Used 2017 Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A) Consumer Reviews
Used Highlander for sale
Wow!
Chris, Reno, NV, 03/25/2017
updated 11/13/2023
Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
45 of 45 people found this review helpful
We traded in our beloved 2007 Highlander for the 2017 because we needed the higher tow capacity. Wow, wow, wow! We feel enveloped in luxury and comfort. The 2017 has a much steadier ride, top quality materials and is more comfortable and roomy. We owned the Sport version previously because I hated the sloppy body roll on the regular 2007 Highlander. The XLE 2017 has a more responsive ride and corners better, it is much smoother and steadier overall and all of the seats are roomier and very comfortable. Love the telescoping steering wheel, front shelf and pop-up hatch window, too. I am struggling with the new technology, but learning to love and appreciate it fast. The Stop Start system works really well once you get the hang of how and when to use it and is almost undetectable in use. Some of the climate controls are not intuitive (update-after owning this vehicle for one month...I am STILL struggling with the climate controls...only thing I can complain about really) and wondering why MPH not digitally displayed. Hoping this new Highlander is as reliable as our 2007! I am 5'6" husband is 6'5" and we both find it very comfortable, my husband can't stop raving about this vehicle either. Wow! Look forward to every drive now! Update: No issues after a summer of driving and towing. Towing is strong and steady. 1 year update - Vehicle is great, no problems about 10,000 miles. Handles snow and ice superb, my old Highlander did not. Also the 4wd button option has been used numerous times and worked perfectly for the situation for us. EnTune is the only consistent headache for me. It doesn't always work well with my phone/Pandora accounts and I have to reconnect constantly (no Pandora music if I don't). Small issue with rear bumper 'melting' in a small spot near exhaust - Toyota is replacing at no charge. We love the vehicle, it is perfect for our lifestyle of mountain biking, camping, hauling dogs around for hikes and bikes.....2 year update-vehicle running great. No issues. 2022 Update - No issues other than rodent damage repair on a wiring harness. 2023 Update - No issues. Running great.
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Growing Appreciation and Satisfaction
Jim, Cocoa, FL, 05/20/2017
updated 11/26/2017
Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
64 of 66 people found this review helpful
Bought this car as a downsize. Traded in my 17 mpg Sequioia. This car is MUCH smaller, much easier to drive, and much more "car like". This is my second review. The car is roughly 5 months old & has 3600 miles. No mechanical problems thus far. The ride is comfortable. The front & middle seats are very spacious and comfortable. The dashboard display is clear & intuitive. Ride comfort is very good, but to be fair, roads where I live are very smooth. Those who have criticized this car's acceleration are misguided. We drive with the car in "eco" mode. Acceleration is MORE THAN ADEQUATE!!!! Step on the gas, and the car moves. Overall mileage has been spot on EPA estimates: roughly 22 mpg, with a bias of 65% to 75% city driving. As for highway mileage, we took our first "semi-long" highway drive the other day, 300 miles round trip, 95% highway driving, set the cruise control at 68 mpg, and realized 28.4 mph upon fill up. So, a 290 hp 3 row SUV, with full time all wheel drive, with air conditioning running the whole time, returned 28.4 mpg over a 300 mile trip. Need I say anymore about fuel efficiency? Pretty impressive, in my opinion. If this car holds up like previous Toyotas, it's a no brainer, and should be on anyone's short list of 3 row. mid-sized SUVs. 11 months and 9,000 into ownership, we have only grown to appreciate this car more.
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2017 Toyota Highlander for sale near you
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Very Disappointing At This Point!
Greg, Loveland, CO, 01/10/2017
Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
194 of 208 people found this review helpful
Our new Toyota Highlander with the XLE package has been in the shop even before we received our license plates! We did have 5 1/2 weeks of "new car happiness". Then, while out of town, the tailgate would no longer close (automatically or manually). Then the automatic open/close completely ceased working as well. It is designed so you can manually move the tailgate up and down, but with the latch in locked position and refusing to open, we could no longer secure the door closed. I removed the access panel for the latch and tried to open it, unsuccessfully After calling and speaking with service departments at two dealerships and to a Toyota phone rep, we were still unable to resolve closing the tailgate. In fairness, the service departments did several steps of troubleshooting with me over the phone. But to no avail, - during our 140 mile trip back home, I secured the tailgate with a rope connected to the locked latch. I visited the dealership after returning home. They said the latch has malfunctioned. They also could not open it. The electronics for the auto opening & closing tailgate and the struts (lifters) may also need replacing. They ordered a new latch and said they would replace one thing at a time and troubleshoot until resolved. No time estimate was given since they couldn't tell how many components would need replacing. I asked about a loaner vehicle, while the work was to be done. The dealership said that they don't have loaners, but they do have rentals. They said they were unwilling to "loan" me a rental, because they'd have to bill Toyota for the rental fee. How's that for taking care of your customers!!
