year with 2.7L highlander my review

[xk1]

I give the car 7 out of 10 overall.

first the likes:

great gas milage (26mpg) running on 87 octane
fit and finish
ride height


dislikes:

cold start knocking
road noise ( don;t know if it is toyo tire thats making all that noise)
too bumpy on the road
hard to find toyota 0w20 motor oil (not all the dealerships have them)

Overall nice car, wish it had a backup camera. 4cyl is great, just don;t try to pass someone on the highway.

[Camread]

Originally Posted by xk1

dislikes:

cold start knocking
road noise ( don;t know if it is toyo tire thats making all that noise)
too bumpy on the road
hard to find toyota 0w20 motor oil (not all the dealerships have them)

did you check the ttiiirrreee ppprrresssuurrreeee??????

[xk1]

Tire pressure is at 32 all around. Yeah noise is pretty loud for my taste, but I can deal with it.

[Camread]

try 30psi (factory recommend), mines at 33 and its fine - not too bumpy at all. whats your previous car?

[xk1]

My preivous car was chevy trailblazer 2002 model

I will try 30 psi.

[TrailDust]

30 is slightly too low IMO. Different tires will ride rougher or smoother than others. Which specific tire do you have?

[xk1]

the car came with toyo open country a20.

[Yazon]

I've had 26 on a few occasions in mixed cycle and 29 on highway, on my v6 2008 base. But it has been dropping steady since then. So far it came down to 22 in mixed and 27mpg highway only.

I've changed tires to ones with more aggressive thread and i think my car shifts later now for some reason.

HL is noisy compared to other SUVs though, and that's something i'm not too happy about.

[deadrx7conv]

Most Toyota dealers stock the 0w20.
Mobil1, Castrol... usually have it at local auto part stores.
Valvoline/Pennzoil/Amsoil/Redline/Eneos/... also have 0w20. And, if your Toyota dealer doesn't have it, you can find it at the Hondacura dealer. Honda's 0w20 is as good as Toyota and the others.

Get use to the road noise. The Highlander is actually so quiet that some noise get through sounding louder than it really is. The '08+ is definitely quieter than the <'07 models. What's noisy in a noisy environment? NOTHING. Whats noisy in a quiet environment? EVERYTHING.

Other than lack of traction and short life, I thought that the Toyo A20's were reasonable quiet. My Blizzaks are easily twice as loud.

The 4cyl 2.7L begs for hybrid assist. I'm a little confused on why the 2.7L didn't get hybrid option w/AWD. Would've been the perfect combo!!

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by Yazon

HL is noisy compared to other SUVs though, and that's something i'm not too happy about.

I'm not trying to be contrary, but my experience was the opposite. One of the reasons I chose the HL was because among a number of reasons it was one of the quietest in its class of SUV. I'd suspect road noise generated from your tires, especially the more aggressive tread you mentioned on your newer tires, as the noise culprit. As my OEM Duelers have gotten older and worn they're producing more road noise, but not too bad yet.

[Yazon]

TrailDust,

With Highlander i see two areas where noise is not well controlled - side mirrors and tire/road noise. While there is nothing I can do about mirrors, I did change tires and Stock ones were not any quieter than the General's/Continental I've put on recently.

However the problem of road noise is amplified by horrible California roads - grooved concrete with uneven joints and broken asphalt roads. When you get to a decent asphalt road - the car gets much quieter.

On the other hand I've been in my friends SUVs and they seemed to have noise better controlled even on our poor quality roads. In highlander if someone is sitting in the second row - it's hard to keep a conversation on a highway as the person behind can't hear well what people up-front say. And for a driver to turn around to talk or talking at elevated levels in not a great idea.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by Yazon

TrailDust,

With Highlander i see two areas where noise is not well controlled - side mirrors and tire/road noise. While there is nothing I can do about mirrors, I did change tires and Stock ones were not any quieter than the General's/Continental I've put on recently.

However the problem of road noise is amplified by horrible California roads - grooved concrete with uneven joints and broken asphalt roads. When you get to a decent asphalt road - the car gets much quieter.

On the other hand I've been in my friends SUVs and they seemed to have noise better controlled even on our poor quality roads. In highlander if someone is sitting in the second row - it's hard to keep a conversation on a highway as the person behind can't hear well what people up-front say. And for a driver to turn around to talk or talking at elevated levels in not a great idea.

Wow, with my Duelers I don't have that much noise, thank goodness! One thing I did do to my Highlander not because I thought it needed it but because I did it because I could, was when I had my interior side paneling removed during the 3rd row seat swap I cut and placed high-density foam behind all the panels to help reduce any road noise especially around the rear wheel wells. Food for thought in case anyone feels motivated enough to remove the panels to do the job, or if they have the panels off for any reason and want to seize the opportunity.

[ktmd]

I would have to agree that the HL is a noisy vehicle. Between the road noise, drive train "drone", and the ubiquitous rattles, my HL is far and away the noisiest vehicle I have ever owned. When the '08 HL first came out it was highly touted as the quietest vehicle in class. Not so - not by a long shot.

A friend of mine just bought a used Suburban (yes, I know it is a larger vehicle that the HL, and not in the same class). It has 85,000 km on it (compared to the 32,000 km of my '08 HL), and apart from the throaty roar of it's V8 it is whisper quiet. No road noise, no rattles whatsoever - a very tight and quiet ride. The HL simply cannot compare. Not by a long shot.

[lets456]

Originally Posted by TrailDust

Wow, with my Duelers I don't have that much noise, thank goodness! One thing I did do to my Highlander not because I thought it needed it but because I did it because I could, was when I had my interior side paneling removed during the 3rd row seat swap I cut and placed high-density foam behind all the panels to help reduce any road noise especially around the rear wheel wells. Food for thought in case anyone feels motivated enough to remove the panels to do the job, or if they have the panels off for any reason and want to seize the opportunity.

I have a 2002 Ford Explorer, 2005 Ford Freestyle and 2008 Highlander. The Highlander is the quietest....even though I think the 2008 Explorers are little quieter than the 2008 Highlander. However, tires make a HUGE difference. I really like Michelin tires as they are a good balance of wear, quietness and traction.

I agree, the mirrors cause some obvious wind noise, but overall it is a well refined, quiet ride.

[vsansal]

I don't know if it depends on the trim level and/or 2wd vs 4wd but, I have a 2010 Limited 2wd and I can say mine is really quiet. I agree about the huge mirrors creating wind noise but other than that no complaints. The last trip I took 500miles roundtrip with 4 people, I was cruising @ about 80-85mph and didn't have a problem having a conversation with the back seat music on. And everyone complimented how smooth and comfy the trip was.