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Comments
Carpet/Cargo Mats - $275 MSRP $180 Invoice (I'm assuming 3 rows since your MSRP was $275
Wheel locks - $81 MSRP $50 Invoice
ALL WEATHER FLOOR, CARGO & 3RD ROW MAT SET - $230.00 MSRP $150.00 Invoice
Anyone have this color? Do you like it? What the heck does it look like on the highlander? If someone as a link to an acutal pix that would be of benefit as well.
thanks
To see the color, just go to toyota website and then select "explore", then "colors", after that select a model which is "hybrid" and select exterior color which is "iced amethyst mica". I suggest you go to your nearest toyota dealer and look for it, its better looking than in the picture :shades: .
I live in N ID and lots of snow & ice in the winter. Our AWD 04 Explorer (with a traction control option) does a superb job on slick roads with it's front/rear mounted engine. Perhaps I should consider a 2009 Explorer instead of a 2009 Highlander LTD. Safety & traction are major concerns here in the frozen tundra
Thanks,
Ron
Got the carpeted ones with vehicle purchase. Made the dealer throw them in with the deal I made.
Gas mileage is a bit lower perhaps, but I am not too concerned. Vehicle has about 10,000 miles and I am getting 19.5 around town and 22 on expressway. Also, vehicle really "flies" down the road with 270 horses under the hood. I set cruise control at 75-80 on expressway if road conditons are favorable and cruise down highway. Back and forth to work, I travel about 60-65 mph. Thus, I do not "baby" the vehicle and get frequent oil changes, etc. Overall, very satisfied with vehicle so far and I would purchase another one. Got the Blizzard Pearl White with trailer package and leather. Nice ride so far.
And, you can see all around vehicle very easily. Took Enclave for a ride as well as the Pontiac version. No comparison and believe I made good choice. Not sorry so far.
Think about how you might make use of a 4WD/4X4 system in severe wintertime highway use. Wouldn't you normally disengage the 4WD mode (enable ABS, TC, VSC, etc.) while traveling on the highway?? Maybe only use 4WD mode to get up and going initially? Look at your 4WD owners manuals, doesn't it say, suggest, exactly that..??
A sure sign that the public in general is finally wising up to the safety hazards of FWD and F/AWD is indicated by Saab's recent announcement.
Yes, the forward engine weight of FWD and F/AWD vehicles most definitely HELPS to get you up and going initially in adverse roadbed conditions. But thereafter it is potentially a SEVERE detriment to safe operation of the vehicle.
OK....so my, and millions of other's, decades of safe use of fwd/awd in snow and ice is an abberation? A mistake? A bad data point??? Don't think so...
I have a 04 Mountaineer V8 AWD and this thing plows through snow. We got 20 inches of Snow about six weeks ago and even with about a foot on the side streets I was one of the few vehicles able to get around. We have been considering a new vehicle as well and would definitely buy an Explorer/Mountaineer again if it wasn't for MPG issues. Up where you live I'd stick with your Explorer idea. Plus I think the new Explorers are great looking vehicles. Highlanders are finally worth looking at. I never liked them before this year. Only problems I've found if you're used to a third row of seats and have a Eddie Bauer or Limited Explorer is that the third row is tiny and very difficult to access. Also, you can't get memory setting for the Driver Seat. I am also considering a Saturn Outlook XR. Beautiful vehicle and it addresses the issues I have with the Highlander.
I also have the '08 HH Ltd. I lock the doors after exiting by pressing the black button on the handle, OR with the remote's lock function. The car locks after entering when you start to move (customizable). Also the unlock function can be changed to a 1-click unlock.
Everyone with a Toyota Nav system - please call Toyota and complain
Call Toyota Customer Service at 800-331-4331 and ask to have the override restored.
What is the Toyota Navigation Override Controversy?
