Good morning guys! Stay tuned for another video posting at 9am EST today! We generally liked the new 2.4L turbo engine in the 2023 Highlander, but it’s odd how Toyota isn’t offering the XSE in hybrid trim, especially when it’s the only way you can get the RAV4 in this trim. Would anyone here like to see the Highlander offer a PHEV option? 🤔
That is a good question which leads to two questions of my own. 1) Does Toyota have enough battery supply to build a PHEV Highlander? 2) Are people willing to clean the junk out of their garage so they can park their CUV inside near the plug? 😉
As a long time highlander owner, I can sheepishly admit that the tech is very much the achilles heel. Its just plain sub-par. They probably do that intentionally do that to push you to Lexus. The backup camera has literally not changed in the last 8 years !! Thanks for your honest and true to earth review. Loved it :)
They dooooooo and I HATE THAT ABOUT TOYOTA that’s why I’ve always get Hondas, but now I need a suv and I’m afraid imma have to go with the Highlander 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Just drove the 2023 Highlander XLE dealer loaner for about 100 miles today. I really did not like the turbo 4. The lag is pretty significant to me. Maybe it was because I never owned a turbo charged car before so I was not used to the turbo lag. I would prefer a V6. As far as fuel economy goes, I got about 25 miles per hour with mostly highway driving.
Man I am pretty glad I got one of the last Toyota V6. I like how the new XSE, funny enough it just looks like they needed to use up all the LE Camry's front grill, but I rather have a naturally aspirated engine.
I have a’21 Platinum in Blizzard Pearl and Caramel interior, Pano roof with all the bells and whistles. I powder coated the rims gloss black. The red interior is a little much. Glad I got the legendary Toyota V6. Thanks!
Got the 23 highlander xse blacked out with red interior and love it! Im used to it to V8 and this thing really pulls nice. I notice I go over the speed cause it’s too smooth and it doesn’t feel that you are going over the speed . Got rid of a 16 Camaro and 14 civic si coupe and not bad after tax and everything.
@@born2win262 same here. I’m really happy for it and im pretty sure it will last. It just sucks them interest rates are high. With 750 credit I got almost 8% off interest.
People with no clue on how power and torque works will never understand. The V6 power lives at high revs which nobody in the real world uses on a day to day basis. Midrange and low end torque is where a vehicle lives 90% of its life at and thats where the turbo lives on this motor. Its been built and tuned to make normal driving less of a chore than the old V6. 5000lbs on a turbo is better than stressing out that V6 which makes way less torque down low. You need more effort in the v6 to move that load
@@Odat who works on their own new car engine anyway. 90% of buyers dont touch the engine bay under warranty. And you are acting like this is a ford or chevy. Its still built by toyota on the same assembly line as the V6
@@beexiong2995 sure they might not work on their own car but they still have to pay for fixing it!. Will it be reliable?..sure but not as reliable as the NA V6. Gone are the days where you see highlanders with 200k+ miles with only regular maintenance. Time will tell but I’ll bet you money the new turbo engines won’t last as long or be as cheap to own.
@@Odat turbo technology is better than ever. It has been around for ages before you were born. They get bad rep because people go and modify the boost pressure to add more power or dont keep up with oil maintenance. The 90s turbo cars were poorly built and are viewed as unreliable, and people still think its the same thing now. The V6 isnt even as popular as you make it to be. One reason why it's going away. Toyota is probably one of the last companies to move away from it and it is about time.
I actually bought our 2021 XSE with 8500 miles on it almost exactly like this one from Beaman Toyota in Nashville almost 2 months ago but on the waiting list for a 2023. But I think we’re just going to hang onto this one with the V6. I just don’t want to give up that V6 any time soon. The XSE trim can be somewhat tough to get your hands on. But we honestly love ours. It’s exactly what it was built to be and it’s excellent at it. One of the main reasons I got ours is because if anything were to happen me? I know my wife would have a good looking a good looking, comfortable and extremely reliable vehicle for many many years.
Not much if anything changed from 21 to 22. If you want to do a V6 and around Nashville some weekend? You’re more than welcome to use mine for a comparison.
