Review from the owner of a 2003 Toyota Highlander

Detailed specifications of Toyota Highlander

in numbers, among the most important ones that people most often pay attention to are the
price
in rubles at the time of appearance in car dealerships and
consumption
in various conditions: in the city, on the highway or mixed, as well as
the total and curb weight
.
Also important are the dimensions
and
volume of the trunk , ground clearance maximum speed, acceleration to 100 km
in seconds or the time spent covering 402 meters.
Gearbox
automatic, manual;
drive
, front or all-wheel drive, or maybe even switchable

Main indicators of Toyota Highlander 2003 crossover characteristics of Toyota Highlander

With an engine capacity of 2362 cc. occasionally you can allow yourself to rev the engine to the maximum and feel like a racer.

A drive that requires special driving skills and getting used to in the case of driving with a different type of drive. For such a low price, cars are considered budget

since you just get a car to drive and nothing more, but in some cases this is the only purpose without any beauty. You don't need more to get around the city. Perhaps the slogan for such a vehicle is not “The miser pays twice.”

There are other names or misspellings:

Toyota Highlander / Toyota Highlander

Highlander: parameters, tests (test drive, crash test), reviews, car dealerships, photos, videos, news.

Toyota Highlander

- production began in 2003. The combination of style and technology Highlander, created by Toyota, has proven itself in the market and is time-tested.
Among the existing base colors of Highlander, you can easily find one that suits you, but most likely you can choose it to order. We most likely do not have all the configurations of this Toyota Highlander model, among which there are various options for assembling the Highlander: the gearbox can be automatic or manual, interior trim with leather or wood inserts, wheels and other additional elements of the Highlander body, which will certainly be reflected in the price Highlander. Technical characteristics are good, but don’t forget about the safety of the Highlander or the engine size, which will then make itself felt in operating costs in the future, as well as Highlander repairs and maintenance with a warranty period. Since the purchase is made not for several months, but for several years, so consider for yourself what you will do in the summer and winter, what trips to make on the Highlander
. The table below shows a comparison of several Highlander trim levels, the parameters include: what are the overall dimensions of the Highlander, what is the fuel consumption in the city, highway or mixed, engine size, maximum speed and acceleration time to 100 km/h, curb or gross weight of the Highlander, wheelbase, front and rear wheel tracks, transmission type (gearbox/gearbox), what kind of drive, tire size, how much power or torque and what price. In addition to all the numbers, you can read reviews of car owners about Highlander, watch videos or news, tests (test drive, crash test).

Body

There is no point in discussing the design, everyone has seen this car, or there will be enough photographs, it is better to move on to the reliability of external elements. The body is already rusting due to age, the sills, trunk lid and A-pillars suffer the most. If you have a frankly rusty copy in front of you, then the reason is already an accident and poor-quality body repairs.

Owners complain about constant fogging and failure of head optics. One of the interesting features of the body “sore” is a worn out sealing ring of the tank neck, which displays three errors on the instrument panel: Check, VCS, Track Off. The ring rarely wears out, although it costs more than a thousand rubles.

People like the 2003 restyle more, it looks better and is free of some problems.

Dimensions of the first Highlander:

• length – 4690 mm;
• width – 1826 mm;
• height – 1725 mm;
• wheelbase – 2715 mm;
• ground clearance - 170 mm;
• curb weight – 1610-1939 kg.

Price

Some will be surprised, but this is an expensive SUV. The average price of used cars with mileage above 200,000 km is 500,000 rubles, while models costing more than 700 thousand rubles are often found . The reason seems to be reliability, which is highly valued by owners.

Car maintenance is relatively cheap, and many things can be done by hand. In the end, this is a great family car that will last a long time, because it is unlikely that the entire list of problems will come out on one car. If you were thinking about buying a Toyota Highlander XU20, buy it and, most importantly, maintain it properly and don’t abuse it off-road, so that it will serve you longer.

Interior

The car is built on the Camry XV30 platform, even its interior elements are used inside. Everything is made from simple materials and high-quality assembly. Equipment depends on the trim level: Base, Sport or Limited.

There is a lot of free space inside the “Highlander”, which is how the name is translated. This is a 7-seater car, equipped with comfortable seats, sometimes even electrically adjustable. The second row is spacious and has a fold-down armrest, while the third row is more for children due to its cramped space. The 7-seater version appeared after the restyling.

The 4-spoke multi-steering wheel hides the tidy, divided into three in-depth sensors. This is a stylishly designed all-arrow dashboard with a small on-board computer monitor and a bunch of light bulbs.

Expensive configurations received wooden inserts in the center console. The functionality is minimal - a climate control unit with a monitor and a standard radio. The console smoothly transitions into a tunnel, forming a bridge, under which there is a cigarette lighter with a niche. The Toyota Highlander tunnel has three boxes equipped with free space or cup holders. In general, there are a huge number of different compartments for personal belongings inside.

