Used 2022 Toyota Highlander

Price: The 2022 Toyota Highlander starts at $35,205 and nears the $50,000 mark when fully loaded.

The Highlander has long been one of the most trusted names in midsize SUVs for families, and that’s no different this year. Its well-earned Toyota reputation comes from its strong record of safety and reliability, good fuel economy, and overall practicality.

Any family looking for a minivan alternative with a lot of space and plenty of seating should consider the Highlander. But take note, the Highlander’s third row is a little cramped and is best reserved for young kids.

The Toyota Highlander is up against some tough competition like the Honda Pilot and the all-new Nissan Pathfinder. The Highlander is a well-rounded SUV that does almost everything well as long as you won’t have tall passengers in the third row very often. Families looking for a midsize SUV with a roomy third row should consider the Chevrolet Traverse, Volkswagen Atlas, or Kia Telluride.

There is also a Toyota Highlander Hybrid (with an all-new Bronze Edition available for 2022) that we’ll review separately.

There’s nothing extraordinary about how the Toyota Highlander drives. If you just want a pleasant, comfortable ride, that’s a good thing. The standard V6 engine delivers more than enough grunt for everyday driving, even when loaded with passengers and cargo, all while returning pretty good fuel economy.

The 8-speed automatic transmission gets the job done without much fuss. Front-wheel drive (FWD) comes standard, and all-wheel drive (AWD) is optional. Adding AWD gives the Highlander better traction on snowy roads, but it’s not much of an off-roader.

The suspension and steering provide a nice, comfortable ride around town and on the highway. While some SUVs in this class have a sporty side and feel like smaller vehicles, that isn’t the case with the Highlander. It drives more like a minivan, but again, that’s not a bad thing if sporty driving dynamics aren’t a priority for you. It does get a little more engaging with the sport-tuned suspension in the XSE trim.

The interior of the Toyota Highlander uses a handsome design that makes it feel more premium than its price tag suggests. Not only does it look nice, but it’s designed with ergonomics in mind, and the controls are easy to use. The higher you go in the model range, the nicer it gets with features like leather seats, a head-up display, JBL premium audio, and more.

It’s nice that the Highlander comes standard with 3-row seating for up to eight people, but that third row is pretty tight. There’s very little legroom, and that middle seat in the third row is a penalty box. If you have tall passengers in the third row regularly, you’ll want to look elsewhere. That said, the first two rows of seats are very spacious, and we’re big fans of the optional second-row captain’s chairs.

The cargo space in the Highlander is about average for its class. Naturally, the more back seats you can afford to fold down, the more cargo space you get, maxing out at 84.3 cubic feet.

The Toyota Highlander isn’t an ugly SUV, but it does tend to blend in with traffic. There’s nothing especially striking about its design, but it looks nice from every angle. LED headlights and taillights come standard, and the upper trims have stylish 20-inch wheels specific to each trim.

The look of the Highlander changes a bit as you work your way up the model range, but frankly, the range-topping Platinum trim doesn’t look all that different than the base L model. However, the sporty XSE trim has a unique appearance package with a more aggressive front end, dual-exit exhaust, and other visual tweaks.

The size of the Toyota Highlander is average for a midsize 3-row SUV. It’s about the same size as the Honda Pilot and Kia Telluride, and it’s a bit smaller than the Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer, and Volkswagen Atlas.

TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE 2.5+
This safety tech suite comes standard on every Highlander. It bundles features like full-speed adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, road sign assist, and more.

8-INCH INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM
This standard infotainment system comes loaded with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Amazon Alexa.

Part of the reason for the relatively high starting price of the Toyota Highlander is its generous list of standard features. The base L trim is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, four drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow), LED headlights and taillights, 18-inch alloy wheels, 3-row seating, 3-zone automatic climate control, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, five USB ports, push-button start, and eight airbags.

The standard infotainment system in the Highlander is an 8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, and SiriusXM with a 3-month trial.

The standard Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ safety tech suite bundles a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beams, lane tracing assist, and road sign assist.

There are six distinct trims plus a few option packages to ensure that there’s a Highlander for every budget. The LE trim is a good value by adding features like blind-spot monitoring, a power liftgate, and LED fog lights, while the nicer XLE model adds a power moonroof, a wireless charging pad, SofTex faux leather seats (which are heated in front), and second-row captain’s chairs with sunshades.

The sporty XSE trim is equipped similarly to the XLE model but adds a unique appearance package, a sport-tuned suspension, and ambient interior lighting. It’s also available with red leather seats, a pretty daring feature for the humble Highlander.

The Limited and Platinum trims are on the luxurious side of family SUVs with features like leather seats (heated and ventilated in front), 20-inch wheels, a heated steering wheel, JBL premium audio, a hands-free power liftgate, and navigation. A few features unique to the top Platinum trim include a panoramic moonroof, an adaptive front lighting system, rain-sensing wipers, a head-up display, and heated second-row seats.

One of the most popular options for the Highlander is all-wheel drive, which is available on every trim. There’s also a Muli-Terrain Select option for every trim, adding Mud/Sand and Dirt/Rock drive modes. Navigation is optional on XLE and XSE, while the top trims have options like a 12.3-inch infotainment system and a 360-degree camera.

The Toyota Highlander is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine linked to an 8-speed automatic transmission. This engine strikes a nice balance of power and efficiency with almost 300 horsepower and above-average fuel economy. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional.

There is also a Highlander Hybrid, which is reviewed separately.

3.5-liter V6
295 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm
263 lb-ft of torque @ 4,700 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21/29 (FWD), 20/27 mpg (AWD)