Vehicle Description
Powerful and fuel-efficient V6, easy to maneuver for its size,
user-friendly cabin design with reconfigurable second-row seats and
a fully usable third row.
With more room, more power and more conveniences than its
predecessor, the redesigned 2008 Toyota Highlander is truly
optimized for family use. If you're shopping for a midsize
crossover SUV this year, make sure you try this Toyota.
Vehicle overview
At the dawn of the 21st century, while other automotive
manufacturers were reveling in the profitability of sport-utility
vehicles, Toyota was looking ahead. The company foresaw a day when
consumers would no longer have patience for the poor fuel economy
and sloppy handling of traditional SUVs and would instead turn to
more refined vehicles that offered SUV-like convenience combined
with a carlike driving demeanor. That kind of thinking resulted in
the original Toyota Highlander. Not only was it an immediate hit
with families, it served as the template for many of the rival
midsize crossover SUVs that followed it. After seven years, though,
the Highlander had begun to show its age, particularly in the
cabin, which was cramped by current class standards. Accordingly,
the 2008 Toyota Highlander benefits from a top-to-bottom
redesign.The first thing you'll notice about the second-generation
Highlander is its increased size. Built on the same platform as the
current-generation Camry, the new SUV is longer, wider and taller
than its predecessor. Gains in shoulder room, hiproom and legroom
are substantial in the first two rows, and you feel them as soon as
you get inside this crossover SUV. You'll also see a difference
when it comes time to load up groceries. Maximum cargo capacity has
ballooned from 81.6 cubic feet to 95.4, and for the first time, a
power liftgate is available as an option.
Third-row seat dimensions haven't changed much on paper, but in the
real world, the Highlander's rearmost seat is much more usable than
it was before. Partly, it's due to improved access, as the
second-row outboard seats are easier to scoot out of the way.
Alternatively, you can just walk through the center aisle to get to
the third row. The middle section of any '08 Highlander's 40/20/40
second-row bench can be folded away into its own cubby, leaving you
with a pair of captain's chairs - just like in a minivan. Toyota
calls this handy innovation "Center Stow."
A couple extra hundred pounds of curb weight is a consequence of
the new Highlander's added utility and size, so Toyota has
discontinued the base four-cylinder engine. Instead, all 2008
Toyota Highlanders come with a 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, the
same engine Toyota makes optional in the Camry and RAV4. This puts
Toyota's midsize crossover right in line with key rivals like the
Buick Enclave/GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook triplets (275 hp), Mazda
CX-9 (270 hp for '08) and Hyundai Veracruz (260 hp), while giving
it an advantage over its traditional adversary, the aging Honda
Pilot (244 hp).
All of these vehicles are worth considering if you're shopping for
a practical, easy-to-drive family vehicle with three rows of
seating. Larger families will prefer the added space of GM's
crossovers or the CX-9, but for medium-size families who already
liked the Highlander's combination of convenience, economy and
out-and-out refinement, the 2008 model should prove quite
desirable.
Terms of Sale: All vehicles are sold AS-IS with no warranties of
any kind, and all sales are final. We strongly encourage you to
inspect, in person, any vehicle you are considering purchasing.
Third party inspections are also welcomed and encouraged. To place
a vehicle on hold for 7 days to allow for an inspection, a deposit
of $500 (via credit card) is required. This deposit will be applied
to the purchase price. This deposit is refundable should you
inspect the car and decide it's not the one for you, but once you
take delivery, it's yours. All sales are final. Acceptable forms of
final payment include cash, cashier's check (once cleared), or wire
transfer. A $100 dealership service fee is added to the final
purchase price. Wisconsin residents will pay sales tax and titling
fees. Out-of-state buyers will be responsible for any applicable
taxes and registration in their state/country of residence.