@@olegsharovatov548, I think anyone planning on buying a Highlander should hurry up before the remaining V6's are gone. It's ridiculous that everyone is going 4 cylinder turbo. What's the point? You would think it's because of phenomenal has mileage. But that's not the case. I notice naturally aspirated have better gas mileage than forced turbo 4 because any propensity to save on gas is shifted to quick gas guzzling because the engine struggles to keep up to the turbo.
@@eugeneks86, that's very good! You made a great purchase right there. An AWD V6 engine simply is a delight. The funny and annoying thing about turbo engines is that they don't even have better gas mileage than naturally aspirated engines. So, what is the point is lowering engine size and pairing it to cheap power that doesn't save gas? Oh you know what else I hate about 4 cylinder engines? The raspy growl. So, imagine how much growl you'd have to deal with when you step on the pedals for a boost.
@@georgiafan6618 it's a big SUV with 3 rows of roomy cabin space. 0-60 isn't the main focus of this vehicle, it is fast though. I find myself putting plenty in the dust at the highway on ramp (mostly trucks and other SUVs).
I just finished a road trip to Oregon in my friends 2019 Toyota Highlander premium all wheel drive with the nat, asperated v6. The suv was amazing with comfort and plenty of power on the hills and coastal highways. Wonderful for a road trip. I don't understand why change the engine? It was a tried and true performer. Put my Acura rdx to shame with ride and power.
Politics. Obama's emission policies are forcing vehicle manufacturers to meet certain emission requirements, which manufacturers are unable to do with V6 and V8 engines. And, as liberals continue to push for electric vehicles (that will be fueled with natural gas), manufacturers are not going to take the time to invest in new V6/V8 engines that can meet these emissions standards. Simply put, they have waved the white flag.
My 2020 V6 highlander routinely gets 28-30mpg on the highway. Toyota had to switch to the 4-cylinder due to the new emission requirements going into effect this year. Honda is now the only company that has not switched its v6 engines to 4-cylinders. Sad to see politics is going to kill the reliability of these vehicles. Please vote accordingly.
@@ciello___8307 I base my statement off the data that is published. Ford and Subaru continue to be plagued with issues in their vehicles with turbos. 5,000 pound vehicles are not meant to be powered by four cylinder engines. They are forced to use turbos to artificially make up the difference. V6 engines are now getting better gas mileage than vehicles with four cylinder turbos.
@@ciello___8307 I get 24-26 in the city with a V6. If I drove like a maniac and did not baby my vehicle as I do, it would certainly go down. I got 31.1 mpg driving 30 miles home from work last night going 80mph on the highway in Texas. Four-cylinder engines are severely overworked and will have a significantly shorter life span than a V6 or V8, which is why, they are forced to use turbos to create horsepower, because the engine is not capable of doing so on its own. Four-cylinder engines are a gimmick that were marketed as gas savers, and people are now realizing, they are just cop-outs for vehicle manufacturers to build smaller engines at a cheaper cost, yet still sell the cars at the same price point as if they have a V6. My V6 Toyota gets nearly the same MPG as my wife's four-cylinder Audi, which I know is going to cause us major issues down the road, as it is powered by turbos. Hopefully, I can convince her to get rid of it and into a 4Runner.
I'm confused. Any other manufacturer that offers a 4 popper turbo over a V6 you say they're unreliable and unrefined and how smart Toyota was to keep the V6. Now you have a 4 popper turbo in a heavy midsized SUV including the 60k+ RX and you praise it. Can you clarify your stance?
Good luck trying to get one of these with a hybrid. Our biggest Toyota dealership in California told me they have a lady on the waiting list for one and she's 2nd place on the list and has been waiting for 8 months now on the list.
