft2xy Any transmission demands power or torque to shift efficiently hence low-end torque matters that help shifting the operation efficiently. VW uses the same Aisin of Toyota, that is available in Tiguan and Atlas. And they work great with Turbocharged. I am guessing Toyota turbo is tuned efficiently with Aisin 8 speed. ZF-8 speed is another world that may suit V6 very efficiently.
@@Camrydriver-ft2xy It is natural aspired 4 cylinder engine. You gotta rev bit hard to get the transmission shifting going on. In Turbo, it is low-end torque that does the shifting for you. In natural aspirated inline-4 or v6, you gotta rev to get going. I tried that engine in rav4. When I revved hard, the transmission was on point.
Great review. I test drove this car today and you were very helpful. We are looking for a comfortable everyday car. We have a sports car and want the full opposite experience. Soft suspension, quiet cabin, and comfortable road tripper. Fits the bill perfectly and will probably buy this in the near future. Thanks!
Palinum version, but they didn't even bother to build monitors into the back of the rear seats. You feel like a shuttle bus driver when there are so many empty seats in the back :)
this car is nice. I look forward to seeing the powertrain refinement improve overtime. Not saying it lacks refinement but I think there could be a little adjustment here and there.
My uncle was looking to purchase a 3-row SUV in 2019 to haul our family during road trips. He narrowed it down to the Highlander and the Honda Pilot and ultimately chose the pilot because it just had a noticeably roomier 3rd row. Only complaint from him is the gas mileage (20 city), which isn't too bad given its size and practicality.
Even though the 2.4L turbo doesn’t sound as refined as the old V6, I think it sounds better than the droning natural 4 cyl in the hybrid, with its CVT. Personally, I’d rather have the turbo and not be forced to deal with battery replacement and higher insurance for it.
The 2.4L Turbo has only been out for a couple of years, I guarantee that Toyota will continue to refine it over the years, it is a turbo 4 cylinder after all, and a refined turbo 4 is usually almost completely silent. Like the 2.0Ts in some VWs and Audis are super refined and quiet.
I Love This Car But For Me This Is Not Perfect Fun Fact My Dad Booked The 2023 Toyota Highlander Platinum Hybrid And My Dad Chose Some Different Things He Chose The Wind Chill Pearl Exterior And The Glazed Caramel Interior Without The Running Boards But With The Dash Cam
I test drove a 2022 highlander platinum, i am honest the interior was nice but the ride was all over the place. Felt like a big boat. I currently own a 2011 MdX with SH-AWD and my car rode better than the highlander. Great seats in the front, plenty of space in the back but i was not sold on it. I rode the 2022 because i am looking for a 6cyl version intsead of 4cyl turbo.
How much of that engine noise do you think is generated and piped through the stereo? Also, it sounds pretty noisy in the car over all those expansion joints (or whatever they are) coming at fairly regular intervals. Some of it is likely tire noise...
Miss the V6. I test drove the Highlander with the V6 and hybrid. It was no context. The V6 drove so much better. But yeah, the hybrid gets much better gas mileage. Haven’t driven the turbo 4 cylinder yet.
I have a question about the arm rest on the driver side , not sure on the passenger side but heard there's no place to lean your arm on the arm rest ? Could you answer for me ?
Great Review. I am hoping that Toyota will offer a 5 passenger version of this Highlander now that the Grand version is offered. I want the interior space and cargo space but don't need the third row.
Hi there, you mentioned in the vid about the mileage….I have a 2023 Highlander Hybrid Platinum and drove it to the east coast and back this past summer. I choose to put in premium fuel though, but I was able to get 41 MPG both ways, so hybrid is excellent with Toyota!!
I’m pretty sure a law was signed saying that cars needed to get 30 mpg average combined by like 2030 or something, if i recall correctly. People seem to forget that. Still doesn’t make sense to drop the V6 and I think even their V6 HYBRID was dropped too. I swear Toyota is starting to show that they want to make cars with engines and components that break over time, all to make MONEY, just like this turbo four eventually. I don’t think Toyota is going to be far off from being a brand only as good as, if not worse than, Hyundai and Kia if they start to do these business practices more and more over time. I fully believe it’s for the sake of making money off of us. I’m not surprised people who own older Toyotas say that new cars, even Toyotas, are a scam compared to older cars of any brand.
Eco terrorism, and leftists finally getting what they want. There are countries that will be banning the sale and registration of ICE cars, thus effectively phasing out fossil fuels in favor of electric for "MuH EnViRoNmEnt".
