The Toyota brand has been a household name since I was a kid. My parents owned several and now my husband and I both own one. Toyota is known for dependability and longevity. I am about to hit 100K on my van and my hubs had 180K on his previous Corolla. It is a comforting factor knowing that you can buy a vehicle and it will last for many years as long as you take care if it. You all know SUV’s are my thing so when I got the opportunity to get my hands on the 2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited, I jumped at the chance. I really hadn’t been in a Toyota SUV recently so I was curious how it would compare to others in the field.
The Highlander is I would say a mid-size SUV. Not too small, not too big. Perfect for a family of four. This one had a third row which size wise I don’t think really worked being that the third row had next to no leg room. The second row of seats can move up or back to give the third row a little bit of legroom, but not enough to make it comfortable for an adult to sit back there. And like I have said before trying to fit a third row in most of these SUV’s leaves not a lot of cargo space in the rear. When the third row is down then it is the perfect amount of space for 4 people.
The interior of this 2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited has nice leather, an overall general appeal, and comfort. My favorite feature was the long “cubby hole” that ran from the center console over to the passenger side. Great place for keys, phones, and other little things that keep it from falling between the seats. I also liked that the second row had their own controls for A/C as well as a cup holder that retracted so that if you did have anyone in the third row they could easily climb through.
The styling of the Highlander is fairly simply, not tons of bells and whistles, but still nice and clean and comfortable. The exterior color is a huge draw for me. I love the deep navy blue color. A friend of mine has a darker grey that really helps the lines of the vehicle to stand out.
Now on to the hybrid part of the vehicle. Driving hybrids is still a bit strange to me. You would think having them in back to back weeks that I would get used to the way the engine would kick in, but it was still fairly noticeable while driving. I appreciate the quietness that having a hybrid affords especially when you do a lot of stop and go driving in the burbs like I do. It saves lots on gas and stretches the tank much further than a typical gas vehicle. The steering on this particular vehicle was a bit stiff for my liking. You really had to put some muscle into it at times to get it to turn. It would have made it a bit more pleasant to drive had the steering been more smooth and easy.
The 2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited is overall a great vehicle for families size wise and capability wise.
Specs for the 2016 Toyota Highlander Limited Hybrid in Nautical Blue Metallic: MSRP $53,253
- Hybrid synergy drive system
- 3.5L DOHC V6 engone
- 19″ alloy wheels
- Star safety system
- 8 airbags
- Blind spot monitoring
- Smart Key
- Smoke Chrome auto headlights
- Power moonroof
- Adjustable power liftgate
- 7 passenger seating
- Integrated second row window shades
- Backup camera
- Entune Premium JBL speakers with 8″ touchscreen nav system
- Woodgrain trim
- Roll top console
- Platinum package: driver tech package, panoramic moonroof, heated steering wheel, leather, second row captain’s chairs, rain sensing wipers
- Four seasons floor mats
- Cargo cross bars
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