The Lowdown on the 2006 Toyota Highlander

The Top Line


Sadly not much has changed from the 2005 model (new sports trim and that’s about it) so the Toyota engineers missed a great opportunity to make a few changes into some great changes. However, that said ... I actually liked this SUV. I had asked for a Ford Explorer or equivalent from Hertz, but ended up with a 2006, 3.3L [Base trim], Toyota Highlander. Having driven this vehicle back in 2003 and 2005 for a week I thought I was going to be in for a boring, uneventful 1100 mile trek all through and around Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The trunk/back seat held everything we needed, the ride was comfortable and quiet, the gas mileage adequate, and all the controls were easy to use and operate. With one notable exception I think the Toyota engineers have come up with a “Jack of All Trades” SUV. I’d rate all the major features of the SUV as a strong B+ or an A-. You could undoubtedly find a competitive vehicle which would outscore it in a few key areas, but not for an overall score.


Being a native Brit, Highlander evokes craggy rock formations, barren windswept Scottish landscape, Duncan McLeod and even Loch Ness – it just does not suit this car/SUV/minivan. Scotland is anything but conservative (it’s also never quiet and comfortable) – this vehicle is conservative. Maybe it should have been called the Toyota Lowlander or the Toyota Accountant ….. although accounting is pretty exciting nowadays with Enron, Sarbanes-Oxley and a new scandal every day, but I digress.


Anyway, with all that said, I had this car for a four day, multi-city tour (and learnt that almost every major city in Ohio starts with a “C”), and despite its dull and boring appearance, once you get to know the Highlander, it turns out that it really isn’t that bad of a vehicle at all, in fact.. it quite surprised me. You know that scene in romantic movies when the hero steps up to the plain Jane secretary, stares into her eyes, removes her glasses and takes down her hair .. and suddenly she’s a Miss World contestant with a stunning smile and bodacious boobs .. that’s the Highlander.


The Market


The Highlander is now in its sixth year of production, having been introduced in 2001. Toyota created a 4-door vehicle that was supposed to combine the best of a regular car, a SUV and a minivan. An admirable goal – the marketing term is a “crossover” SUV, or alternatively a softer alternative to the Toyota 4Runner. The design is car-like unibody, which means you get many of the features of an SUV in a kind of souped-up car design.


The Engine


The Highlander comes with a choice of two engines. Firstly, there is a four-cylinder 2.4L engine – providing 155hp and 162 lb-ft of torque – and offering gas mileage of 22/27 mpg city/highway. Its big brother is the newly introduced (as of 2004) 3.3L V6 at just over 215hp yielding 18/24 mpg city/highway. I had the V6, and based upon its performance, would not even consider the 2.4L V4.
The late 2006 models also feature a hybrid, which obviously isn’t available from Hertz and I haven’t yet had an opportunity to drive.


The gas tank is just a touch under 20 gallons, giving a theoretical range of around 400 miles in mixed conditions. I drove almost exactly 1,000 miles using 42 gallons – so the math worked out to just under 24mpg – pretty good.


Although many reviewers have complained about the engine performance, I found it very sporty. Kick-down from a standing stand got me up to 50-60 mph in quick time, and I never felt the performance to be sluggish or dangerous in any way. Although it’s purely a subjective measurement, acceleration felt faster, and smoother than say a Ford Escape or a Ford Explorer. Road control and noise was minimal, and I sensed no vibration or shimmying up to over 80mph. Several reviewers (public and private) have commented about an overly sensitive VSC system (see Safety section) – but I experienced none of that despite driving through both 85F sunny weather and heavy, heavy rain.


One negative is the tow rating, which maxes out at a puny 3500 pounds. Although if you are seriously looking to tow heavy stuff or do serious off-road driving you can stop right now. This is not the SUV for you!!


