Review of Highlander 3.5 with all-wheel drive

I picked up my 2014 Toyota Highlander just two weeks ago. Straight to the point. I chose the Prestige package with all-wheel drive and a 3.5-liter gasoline engine with 249 horsepower. I want to share my impressions of driving a Toyota Highlander, although only two weeks have passed. I hope that the information will be useful for someone. Before that I had an X5. An excellent car, but with a “jamb” that I couldn’t fix, I wasted a lot of money. Of course, I no longer wanted to switch to a lower-level crossover. Therefore, after looking at many test drives and reading a huge number of reviews, I decided to buy a Toyota Highlander 2014. What criteria did I use to choose a car:

1. Off-road body.
2. Ground clearance must be at least 200 millimeters.
3. Reliability.
4. Comfort.

Toyota Highlander 2014 3.5l

I didn’t find an alternative to the Toyota Highlander, the only question was the Skoda Yeti, but after comparing the characteristics everything fell into place. I didn’t buy diesel for a reason known to everyone: what if bad fuel gets in? When I bought the Toyota Highlander, I was worried about its length. I thought that our cramped city would be too crowded for him. Upon arrival at the salon, a surprise awaited me, because of which I almost abandoned the crossover. The “metallic gray” color turned out to be completely different, it was different from the color in the catalog on the official website.

Comfortable salon

Surprises during purchase

It was an unpleasant surprise for me, because I expected to see a completely different car. But after taking a closer look at the car and spinning around, I realized that this color also looks great. The color itself was pleasant, it was just the fact of surprise that played into it. After spending about an hour on registration (the car dealership in Samara works quickly), we rushed home to Volgograd. When making stops, I ran out of the car and looked at my new crossover, thinking about what the 2014 Toyota Highlander reminded me of. In its appearance, I saw touches from the Hummer and from the limousine. If you look at it from the rear, it seems small and resembles a RAV4, there is something from the Q7 on the side, and the face of a leopard in the front. I liked the small windows and the huge interior, which doesn’t seem like it from the outside. Another surprise was the discovery the next day that they forgot to install parking sensors on my new Toyota Highlander. There was nothing to do, I had to wait for the package to be delivered to my home. Then I had to install it myself.

Pros and cons of the car

Well, now let's move on to the car. Upon returning home, I decided to take a trip to familiar places. And, unfortunately, I was disappointed - the Toyota Highlander 2014 was noticeably wobbling from the smallest bumps. With a sad mood and a desire to sell this “junk” to the first person I met, I returned home. There I decided to pour out my suffering on the forum, maybe there was some kind of solution. And it was true - competent people advised me to lower the pressure in the tires, which I did. From the standard 2.4 I lowered the pressure to 2.1 and everything fell into place. Toyota Highlander began to sail like a ship over all the bumps and irregularities.

Toyota Touch 2

Now the main advantages of the car. This is, first of all, a powerful engine. As other reviews say, it is enough for all types of coverage. The ride is also a huge plus of the Highlander - the crossover is easy to drive, the weight of more than two tons is not even felt when driving. There were no complaints about the brakes or braking systems either. As I understand from reviews and feedback, the previous Highlander had rather weak brakes. In the city, I also didn’t feel any inconvenience due to its size. Everything is compensated by the excellent handling that the new car received. After reading the reviews, I noticed that many drivers complain about the sound insulation of the Toyta Highlander 2014. In my opinion, everything is excellent. That's all.

If you have something to share or tell, something new about your car, leave your comments below and we will definitely publish them.

Features of Toyota all-wheel drive (1)

Eugenio,77 [email protected] © newniva.ru Feb 2004 — Feb 2021

Part 1. Original front-wheel drive models with automatic transmission/CVT Part 2. Original rear-wheel drive models with automatic transmission Part 3. Original front-wheel drive models with manual transmission

Let's start a brief overview of the main schemes for implementing all-wheel drive on Toyota cars with the most widespread version - with a transverse engine and automatic transmission.

Permanent all-wheel drive. The center differential is symmetrical bevel (torque distribution between the front and rear wheels is 50/50), locked by a multi-plate hydromechanical clutch.

The A241H is a gearbox with simple hydraulic control and the locking control in it is quite primitive (detailed description - “Automatic Transmission A241H”), while the more advanced A540H implements full electronic control with feedback (detailed description - “Automatic Transmission A540H”).

