2013 Toyota Highlander

Although it has spacious seating in the first two rows, decent cargo space, and high safety ratings, the Highlander has a weak four-cylinder base engine and doesn’t handle particularly well around turns. In the segment, the 2013 Toyota Highlander competes directly with the 2013 Honda Pilot, 2013 Ford Explorer, and 2013 Mazda CX-9. The safety features and ratings make it emerge victorious among its competitors.

The 2013 Toyota Highlander is available in four trim levels: Highlander (Base), Plus, SE, and Limited. The 2013 Toyota Highlander is available with a choice of two engines. The base model can be had with a 2.7-liter inline-4 engine that produces 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. Optional for the base, Plus, and SE, and standard on the Limited is a 3.5-liter V6 that's rated at 270 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed automatic and front-wheel drive are standard, although all-wheel drive is available as an option.

We Recommend

We recommend the SE trim which offers the best combination of price and value. As a family car, the price of the SE trim, at $39,000, is a sweet spot for purchasing. It has the best price to performance ratio among all the options. It has all the major necessary features in it, making it the best trim choice for your money.

The base model can be had with a 2.7-liter inline-4 engine that produces 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. Although a more powerful 3.5L V6 engine is available, which comes standard with the top-end Limited trim. A Highlander Limited AWD sprints from zero to 60 mph in just 7.5 seconds, which makes it one of the quicker crossovers on the road. With front-wheel drive, the Highlander V6 returns EPA estimates of 18 city/24 highway/20 combined. Adding all-wheel drive drops these numbers to 17/22/19. Properly equipped, a Highlander V6 can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

In comparison, the 2013 Mazda CX-9 offers a slightly more powerful engine, and that also shows in its 0-60 mph time of 7.3 seconds, which is the best in the competition. The 2013 Toyota Highlander manages to get an upper hand in the top speed department as it can reach up to 130 mph. When comparing the price tag, the Highlander is the most expensive option in the segment.

The base model with a 2.7-liter inline-4 engine has EPA fuel economy estimates of 20 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined. The 3.5-liter V6 has EPA estimates of 18 in the city, 24 on the highway, 20 mpg combined. Adding all-wheel drive drops these numbers to 17/22/19 in the V6 configuration. The SUV comes with a fuel tank capacity of 19.2 gallons, resulting in a highway range of 422.4 miles.

The 2013 Highlander is not very fuel-efficient considering that its rival such as the 2013 Honda Pilot offers a better engine performance and has a higher fuel-efficient package overall. The Highlander has a low fuel economy, and it comes with a smaller fuel tank, which reduces its overall travel range. The 2013 Honda Pilot stands above the rest in practicality by offering the biggest fuel tank, which consequently helps in attaining a class-leading range.

The 2013 Toyota Highlander has a practical and spacious interior. The Highlander offers the lowest cargo space in this segment at 10.3 cubic feet. The SUV has ample legroom in both front and passenger row seats. It faces serious competition from the 2013 Honda pilot in terms of interior and performance. All the SUVs except the Honda Pilot come with a seating capacity of 7, whereas the Honda offers a space for one more individual inside.

The rear row seats have evidently smaller legroom compared to the 2013 Honda Pilot. The 2013 Honda pilot offers a seating capacity of 8 along with plenty of cargo space and legroom. As we mentioned, Toyota is the least practical as it offers the least cargo space, whereas the Ford Explorer stands on the other end of the spectrum with maximum cargo space in the competition. Major interior features included in the 2013 Toyota Highlander are:

• External Temperature Display
• Rear Seat DVD Entertainment System
• Rear Seat Entertainment
• All-Weather Floor And Cargo Mats
• Cargo Net -Envelope
• Cargo Net - Spider

How intuitive is the 2013 Toyota Highlander's infotainment system?

The Toyota Entune multimedia system which comes standard on the SUV is a collection of popular mobile applications and data services with three years of complimentary access. Once a smartphone is connected to the vehicle using Bluetooth wireless technology or a USB cable, Entune’s features are operated using the vehicle’s controls or, for some services, by voice recognition. The Entune data services include a fuel price guide, sports scores, stocks, traffic, and weather. Other major infotainment features include:

• 6-speaker audio system
• Smartphone integration
• Auxiliary audio input
• Speed sensitive volume controls
• CD player
• 12V rear power outlet

The 2013 Toyota Highlander has a sporty and dashing look to it. Rather than going for a macho and rugged SUV-like image, Toyota has targeted buyers who want the functionality of a big SUV in a vehicle that is both strong and intelligent. The Toyota Highlander has a decent exterior appeal due to its aptly dimensioned body. It has a robustly built exterior body. The 2013 Toyota Highlander has an exterior design that falls between the general design norms of trucks and cars.

The Highlander's profile is lower than the 2013 Honda Pilot, which makes sense given it shares a common platform with the Toyota Camry. Large rear doors provide more space to easily access the third-row seat, and the flip-up tailgate opens high to minimize bumping your head on the corners. When comparing the ground clearance, all the SUVs except the Ford Explorer come with a clearance of 8 inches. Major exterior highlights of the SUV include:

• Chrome door handles
• Halogen headlights
• Fog lamps
• LED tail lights
• Chrome grille
• Roofline spoiler

The Highlander comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, side-impact airbags for front-seat passengers, full-length side curtain airbags, a driver-side knee airbag, and active front head restraints. In NHTSA crash tests, the Highlander earned an overall rating of four stars (out of a possible five), with four stars for frontal crash protection and five stars for side-impact protection. In tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Highlander received "Good" ratings (the highest possible) in frontal-offset, side impact, and roof-strength tests. Major safety features include:

• Fade-resistant brakes
• Traction control
• Side Impact airbags for front seats
• Hill Ascent and descent control
• Tire pressure monitoring system

The 2013 Toyota Highlander is a family-friendly, fuel-efficient, and easily maneuverable vehicle. The reliability of Toyota cars is a major selling point for this car. The base engine offered is less punchy, but this can be avoided by opting for the V6 engine. The overall passenger comfort is slightly compromised when it comes to legroom. But even with its drawback, the 2013 Toyota Highlander receives a big thumbs up from our end.