Seems like a lot of Toyota nay sayers. The v6 was thirsty and the 4 cylinder is just fine. This size of vehicle doesn’t need to be zooming but rather hauling people from point a to point b. This car is not for racing, driving hard, or drag racing. Don’t measure this car by the wrong standards.
a v6 is not for racing either, neither was it thirsty. the gas mileage is the same in this turbo 4. if you want better than this, you'd have to get the hybrid. this is just the base turbo 4. so this size of vehicle absolutely needs a V6, it's not about speed, it's the weight. a 4 cylinder has to work harder to move people around, but a V6 does not, and it doesn't burn as much gas thanks to not having to work so hard. but see they didn't replace the V6 to get better gas mileage, no they replaced it because of efficiency standards. the industry is no longer about high mgp numbers, no they want that efficiency. but in my opinion turbo's are more harmful for the environment than a V6, because turbo's burn more oil, but they kinda have to, if they want to match similar performance to a V6. so around town and city driving, it'll probably be a little more zippy, but you'll also burn more gas as a result.
Everybody’s complaining about the V6 being gone when there’s a perfectly reliable hybrid model (with a NA engine) that gets nearly 40 mpg. I guarantee the same complaints will be regurgitated when the Camry gets remodeled. (most of y’all are the same people that never buy V6s in the first in the place, or even own a highlander).
Everyone complaining about not enough power from the 4 cyl turbo over the v6, maybe try gassing up with higher octane fuel like 93. Someone told me it’s a totally different vehicle after that
@@kevinsbiscuitsnjelly8193 I totally get it yeah but a lot of people think by stuffing a smaller turbo in everything will magically get better mpg and that's just not how it works. For smaller cars sometimes and it also depends on driving habits but larger vehicles no. Weight and dimensions can only get so much mpg
@@tempestofruin nobody buys the gas only version for mpg anyway. Its the hybrid version if you want that. This turbo 4 will haul and tow better because torque matters more than peak hp which nobody will utilize because you need to rev it to 6000rpms.
@@beexiong2995 Problem is, you don't see Highlanders towing anything on the road. When's the last time you saw someone towing something with a Highlander? xD
I rented this model from Hertz in LA over this past Christmas break, it's a FANTASTIC suv. I was immediately surprised at how fast it was, I thought for sure it was a V6 and I couldn't believe it was a V4 - it DEF doesn't feel like it when driving and I appreciated the gas mileage too. I would buy this car no problem at all, but I prob buy the hybrid but it would be $53,000 yikes pretty exp imho
It's actually an inline 4. I don't think there is a V4 engine in any passenger car in the US. Well except in the GM trucks, Corvette, Camaro, and Cadillac CT5 V BW. RAM 1500 Charger, Challenger, and the Durango, some Jeep models but that's due to cylinder deactivation not because it's a true V4. There are V4s in motorcycles, SxS, and such.
We previously had a 4 cylinder Highlander and were really disappointed with the acceleration. Since then we’ve had two 3.5 V6 Highlanders and have been very happy with them. Sorry to see them from the V6.
I am glad that I could get 2022 highlander v6 XLE AWD. If I were in the market now I won’t go for turbo and it would be hard to find something fitting my criteria.
The reason for the four-cylinder gets the same 24 mpg combined as the V6, it’s because of the turbo putting a lot of strain to a small engine with the extra torque though Toyota claims lower NOx and NMOG (non-methane organic gas)emissions.
@@hohepunktz6778 no strain at all. Turbo engines have a stronger engine block than NA. The reason for the same mpg is because the suv weighs 5000lbs duhh
Get a 2022 and stay the hell away from the turbo 4 cylinder. Get the legendary 3.5. Nobody cares about more torque. They care about the engine lasting 15 years.
@Paul wrong. It has way more torque than the V6. Built beefier with better internals to withstand higher pressures from boost. The v6 you need to rev the shit out of it to get the torque you need to tow and haul people.
@@TheWOWRichardqian I wouldn’t. I can bet 100% it’ll lose badly to the pilot and the telluride and palisade. Because it’s Toyota. They always lower the bar
I thought the turbo is stupid but I prefer the turbo over the V6 after testing both 2022 and 2023. Many people who never owned any turbo vehicle think they are smarter than the Toyota engineers lol
@@CH-tt1jg runs well, response quickly and fun to drive. It’s all personal preference. Go and try one. I owned 2 of toyota v6 vehicles. I ordered a 23 Highlander limited.
@@dankasttoris ok, I actually just tried a 2023 Limited and the acceleration sucks even at sports mode and I can feel it is struggling at the start, these two are very noticeable differences from a 2022 V6 XSE. I thought 2023 model would have more torque at lower RPM but in reality, it sucks. Plus, it is not as smooth as the V6 model.