With the release of 2007 models and the 6.1 Navigation software package, Toyota removed the existing 'override' that had been present in their cars since at least 2000. That override feature (a series of on screen inputs) had allowed the use the Navigation and Phone systems while the car is in motion- so for example, the passenger could look for food in the midst of a family trip. Instead, in order to use the touch screen on a 2007 Toyota, you need to pull over to the side of the highway or actually exit and park the vehicle. In some cases prospective buyers were misinformed that the override was still present.
Toyota's change in the car's operation lowers the bar for consumer rights:
Many times it is more dangerous to pull over and stop to use the system.
Toyota treats the car like software (even if you buy it, you don't actually own it, you only have a license to use it the way Toyota tells you to use it).
Toyota made an important and to some customers critical, change in vehicle operation and customers were and are still not notified of that change before buying their cars.
Toyota's stonewalling and refusal to accept that customers are annoyed /furious / inconvenienced is an indication that customer service is no longer paramount to Toyota/Lexus.
Toyota is not my Mother
If you believe Toyota should fix this problem, here's how you can help:
Call Toyota Customer Service at 800-331-4331 and ask to have the override restored.
Place a review at Autosite , Edmunds, or Consumer Reports .
Please sign up to get updates on the status of the override and to be counted in favor of restoring the override function.
Tell your friends and neighbors that the override is no longer available. They may prefer a Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Saturn or a Garmin.
Various Toyota user forums have discussed possible remedies:
A wire cutting hack that voids the warranty
Create a hybrid 5.1 / 6.1 DVD -requires buying 5.1 or it is illegal.
Hiring a programmer to write new software.
Returning the vehicle to Toyota.
Receiving a rebate for the cost of the Nav system.
Filing a Class action suit.
Please feel free to send your Concerns / suggestions on how to improve our odds of success
I've owned the 2008 Highlander for three weeks and can't believe this "safety feature." I would never have bought this SUV had I known about this -- but how would I know this was even a possibility!?!?!?!?! I previously owned a Honda Pilot and could use the Nav system at will -- so I didn't know to ask about this and certainly was not told as part of the sales process. The only thing more ludicrous that this restriction is listening to well-meaning Toyota employees trying to justify it and repeatedly calling it a “safety feature.” This is quite the “anti-safety feature” when I have to pull over in a dangerous neighborhood or off on the side of the interstate with no shoulder to reset my destination or move the view of my map!!! I actually took the car back to the dealer after I almost ran off the road trying to catch the caller ID on my Bluetooth connected cell phone when it failed to display on the Nav screen and I needed to know who it was before I answered. I was upset to think that the system didn't have Caller ID -- I was INFURIATED to know that it DID have Caller ID but wouldn't show it to me while moving!! Toyota aren't you listening yet?!?!?!? I’m not asking to watch DVD movies in my dash – that is just silly and illegal I believe; but if I pay $40,000 for a product, I fully expect to be able to use it any way I choose (within legal limits of course!) Toyota, you have NO business dictating MY activities in MY vehicle! Signed: A three-week-old-new-Toyota-owner who will never buy another Toyota! P.S. I am currently looking at options to do a trade-in on an Acura MDX even though I don't like the Acura body as well.
Second: I think the set up is great. You should not be punching addresses in while driving, and I think it is a very important safety feature. You don't have to pull over right on the road, you should go to a safe spot such as a rest area or parking lot, gas station etc.
If more people would stop using the screen while driving, and pay attention, the roads would be safer! The same goes for cell phones. Every car should offer hands free bluetooth, it should be required!
While navs are nice, they are very dangerous because people don't use them as they should. I think you will be very sorry in going to an MDX. I have friends that have one, very poor gas mpg, the ride is not as good as the Highlander, and wait to you have a service problem. And you are right, it is not nearly as attractive.
I see people every day paying more attention to screens, cell phones, instead of the road. Is your destination that important to possibly injure someone or yourself ?
I think Toyota is very smart with this safety feature, and I think you are over reacting and not caring about the safety of others. Having this feature could save your life and keep you going to destinations !
