First introduced as a 2001 model, the Highlander was substantially revised for 2004. The 2005 Toyota Highlander adds standard features that were optional. Optional curtain-style airbags and side-impact airbags are designed to protect passengers' heads and torsos in a side impact or rollover.

The Highlander remains the easiest of motoring companions. Getting in and out is easy due to the relatively low floor height. Its flexible interior makes it easy to various combinations of people and cargo. Seating for five comes standard, with an optional third-row seat to carry up to seven passengers, though they'd be cramped. The third row folds flat and the second-row seat folds nearly so, revealing 80 cubic feet of cargo space, more than a Toyota 4Runner. The Highlander can swallow impromptu flea-markets buys with ease, and tote them home despite sudden worsening of the weather.

The Highlander offers a relatively soft, smooth ride for an SUV and the interior is unusually quiet and free of wind noise and engine vibration. The base model, equipped with the revised 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive, performs well around town and on the open highway, delivering responsive performance when merging into highway traffic. Equipped with the larger 3.3-liter V6 and all-wheel-drive, the Highlander offers strong power and secure handling in nasty weather. Highlander offers much of what made the Lexus RX 300 popular, but without Lexus-sized monthly payments.