2006 Toyota Highlander

The Toyota Highlander is a overrated luxury SUV. It is very stylish, comfortable and comes in a great choice of colors. Made for the upper middle class family that wants to look rugged, it is suitable for urban and suburban areas. It does not do well hauling.

The Highlander has all the little pluses that people love, cup holders and heated seats. So much attention was given to these comforts that Toyota seams to have forgotten that quality counts. Many of the complicated high tech systems have faults that can range from annoying to dangerous. I have never towed one of these for a typical break down, but the ECM's adjustable system can cause the vehicle to lurch. I have removed Highlanders from accidents where this was the cause and on many occasions the owners have stated that this problem has repeatedly been reported to Toyota and ignored.

Little things need to be fixed constantly and though not expensive they will nickel and dime you. Things rattle. Bigger problems include the water pump and computer systems. These systems are electronic and some can shut down the vehicle completely leaving driver stranded. The computers can be expensive to fix, as well as changing the cheap tires it comes with. Basic maintance costs average $90-$120, and should be done at least twice a year.

The body of the Highlander is clean and not overdone, it scratches easily though. The interior is comfortable, roomy and holds up well. It can easily carry 7 people and has decent trunk space.

I have cleaned up too many accident caused by the Highlanders lurching to rate this SUV anything higher then a 3. It has many nice features but they all fall short of fully functional.