@@faheemabbas3965 It's more about emissions than mpg. The turbo 4 has 50% less emissions than the old V6. Toyota isn't new to turbos, the 2.0T in the old NX was very reliable. This new 2.4L is using the same design as the 2.5L in the RAV4 and Camry, which has proven to be very reliable. I've seen many current gen Camry and RAV4 with 300k-500k miles on forums without any issues. It's a strong engine to put a turbo on.
Oh, another 2.3L Turbo? Why I feel like 2.3L for a Turbo 4-cyl is the magic number? The good old Saab B235 2.3L Turbo, Ford 2.3L Ecoboost, Mazda Speed 2.3L Turbo, Honda/Acura RDX 2.3L Turbo etc...and now this!
Little surprised, I thought all start stop systems worked the same way with the brake pressure. I've only ever had one modern automatic car, mk 7.5 GTI DSG, and the start stop system worked the same way
Probably it is different on the hybrid version as hybrids use the electric motors to take off, so i assume it turns on the engine later and can turn it off earlier as well and works differently from the common brake pressure non hybrid one. And as mentioned in the video topher owns a hybrid highlander so that may be the reason why he brought that up.
That interior really does indeed look outdated and chintzy, (expected it coming from Toyota, especially). There's a reason why these aren't as popular as the competition such as the Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Pathfinder (the one without the CVT).
@@Superman-xr1oh and the people who say Kia and Hyundai choose style over reliability. Couldn't be any more wrong. My 2015 Kia already outlasted two of my Toyota's, and one of those Toyota's was newer than my Kia. That Toyota's transmission died at 78,000, mi
@@bigrunts9768 Less weight, less materials used, shorter vehicle is easier to park and fit in places. It won't happen I imagine just thinking of placing the electric motors and stuff for the hybrid, but it was a thought.
I would never buy the upper trims. Unnecessary, additional expenses! LE, AWD is what I’d buy. The interior is great, need to update the front grill. No thanks to the hybrid not enough horse power, I don’t worry about buying gas. PS, 20” wheel is just not practical, especially in snowy, pothole ares like mine!
This Highlander uses the 2.4L 4-cylinder Turbo and not the much smoother V6. That’s why it’s loud and especially rattly. This is why people are freaking out about Toyota ditching the famously reliable V6 in even their Lexus lineup, because why pay so much for a comparatively unrefined 4-cylinder? I think people forgot that a law was signed saying that 30-mpg average needed to be achieved on all cars by like 2030 or something iirc. On top of markups and year-long waitlists for even the simplest of Toyota Hybrids, I’m not surprised Tesla has been gaining sales thanks to their direct-to-consumer model.
@@faheemabbas3965 that’s a problem of Toyotas making. Even their recent v6 engines are louder than previous ones. It’s Akio Toyoda’s asinine chase towards “no more ‘boring’ cars”, a tagline competitors came up with that he foolishly fell for. He’s ruining toyota and Lexus with that mission. Even going as far as piping in engine noise through the speakers. He is a total failure in my book.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
One thing that really sets your driving reviews apart is you judge the car on its own terms. Too many reviewers are entrenched in enthusiast thinking, which is really a minority in car drivers. Not every car is going to knock your socks off; competence has many flavours.
I love it when other reviewers do a launch it does less than 6 seconds but then compares it to a porshe or lambo so its slow lol
that doesnt matter... just because youre clueless doesnt mean other are.
@@Kinja_What?
@@Superman-xr1ohhe’s just rambling 😂
@@nuurrnzz Fr, lmao.
I just love how calm and almost non-biased his reviews are. As a regular guy I’d rather relate to him than anybody trying to sell me a car
Leased 23 Highlander platinum.. The Highland has every option I’ve ever wanted excellent power extremely satisfied with the four-cylinder turbo engine highly recommended!!!
Any issues with the highlander 10months later?
@@dejanpintar5005
Hi no issues !
Hi Chris, thank you for another balanced review; very helpful!
For almost no improvement in mpg, dropping the bulletproof v6 for that price tag is quite disappointing
Well said. I think it's a compliance thing as we move towards an electric future. We're in this middle-ground where companies like Toyota are ditching their tried and true engines and replacing them with complicated hybrid systems that really don't add much benefit and sacrifice the overall refinement of the original powertrain.
