The big story for the 2023 Toyota Highlander is one of subtraction.
The V6 engine option is gone---replaced by a 2.4-liter turbocharged four. And it's not a straight horse(power)trade, either. The V6 made 295 horsepower---the four is only good for 265.
But hey---gotta be better on EPA fuel economy estimates, right? Yeah, kinda---20 city/27 highway becomes 21 city/28 highway. Worse, it's loud. Not good loud, either. Four-cylinder bordering on agricultural loud. And no quicker---zero to 60 is still a 7.5-second proposition.
Our tester was the 2023 Toyota Highlander Limited AWD. Base price, including destination, $49,360. As usual, that comes with a ton of standard equipment, including Toyota's comprehensive Safety Sense 2.5+ active safety suite, 20-inch chromed wheels, LED headlights, taillights and fog lights, heated power-folding outside mirrors with puddle lamps, a hands-free power liftgate, a power moonroof, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 11-speaker JBL audio system with subwoofer and amp, heated and ventilated power front seats, memory setting for the driver's seat, integrated second-row sunshades, and wireless charging.
There was only one extra-cost option on our test vehicle---$850 for a panoramic view monitor. So the bottom line of the window sticker comes to $50,210.
The Highlander is a great choice as a vehicle in and of itself. Our workaround on the engine noise issue would be to skip the four and get the Highlander Hybrid. It's smoother, quieter, nearly as quick and the EPA fuel economy estimate leaps to 35 city/34 highway. You'll make up the tiny difference in price with fuel savings very quickly.
