Used 2018 Toyota Highlander LE SUV Review
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the 2018 Toyota Highlander LE SUV.
Most helpful consumer reviews
Disappointed in 2018 Highlander
Debbie L., Mc Lean, VA, 03/27/2019
2018 Toyota Highlander LE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
I have a 2018 Highlander brought brand new from a local dealer. Since I have owned it it has been in the shop 3 times; 1 - paint scratches from rocks on highway (dealer said the paint on new vehicles are thinner), twice for acceleration hesitation. The experience with the acceleration resulted in the RPM going to 5.5 while I was driving down the highway...quite scary. Another time it … tacked at 4.0 when I accelerated going around a corner. The solution - the dealer reset the transmission computer to factory settings because my teenager drove it and could have throw off the computer. WTH!! They told me for me to only drive the vehicle so the computer could get used to my driving habit. After 10,000 miles one would think it already was. Wow...$34K vehicle and was told for me to drive it only. Can't wait to get rid of it. Ridiculous! My 2006 4-Runner is better than the Highlander. NO more Toyota for me!
Great car, but small windows cause poor visibility
DP, Saint Cloud, MN, 09/07/2018
2018 Toyota Highlander LE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
I traded my old 2004 Highlander to this 2018 Highlander. It is very nice and very quiet. Audio is great. However, the windows are much smaller and are higher, so it is difficult to look at both left and right lane marking in parking lot to center your car. While RAV4 has an extra view in the left and right door rear view mirror, Highlander has only one rear view in each mirror. Too much … blind spots and not enough outside views. The car is long, so it makes wide turn and you have to be careful not to make tight turn.
Back To The High Life 😎
Eric Elliott, Tyngsboro, MA, 06/30/2022
2018 Toyota Highlander LE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
I have owned a 2003 Highlander that was passed down from my grandmother. It had 120k on it and I drove it to 220k not one issue NOT ONE !! Unfortunately she was totaled 😞 drove an 09 Altima and 04 Gmc envoy for a while then finally got into a 2020 Camry which I loved !!! But then I got a jetski and dog… also my daughter is getting older so I traded in the Camry and got a 2018 Highlander … LE v6 Awd and wow did I miss the high life lol Rides so similar to my Camry but 10x the space.. yes no apple car play but that’s fixable it’s 2022 people lol that’s getting installed asap…. I don’t have anything to complain about other than yes the transmission does hunt for gears it did that on my 2020 Camry as well ( same one ) but I drove it a lot and didn’t have one issue with it so all in all I’m very happy to be back in a Highlander and hoping I can pass this down to my daughter or her child 😡 !! Lol someday
Poor value-for-money
katekebo, Tucson, AZ, 09/25/2019
2018 Toyota Highlander LE 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
We bought a 2018 model just over a year ago. We have only 23k miles on it now. My job requires more or less regular driving on unpaved roads. Nothing like extreme off-roading. Just gravel forest service roads, usually in good shape but sometimes rain damage makes them a bit rough. In total, I may have accumulated about 1000 miles of driving on unpaved roads. I always drive carefully … keeping the speed between 25 and 30 mph if the gravel road is in good condition, and slow down to 10 mph when hiring rough spots. In spite of that the Highlander is falling apart. The suspension and steering has more play that the company's Ford Escape with 100k miles on the ODO, with 30k being off-road. It's unbelievable that the Highlander would wear out so quickly. With this type of driving the Highlander won't last even 50k miles. Other vehicles we use are a Chevy Suburban, a Dodge Durango and a couple of Chevy pickups. All of them feel much newer than the Highlander in spite of having 4-5 times more miles, and are usually driven way more aggressively. The Highlander may be a decent choice for city driving, but if you need to take it off pavement, it falls apart in an instant. The dealer acknowledges that the suspension and the steering show signs of wear but won't cover anything under warranty because it's not a failure, just wear-and-tear.
UPDATED:
After 3 years of ownership, here are some additional comments:
- Cheap interior - after only 3 years the interior rattles and squeaks like a 1980's subcompact
- Useless 3rd row seat (except if you're Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs) - no normal size human (adult or teenager) can ride in the 3rd seat for more than a few minutes. And in order to make legroom for the 3rd, you need to move the 2nd row all the way front, leaving it with no legroom, too. Whoever believes than the HL is an 8 passenger vehicle I invite them to ride in one in the rear sit together with another 7 adults. The only way you can fit 8 humans in the HL is 2 adults in the front and 6 toddlers in the back.
- Small trunk - the useless folded 3rd row seats takes up so much of interior space that it leaves you with very little cargo space for the vehicle of its class. The trunk floor is very high, making loading heavy objects difficult. And the cargo floor isn't flat, but slopes towards the back, so all the stuff in the trunk slides towards the rear hatch when driving.
- Towing capacity - Toyota claims 5000 lb, but it's only a marketing gimmick, because Toyota didn't wire the HL for trailer brakes. Ford Explorer and Chevy Traverse come properly wired with 7-pin connector. Toyota's towing capacity claim is false advertising.
- Uncomfortable and wobbly ride - it's stiff when going over rough road and wobbly when cornering. It behaves exactly opposite of how it should. I had cars in the past that had superb ride and handling, so it is possible to have both in the same vehicle - if it's properly designed. Unfortunately Toyota engineers did exactly the contrary.
Edmunds Summary Review of the 2018 Toyota Highlander LE SUV
What’s new
- The Toyota Highlander is unchanged for 2018
- Part of the third Highlander generation introduced for 2014
Pros & Cons
- Pro:Just-right exterior and interior size for many families
- Pro:Standard high-tech safety features
- Pro:Strong V6 engine with good fuel economy
- Pro:Very quiet and pleasantly compliant ride quality
- Con:Third-row seat isn't as roomy as those in many competitors
- Con:Touchscreen and other controls may require an extra-long reach
- Con:Undesirable base four-cylinder engine
- Con:No available Apple CarPlay or Android Auto
Which Highlander does Edmunds recommend?
For the typical Highlander shopper, we recommend the XLE trim level. Priced right in the middle of the Highlander range, the XLE comes standard with the V6 and adds several decent extras to the Highlander's already rich list of standard features, including blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert systems, leather upholstery, heated front seats, and keyless ignition and entry. There's also optional all-wheel drive if you need the extra control. You could certainly get by with the LE Plus or pay more to enjoy the more extravagant Limited, but the XLE is the sweet spot in our opinion.
Full Edmunds Review: 2018 Toyota Highlander SUV
Driving
An appealing combination of a powerful V6, proficient brakes and intuitive, precise steering, plus good handling and decent towing and off-road credentials, place the Highlander among the class best.
Comfort
Lexus lite. The Highlander's seats, ride comfort and utterly silent atmosphere are nearly as good as you'll find in SUVs from corporate cousin Lexus.
Interior
With a couple of exceptions (e.g., some long reaches for controls), the Highlander's interior is highly competitive in terms of access, space and ergonomics.
Utility
Overall cargo capacity is average for this segment, which should translate to abundant room for most families. Small-item storage is very good.
Technology
The Highlander's standard suite of safety technology is a nice plus, especially if you don't have the money for a range-topping model. The infotainment interface is pleasantly easy to use.
Edmunds Insurance Estimator
The Edmunds TCO® estimated monthly insurance payment for a 2018 Toyota Highlander in Ohio is:
not availableLegal