I got a Pilot because of this engine
@@saiーツThe problem with this “electric future” compliance is that at this point it is nothing more than an unrealistic poIiticaI mantra that is hurting the not weaIthy working class and is making products even more dealer-dependent, unreliable, and disposable than they ever were.
@@saiーツBuy the electric car, now!
One of the major emissions dropped by 50%. That was the reason they did it.
The platinum is worth it, leased a 24 4cyl turbo very happy with the power! Handling is great.. the platinum package is pure luxury.. nicer than my Lexus GX
How did you find the fuel economy on them?
I just purchased the platinum I absolutely love mine. I got the pearl white with the glazed caramel interior.i only have 245 miles on it so I can’t give any mpg information. The head up display can’t be seen with sunglasses on and I live in Florida…
@@lindacook4032 Thoughts after 6months?
We have a V6 2021. It sounds good and is smooth but the 8-speed gearing isn’t well suited to the powerband and we average ~18-19mpg. The 2.4T sounds like a better match for the existing transmission and if it can average 23-24mpg probably a better option than the V6.
@@Camrydriver-ft2xy Any transmission demands power or torque to shift efficiently hence low-end torque matters that help shifting the operation efficiently. VW uses the same Aisin of Toyota, that is available in Tiguan and Atlas. And they work great with Turbocharged. I am guessing Toyota turbo is tuned efficiently with Aisin 8 speed.
ZF-8 speed is another world that may suit V6 very efficiently.
@@Camrydriver-ft2xy It is natural aspired 4 cylinder engine. You gotta rev bit hard to get the transmission shifting going on.
In Turbo, it is low-end torque that does the shifting for you.
In natural aspirated inline-4 or v6, you gotta rev to get going. I tried that engine in rav4. When I revved hard, the transmission was on point.
Love it when I see a new Topher video 😊
Great review. I test drove this car today and you were very helpful. We are looking for a comfortable everyday car. We have a sports car and want the full opposite experience. Soft suspension, quiet cabin, and comfortable road tripper. Fits the bill perfectly and will probably buy this in the near future. Thanks!
Palinum version, but they didn't even bother to build monitors into the back of the rear seats. You feel like a shuttle bus driver when there are so many empty seats in the back :)
this car is nice. I look forward to seeing the powertrain refinement improve overtime. Not saying it lacks refinement but I think there could be a little adjustment here and there.
This interior feels very luxurious with the leather in this color.
this is great, too many POV driving videos are just boring drives with no commentary.
My uncle was looking to purchase a 3-row SUV in 2019 to haul our family during road trips. He narrowed it down to the Highlander and the Honda Pilot and ultimately chose the pilot because it just had a noticeably roomier 3rd row. Only complaint from him is the gas mileage (20 city), which isn't too bad given its size and practicality.
Your uncle's car is a Toyota Highlander?
@@bensonwu1238What?
@@Superman-xr1oh What is the model of your car?
@@bensonwu1238 🤡
Gotta love all reviews by Topher 😎
Even though the 2.4L turbo doesn’t sound as refined as the old V6, I think it sounds better than the droning natural 4 cyl in the hybrid, with its CVT. Personally, I’d rather have the turbo and not be forced to deal with battery replacement and higher insurance for it.
The 2.4L Turbo has only been out for a couple of years, I guarantee that Toyota will continue to refine it over the years, it is a turbo 4 cylinder after all, and a refined turbo 4 is usually almost completely silent. Like the 2.0Ts in some VWs and Audis are super refined and quiet.
@@ZoomZoom356I trust the 2.4T Toyota made the 2.0T on the Nx in 2015 Nd tht engine being bulletproof im pretty sure they kept the same formula
I seriously love the cypress green 💚
I Love This Car But For Me This Is Not Perfect Fun Fact My Dad Booked The 2023 Toyota Highlander Platinum Hybrid And My Dad Chose Some Different Things He Chose The Wind Chill Pearl Exterior And The Glazed Caramel Interior Without The Running Boards But With The Dash Cam
I test drove a 2022 highlander platinum, i am honest the interior was nice but the ride was all over the place. Felt like a big boat. I currently own a 2011 MdX with SH-AWD and my car rode better than the highlander.
Great seats in the front, plenty of space in the back but i was not sold on it. I rode the 2022 because i am looking for a 6cyl version intsead of 4cyl turbo.
How much of that engine noise do you think is generated and piped through the stereo? Also, it sounds pretty noisy in the car over all those expansion joints (or whatever they are) coming at fairly regular intervals. Some of it is likely tire noise...