This has been brought up on the forums before, and many have felt the same that this is an important safety issue, and more people need to keep their minds on driving, and not with all the toys that are available.
Sorry to disagree with your post, and hopefully you will wise up.
Please tell us how you really feel. LOL Holding back can only be bad for you.
I ma presently looking to by a HL LMT and don't like that fact that my passenger/navigator/wife can't operate the NAV while in motion. I prob need to rethink this. I was so very close to buying a MDX but decided against it due to the increased cost to purchase and then there is the premium fuel, which in my area has increased in GAP PRICE from .15/gal to .30/gal. I understand higher prices but I dont get the increased gap. Oh Well BOHICA..... :mad: ...............The Pilot is coming out within the next few weeks and the NAV screen interface looks very similar to the MDX.....
link title This is the link to the 2009 Pilot that Honda sent me. What I don't think you will get is the mileage taht the HL provides, if that matters.
Okay so since we know how you love the navigation on your new HL tell me your impressions on the rest of the car.
What did you get on it and what did you pay.
Thanks :shades:
Dealer Holdback
I'd focus on the Out The Door (OTD) price myself and not negotiate holdback or all the other line items. That could add hours to the deal.
No, just not statistically important.
The important statistic would be the ratio of accidents due loss of directional control for FWD vs RWD.
The only place one might find those, have access to those, is an automotive insurance company.
Like has proven to be true with ABS, it isn't the level of successful use, but the level of UNSUCCESSFUL ABS use in comparison with non-ABS equipped vehicles.
And in case you aren't aware, ABS comes out on the "Dark side" of those statistics. More single vehicle "run off the road" (missed the curve..??) accidents with ABS than without. Substantially more, enough to tilt the ENTIRE ABS equation slightly over to the negative.
Strange, that.
I felt I didn't need the temptation, distraction, arising from the "need" or desire to take a quick look at the map if I were confused at some decision point. Just COMMIT, and then correct is the commitment has been wrong.
Our new Garmin 680 portable has the same "I agree" feature, which I DO NOT exercise if I am alone in the car, plus I lay it face down. And by the way the Garmin 680 portable seems to perform Head and Shoulders above the RX's GPS even with the latest update.
The Highlander is not only a great SUV, but it is one of the best for gas mpg. I have had my loaded Highlander Limited since January, and I am getting 18 mpg in the city. While I have not had it on a long trip yet, I am sure it will get what others that post are getting. As much as 26 - 27.
I have friends that bought a MDX, and they do not like it. It drinks gas, and they have been in my Highlander and said it is much more quiet and smooth, and has better looks, and they are trading for the Highlander after being in mine.
Sorry to but -in, but the Highlander is a fantastic SUV , and I hate someone not to get one because it has safety with the nav. While it is nice to have a wife be a navigator, many do not, and are driving and paying attention to the screen instead of the road. I will fight for more safety issues and for cell phones to be baned while driving unless it is handsfree.
Hopefully you will hear the rest of the story from Nimrod99.
However, the voice activated system does not compensate for the locked out features.
My wife's CRV nav is fully functional when moving, and it has 600 voice commands (toyota's is limited to about 130).
Ok, so why can't the front seat passenger use the nav - there are seat sensors for the air bag and seat belt warning?
Ok, so lets see about pulling over. I am driving on I-40, the rest area is 56 miles away. I can't pull over on a hard shoulder, semi's are hurtling by at 80 mph. I pull over on the next exit (12 miles ahead). The exit has no shoulder. I pull off on the side road (again no shoulder). My front seat passenger is looking at me dumbfounded. Why don't you let me enter in the POI search?
Oh Toyota is my mother and won't let me do that.
So I stop, try to enter the POI by "Near destination" oops Toyota doesn't have that feature.
Anyway, there is a work around while driving. what I do is scroll the map by using my finger to touch the screen (following the route on the screen) after pressing the screen about 15 times to scroll far enough ahead to see the end of the route guidance, I then have to "peck" at all the fast food icons to find the one I want.
