Looking every bit like a miniature Land Cruiser, Toyota’s Highlander couldn’t be any different than its wrapper would suggest. Where the Land Cruiser is a rugged brute wrapped in softly bulging sheetmetal, the Highlander is a Camry wagon on stilts with all the off road capability of a riding mower. And that seems to be just fine for shoppers.

That lack of rock-crawling prowess has hardly deterred suburban dwellers from snapping up Highlanders left and right since its 2001 release. With a new, fuel-sipping powertrain under the tall hood, we decided to check out the 2009 Highlander for ourselves.

What is it?
Based vaguely on the same platform that underpins everything from the Toyota Camry to the Lexus RX to the Toyota Sienna minivan, the Highlander points its sights right at the heart of the midsize SUV and crossover market. When the first generation was launched for 2001, it cannibalized sales of the off road-ready 4Runner so badly that the Japanese automaker now essentially views that rugged 4×4 as one of its niche models.

Redesigned last year, the Highlander grew in every dimension and traded a tall wagon look for a comparatively masculine look.

What’s it up against?
Chief car-based seven-seater rivals include the Honda Pilot, Dodge Journey, Ford Edge, Hyundai Veracruz and Mazda CX-9. Though not in dealers yet, the redesigned Chevrolet Equinox promises to be a formidable foe, as well, even if it only offers seating for five.

Any breakthroughs?
For 2009, the base model 4×2-only Highlander receives Toyota’s 2.7-liter four-cylinder that also sees duty in the rather similar, albeit more carlike, Venza. Rated at a decent 187-horsepower, the four-banger also cranks out an acceptable 186 lb-ft. of torque.

Its 27 mpg highway rating bests the Highlander Hybrid’s 25 mpg, though the conventional four-banger gets just 20 mpg around town compared to 27 for the Hybrid. Those figures are top-notch for seven-seat SUVs, though for those with fewer to haul, the upcoming, marginally smaller Equinox is rated at an impressive 32 mpg on the highway.

How does it look?
As we said before, the Land Cruiser styling themes are unmistakable. The Highlander’s boxy, tall proportions are nothing like many of its swoopy, low-slung rivals. Swathed in any scheme other than our tester’s “Waveline Pearl” (think baby blue), the Highlander actually cuts a fairly butch profile for a car-based ‘ute.

Though its pug-like snout doesn’t posses quite the mojo of the Cruiser, the side profile and flared fenders scream “I wanna be a Land Cruiser when I grow up!”

We like the look overall, for the most part, and despite its sparse options list, the base model Highlander doesn’t manage to look too much like a stripped down model on the outside. Only the lack of a painted roof rack and fog lamps really set it apart from the fancy-pants models that cost quite a bit more.

And on the inside?
Given Toyota’s choice to offer the new four-cylinder on only front-wheel-drive base model variants, we went in with fairly low expectations. Toyota’s base interiors tend to lack the pizazz we’ve seen in Mazda and, recently, General Motors cabins that look and feel rather like their upmarket cousins. The old Toyota convention holds true here, too.

Add mouse fur upholstery, a rubber steering wheel, few buttons and a low feature radio to an uninspiring shade of gray and our test model made us initially wonder if maybe we should have asked for a different rental car. But, ah, this press fleet Highlander graciously provided by Toyota’s Gulf States distributor has never seen a Hertz lot.

Compared to Korean and American rivals, the Highlander’s feature content was downright stingy. Don’t look for a compass, outside temperature display, trip computer, radio data display, satellite radio, power seats or automatic headlamps. You won’t find them at this trim level. For nearly $30,000 as tested, we weren’t impressed with the standard equipment. We think it would be fair for Toyota to offer this engine with the luxury-laden Limited trim level for those who don’t necessarily associate feature content with high performance.

Though soothing and quiet, no passenger mistook the Highlander’s interior for a premium design. Materials were nothing special, especially the hard dash top and a boring painted plastic, but they were well assembled and featured tight panel gaps. Our compliments came more as a result of the Highlander’s good space optimization and comfortable seats than due to its attractive design.

A multi-configurable center row (which features a few interchangeable center consoles for more flexibility), excellent rear seat comfort and large cargo area earned it some points, as did the easy-to-stow and relatively roomy optional third row.

But does it go?
In typical naturally-aspirated four-cylinder fashion, there was not a huge amount of power down low in the rev-range. You’ll find the 187-horsepower peaks at a high 5,800 rpm, though the 186 lb-ft. of torque tops out at a more reasonable 4,100 rpm. Certainly not a speed demon, the Highlander only felt underpowered on the highway, when its six-speed automatic had to be called upon to produce a couple of downshifts.

With a full load of passengers and cargo, the four-cylinder Highlander labored over even the slightest grades on the highway; we rarely saw sixth or even fifth gear while driving through a hilly stretch.

In urban areas, the fairly high idle combined with a snappy go-pedal to produced decent oomph that belies its modest power rating. Until about 3,500 rpm, the four-cylinder was smooth and refined, but it got a little boomy as it nears its torque peak.

The six-speed automatic features a sport mode that doesn’t really make much of a difference other than keeping the transmission away from fifth and sixth. Tap the lever back and forth for up and downshifts, but don’t expect sports car-like quick responses. Think of Toyota’s “sequential” system as a simplified PRND gear-lever minus the “54321” that used to be common, not as a sporty touch.

Riding on 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Bridgestone mud-and-snow tires, the Highlander’s ride was generally plush and well composed over most surfaces, though really rough pavement induced a couple of uncharacteristic (for Toyota) interior rattles. Body lean is mostly kept in check, though, not surprisingly, it can get a little tippier than the similar platform Venza in tight curves. The hydraulic power steering responds slowly and dully to inputs, though it was reasonably precise for parking lot maneuvers and kept the small ‘ute headed straight ahead on the highway with minimal corrections.

Among the quieter options in its class, the Highlander made a great long-distance cruiser thanks to its decent fuel economy – the EPA ratings were pretty much spot-on in our testing – and its comfortable cabin.

Why you would buy it:
You love the Land Cruiser look and seating position, but you’re a flatlander who doesn’t need more than front-wheel-drive capability.
 
Why you wouldn’t:
You were hoping for a little more sport and a little more luxe.

Leftlane’s bottom line
Certainly a competent and typically Toyota-like car-based ‘ute, the Highlander instills little passion, but that probably won’t matter to mainstream consumers looking for a refined and fairly efficient runabout. We’re anxious to see how it stacks up to Chevy’s new Equinox, which the General says is aimed more at the RAV4, but is sized and powered a class above.

2009 Toyota Highlander 4×2 base price, $25,705. As tested, $29,279.
Convenience package, $240; Alarm system, $280; Rear air conditioning, $415; Third row seats, $740; Trailer prep, $220; Cargo mat ,$275; Tow hitch, $659; Destination, $745.

Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.

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