Toyota NEVER Disappoints On ANY Vehicle They have EVER made 😊 ❤ 🎉
Excellent overview, well-balanced and helpful.
Greetings from Turkey🦅
Come on TheTopher, 2023 RX500h, only one more Lexus, you can do it!
Why the hell toyota but a turbo 4cylender in a heavy as suv they should of made it an option to get the v6 as well
Love the color interior, absolutely beautiful
I listen to this review if I'm having insomnia 👍
One of my old classmates in grade 9 said that his mom drives a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
Miss the V6. I test drove the Highlander with the V6 and hybrid. It was no context. The V6 drove so much better. But yeah, the hybrid gets much better gas mileage. Haven’t driven the turbo 4 cylinder yet.
How does this compare to the 2023 Subaru Ascent, in terms of soft, quiet & smooth ride?
Toyota never disappoints
No sometimes it has.
@@fokkerside210 True.
They don’t have automatic folding mirrors on the 2021 version
I have a question about the arm rest on the driver side , not sure on the passenger side but heard there's no place to lean your arm on the arm rest ? Could you answer for me ?
How’s the reliability of hybrid compared to gas model?
2.4Liter 4 banger towing 5000 lbs?
Great Review. I am hoping that Toyota will offer a 5 passenger version of this Highlander now that the Grand version is offered. I want the interior space and cargo space but don't need the third row.
True
Why not just buy it and keep the 3rd row down? 🤷🏻♂️
Don’t like that they added a break in the door chime
Love that watch @TheTopher, is that a Speedmaster?
Hi there, you mentioned in the vid about the mileage….I have a 2023 Highlander Hybrid Platinum and drove it to the east coast and back this past summer. I choose to put in premium fuel though, but I was able to get 41 MPG both ways, so hybrid is excellent with Toyota!!
I really like that green with the tan interior
Which price approximately in US?
When it will come to the middle east if you have any information please?
A 4 cylinder in a Highlander? That just ain't right. What's the world coming to?
I’m pretty sure a law was signed saying that cars needed to get 30 mpg average combined by like 2030 or something, if i recall correctly. People seem to forget that.
Still doesn’t make sense to drop the V6 and I think even their V6 HYBRID was dropped too.
I swear Toyota is starting to show that they want to make cars with engines and components that break over time, all to make MONEY, just like this turbo four eventually.
I don’t think Toyota is going to be far off from being a brand only as good as, if not worse than, Hyundai and Kia if they start to do these business practices more and more over time.
I fully believe it’s for the sake of making money off of us. I’m not surprised people who own older Toyotas say that new cars, even Toyotas, are a scam compared to older cars of any brand.
@@faheemabbas3965 - By my calendar, it's still 2023. I want me a V-8!
Eco terrorism, and leftists finally getting what they want. There are countries that will be banning the sale and registration of ICE cars, thus effectively phasing out fossil fuels in favor of electric for "MuH EnViRoNmEnt".
@@faheemabbas3965 It's more about emissions than mpg. The turbo 4 has 50% less emissions than the old V6. Toyota isn't new to turbos, the 2.0T in the old NX was very reliable. This new 2.4L is using the same design as the 2.5L in the RAV4 and Camry, which has proven to be very reliable. I've seen many current gen Camry and RAV4 with 300k-500k miles on forums without any issues. It's a strong engine to put a turbo on.
Reducing Emissions was the reason.
That's a very interesting choice of color combinations...not a fan.
Can you go the Ga$ money song you used to use on your sound test again?
Oh, another 2.3L Turbo? Why I feel like 2.3L for a Turbo 4-cyl is the magic number? The good old Saab B235 2.3L Turbo, Ford 2.3L Ecoboost, Mazda Speed 2.3L Turbo, Honda/Acura RDX 2.3L Turbo etc...and now this!
It's 2.4L, the title is wrong.
@Jonathan-mp7xghe probably means “Ecoboost” which is the nomenclature for Ford engines
@Jonathan-mp7xg You're right. I meant Ecoboost
Nice color combo, would definitely get the hybrid though.
Oof
Love that new chime
The hybrid is still difficult to get, at least in my area.
I’m buying one in Kuwait it’s kinda good discount costing 6840 kd
Little surprised, I thought all start stop systems worked the same way with the brake pressure. I've only ever had one modern automatic car, mk 7.5 GTI DSG, and the start stop system worked the same way
What's your opinion on start stop systems? I have an old suv from 2004, still uses the ol' key 😂
I would turn off the start and stop. Every time if necessary.