The Interior


Base models all provide standard features like power windows, locks and mirrors, cruise control, CD player, air conditioning and all the items you would expect from a good quality, but not luxurious SUV. The Limited edition gives you extras such as a roof rack, auto-headlights, power-driver seat, windshield wiper de-icer, fold-flat 3rd row seat and a upgraded sound system.


My vehicle did not have the foldable 3rd row seat – however, based on prior experience with it I can say that complete with seatbelts it is enough to take two small kids for a decent trip, or two larger kids/adults to the mall or the soccer field, but they will quickly feel hemmed in.


The classic rear seat can comfortably handle three adults, as long as they are reasonably good friends. I would say that anyone taller than about 6ft is going to run out of legroom pretty fast back there though. Of course, the positive about the design is the 38 cubic feet of storage/cargo space available to you behind those seats. The second row has a conventional 60/40 split seat (which is easy to put down/lift up – 10 seconds maximum), opening up 81.4 cuft3. More than enough to handle the groceries. You can also fit two bicycles in the back, as long as you are a little creative and geometrically/spatially aware. In 2005 we managed to fit in four 20” square cartons, a mini-fridge, a printer and about 5-6 other randomly sized smaller boxes, plus two overnight bags, two laptop cases and a partridge in a pear tree.


The car controls are designed for dummies – they are big and easy to find. Not exactly sporty though. For example the radio buttons are huge, and the dash/speedometer is easy to see and understand no matter how you position the steering column. The 2005 model apparently redesigned the trim around the controls, adjusting the depth – which was one thing I disliked about the 2003 model.


The one confusing thing was the center console – it’s just strange. Firstly, the cup holders seem designed for mega-cups (32 ozs). Regular cans of soda rattle around in there. Accessing the storage space inside the console is also awkward and certainly not something to try in a moving vehicle. Lastly I was continually at a loss where to rest my right elbow/forearm. The arm-rest was in the wrong place – I just couldn’t get comfortable. In the end, I ignored it and tucked it back up alongside the seat. My left elbow, however, could comfortably rest on either the window sill or the window control panel.


An interesting design feature is a smallish pull-out cubbyhole to the left of the steering column. A great place to store, important, but small, stuff. Really liked that!





Safety


Every Highlander model/trim comes equipped with 4-wheel antilock disc brakes. Toyota’s technology is Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist – their VSC stability control system. Also included are “automatic” safety features are a tire-pressure warning system and whiplash-reduction front air-bags. I also liked the little feature that showed the airbags were “armed and ready”. Although not in the model I drove, side curtain airbags (front and back rows) and seat-mounted airbags (front) are available.


Crash ratings are all four or five stars out of five, and the vehicle earned a top-grade of “Good” from the IIHS for its offset frontal tests. Although thankfully I was not in a position to have to use any of the safety technology, I felt very safe and secure driving the vehicle.


One feature of the vehicle that really bothered me the most was the handling. Conventional cornering and stability was fine, but the steering was so sensitive that for the first few hours I was continually overcorrecting small adjustments made in the normal course of driving. Literally dropping your hand a half-inch would cause the SUV to veer to one side. I had initially thought this an issue just with my vehicle last year, but as I encountered it this year I checked with a Highlander owner and it’s a systemic problem.


Competition


If you are looking at this car, check out the Honda Pilot. Mitsubishi Endeavor and Nissan Murano as well.


The Bottom Line


I’d say this vehicle is targeted at the family of four or five who are looking for SUV features with a car feel. If you are not going to be going off road, towing or performing other SUV-like tasks the Highlander is worth a look. Performance and economy are good, although the interior space is a little smaller for passengers than say a Nissan Pathfinder. It is safe, by all accounts very reliable, and definitely very drivable – it is just so .. slightly above average … in everything.. it will not set your pulse a-racing or send your heart a-fluttering, so its just kind of there .. As an afterthought I’d be comfortable with my kids driving one of these and knowing that it was safe, reliable and wouldn’t be racing a Porsche away from a red stop light.