2005 Toyota Highlander

America's love affair with the SUV spawned countless Utility vehicles of every shape and size. There were big ones, tiny ones, half-truck ones, and even sporty ones. But one of the most sensible ones came from Toyota…the Toyota Highlander.

Since most SUV's rarely see much more than a dirt road, manufacturers decided that people might like something that drove like a car, but still had the room and king-of-the-road seating position of a traditional SUV. So what they did was take a sedan platform and put a truck-like body on it. Thus, the "Cross-over" was born.

Now a Cross-over is only as good as the car that it's based on, and the Highlander is based on one of the best. Starting with the Camry chassis, Toyota added loads of usable space along with the refinement and smoothness that you find in every other Yota. The Highlander is manufactured in Japan, so the build quality is excellent. Ride and handing are on-par with other SUV's in this class, and there's enough room for most moderate hauling chores. But the gas mileage is rather poor. Highlanders weigh just this side of 2 tons, and V6 models even require premium fuel. So expect to pay for all this refinement (There is a 4-cyl model, but it feels quite harsh, underpowered and doesn't get much better gas mileage). For a little more money, you can get a Hybrid Highlander. It combines an electric motor with the gas motor to provide much better fuel economy. All-wheel-drive is also available, but of course it doesn't have low-range. Limited models offer the most value for the money since they come with most of the options like leather and fancy wheels.

The Highlander is one of the better choices in the small SUV class. It has Toyota's legendary reliability and build quality, and loads of snob appeal. . YEAR TO YEAR CHANGES FOR THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER: 2002: A standard rear-seat armrest, cabin air filtration, and a redesigned center console are the extent of this year's changes. 2003: For 2003, a full-size spare tire became standard. 2004: Toyota's new 3.3-liter V6 was now available. It made 230-hp and came with a 5-speed automatic. Other new items included an available 3-row seat, and optional curtain airbags. 2005: The gas/electric hybrid was introduced mid-year. It makes a total of 268 hp from both motors and uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). It came in either FWD, or AWD and came standard with head-protecting curtain side airbags covering the 1st and 2nd seating rows; front torso side airbags were also included. 2006: Midyear saw the addition of a Sport model that came with the 3.3-liter V6 and a firmer sport suspension. 2007: Side airbags and curtain side airbags were now standard on all models. . COMMON PROBLEMS FOR THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER: Evaporative (EVAP) Emission System (2001-2003) - $100-$400 Center Air Bag Sensor - Problems typically occur in very cold weather (at approximately 0 degrees F), and can cause the Air Bag System warning light to come on (2002-2003) - $550 Engine Failure - Excessive oil usage, caused by engine oil gelling is typically to blame. Toyota issued an 8 year unlimited mileage goodwill repair for this condition, so check to see if the engine has been replaced (2001-2002) - $5,000