Wife has narrowed it down to the Highlander, looking at the Limited Platinum as she likes the parking camera system and panoramic moon roof. We keep our cars for 10+ years so the added cost of the package is of little consequence as we get our money's worth out of vehicles.

Anybody have a recent production Highlander? Wondering if there is anything negative about the vehicle I should know before I make a deal on one?

Toyota's infotainment system is way behind other brands. I'll go as far as to say Entune sucks. However we own a 2016 Toyota. I love it. I would buy another tomorrow if needed. I expect we will put 250k+ miles on it.

I have 2015 limited and just hit 70k miles. I think it's a great vehicle; my first Toyota but certainly won't be the last. We bought the upgraded 'Limited' model just for the larger head unit and sensors (lane change and backup). Mostly local use, but a half dozen extended cross country journeys.

We purchased ours in early August and find very little to fault it for so far.

The only thing that comes to mind is that you must be stopped in order to use the GPS for navigation puposes. A minor thing but annoying nonetheless.

one of us here just bought a new 4Runner. Wondering what the difference in cost would be between the two. And no I am not familiar with the new Toyota's. Just the old ones

Just bought a 18 XLE. We have a 2008. The car controls are confusing as hell. Too much info/options.
Too many settings. Wife says car seems to have less pickup than the 2008. But I believe that has to do with fuel saving settings. Economy mode vs Power mode, and the car has the engine off at stop light feature that you need to disable every time you start the car.

It used to look like a smaller version of the 4-Runner. The newer ones look like a minivan, not an SUV.

We bought a 2018 back in June. Just did a road trip back from Chicago and it was great. I thought it got fairly decent mileage on the drive, the radar cruise control works very well. It allows you to paste a vehicle in front of you at a consistent distance. For us, it’s the perfect size vehicle for a small family with two dogs.

We are happy we bought it.

However, I am not too pleased with the Toyota care program. Now they call for oil changes at 10,000 miles. Amazing how they changed from 3,000 miles to 5,000 miles to 10,000 miles now that maintenance is paid for up front. I hate it when they say maintenance is free or included. Nothing is free, it’s just built into the price of the vehicle.

However, I must admit the car has a very light and airy feeling to it. It seems to have a high center of gravity. I do like the steering, I believe it is in electronic steering system.

Trapper189 just posted in the tire thread that the Highlander chassis is based off the Camry chassis, ouch. But I am not surprised.
Some of Toyota newer idea's seem messed up iyam.

I did post that, but only to point out that the Goodyear Duratrac all terrain tires another member suggested for it were not an appropriate tire. It's car based utility vehicle and always has been. It's not an off road vehicle and Toyota makes other vehicles if that's what a person wants.

My dad traded his Tacoma for one because it's easier for my mom to get in and out of. I've driven it once out of necessity, which is unusual. Normally, I can't wait to drive one of my parents' new vehicles because they usually buy something interesting. Not this time, not for me at least.

My one time impression:

Voice control for the navigation sucks. My parents had driven a to Petoskey for a Dr.'s appointment and had car trouble. They gave me the name of the pizza place they had stopped for lunch at and also told me it was across the street from West Marine. While driving their 2018 Highlander across the state to get them, I spent 30 minutes arguing with the nav system before I gave up and used my phone. I tried with both the pizza place and West Marine, no dice. I figured West Marine would be a cinch; there's only two of them in the entire northern half of the Lower Penninsula. What really killed me was both places showed up on the nav screen when I got there, so they were in the database.

The auto engine stop/start is annoying. The nanny warnings are fun when your 79 year old father drives back from Petoskey and the lane departure warnings keep going off. I don't believe I had one warning on the way there. It handled fine and drove fine.

We just bought one in July. We, well I, had intended on getting a 4Runner, but this vehicle was for my wife. Honestly, I wanted a Tacoma, but again, this was for my wife, and driving a larger vehicle is not something she is comfortable with.

We strolled around the lot, looking at 4Runners. The salesman came out, and after I said I was looking for, he mentioned the Highlander, and took us for a test drive. My wife was sold about 30 seconds in. It drives very smooth, and if I had to describe it in one word, it would be: Plush. It's like driving around sitting on your living room couch, and the interior is extremely quiet.

I've never owned a car with three row seating, but it's cleverly designed. I didn't even realize it had it, until the salesman showed us how it works. It folds perfectly flat, until you need it, then it is very adjustable, and my kids say it is pretty comfortable. I haven't sat back there for extended times.

We didn't get the upgrade entertainment package or GPS. We both have phones and use Pandora or GPS through them, so it would have been an added expense.

The "intuitive" cruise control and hi/low beams is neat. You set the cruise control, and it will adjust with the flow of traffic if it needs to slow. The headlights will automatically dim from high to low when it senses other vehicles. I don't like the "lane departure" warnings, and I'm sure you can turn those off.

We haven't owned it through a PA winter, but we got the AWD, so I am sure it will be sufficient.

Fuel economy is decent (21city/27hwy), it is a larger vehicle, but the 3.5L V6 is 295hp and 263ft/lbs. With the 8 speed auto, it is surprisingly quick.

