2023 Toyota Highlander

The Highlander comes in six different trim levels, so there's plenty of room to customize your SUV's exterior features. The base L model already comes with heated power side mirrors, 18-inch painted alloy wheels, and LED headlights and taillights. Upgrade to the LE, and you'll also get a standard height-adjustable power rear liftgate along with LED fog lights. For more serious upgrades, you may want to start with the XLE trim. This luxurious model boasts 18-inch machine-finished alloy wheels with silver-painted roof rails and a power moonroof standard. The XSE, on the other hand, offers a sportier look with a lower front spoiler, 20-inch black alloy wheels, and a mesh front grille. At the Limited level, you get 20-inch chrome wheels, while the Platinum features a panoramic sunroof and rain-sensing wipers.

Just a single engine is available for the Highlander, but it's all the engine you'll ever need for this powerhouse. The engine is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder model, which is a major change from the previous iterations' V-6 engines. The 2023 Highlander maximizes efficiency while still offering an impressive 265 horsepower with 310 pound-feet of torque. The engine is turbocharged, which is the only way to get that much power out of a four-cylinder.

When you're behind the wheel of the Highlander, you can enjoy a responsive ride with standard front-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is an available upgrade option for that extra bit of control on the road. It even comes with torque vectoring, which increases grip when taking those hard turns. Don't forget to consider the sport-tuned suspension for that extra bit of help with cornering and accelerating.

The Highlander's interior is inviting with plenty of room for passengers. It has a maximum seating capacity of eight people, though that drops to seven if you get captain's chairs for the second row. Your second-row passengers will be comfortable either way thanks to the 41 inches of legroom. For drivers more interested in carrying cargo, the Highlander boasts 48.4 cubic feet of space behind the second row. Fold all the rear seats down, though, and you get 84.3 cubic feet of space.

Given how often the Highlander is used as a family vehicle, it should be no surprise that Toyota has outfitted it with some of the best safety features on the market standard. These include automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection and automatic high-beam headlamps. Even blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist are standard on all models.