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Transmission Failure at 8,253 Miles - Lemon!
Jay, Andover, MN, 01/20/2018
updated 08/02/2019
Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
44 of 46 people found this review helpful
Update: we received a refund after a very long process with the National Center for Dispute Settlement. After a unanimous decision by arbitration board, Toyota was required to repurchase the vehicle under the Minnesota Lemon Law. We purchased a new 2017 Highlander XLE after comparing it to several other vehicles in it's class. Toyota touts quality and safety features as their biggest sales pitch, seems it's there every time we turn on a tv. The transmission problem occurred at 8,253 miles, lucky for my wife, she was at a red light when the transmission failed and nobody was injured. The vehicle was hauled to local Toyota dealer on a flatbed & sat at the dealership for 52 days. We were told by dealer that a "new" transmission was back-ordered from California. After picking up the vehicle I noticed the workorder stated: "part number 30510-48600-84 REMAN ATM and CORE RETURN". Remanufactured parts should not be used to repair a brand new vehicle under factory warranty, which hasn't seen it's first oil change. The day after picking it up I drove the vehicle and very excessive power train noise was present. Vehicle went back the the shop & they replaced both front wheel bearings at 8,392 miles and it sat in the shop another 3 days. Neither one of these repairs should occur on any new vehicle or a vehicle under 100,000 for that matter. Toyota Corporate has been less than helpful & we're currently going through the lemon law process. Toyota has lost another long time customer, if I could rate the 2017 Highlander 0 stars I would.
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Early Review - Good Car, Good Value
Jim, Cocoa, FL, 01/28/2017
updated 01/30/2019
Toyota Highlander XLE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
80 of 86 people found this review helpful
I took delivery of this car just a month ago, so this is a preliminary review. I can't comment on reliability, maintenance cost, etc. I haven't owned the car long enough, but my experience with Toyota has always been outstanding. Currently, we only have 750 miles on the car, so most of the "review categories" with respect to reliability & value that I rated "OK or N/A" could not be rated because I haven't driven the car enough. So, disregard those. This car for me was a downsizing. We traded in a 2011 Sequoia SR 5 4WD with 54,000 miles. It had never been back to the dealership after delivery and was trouble free. We purchased the car in November '11, after the '12s were on sale, and walked out the door with the $40,850 sticker price Sequoia for $35K exactly. Anyone who disputes Toyota's resale value, I received $22K for this trade 61 months later and 54K miles later. So the car cost me $213/month. I couldn't have leased it for that price. Additionally, Earl Stewart Toyota in Palm Beach, FL discounted my new Highlander by $2700 off the sticker. No hassle, no haggle. What a great dealership!!!! Now for the Highlander. The XLE for 2017 now comes with blind spot monitoring, radar cruise control & lane departure warning standard. These were not available on XLE trim in 2016. It also comes with start/stop technology & Toyota's new 8 speed transmission. It cost about the same as the 2016 model that didn't have these features. The Highlander is much smaller than the Sequoia, (193 inches vs. 205, and a little smaller in width) and is much easier to drive. There is plenty of space in the front & middle rows. It is the 3rd row and cargo area where most of the space is lost. Space it tight back there compared to the Sequoia for any adult no matter how much the front two rows are adjusted. The only 3 row, mid-sized SUV with a roomier 3rd row was the Honda Pilot, but it's interior design paled in comparison to the Toyota & the advanced safety features I mentioned required taking a high trim level Pilot costing $1000s more than the Highlander. With the third row folder, cargo capacity is generous, though not as large as that of a Honda Pilot. As far as performance is concerned, even though we keep the Highlander in "economy mode", acceleration is plenty brisk, and there is no trouble merging onto a highway. Those who report this car is underpowered are misguided. It's not!!!! It's not a Mustang GT or Corvette fast, but next to the Pilot, CX-9, Pathfinder & MDX, it is class competitive. The interior is very well put together, somewhat elegant, with lots of storage and the leather seats that are very comfortable. The ride is generally supple, especially on smoother roads, but harsher impacts are a little more noticeable than in the Sequoia. The back up camera & navigation work extremely well. So far mileage appears to be better than expected. We drive conservatively, which helps. Doing mostly stop & start, city driving (75 to 80% of the time), with the air conditioner on, Tank 1 yielded 21.5 mpg and tank # 2 returned 22.5 mpg. EPA is 20/26. The start/stop technology works well, but it can be felt. So far, We are extremely pleased with the Highlander. It's perfect for a family of four or five, provided the 5 aren't all adult size individuals. I'll post an updated review in a few months once we have accumulated a few thousand miles. After two years and 18,000 miles, no problems at all. The car exceeds expectations in every way. Highway trips yield a little over 30mpg, pretty impressive for a 300hp AWD SUV. In fact better than my Hyundai Genesis did without all wheel drive.
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