My complaints. I hate technology. The power tailgate is a pain in the butt, and slow. Yes, you can activate it from the console or key remote, but I am perfectly capable of opening a tailgate. The engine cutoff at stoplights is annoying, but you can shut it off manually. I'm sure if I drove it enough, I would find a way to disable it, instead of having to turn it off every time. It kind of stutters when you hit the gas, and if you are stopped at an incline, it does roll back slightly. I told my wife eventually that will get her stuck in traffic when the battery goes. Although I can't attest to this, I've heard Toyota OEM batteries last about 3 years. Not a deal breaker, but given all the electronic gizmos and doo-hickeys in cars, it is to be expected.

The tail gate. Luckily, when we first bought it, we had it outside our garage. Had we opened it inside the garage, it would have hit the ceiling. You can easily adjust the height setting to correct this. However, one night when I went in the garage, the Highlander was making an odd sound. I first thought it was a fuel pump or something. When I got to the rear, I could tell it was the auto latch for the tailgate. When I pushed it, it started opening, and actually pinned me against the garage door until I had to physically stop it. My wife had some grocery bags that the hatch had closed on, and didn't shut all the way. It had tried to lock all night, and I'm honestly surprised it didn't kill the battery.

I have a friend who has both a Highlander and 4Runner. He even prefers the Highlander, especially on extended road trips.

Toyota reliability and resale are among the highest in the industry. I haven't check the safety ratings, but I am sure they are high as well. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone looking into vehicles in it's class.

Thanks all. I agree that the tech is somewhat dated, but we drove the Explorer Sport (my choice) and she was overwhelmed with all the tech. She said it was to the point that she's afraid she would get distracted while trying to get to the right feature instead of looking at the road. With three kiddos in the car that's a very real possibility so I understand. At least the tech that is there seems to integrate into the driving experience well so it's non-invasive.

We both liked the looks of the 4Runner, and truth be told, the drive wasn't far behind the Highlander, but the lack of captains chairs in the second row was a deal killer. With three kids all in various forms of car seats/boosters there is no way to fold the second row forward to allow access to the third row with a car seat/booster in place. Thus, the pass through of the captains chairs is needed.

With a growing family of five a highlander would be down the list a ways for me. To small.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
With a growing family of five a highlander would be down the list a ways for me. To small.

Unfortunately the next best choice is the Expedition and my wife won't drive one of those.

Wait, what??? Three kids in car seats? Where was that little tid bit of information in the original post? I love these "what do you think of xxxxx threads" that are vague at best only to find out game changing information later on.

ORC's right, too small.

I have an 8, 10, and 12 year old. I'm through the every one is in a car seat years. Unless you have some other, larger people and gear mover, you will not be keeping the Highlander for 10 years. It'll work for taking them to school and back for a while, but once they get into sports, band, whatever, the Highlander will be too small. Going to games, meets and such involves bringing your own chairs, coolers, maybe an easy-up for shade.

The next best choice is the dreaded "MV" vehicle, but if she won't drive and Expedition...

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Wait, what??? Three kids in car seats? Where was that little tid bit of information in the original post? I love these "what do you think of xxxxx threads" that are vague at best only to find out game changing information later on.

ORC's right, too small.

I have an 8, 10, and 12 year old. I'm through the every one is in a car seat years. Unless you have some other, larger people and gear mover, you will not be keeping the Highlander for 10 years. It'll work for taking them to school and back for a while, but once they get into sports, band, whatever, the Highlander will be too small. Going to games, meets and such involves bringing your own chairs, coolers, maybe an easy-up for shade.

The next best choice is the dreaded "MV" vehicle, but if she won't drive and Expedition...

Well I guess that's my bad, I was inquiring more about quality than I was thoughts on number of passengers, I should have been more explicit. The fact of the matter is this is the size we're getting as my wife will not driver a larger vehicle. I'm due for a new vehicle right now, but will be putting it off a few years due to this impending purchase. At that time my intention is for me to get an Expedition by the time my oldest (5 now) is 10 for the reasons you mention. Heck, by then she may be in the market for a car as the need for carrying capacity will be gone if I'm driving an Expedition.

sorry but the wife needs to "man up" so to speak. It sounds like she wants a vehicle that she wants to drive. Not the one that the family needs. My wife has some limitations but she can drive the old suburban just fine.

Maybe your guys are very well off. Not in debt. But if you are getting a vehicle to last for 10 years. It would be the prudent thing to do to get the one that will serve you best. Buying a $40-50k rig. Paying interest and insurance this thing will be over $100k when said and done.

I have a 2003 I purchased new. Has about 182k on it. Most of the miles have been on the evil salty roads of Michigan. Have driven it coast to coast a couple of times, towing a loaded down U-Haul. Have driven it on the Primitive road down in Cade’s Cove, TN. All over the Rockies. It’s been a fantastic vehicle. Yes, it’s built off the Camary platform (as is the RV4 is built off of the Corolla platform) but that’s what gives these vehicles its softer car-like ride. Durability wise, it’s been great.

Maintenance-wise, I’ve had the plugs replaced a couple of times. I’m religious with the oil change/tire rotation every 5k miles. I’ve had the timing, serp belts along with the water pump replaced at 90k (recommended).

Buy it.

To those saying you need a bigger car for 5 people, how big are you? Im 6'2 260 and there is no problem fitting 6 of me in the car. We have had 8 (2 adults and 6 16yos 3f and 3m) admittedly the 8 was tight.
If you are doing 3 car seats just get the 2nd row bench and you are good to go.

We’ve driven 6 adults in our 2018 Highlander with no complaints. Heck, Mrs 12GA & I sat in the very back row of a friend’s Highlander and were plenty comfortable.