Toyota Prices Four-Cylinder Highlander

Toyota announced several months ago that it would produce a four-cylinder version of its Highlander crossover. We got the specs awhile back, and today the company announced pricing.

At $25,705, the four-cylinder model is $1,895 cheaper than the base V-6 Highlander. The Highlander is just $270 less than Toyota’s newest crossover, the Venza, which starts at $25,975.

In terms of content, the only big difference between the four- and six-cylinder Highlanders is (obviously) the powertrain. The four-cylinder gets a 187-hp, 2.7-liter four-cylinder with 186 pounds-feet of torque, mated to an all-new six-speed automatic transmission. The V-6 makes 270 hp and is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission — so it’s a difference of 83 hp. On the plus side, the four-cylinder with its more fuel-efficient transmission gets 20/27 mpg city/highway, beating out other midsize competitors like the Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Santa Fe and Honda Pilot. The Venza manages to get better mileage (21/29) with the same powertrain.

Sales of the Highlander last month were down 35.9%. Hopefully for Toyota, the four-cylinder Highlander will buoy sales and stop the declines. Whether or not the Venza will cannibalize even more sales away from the Highlander is something we’ll have to wait and see.

The four-cylinder model should show up at dealerships in mid- to late January — about the same time the four-cylinder Venza goes on sale.

Four-Cylinder Toyota Highlander Rated at 27 MPG

Toyota announced a couple months back that it would produce a four-cylinder version of its Highlander crossover. Today, the company has published some of the specs behind the newest model. The new Highlander is powered by a 187-hp, 2.7-liter four-cylinder with 186 pounds-feet of torque. It’s mated to an all-new six-speed automatic transmission. This is the same engine and transmission in the new Venza, and with good reason; Toyota’s K-platform underpins the Venza, Highlander and Camry, so putting the new engine in these models is cost-effective for the company. It also gets good mileage.

The new Highlander has received EPA fuel-economy estimates of 20/27 mpg city/highway (22 mpg combined), which is great for a midsize crossover. The newest Highlander is rated 2 mpg better than the V-6 Highlander in the combined cycle. The crossover also blows its competitors (Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Santa Fe and Honda Pilot) out of the water, mainly because those cars feature more-powerful power plants. As of now, the four-cylinder Highlander is only planned as a front-wheel-drive model.

Ch-Ch-Changes: 2009 Toyota Highlander to Offer Four-Cylinder

When Toyota introduced the redesigned Highlander for 2008, it defended the V-6-only drivetrain by saying four-cylinder buyers would drop down to a RAV4. Evidently that’s changed: With gas prices as high as the junkies in “Pineapple Express,” a four-cylinder Highlander seems like a good move. Under the hood is the new 2.7-liter four-cylinder from the Venza, whose 189 hp represents a healthy gain over Toyota’s current 157-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder. Final mileage ratings are pending, but Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong put preliminary estimates at 20/26 mpg city/highway for a FWD four-cylinder, which is about 10% better than the FWD V-6’s already-decent 18/24 mpg rating. (Memo to Dodge: This unseats the four-cylinder Journey, which gets 19/25 mpg, as segment-best.)

The four-cylinder Highlander comes as a two-row, FWD base model. Options include a third-row seat and an upgraded stereo, and Toyota says it can be equipped to tow 3,500 pounds, versus 5,000 pounds for the V-6. The automaker has yet to announce pricing, but considering that the difference between a four-cylinder Camry and a V-6 version is $3,600, we’d expect the four-cylinder Highlander to start under $25,000. The 2009 Highlander V-6 starts at $27,600. Four-cylinder Highlanders go on sale in mid-January 2009, and Kwong said that if the model proves popular — and we think it will — expanding its availability to Sport and Limited trims is a possibility.

Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Toyota Highlander

This grandmother from Minnesota has owned multiple types of large vehicles with her husband, including a full-size conversion van, a Suburban and a minivan. The couple test drove the 2008 Toyota Highlander and found plenty to recommend. The Highlander gives them the room they need for their grandkids and gets better fuel mileage than they expected (had they gone with the hybrid version, that mileage would be even higher). Read her full review after the jump, and post your own here.

Cars.com Faceoff: 2009 Dodge Journey, 2009 Honda Pilot, 2008 Toyota Highlander

High gas prices are here at the same time almost every automaker is rolling out a highly visible crossover. While they get better fuel economy than truck-based SUVs, they’re no econobox. The editors at Cars.com took on two all-new models — the 2009 Dodge Journey and 2009 Honda Pilot — and pitted them against the 2008 Toyota Highlander, which was redesigned last year. These three models are strictly for families, and we decide which is the best and which is the best value. Check out the winner and let us know what you think of our decision in the comments below.

Cars.comparison: Kings of Suburbia

Cars.com Reviews the 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a tough vehicle to get a hold of. In his detailed review of the crossover, senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder weighs the pros and cons of going green with this type of family vehicle. Does the hybrid hype live up to reality?

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Expert Review

Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Toyota Highlander

Even when you find the right car, sometimes you can't help but nitpick the details that don't work for you. That’s how this week's reader reviewer feels about the '08 Toyota Highlander. After being disappointed with a few other SUVs, “firstSUVowner” from Indianapolis fell in love with the redesigned Highlander (some pairings are just meant to be, we guess). This doesn't mean our reviewer is blind to its flaws, though. Read the full review after the jump and post a review of your own here.

Recall Alert: 2008 Toyota Highlander, Highlander Hybrid

Toyota is recalling 90,000 2008 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid crossovers due to a seatbelt in the third row which may not secure a rear-facing child seat properly during an accident.

The problem involves only certain types of car seats and was discovered during testing by the NHTSA. Toyota says there have been no injuries as a result and the company will replace the locking mechanism free of charge. Notices will be sent to owners in June.

Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

This week's reviewer hails from the Virginia portion of the Washington, D.C., area, which means that as a hybrid owner he can take advantage of those HOV lanes and avoid at least some of the infamous D.C. congestion. Although he wasn’t pleased with the minimal options on the base Toyota Highlander Hybrid he bought, Hybrid Believer remains satisfied with his purchase. His review is below and you can write your own car review here.

Toyota Hybrid Credits Run Out Sunday

Can you hear the radio ad? “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! It’s your last chance to get a hybrid tax credit on all Toyota and Lexus green machines!”

We warned you earlier this month, but if you still haven’t gotten off your duff but don’t feel like paying for more carbon-offsetting, this is your last chance to get a tax credit on a new Toyota or Lexus hybrid car or SUV. This is part of the government’s phased credit program. After each automaker sells a certain number of hybrid vehicles, the credits dwindle per quarter until they’re gone. For Toyota — which has 75% of the hybrid market share — that time is now.

To see how much tax credit ka-ching is left for each model, keep reading. You can also check out other makes and models and their corresponding tax credits here.