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Toyota’s 2023 Highlander Limited AWD is a capable vehicle with a muscular stance coupled with a comfortable, tech-laden ride. That’s according to Brian Byl, who spent a week testing the Highlander around town and out on the highway. Upon first laying eyes on the ‘23 Highlander, the Calgarian was immediately struck by the Blueprint paint colour – a deep blue, he says, with a slight metallic to it.
“It was quite stunning,” he says of the hue, and continues, “apart from the paint, the vehicle itself has a fairly large grille, and the rear haunches are sculpted. The side windows get shorter towards the back, and it’s a very appealing look, but I feel it’s similar to a number of the other vehicles in this class.”
Those competitors include SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse, Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Subaru Ascent and Volkswagen Atlas. Byl’s Highlander was equipped with the $1,870 Platinum package, and this added Glazed Caramel leather to the interior – along with a few extras including a digital display rear view mirror and bird’s eye view camera. Overall, to drive it off the lot, the Highlander Limited as equipped would have cost just a bit less than $58,000 with freight and PDI, but before taxes.
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Launched late in 2019 for the 2020 model year, this is the fourth generation Highlander. For 2023, the three-row, seven passenger SUV sees the V6 engine that previously powered it replaced by a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder. All gasoline-engine equipped Highlanders share this powerplant and in all models, it’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Toyota also offers a hybrid version of the vehicle.
At 6-feet 2-inches tall, Byl says he had no trouble entering the cabin and getting settled in the eight-way power adjustable seat with plenty of head and leg room. The driver’s chair also features two-way power lumbar, while the eight-way power passenger seat does not – both, however, are equipped with heating and cooling functions.
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“Again, I really liked the colour of the interior with the Glazed Caramel leather,” Byl says, and adds, “it was very clean, and not too gaudy. It struck me as well balanced with well-coordinated finishes but the 12.3-inch display was hard to miss.” He says it took him roughly 15 minutes to set up the Highlander to his liking, adjusting all mirrors and seat position as well as syncing his phone and tinkering with the JBL audio system and climate controls. All controls were intuitive and relatively easy to locate, he says, with the exception of the odometer reset button. It was in a group of four or five other buttons on the lower left panel of the dash and was something “you don’t want to be searching for while driving,” he says.
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Getting underway, Byl found the 265 horsepower and 310 lbs.-ft of torque produced by the turbocharged 2.4-litre engine gave crisp acceleration, and the console-shifted eight-speed automatic moved through the gears smoothly. “There wasn’t much engine noise that I was aware of,” Byl says, “and while it’s definitely not a race car, there’s plenty of acceleration for what I needed it to do. Road noise was very low, even with winter tires on the 20-inch rims.”
Byl drove the Highlander north up Queen Elizabeth II Highway to Carstairs and also took a shorter trip to Bragg Creek and Millarville. “I tried out some of the Toyota Safety Sense systems,” Byl says, “including pre-collision, lane departure alert with steering assist and road edge detection, automatic high beam and dynamic radar cruise control with curve speed management. I tried the lane departure alert with steering assist to see how it worked. On straight sections of highway it worked fine but as I drove into curves with no manual steering input it did keep the vehicle in the lane but was very jerky and not smooth at all. I wouldn’t depend solely on this to keep me safe.”
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On the Carstairs journey there was a light crosswind, and Byl says the Highlander was stable and had no swaying tendencies while passing large trucks or other vehicles. He adds that the cruise control was able to maintain the set speed very accurately. He didn’t pay close attention to the fuel economy, and spent most of his time with the vehicle engaged in Sport mode – so didn’t think he could fairly comment on its thriftiness. There was no snow or ice to test the all-wheel drive capability, but Byl says the Highlander always felt surefooted and confident.
The ride was “quite good,” with no chop or bounce evident in the suspension. Over some gravel washboard sections of road, the Highlander didn’t float, and felt “rock solid.” Handling was nimble in the city, and Byl felt well-connected without any sense of numbness sometimes exhibited by electric power steering.
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Regarding the Highlander’s utility, Byl says the third row seats folded flat into the floor, and that opened up a large cargo bay accessed by a power liftgate. With the third row upright, Byl thought the load carrying capability was significantly decreased.
Byl feels the Highlander would suit a couple who enjoy packing up and taking extended road trips, or a family with two or three children. Towing capacity is rated at 2,268 kg/5,000lbs, so the Highlander should be able to haul a utility trailer or small camping trailer.
Byl says, “Overall, I really like the Highlander and enjoyed driving it. It is a roomy, comfortable, well behaved mid-sized vehicle with good performance, and the interior is nicely appointed and fit and finish is very good,” and he concludes, “It would certainly be on our short-list if we were thinking about a new vehicle.”
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Driver’s Journal
DAY 1
As I backed out of the parking spot, I realized that my vision to the rear and to the sides was very limited and blocked by the middle row seat head restraints and rear pillars. The field of view through the rear window was very small and I was not comfortable with that. I switched the rear view mirror to digital display and the field of view was much better although the width and depth of field would take some getting used to. The ‘Start-Stop’ engine automatically shuts off when the vehicle comes to a full stop and, once the brake is released, starts smoothly with no hesitation. Backing into the driveway using the “Parking Assist” and “Bird’s Eye View” monitors makes it an easy job. I did get out of the vehicle several times on my first attempt until I was comfortable with the clearances.
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DAY 2
The power rear door with kick sensor is a really nice feature. I removed the head restraints from the second row seats as I found the rear view mirror field of view was much better. If you have passengers in the rear seats I think the digital rear view mirror is an absolute necessity. I also had to close the shade on the panoramic moonroof shade as the glare on the digital mirror made it very difficult to see.
DAY 3
I drove around town doing some errands and found it very comfortable and maneuverable dodging traffic. I found the Sport mode very peppy and fun. I love the blind spot monitor – definitely required in the city. I wish our vehicles had it. I didn’t get a chance to program the garage door opener. I also found out that my iPhone is compatible with the Qi charging system. Finally no cords to fool around with.
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DAYS 4-5
I had to do a quick trip across the Canada/USA border so I didn’t drive the Highlander. I also planned to do some night driving but ran out of time.
DAY 6
My wife and I decided to do a little tour to Bragg Creek and the area to find out her thoughts on the ride and comfort. We did some driving on gravel roads with some good washboard sections. Again, it was steady and showed no signs of jumping around. I find the Digital Rear View mirror gives a much wider view but I found it difficult to see vehicles behind us until they got quite close. I think that it would take some time for me to become comfortable enough to use it all the time. My wife found the 8-way power adjustable passenger seat very comfortable. The heated seats can be left on the high settings without getting too warm. We didn’t get to try the ventilated seat function.
DAY 7
Time to return the Highlander. After a week of driving, I found there was little to dis-like with the vehicle. All controls are easy to operate and accessible. I finally tried out the back seat to see how I would fit. I’m 6-feet 2inches tall so when I’m driving my seat is all the way back. I had no problem getting in the rear seat behind the driver. While I’m sure it might get a little uncomfortable for me on a long trip for shorter people and in town trips there is more than enough leg and headroom.