@@Superman-xr1oh not good, but it can be turned off, just have to do it each time.
Probably it is different on the hybrid version as hybrids use the electric motors to take off, so i assume it turns on the engine later and can turn it off earlier as well and works differently from the common brake pressure non hybrid one.
And as mentioned in the video topher owns a hybrid highlander so that may be the reason why he brought that up.
That s engine s reliable?
Does this compete against the Mazda CX90?
in terms of price and size, the Grand Highlander is more comparable.
That interior really does indeed look outdated and chintzy, (expected it coming from Toyota, especially). There's a reason why these aren't as popular as the competition such as the Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Pathfinder (the one without the CVT).
Agreed. But then you have people saying that Toyota chooses reliability over style, as opposed to Kia and Hyundai that choose style over reliability.
@@Superman-xr1oh and the people who say Kia and Hyundai choose style over reliability. Couldn't be any more wrong. My 2015 Kia already outlasted two of my Toyota's, and one of those Toyota's was newer than my Kia. That Toyota's transmission died at 78,000, mi
@@DeadofWinter321 I agree 100%.
Love the green.
Feels like with the engine downsize though they could shrink the front of the vehicle.
Why would they make it smaller?
@@bigrunts9768 Less weight, less materials used, shorter vehicle is easier to park and fit in places. It won't happen I imagine just thinking of placing the electric motors and stuff for the hybrid, but it was a thought.
not the gauge cluster glitching 🙏🙏
For the love of god when are they gonna stop putting these massive shiny crappy black trim around interior pieces it looks like a kids vTech tablet
is it available with manual gear box... not dct or any of those fancy breaky stuffs. i mean real stick shift
I like the Jeep grand Cherokee digital cluster.
Does this have the auto stop start???
Yes. It can be turned off by a push of the button on the left side.
Beautiful vehicle
Kind of amazing how much they’ve changed over the last couple generations, and yet they still put those pointless running boards on there.
I would never buy the upper trims. Unnecessary, additional expenses! LE, AWD is what I’d buy. The interior is great, need to update the front grill. No thanks to the hybrid not enough horse power, I don’t worry about buying gas. PS, 20” wheel is just not practical, especially in snowy, pothole ares like mine!
That's a nice color
I agree we need more green cars in America
@@funnyname9615where can I buy this car from and ship it to Ghana
That greeeeeen! 🤤
The engine is LOUD AS HELL!!!!! That’s one reason why many toyota customers are moving to Tesla.
This Highlander uses the 2.4L 4-cylinder Turbo and not the much smoother V6. That’s why it’s loud and especially rattly.
This is why people are freaking out about Toyota ditching the famously reliable V6 in even their Lexus lineup, because why pay so much for a comparatively unrefined 4-cylinder?
I think people forgot that a law was signed saying that 30-mpg average needed to be achieved on all cars by like 2030 or something iirc.
On top of markups and year-long waitlists for even the simplest of Toyota Hybrids, I’m not surprised Tesla has been gaining sales thanks to their direct-to-consumer model.
@@faheemabbas3965 that’s a problem of Toyotas making. Even their recent v6 engines are louder than previous ones. It’s Akio Toyoda’s asinine chase towards “no more ‘boring’ cars”, a tagline competitors came up with that he foolishly fell for. He’s ruining toyota and Lexus with that mission. Even going as far as piping in engine noise through the speakers. He is a total failure in my book.
moving from toyota to tesla? Its not even remotely comparable lol. Tesla is overpriced garbage too. Trash quality control
@@Mabeylater293 He's not head of Toyota anymore. He's Chairman but Sato is now president and is making changes.
I drove a XSE with the 2.4t. Very rough and sounds like crap. Not worth 53k. I ended up downsizing to a GTI with the 2.0t and it's butter smooth.
Lovely ❤
Nice . Hope Toyota makes cars like this not those ugly ones
I like SUV WITHOUT THE CHROME
loud on the highway
that 4 cylinder more noisy than the v6 , like clacking away.
Had this car as a rental and holy is it a sleeper
It looks like a low rider station wagon.
V6 sounded better and was smoother!
CVT sucks, that’s why I went with turbo
Better spending more n getting a Tahoe
Lol that a mom car
Looks like a tadpole
No V-6 no thanks.
Fantastic car!!!!
no way in hell I buy a 4cylinder turbo