@@CH-tt1jg like I mentioned, it’s a personal preference. I’m not going to argue about your opinion. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Just buy old cars since they are getting rid of entire v6 vehicles. Or buy an EV.
this switch to 4 cylinders, an 3s on smaller cars, will NEVER give you the mileage you are expecting. the engines have to work to hard. perhaps in ideal situations, but moving that heavy SUV WITH passengers and cargo will kill any expected mpgs.
@@hohepunktz6778 the entire reason we have the horrible cars and systems today are BECAUSE of the regulations. the horrible massive b or c pillars because of the rollover regs requiring the vehicle roof to support 10 times its own weight. the stupid front ends because the person jay waking is more important than the total loss of vehicle from damage. the entire car collapsing ina 34 mph collision, giving its entire life because the passengers refuse to use their seat belts. environmental rules now make it so you vehicle has more complicated tubes and parts that nobody can repair their own car. i LOVE gig Brother!!!!
@@paulpellico3797 what a short sided view. You think regulations are bad? Go live in a country where there a no regulations and tell me how that goes. I’m sure you’ll love the smog and polluted, suffocating air. Remember lead in gasoline? Without regulation, you’d still be getting poisoned even more than we already are. What an idiotic comment.
What I'm more concerned about, is with the price of cars skyrocketing with dealer markups and inflation, how will these turbocharged and smaller engines cope with these larger cars and pickup trucks. Personally, I'd rather keep my V6 Accord and my inline four Accord, and if nothing else, be happy that there's no turbocharger stressing out the engine more than necessary. Excellent review and write up from a professional standpoint, but from the car standpoint I'm not sure how these cars are going to hold up with very small engines with turbochargers. Time. Hopefully will tell.
0-60 is such a useless metric. The only advantage of this power plant over the 3.5L V6 is lower emissions. The added midrange torque doesn’t really translate with a vehicle this heavy and certainly wouldn’t help you on the highway. The V6 is smoother and judging by your sound equipment, a lot quieter. Automakers are downsizing engines, adding forced induction and high compression to gradually transition to electrification. I think the automotive landscape is going get boring.
A heavy vehicle most certainly the low to mid range torque. A soccer mom is NOT going to redline the damn NA V6 to get peak power, and lmost everyone cruises at 2500 to 3000 rpm on the highway. There is no need to force downshift to get that peak power just pass someone. NA is dumb for daily driving.
What a shame...why don't they just keep the v6 that was ultra smooth and reliable. If the next 4runner is a 4 cylinder hybrid I'll be very disappointed
@@naveenthemachine Might want to check out what's going on with Kia/Hyundai. Their marketing scheme worked, and everyone bought in, now once again, having major issues. They have set aside more than two billion for recall/warranty repairs. They focus on flash and marketing, Honda and Toyota; reliability, and longevity.
@@naveenthemachine I see a lot of every car brand on the road. How many of those same cars you see 10 years from now with 200k miles on them is what tells the story.
No idea why people act like this need to be a fast car. Your hauling kids and your coffee on your way into work, how fast does it need to be realistically?..
The v6 was easy for the home user to service........ if we chose to, having a turbo 4........ means more issues, a head gasket failure much earlier etc. I don't doubt it would be better to drive, the V6 ..... I own a 2017 model, its lazy with lacking that low down and midrange torque and I've fiddled with the tuning, not much to be done with it.... you can improve it but the turbo 4 would offer more... especially if you tune it with the exception of it being a FWD primarily which means you wouldn't be able to bring on the boost as quickly as other cars when adjusting the tuning. But in Australia our registrations charged by cyclinders so a 4 is cheaper then a 6 and most likely with insurance as well so it's a smart move either way.
That third row is why we no longer have a Highlander. Loved most everything else but we now need to put adults back there regularly. We can do that with our VW Atlas SEL.
@@Justmejbful Pleasantly surprised with our 2021.5 VW Atlas. After fifteen months of ownership and 13k on the odometer, we have taken the vehicle in once for servicing. It was for our scheduled oil change (and they also did a recall notice). You get an extra year of warranty with VW (4 year/50,000) so we will re-evaluate once that period is over. You never know with cars - Our Highlander wasn't perfect and the Atlas won't be either.