The maximum blocking coefficient is realized by the control system in the “L” and “R” ranges.

The “C.DIFF AUTO” mode, activated using the button, allows the control unit to automatically select the blocking coefficient depending on driving conditions; when it is turned off, the center differential remains in a free state. The button is present on all models with the A241H and on early models with the A540H (on models after 1994, the button is absent and the automatic mode is always activated).

The automatic mode is the nominal mode for everyday driving; it can be turned off only when towing the car or using a spare wheel (excerpt from the instructions).

Also interesting: How to use the transfer case on a Suzuki Grand Vitara?
Permanent all-wheel drive. The center differential is symmetrical bevel (torque distribution between the front and rear wheels is 50/50), locked by a viscous clutch.

In this scheme, an optional rear limited-slip differential of the Torsen type was often used.

Permanent all-wheel drive. The center differential is symmetrical bevel (torque distribution between the front and rear wheels 50/50), free.

The emulation of locks is carried out using the stabilization system (VSC) - the slipping wheel is forcibly braked, thereby increasing the torque on the other wheel of the same axis. Likewise, the torque is redistributed between the front and rear axles.

Permanent front-wheel drive, without center differential, connecting the rear wheels with a viscous-friction clutch.

The RBC clutch connects the two parts of the intermediate driveshaft and is activated when the front wheels slip; the rest of the time the car remains front-wheel drive.

Details - “Toyota all-wheel drive. V-Flex."

Permanent front-wheel drive, without center differential, connecting the rear wheels with a viscous-friction clutch.

The viscous coupling connects the two parts of the intermediate driveshaft and is activated when the front wheels slip; the rest of the time the car remains front-wheel drive.

Permanent front-wheel drive, without center differential, connecting the rear wheels with a viscous coupling.

A viscous coupling filled with silicone liquid connects the driveshaft to the input shaft of the rear gearbox and is activated when there is significant slipping of the front wheels; the rest of the time the car remains front-wheel drive.

Details - “Toyota all-wheel drive. V-Flex."

* — Daihatsu models sold under the Toyota brand. Permanent front-wheel drive, without center differential, rear wheels connected by an electromechanical clutch.

The coupling connects the driveshaft to the input shaft of the rear gearbox. In most cases, the car remains front-wheel drive, but if necessary, the control system automatically maintains the programmed value of the torque transmitted to the rear wheels.

Details - “Toyota all-wheel drive. ATC."

The initial name is “Active Torque Control”; after 2021, on some models the system receives the designation “Dynamic Torque Control”.

* - Daihatsu models sold under the Toyota brand. Permanent front-wheel drive, without center and rear differentials, connecting the rear wheels with independent clutches.

In most cases, the car remains front-wheel drive; if necessary, the control system automatically adjusts the amount of torque transmitted to each of the rear wheels. In addition, the power transmission in the transfer case and rear gearbox is disconnected so that in 2WD mode the driveshaft and gears do not rotate in vain.

The official name is “Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD”, the scheme will be introduced in 2021.

Detailed description and malfunctions - “Toyota all-wheel drive. DTV AWD"

Permanent front-wheel drive, without mechanical connection between the axles, connected drive of the rear wheels by a separate electric motor.

Two types of rear power modules with an electric motor and gearbox are used - a classic three-shaft (in several power and torque options) and a compact two-shaft with a low-power electric motor (HV4WD).

More details - “Toyota all-wheel drive. E-Four AWD"

Also interesting: God bless pickup trucks: why Americans love huge trucks - KOLESA.ru - automobile magazine

Legend: TM - transmission (gearbox, variator), TR - transfer case, FD - front differential, RD - rear differential, CD - center differential, CDC - hydromechanical clutch, VC - viscous clutch, EC - electromechanical clutch.

The countdown for Toyota 4WD on original front-wheel drive cars can be traced back to 1988.

The STD I scheme, which appeared in the most “fat years” of the Japanese automotive industry, has remained the most advanced, reliable and efficient among all all-wheel drive variations of Toyota passenger cars. This “Full-Time 4WD” was indeed constant, complete and, importantly, built on the basis of trouble-free and durable automatic transmissions. The only fundamental drawback (by modern standards) is the absence of any inter-wheel locks, which makes the cars sensitive to conditional diagonal hanging. Unfortunately, production of the last models with STD I ended back in 2002.

