There's lots of competition in the midsize 3-row SUV marketplace some of them are pretty good choices but the Toyota Highlander it's one of the best let's find out why a family SUV requires an accommodating interior in the Highlander delivers this plenty of room up front the front seats are comfortable on the limited level that we have there's adjustable thigh support that's a nice feature controls are straightforward and simple big buttons for the climate controls giant knobs for the radio and temperature controls even on cars equipped with the navigation system there's big on-screen buttons and it's an easy reach for the driver the Highlander has an attractive interior but it falls short of being luxurious the plastics are nicely grained but they're all hard to the touch there's lots of room in the second row seat these outboard seats they're very comfortable the center seat isn't as comfortable though it's fairly narrow this uneven profile also makes it hard to securely fit a child's seat here but the center seat has a trick it folds up and it lifts out of the way then you store it underneath the center console once you do that you can leave this open as an alleyway to the third row seat or you can put in this tray table access to the third row sees only from the passenger side the seat slides out of the way once you climb into the back though you're gonna find out there's not a lot of space it's best left for the kids at least when you're not using the third row seat it folds flat for plenty of cargo space most Highlanders come with a 3.5 liter v6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic you know no matter what Toyota bolts that powertrain into it does a great job there's plenty of power and decent fuel economy you can also get a four-cylinder version of the Highlander but that version is not available with all-wheel drive the Highlander we're in now is a hybrid version you do give up some towing capacity compared to the normal Highlander v6 back in tow 5,000 pounds.

Disc until 30 500 otherwise you don't really give up any utility you do gain some things out first off the hybrid version it's faster than the normal v6 also it gets phenomenal fuel economy it can get the same fuel economy as a small sedan and keep in mind this is a fairly heavy three row SUV with all-wheel-drive all Highlanders have a compliant ride it does a really good job at soaking up the bumps it's also really quiet inside i Landers biggest drawback is its handling it's totally safe and secure but it's not any fun to drive it doesn't have much agility steering well it's light lacks driver feedback if you want a three row SUV that's more engaging to drive you can look at a Mazda cx-9 or Chevrolet Traverse another drawback especially for the Highlander Hybrid is its price this hybrid limited we're driving it's over 47,000 dollars that's a whole lot of money luckily if you get a more normally equipped Highlander well it's price is comparable to other three row SUVs overall the Highlander makes her a pretty tempting package as a family SUV true if you're looking for something sporty to drive well look elsewhere but the Highlander it's practical its efficient and it's comfortable.