2001 Toyota Highlander; The Camry of sport/utes.(Brief Article)

Shhh. Hear that? No? That's because it's the sound of quiet. Or in the case of Toyota, the sound of its new Highlander sport/ute. Quiet? An SUV? Yup, the Highlander produces about as much noise as a Black Sabbath record cranked full-bore-in those few seconds after the speak-ers and the amp and the tuner have all blown.

Plowing through the mountains outside of Sante Fe, New Mexico, the only noise sneaking into the Highlander's cabin is the sound of snow crunching under its 16-inch tires, and then only barely. On pavement, one could hear a proverbial pin dropping inside, even at moderate speeds. And therein lies the punch of Toyota's newest offering: The Highlander may be a truck on the outside, but it offers all the comfort-and quiet-of a Toyota sedan on the inside.

It doesn't hurt that the Japanese automaker had good stuff to work with in designing the Highlander. The Lexus RX 300, launch-ed in 1998 and upon which the Highlander is based, has been a hit in the market from the get-go, offering one of the first truly car-like rides in a truck to a segment of buyers still enamored with SUVs but fast wearying of the bumps and bruises that accompany them. Others have since followed, like the Acura MDX. Toyota's secret to getting a car-like ride in an SUV? Start out with a car.

The Highlander, like the RX 300, sits on the Camry platform. As such, the Highlander uses the same suspension setup as the Camry, with its four-wheel independent MacPherson strut with antiroll bars tuned specifically for the light off-road duty expected of an SUV.

That doesn't make the Highlander a rough rider over less-than-rough stuff. In fact, the Highlander drives with the ease and smoothness of-not surprisingly-the Camry, with a little more body roll evident through the turns, thanks to its higher ride and center of gravity, and a little more confidence through the sloppy stuff due to the Highlander's optional full-time four-wheel-drive system.

At the heart of the four-wheel-drive system is a center differential with a viscous coupling that splits torque fore and aft. If any wheel slips, the system sends more power to the wheels with traction. The system proved worthy through the snow-covered roads of Sante Fe, even on virgin surfaces without previous traffic. But we didn't tempt fate by venturing truly off-road; past experience with the four-wheel-drive RX 300 in off-road situations made us wary of the Highlander's limitations.

Even so, Toyota didn't intend the Highlander for tough, off-road duty. Don Esmond, Toyota division senior vice president and general manager, says the Highlander is ``for buyers demanding the image and versatility of an SUV, but who prioritize the ride, handling and comfort of a sedan.'' Image and versatility. That's indeed what many SUV buyers today are demanding. For those who still enjoy the rough and tumble, there's the 4Runner-or the new Sequoia.