2021 Toyota Highlander Review: Very Reliable SUV With Low Ownership Costs As It Ages

Samuel on June 26, 2024

You Guys are bunch of liars from Sherita to your sales rep. You called me over 10 times to come in and inspect my choice of car on your website all to arrive there and that car wasnt avaiable at your lot. Its so shameful and unprofessional while your sales man tried to coerced and convince me to buy an hybrid model which was against my wish.

Mike T on June 18, 2024

The 2021 Highlanders are plugged with issue and malfunction components. From Issue with Engine whistling noises to safety recall and even transmission issues that forces replacement! The Apple Carplay doesn't connect 85% of the time. Terrible!

Jim Keller on June 13, 2024

We switched from 4Runner to Highlander! Many years of Toyota loyalty in our family. Camrys to Tacoma’s we have had them all. I stole my wife’s 4Runner away from her and replaced it with a 2021 Highlander XSE. It’s been awesome. Bought it brand new. We just hit 65k. We drive from northern Idaho to Scottsdale Az all year and at anytime. Yes, anytime. AWD Snowmobile. It’s awesome in the snow! 22-28 MPG on the Hwy. For those worried about driving a wagon looking vessel around that does not have the great looks of the 4Runner? Don’t worry about it. The XSE has a great looking front end. The XSE Model handles great and boogies. Yes, it’s quick and drives like a sports car. Well, it handles well not quite a sports car. Don’t get the regular Highlander. XSE looks different, has the JBL stereo and drives great. AWD with a Snow Mode. Oh, and it had a third row for little ones. Reliability - been amazing. Zero issues.

Ann on April 3, 2024

Luxurious is how I would describe this car! Smooth ride, efficient and a great looking vehicle! It has plenty of room and pretty cool features as well. I live this car and highly recommend it!

Elaine W on February 13, 2024

This car is like no other car I have driven. It is so smooth, very quiet, and very comfortable. Plenty of room sitting or cargo room

Steve on September 6, 2023

Hybrid model. Lots of air and tire noise no matter the type of road surface even with regular touring tread tires. 2 different dealers and terrible service. Rock hole in invertor radiator and area is COMPLETELY ENCLOSED? $1000+ replacement Technicians and service manager all heard the air sound but when factory rep showed up none of them knew anything about it even though we had a video that said the opposite. Also exhaust leak that they couldn't find at same time. Service left wife at stealership when they were to give her a ride to work and then didn't pick her up later. Had to jump the car when it was 2 weeks old. Dealer said nothing wrong. Radio has trouble picking up FM stations 20 miles away even in open country. Factory tires didn't last 24,000 miles. Middle seat shoulder belts rattle. I got 38 MPG on interstate. Hybrid is waste of money. Battery life with engine shut off is only 20 minutes according to dealer and if it goes dead you can't start it without a jump. Front end is so low u can't drive up on ramps without changing approach angle. DID I MENTION VERY NOISY INSIDE? Sounds like window is partially down at 50MPH and up. I'm sure the wife could tell more as she drives it everyday. Steering is also squirrely. Not meant for highway speeds. Second Toyota and there won't be a third. Camry should have taught me a lesson

James s. on April 19, 2023

I got the car brand new and I experienced vibration when braking on high speeds which got worse later on that the vibration can be felt when braking at low speeds. I took it to out local dealership, Capitol toyota here in San jose bay area, more often than the recommended maintenance guide states because of the issue. The dealership did not look into the issue and just shrug it off stating that the brakes are new, rotors are new, no problem on visual inspection, it’s a toyota, lets see if it will still be there on the next service. Then came 32000k, now that it is out of warranty, the dealership said its a worn rotor pads, and that it is not covered under warranty anymore and also because it is something that is part of wear and tear. BS! The service advisor initially told me on the last service that the rotor was not surfaced properly or not surfaced at all before installation. I was charged 450$ for that repair. I called toyota and sided on the explanation of the dealership. I told them it will be my last toyota and it should be for anybody unless it’s a toyota made from Japan, I’ve had japan made toyota cars before with no problems. On the good side, I love the looks of this SUV, not too aggressive but still looks mean and stylish. The transmission is like butter on higher rpms but experienced some lags when in low speeds. Its front seats and middle seat are both comfortable but the rear seats are reserved for very short adults(<5 feet tall) or young kids.

J. Kane on March 30, 2023

My mother recently rented this car for a family vacation to West Virginia and it was amazing! Excellent mileage for an SUV its size. Great performance. Tons of safety features (which is a VERY GOOD thing). Beautiful acceleration. The only problem we had was with the fact that the car will adjust the speed depending on the cars around it (or something like that), but it only happened when cruise control was on. It was overall a very nice car and we are actually planning on purchasing one soon.

Steve Hull on March 5, 2023

Purchased new June 2021, has 9500 miles, has had rear door panels fixed for rattles, muffler heat shield replaced for rattle, still rattles , static electricity (ESD) on low humidity days trips the proximity door sensors by slight finger touch on top of front door handle , locks all doors, also garden hose water does same , humidity up to 40% , local dealer can't fix , Rep notified , still waiting for this to be fixed

LA on November 7, 2022

I leased a 2021 hybrid XLE. I had no idea the mileage would be insane for a vehicle this size. 37 to 40 mpg. I didn’t believe it either. I have saved two pmts maybe 3 in one year over the 2019 standard engine. Car drives great and many safety features make a completely reliable auto for my family. I will be getting another one when this lease is up I have no doubt. If you room for all your you won’t be disappointed.