@@markholle3450 i had a 18 vw atlas bought in 2020 with 8k miles. Cam with 6yr 72k warranty. Started burning oil @ 45k Traded it in for a 22xse with 70k miles still under warrenty. Gave up space for reliability.
@@ytj22 0-60 matters more when loaded. Especially for family haulers. The V6 has over 50lbs of torque less than the turbo 4. And for accelerating, torque will matter more when you have a heavier load. Theres a reason why the max tow rating has gone up with the 2023. Its because the engine has more usable torque down low for towing and hauling. Theres a reason turbo diesels can tow over 20000lbs versus gas engines
IMO there are V6 shoppers who want a smooth, reliable V6 and Highlander was an option in the dwindling list of SUVs with a naturally aspirated V6. I would say shoppers who wouldn't be looking for a V6 will not notice, of course. Toyota should have kept the V6 option and let buyers tell them who likes what.
A turbocharged engine is a high compression ratio engine. Engine doesn't last as long and the bearing on the turbo fan shaft will wear out overtime causing significant loss of boost and power, and that's a fact! I'd stick with the tried n true V6.
If I was shopping in this category of SUV I would not consider the Highlander because of that third row. When wanting something other than black for an interior color it should be Carr throughout and not just the two rows. For that price point they should do a little better.
@@ibrahimbashir6634 I did actually buy it myself. I bought it 5 months after I started my full time job Idk why you think my parents bought it for me. I paid for it myself and I’m financing it 100% 😂
What a disappointment. They increased the price, downgraded the base engine and downgraded the XSE wheels and there is little to no MPG improvement! What was the point? Their is also no way the new turbo 2.4 is anywhere near as smooth and nice sounding as the superior V6 and will no doubt be as reliable. I expected better from this company!
Just got the vehicle jbl system is awesome 12in screen 12 speakers. Red=black seats real awesome in person. 4cycle not that bad plus has three settings eco,normal,sport moves pretty fast and don't feel no lag or response time unlike the tacoma had a bad lag.
@@Toyota4Life I agree. Nobody cares about Mazda lol they're basically a boutique brand. I'll say some of them look a little nicer but if I was keeping something long term it definitely wouldn't be one of those.
@@RealKevGotEm Maza is a premium brand since when ???? And I’m the one not on earth ? 😂 I can literally picked about five Toyota vehicles that I would have over the entire Mazda lineup.
@Donna D definitely and the sales will impact that some people might get it cause they don't care about the specifications I do and I want a V6 or V8 in my car for Preformance and reliability.
I did notice in the video the 8 speed shifts significantly faster but the problem is that for an 8 speed tbh it has the gearing of a 5 speed and I’m not joking, look at acceleration from other cars or even Toyotas with a 5 speed automatic and you’ll see
I rather pay a bit more and have an suv that isn’t so reliable, but I want to love my car, I want to enjoy it and like it. The Japanese seems to be producing just a machine for use, forgetting about dedication and love towards their cars, make them attractive and desirable. It’s just sad what route Toyota is going. Just reliable will not want me to get it. There’s much more to that. I have to like it. Not just having a machine. A transportation vehicle.
Need help! I had a Rav4 Prime that was totaled after 6 months😢 I have a 24 arriving in a few weeks. I’m considering the highlander XSE but don’t know if I’ll like it after driving a Prime?! Your thoughts 😊
I have never been so disappointed in Toyota. For a while I'd thought they had no plan to kill their naturally aspirated V6 and so I was singing praises for them. So, they finally accentuated the adage "If you can't beat them, join them." This is ridiculous! For one, I've always hated the 4 cylinder engine sound. So, no matter how fast a 4 cylinder is with its turbo, that 4 cylinder engine growl is stuck with it. Even more ridiculous is the fact that 0-60 is still in the regular 4 cylinder range, very slow. No justice done with mpg. Overall, a huge disappointment!
The last cars out there with a v6 is the Lexus es350, is and Camry. There’s no need to get a v6 when you can get better fuel economy and better horsepower