Used 2017 Toyota Highlander Consumer Reviews
Used Highlander for sale
THE BEST HIGHLANDER TO BOOT!
Ben Richards, 12/16/2016
2017 Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
24 of 27 people found this review helpful
The 2017 redesigned Highlander is the best SUV on the market. It still retains the luxury SUV feel and comfort, all while bringing in new and improved upgrades! The new upgrades to the transmission makes stressful driving a thing of the past, with its comfortable shifting, cruising when you need it and power when you really need to step on it and put the pedal to the floor! And let me tell you, this baby has 5 USB ports! Who needs 5 USB ports you ask? Any family where the kiddos need to be constantly attached to their devices, thats who! That is genius on Toyota's part, now I dont have to listen to my kids complain and moan while we are all in the car. All I have to do is plug them in and they shut up for hours! I wouldnt consider anything other than the brand new 2017 Highlander, it has comfort, luxury, and power! I dont know what that other guy was talking about, if he really drove a Highlander he would know that everything pales in comparision to this beast of a machine! Plus, its got black tires, and who doesnt love that?
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Stranded on interstate. Transmission failed.
Neil Janne, 11/29/2017
2017 Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Was telling everyone that it was best car I ever owned...before the transmission totally failed. Twice. First time required flatbed truck to dealer. Dealer claimed to fix with software update. Next day total failure on interstate. Many miles from home. Again flatbed truck to nearest dealer...different dealer. Sunday so it was closed. Son had to drive hours to pick us up. Monday rented car. Not until Friday did dealer call with verdict. Transmission totally broke..must be replaced.. but alas none available. Will be four weeks before a new one is shipped...still driving rental car.
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2017 Toyota Highlander for sale near you
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Great SUV just has some flaws
Scott K, 02/02/2018
2017 Toyota Highlander Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
This SUV is almost perfect in every way but there are some flaws. The ride is quiet and smooth and you feel safe and most features are great. We've put 28k on this in two years so it's been put to the test. Tons of room and seating is plentiful. But there are some problems that you should know before you spend what is basically luxury SUV prices. The front seats are OK but firm. Hard to go much longer than a few hours before you need to stop. The entertainment system absolutely doesn't work correctly. You have to disconnect and reconnect all of the time. Our 2008 Camry worked better. And our fuel economy (although I would assume this is not the norm), comes in at 18.7mpg - not the 21 town, 26 hwy promised.
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Like it a lot
Dennis, 07/28/2017
updated 02/14/2022
2017 Toyota Highlander Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
18 of 20 people found this review helpful
I have owned a toyota before with the V6 engine and the 6 speed automatic. The 6 speed shifted smooth. The new 8 speed automatic is okay but is a bit of a dog compared to the 6 speed. This car would be perfect if Toyota had left it alone with the 6 speed auto. The 8 speed can't seem to decide which gear it should be in. Update - Have owned this car for 13 months, now have 8900 miles on it. Everything is great except for acceleration. This car is a dog from a standing start. It was so frustrating I was considering getting rid of it. I installed a “PEDAL COMMANDER” on this car. That fixed the problem. I run it in sport mode. Now acceleration is excellent. I don’t know why Toyota could not have designed it right from the start. I find the transmission shifts much better in sport mode where I can manually shift it. Update on 1 February 2019. I have been taking the car to the dealership for routine maintenance because I get 2 years of free oil changes and basic maintenance. The other advantage to this is the dealer will perform any necessary reflashes of engine control and other systems. Last month I got another free oil change and they told me they had some computer updates to do. Whatever they did made a significant difference in the acceleration of the car and transmission shifting. Both were not very good since day one of owning the car. It is much better now, still not as fast as my 2013 Lexus RX350 (accelerates like a scared rabbit) but is quite acceptable. Apparently Toyota has periodic updates to some cars that they don’t necessarily make public, but if you show up, they will do the update. The car is now a little over 2 years old with 14,300 miles on it. I have it set up to tow a Jayco SLX 195RB travel trailer weighing in at 3350 lbs. The Highlander has no problem towing this camper and I get about 15mpg while towing, no complaints about that. When I purchased this Highlander, I made sure it had the factory installed towing package. I still am not thrilled with the 8 speed transmission Toyota put in this car. It is okay, I have gotten used to it. I would still prefer the older 6 speed. If you tow with this car, it is recommended that you leave it in sport mode and do not let it go above 6th gear. 7th and 8th gears are geared up (overdrive) and should not be used while towing. Overall, this is a really good car and is a keeper.
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So far so good...
B.A., 07/25/2017
updated 07/20/2020
2017 Toyota Highlander LE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
Very comfortable. Today 97-98 degrees, a/c comfortable. Stereo good. Bluetooth connection to cell phone/pandora good. Seats very comfortable in front, with firm good support. Would prefer stronger seat covering than cloth, but this is base trim. Would prefer LED or high intensity headlights, but not on this trim. Good acceleration, very good road holding. Road trip from Colorado to Calgary and back via Glacier, Banff, Yellowstone, with 5 adults and baggage comfortable, except for third row seating. Mileage for trip: 24.5 - 25.5 mpg. Car very smooth, and so far, pleasure to drive. Bought Toyota Platinum Extended warranty, zero deductible 125,000 miles, 10 years. Would be great if I never have to use it. So far, I am happy with the purchase. Things to watch for when purchasing: Make sure gas, and temp gauges are working and are accurate. If must be replaced, part of instrument cluster which must be replaced as a unit, and includes the odometer. Toyota can be difficult about this, requiring car to be left at dealer for several weeks while part ordered. Check this thoroughly on test drive.================================================Update 1/15/18: One star removed (now 4 stars) due to perceived cost of future maintenance, see following: This is probably the most comfortable car I have ever owned. It is responsive, quiet, handles well, holds the road well. We are coming from US made Saturns, a 2007 Vue with 216,000 miles and 2004 Ion with 138,000 miles. We keep cars forever, so reliability and longevity are key for us, as well as low costs of ownership, and low maintenance costs. We were looking at RAV4, priced right, but seemed a little cramped... and the salesman suggested Highlander. We drove an LE with V6 and AWD and really liked it. Got a good price and the rest is history. We like how the car drives and looks. Very comfortable, with the performance being there when needed. We are getting approx 24 - 25 mpg with a combination of highway and local driving. We were able to purchase a Toyota extended warranty to 125,000 miles or 10 years (whichever comes first). We would give the car a 5 star rating, except for these items: 1). New plugs are required to maintain the emission warranty every 60,000 miles. To get to the plugs, a manifold must be removed, raising the cost of the service. 2) At 120,000 miles replacement of a brake booster vacuum pump is required as part of regular maintenance. The part alone is over $1,000... and labor is additional. This is required maintenance and not considered an extended warranty item. 3) The wheels appear to be alloy wheels. However, they are coated with clear plastic, which looks like they could be damaged by scraping a curb (ours are still fine, fingers crossed). There seems to be no way to repair this damage other than replacing the wheel, which I am told cost $700 each if purchased from Toyota. I would like Toyota to focus a bit more on low cost of ownership. 4) We have not experienced this problem as we have an LE (manual rear hatch) but there are some reported instances of failure of the electrically operated rear hatch on other Highlander models. Update July 2020: This continues to be a very good car. No issues with this product. We feed it regular gas, its is garage kept, and gets regular dealer maintenance. Otherwise no issues. Fun to drive and comfortable. Gas mileage could be better, I am getting around 24mpg combined.
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