Driven: 2023 Toyota Highlander Gets Loud in Its Transition to Turbo Power | Edmunds

Edmunds.com

Driven: 2023 Toyota Highlander Gets Loud in Its Transition to Turbo Power | Edmunds

The 2023 Toyota Highlander swaps out itsV6 engine for a new turbocharged four-cylinder and adds a handful of new features, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Read the full story here

jkques

Hey, Brian. I'm an ex automotive journalist but also a consumer who wanted to chime in about the 2.4t engine. My mom just leased a Lexus NX350 (same engine) and I've noticed the same excess noise in the mid-range you mentioned. I'm pretty sure it's engine knock. The engine doesn't exhibit the same extra layer of clatter if you rev it at a stand still. It only does this under load. I'm also pretty sure it's a result of Toyota's dual injector setup (port + direct). Now that "engine start/stop" has become a standard feature, Lexus/Toyota has reprogrammed the port injectors to come on more often (when the car is driving under light to moderate loads rather than just when the car is idling at a stand still). The engine has an 11:1 compression ratio, which is something you wouldn't see in a normal port fuel injected engine due to engine knock limitations. I've pumped 100 octane racing fuel into it and it does reduce the knock, but does not eliminate it completely. I'm taking the car in next week to see if they can reprogram the engine management software but I don't have my hopes up. Anyway, do you remember if the sound you heard might have been engine knock? Just curious to know if you ever tried to diagnose the noise or just chalked it up to lack of refinement.