In the top-end Limited trim, the equipment for the 20s was surprising:

• electrically adjustable driver's seat;
• climate control;
• leather interior trim;
• Luke;
• full electrical package.

Interior problems only occur with air conditioning. Often the temperature or airflow controller fails due to a broken cable. After 300 thousand, the radiator becomes so clogged that the temperature of the air from the deflectors is always different.

The trunk will please family people. If only two rows of seats are used, the volume is 1090 liters, with only 292 liters remaining with the third row folded down. Fully folded passenger seats (except the front one) form 2282 liters of volume.

Equipment

My build is called “Limited”; the former owner managed to snag a limited version of the Toyota Highlander 2003, for which he said “thank you very much.” The body color is silver, the interior is light. I will tell you about additional features in the review itself. As for the equipment that I received, there is high-quality upholstery, I am satisfied with it. The seats didn't disappoint either - the adjustments work perfectly by the standards of modern cars. Of course, there is the bare minimum of advanced electronics here. But I don’t really need it, because I’m already an experienced driver, so I can park normally even without a dozen auxiliary electronic systems. The steering wheel here is excellent - at low speeds it’s quite light, but at high speeds it feels like tin has been poured into it. But more on that later. Let's get acquainted.

Specifications

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Buyers are greatly disappointed by the lack of a diesel engine; only naturally aspirated gasoline engines were installed and there was a Synergy Drive hybrid. Now in more detail:

1. 2AZ-FE is a 4-cylinder 2.4-liter engine that produces 157 horsepower at 5600 rpm with 221 torque at 4000 rpm. The power is enough for comfortable movement, the consumption is also acceptable for those years - 12 liters.
2. 3MZ-FE – naturally aspirated V6, available in several versions: 208,218, 232 horsepower. It has much better dynamics, which made it possible to remove tension and reduce fuel consumption - 8.4 liters according to the passport. The pre-restyling Toyota Highlander XU20 had 3MZ-FE, power 220 horses.
3. 3MZ-FE is a 3.3-liter engine, which in this case has an electric motor added. Total power was 268 horsepower and 288 units of torque. The engine is good in terms of dynamics, but the electric motor did not add much savings.

The units are paired only with a 4-speed Aisin automatic transmission; in the restyling, the older engines were given one more gear. The Synergy Drive hybrid received a continuously variable transmission. Most crossovers have all-wheel drive, but there are two. FullTime STD uses a cylindrical center differential with a viscous locking coupling. VSC+ has a free symmetrical center differential and simulated locking.

The hybrid version is all-wheel drive, as the gasoline engine drives the front wheels and the electric engine drives the rear.

The car sits on an independent suspension consisting of MacPherson struts. Some versions back get a multi-link design similar to the Camry's design. The steering of the Highlander XU20 is complemented by a hydraulic booster, and the hybrid receives an electric power steering. All-round disc brakes with front ventilation and ABS; after the restyling, a stability control system was added.

Malfunctions

Yes, Toyotas of these years are reliable, but minor problems do happen. Buyers should pay maximum attention to this section.

Among the common problems, VVT-i malfunctions can be traced due to a valve that costs a couple of thousand rubles. The oxygen and knock sensors also fail. To avoid floating speeds, the motors should periodically clean the throttle.

The 2.4-liter engine eventually destroys the cylinder head bolts, causing excessive oil leaks and overheating. The manufacturer itself only agreed in 2007 that the problem existed. The problem can be avoided by installing a new motor or cutting a different thread. Here is a timing chain drive, which lives for 200 thousand.

V6 with mileage above 300 thousand must be inspected carefully. At such figures, active oil consumption begins - this is normal. The problem does not always go away after replacing the valve stem seals or rings; sometimes the reason is serious scuffing, in which case it is cheaper to install a contract motor.

The V6 3MZ-FE turned out to be the best in terms of reliability. Otherwise, these are normal engines, although with their own set of problems.

The first Highlander's automatic transmissions are similar, so they share the same problems. Serious problems begin after 300 thousand kilometers, and some manage to travel half a million kilometers. After this, it is useless to change the gas turbine engine, clutches, planetary gear and other elements - it is easier to install a contract gearbox. Sometimes Aisin gets into trouble - the knock sensor.

The transmission is durable if it is not strained by off-road driving, for example, cardan crosspieces live up to 300 thousand kilometers. The first problems with the suspension begin after 120 thousand kilometers - the rear bushings of the front control arms, and after that, unfortunately, the shock absorbers and bushings of the rear control arms give up. Wheel bearings will require replacement after 250 thousand.

The steering rack works great for many years, after 300 thousand kilometers only the power steering fails.

