No pricing data available at this time. Our Opinion - 2025 Toyota Highlander Review When making a three-row SUV for families, comfort, fuel efficiency, and safety should come first. Thanks to the brand’s reputation for dependability, the 2025 Toyota Highlander easily meets these needs. There are a lot of midsize three-row SUVs that meet those needs and are better in other ways than the Highlander. Some spoilers come from Toyota, like the Grand Highlander, which has more space, and the Highlander Hybrid, which uses less gas. Both of these cars are tested separately. Since its release in 2020, the Kia Telluride has been the best in its class, consistently making our list of the Top 10 Trucks and SUVs. We also suggest that people buy the Hyundai Palisade and the stylish Mazda CX-90. The Highlander does a good job with most of the basics. However, its small cargo space, tight third row for kids, and dull driving experience make us suggest other options. What's New? This year, both the XSE and Platinum models will come with all-wheel drive. The LE Nightshade trim, Moondust paint, and Harvest Beige interior are no longer available. However, heavy metal and cement are now available in some trims. The XSE trim now starts up in Sport drive mode by default. Pros and Cons Pros Using less fuel. A lot of storage options. Lots of safety points. Cons It’s tight in the third row. The ride might get bumpy. There is more space in the Grand Highlander. Engine, Transmission, and Performance For the 2025 Highlander, customers can choose between a regular gasoline engine and a hybrid powertrain. We will review the Highlander Hybrid separately, though. The gas-powered model has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that makes 265 horsepower. It is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that can give you front—or all-wheel drive. For driving around as a family chauffeur, the Highlander has the reliable and steady ride and handling you want. There’s nothing particularly fun about driving the Highlander, but most drivers will find it comfortable. Safety Toyota has made it a point to give all of its cars, including the Highlander, a wide range of features that help the driver. The basic safety package comes with adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, and recognition of traffic signs. Important safety features are: Normal automatic emergency braking that can tell when a person is walking. Normal blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert. Help with staying in your lane and the standard lane departure warning. Internal and External Cargo Capacity The base LE model can fit eight people, but the XLE and higher trim levels can fit captain’s chairs in the second row, which cuts the number of seats down to seven. There is still more space for passengers in the Chevrolet Traverse than in the Highlander’s third row. The extra six inches of legroom is enough for an adult, even though the CX-90’s passenger room is about the same size or a little bigger. In the same way, the Traverse can hold six carry-on bags behind the third row, while the Highlander can only hold four. Quality materials were used to build the cabin, which has a simple, unpretentious look. The Upscale Limited and Platinum models have more frills and leather upholstery, a bigger infotainment screen, ventilated seats, and other niceties. Still, they have fewer features or appointments that are as nice as the Palisade and Telluride. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The Highlander gets 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, but the all-wheel drive model gets only 19 mpg in those areas. We still need to check how well the Highlander uses gas on a 75-mph highway, but we’ll make changes to this article as soon as we do. Infotainment and Connectivity The Limited and Platinum both come with a 12.3-inch setup, but you can choose to get one for the XLE instead. The second one also comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. On the LE and XLE, there is an 8.0-inch screen for entertainment. The rest of the models have analog gauges and a small 7-inch digital screen for information. On Limited and Platinum models, an 11-speaker JBL audio system comes standard. However, it is an option for XSE models. A six-speaker system comes standard. All of the models come with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Models XLE and up come with a wireless charging pad for smartphones. Navigation comes with the top two trim levels, and the XSE also has it. Range, Charging, and Battery Life The Highlander with all-wheel drive went from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. In the 60-mph sprint, the Highlander Hybrid is only a tenth of a second slower than the gas-powered car, even though it uses a lot less gas. Price and How to Choose The XLE trim level is still our favorite because it offers the best value. The XLE adds a power sunroof, wireless smartphone charging, heated front seats, second-row captain’s chairs, and sunshades to the long list of features that come with the LE. We would also pay an extra $1600 for all-wheel drive and the Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation package, which comes with a better stereo system and navigation built into the dashboard.