For the youngest B-class models, Toyota limited itself to plug-in all-wheel drive according to the V-Flex I scheme and adhered to this concept from the late 1980s until the 2021s. Currently, the scheme is used on a single, utilitarian Toyota model.

The protracted crisis of the 1990s made total savings a new trend - on materials, on useful options, and, of course, on the perfection of designs. For Toyota 4WD, the turning point came after 1997 - with the launch and mass implementation of the V-Flex II scheme, one of the most advanced systems was replaced by the most primitive. Its inherent disadvantages are well known: - delayed “operation” of the viscous coupling, - limited degree of blocking, - potential danger during active driving, - low durability of the coupling itself. Of course, even such a dubious 4WD remained preferable to a single-wheel drive, but the problem was that experienced Toyota owners had nothing to compare it with. After 2021, V-Flex II is no longer used on Toyota’s own developments, remaining an attribute only of rebadged Daihatsu models.

The most common type of all-wheel drive in the world today - with an electromechanical clutch for connecting the rear wheels - appeared on Toyotas back in 1998 (ATC). Initially - on minivans, but gradually it came to the lower grades, displacing V-Flex, and to SUVs, eliminating the remnants of full-time. Disadvantages of the scheme: - limited degree of blocking, - limited operating time under load, - wear of the clutch support bearings (for more details, see “ATC 4WD clutch repair”). Overall, ATC is not as efficient as full-time all-wheel drive, but is significantly superior to V-Flex.

It is worth noting one more point - the end of the 1990s was marked by the appearance of new models of Toyota/Aisin automatic transmissions (the latest versions of the A24# series, U-series), the service life of which was radically reduced compared to their predecessors, which was especially noticeable under conditions of increased loads from all-wheel drive . As a result, 4WD transmissions have become not only less efficient, but also less reliable.

For the class of SUVs/crossovers that was just gaining momentum at that time, Toyota retained permanent all-wheel drive in the most simplified version (STD II), which they actually borrowed from previous models with manual transmissions (except by placing five satellites in the center differential instead of four). The expected low efficiency of viscous couplings compared to hydromechanical ones affected the performance characteristics in this case as well.

By the mid-2000s, technological developments made it possible to completely abandon viscous couplings, leaving all three differentials free (VSC) - now the locks were emulated using the braking system. This solution did not remain in production for too long, and a generation later all SUVs received ATC-type all-wheel drive.

In general, with the active introduction of stabilization systems (for Japanese brands - from the second half of the 2000s) and the advent of emulation of cross-axle differential locks using brakes, a new stage in the development of all-wheel drive began in the world. For some manufacturers, the combination of plug-in 4WD and ESP gives a better effect than even some versions of the classic permanent all-wheel drive with excessively “soft” center locking or its emulation. But not in the case of Toyota - when comparing the real behavior of modern SUVs of different brands, it must be admitted that Toyota’s settings for plug-in all-wheel drive and emulation of cross-wheel locks are extremely unsuccessful. Some qualitative improvements have only emerged here with the release of new models at the very end of the 2021s.

The rejection of automatic transmissions in favor of CVTs, which gradually began in the mid-2000s, did not have the best effect on the capabilities of all-wheel drive (mono-wheel drive versions received them even earlier). If for light cars of lower classes this is not so important, then for minivans and, especially, crossovers, it is the variator that becomes the narrowest, most vulnerable and expensive place in the power transmission chain from the engine to the wheels.

Another type of conditionally all-wheel drive, known since 2001, has been formed by numerous hybrid models (E-4WD). Despite the outward tempting of the idea, beautiful numbers and graphs of the torque of the rear electric motor, in reality the traction capabilities did not live up to expectations - in terms of efficiency, the E-4WD does not even reach the ATC of similar non-hybrid models.

Toyota introduced its own scheme operating on the “torque vectoring” (DTV) principle only in 2021, eight years later than Nissan, almost fifteen later than Honda and two decades after MMC. Potius sero quam nunquam.

All-wheel drive Toyota. Review · ATC/DTC · V-Flex · DTV · i-Four · Torsen · E-Four · · C.Diff Auto A241H / A540H · C.Diff Lock · C.Diff Visc · FT-Visc ·