2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

Toyota has redesigned the 2014 Highlander, making the midsize crossover SUV longer, wider, and lower at the same time that maximum passenger capacity rises to eight people in three rows of seats. The 2014 Toyota Highlander is available in LE, LE Plus, XLE, and Limited trim levels, and prices run from $30,075 for the Highlander LE with a 4-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive to $50,650 for the Highlander Hybrid Limited with the Platinum Package. Shown here is the Highlander Limited, which starts at $40,500.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

Toyota nailed the styling for the 2014 Highlander, except perhaps for the large trapezoidal grille. Otherwise, this is a good-looking SUV, the Limited model featuring the 19-inch Chromtec aluminum wheels seen here.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

Inside, the 2014 Highlander is an aesthetic and tactile triumph. Gone is the former landscape of shiny hard plastic, the mouse-fur headliner, and the yester-tech controls. In their place are soft-touch materials, tasteful patterns and glosses, matching headliner and pillar cover material, and a modern, high-tech appearance.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

All versions of the 2014 Highlander, except for the LE model, feature a standard 8-way power driver’s seat with a thigh support adjustment. In most places where a driver is likely to come into contact with the cabin, soft surfaces rule. I did not find the shape of the steering wheel rim to be particularly comfortable, but you might decide otherwise.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

Second-row captain’s chairs are available for the Highlander XLE and standard for the Highlander Limited. They sit unusually close to the floor, but thanks to decent thigh support and lots of legroom, they’re comfortable. The slide forward to help increase third-row seat space, and while Toyota claims the 2014 Highlander seats eight people, our opinion is that six adults are the maximum, or four adults and four kids.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

While maximum cargo volume shrinks by 11.7 cu.-ft. to a total of 83.2 cu.-ft., the amount of space behind the third-row seat actually increases 3.5 cu.-ft. to a total of 13.8 cu.-ft. Fold the third-row seat down, and the Highlander offers exactly the same amount of cargo room as the old one at 42.3 cu.-ft.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

A 185-horsepower, 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine is standard for the Highlander LE, and Toyota continues to offer a hybrid drivetrain that delivers 28 mpg in combined driving. Most 2014 Highlander models, however, will have Toyota’s excellent 3.5-liter V-6 engine under the hood. The EPA says it will get between 20 mpg and 21 mpg depending on whether or not the Highlander is equipped with the optional Dynamic Torque Control all-wheel-drive system. This front-drive test vehicle returned an average of 19.4 mpg.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

You’ll see red if you reference a Consumer Reports reliability history chart for the Toyota Highlander. Going back a decade, this SUV consistently proves itself to be nothing but dependable. J.D. Power predicts that the Highlander’s dependability will be better than average, and this model has historically performed at an impressive level in both the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study and the Vehicle Dependability Study.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

In crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the 2014 Toyota Highlander gets a “Top Safety Pick” rating no matter which trim you choose. Get a Limited model with the optional Driver Technology Package and the IIHS awards the crossover SUV with a “Top Safety Pick+” rating, the only vehicle in its class to earn the distinction as of March 1, 2014.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

To install the most technologically advanced safety features on a 2014 Highlander, you’d better plan to pop for the most expensive version, the Limited model. It comes standard with a Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, and is exclusively available with a Driver Technology Package containing automatic high-beam headlights, a Lane Departure Alert system, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with a Pre-Collision System, and Safety Connect services including Automatic Collision Notification.

2014 Toyota Highlander Photo Gallery

New features available for the 2014 Highlander include a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, USB 2.0 charging and connection ports, and a power tailgate that can be adjusted to open in accordance with the available roof clearance at home or at work. A panoramic glass sunroof is included in the Platinum Package for the Highlander Limited.