Toyota Highlander 2003 – something to say

I decided to write a few lines about this car after reading other reviews on the Internet. First of all, I was prompted to write reviews by a thirst for justice, because many motorists attributed more negative aspects to this model than positive ones. This obviously cannot be true, I will try to explain why. As was already written above (but suddenly you didn’t pay attention), I have the Limited equipment (translated as limited), a 3-liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 220 horses, all-wheel drive.

I bought the car in the spring of 2011. At this point, the mileage of my future Highlander was 70 thousand miles. I want to say right away that I received the Limited package from the USA. An old friend who sells cars from America helped in this matter. One day he called me and told me that he had received an excellent model Highlander in amazing condition. You understand that a mileage of 70 thousand is not a mileage. In general, I have been looking at a new car for a long time, so I was confused by the prefix “Used”. The number 2003 also scared me, but then they explained to me that the year the version was released, the same version has gone through more than one restyling. In general, after reading reviews and looking at various photographs and video tests, I came to the conclusion that it was worth taking. And after almost a year and a half of use, I have never regretted my decision. Firstly, I took the car for a ridiculous price - 14 thousand dollars. It's funny for a crossover of this level. I had to work hard to collect this money. Well, okay, let's move on to impressions.

It’s worth starting with the winter that we experienced with my new SUV. This year my Novorossiysk was not covered with snow much. But nevertheless, there were moments for a real test of the crossover's cross-country ability. By the way, I have already accumulated 20 thousand mileage. I also drove into snowdrifts, from which the car steadily emerged. Excellent results were shown on the icy track. There, the Toyota Highlander literally tore up the ice along with the asphalt. The crossover was shod with high-quality Nokian tires, so I don’t know who to thank for safe winter driving - either Highlander or Nokian.

In general, I was completely satisfied with the survivability of the Toyota Highlander in winter. Here I made the right choice - the crossover warms up quickly enough, you don’t need to warm it up for 20 minutes. It handles the road on snow and ice with dignity; there were moments when it was necessary to steer out of a skid, but even the most modern SUV is not immune from this. As for service, the prices suit me quite well. Occasionally I stopped by the regional Toyota service center.

By the way, as soon as the car fell into my hands, I immediately (or rather, not me, but the service technicians) replaced the filters, pumps, all fluids, and the timing belt. After that, the car didn’t break down, I stopped at the service station only to change the oil and also have the car inspected. This is where the trips to service centers are over for now. But I am glad that all the necessary spare parts for the Toyota Highlander are available, despite the fact that this is a 2003 model year car. By the way, the availability of spare parts and the engine is due to the fact that the Highlander 2003 has exactly the same chassis and engine as the RX 300. By the way, the mileage turned out to be fair, which I was very surprised by. Apparently, not everywhere people dream of cheating someone.

Appearance

Now I would like to introduce you to the inner world of Toyota Highlander. Surely, it will not be a revelation to you that inside the Toyota Highlander is a discreet crossover with a minimum of additional options. Having studied the reviews, I realized that all the necessary components (for me personally) are present - a huge salon in which my rather large family can fit perfectly, a comfortable chair for me and no less comfortable seats for my companions.

Having compared the characteristics of the Highlander with its “classmates”, I realized that my car has the most spacious interior. There is a spacious luggage compartment, a minimum of niches and glove compartments. By the way, the spare tire in the Toyota Highlander is located in the trunk, which is good for me because most competing models have the spare tire strapped to the bottom. This is a plus for me, because I am a big fan of off-road driving. And there the spare wheel will be a big burden: stones, hills, bumps and other off-road elements will cling to the spare tire. There is a lot of space in the back rows, so 5 people could fit on the 3-seater sofa. As for additional comfort, I was pleased with the ventilation of the cabin.

My Limited trim comes with leather upholstery, which is where I'm a little unhappy. Because I am against leather in the cabin - it’s cold in winter, hot in summer, sometimes even heating doesn’t help. But here this issue was approached competently, so I have not yet experienced any particular discomfort. But if you come across a version of the Toyota Highlander with velor, then take it without hesitation. Many reviews say that velor is not only more pleasant to the tactile sensation, but also more practical. The ergonomics of the workplace are completely satisfactory - there are a minimum of buttons here, only the most necessary ones are on the steering wheel. The chair itself is made quite competently; it doesn’t hurt your back during long trips, which is a huge plus. Well, it looks like we’re done with the interior of the Toyota Highlander, I’m happy with it, despite the leather interior. Now let's move on to the features of operation.

Features of operation

I didn’t lie when I wrote that I am a big fan of off-roading, but I find myself on this very off-road extremely rarely - once or twice a month. But I spend 80% of my time in urban environments, so I already have a clear opinion on this issue. The Toyota Highlander engine is quite flexible; if you don’t run away from a traffic light, then in summer the fuel consumption will be approximately 12-13 liters, and in winter – 13-14 liters. The power plant reacts unusually quickly to the gas pedal - the horses grow quite briskly, so on the track I can allow myself to relax.