By now, I have spent about 30 seconds looking at the screen, and tapping it 100's of times.
So Toyota locks out features for safety, yet allows me to be more unsafe by doing the procedure I explained above.
All I want is to acknowledge that "yes, being distracted is dangerous" but left me use my nav (or let my passenger" when I feel it is safe to do so.
got 24 mpg on rural roads (65 mph)
Love everything about the HL (except the Nav)
will disconnect the speed input sensor to the Nav to defeat the lockout (will add a switch so when I need to enter POI (along route) or "show list" I can enable that (or have my passenger do it.
When 2009 Pilot comes out, may consider a trade in because the Honda Nav is Superior and is not locked when moving (even if it was, there are 600 voice commands to do what you want it to do, Toyota has only 130 commands)
Actually, the ratio of the rate of accidents (accidents/100,000 miles, accidents/1000 vehicles, that type of thing) - do you have that number?
I believe there is a Lemon Law, that if I take the car in 3 times for the same complaint, I am entitled to get my money back.
I will hire a lawyer, and demonstrate that other suitably equiped cars (Honda, Mazda) and units like Garmin, Magellan - don't lock up when moving.
Here goes....
You're asking Toyota to reimburse you for an option you bought without figuring out first whether it meets your needs?
That's the funniest thing I've read all morning. Good luck with that.
Try asking a sales guy a techincal questiuon about a Nav (when not many cars on the show room even have nav installed). My car had to be ordered and I waited weeks for it.
Having driven the Honda CR-V, I assumed all cars NAV would work when the car is in motion
Also - up until 2007, users could hack an override on the nav to defeat the lock out when moving. Toyota didn't tell me that took that away in 2008.
I also assumed "Voice activated" would allow me to voice in commands.
As I said - the CRV has over 600 commands. Figured a Highlander being a $42,000 car would exceed a CRV in technical specification.
Guess not.
Also try getting any information on the Nav from Toyota.
I got everything
OPTIONS
FE State
EY Rear Ent
QR AC
RF Spoiler
HD Heat seats
PB Power rear
SR Sun roof
TO Tow
NV Nav
CT Cargo
Paid 300 over invoice = 300+37684 = 37,984 plus tax title and delivery.
Oh I love the Highlander, I think that my wifes' Honda CR-V nav is 10x better (not locked) and allows full audio access to MP3 folders and files while moving.
Shame a $42,000 vehicle is castrated by a messed up Nav system by Toyota Lawyers who want to be my mother.
I now have to use a Garmin in my car to make up for the stupid built in Nav.
I am writing to Toyota to reinburse my costs for the Nav option ($2,000+) or pay for my Garmin ($500) their choice
I, for one, find that I'm able to do everything that I need to do with my nav system while driving. I definitely don't want to be on the same road as you the next time you're trying to fiddle with your nav or blue tooth controls and almost crash. Of course, maybe if you did crash you'd learn your lesson and realize why the safety feature was installed.
Thank you for your kind thoughts, wishing me to crash, but sorry to dissapoint you, that wont happen because of my Nav use.
You don't get it.
I want my front seat passenger to use the Nav while I am moving, or when conditons are safe, myself.
I hope for your sake, the next time you stop you car to access the Nav, you don't get rear ended on the freeway or any other place you stop.
Or if that doesn't happen, hope you don't have an accident merging back into traffic.
And for your reference, I have been using a Garmin Street pilot for 3 years (almost constantly for 120,000 miles with out an accident). The reason for 120,000 accident free miles, probably due to my driving skills and my responsibility in using the direct entry feature when it is safe, unlike others (not mentioning names) who may have lesser driving skills and aptitude.
I haven't driven the Hondas to know how much, if any, of their features are locked when the car's in motion, but I guess that's why there are different choices in cars - so you can choose.
You could possibly trade your HL for an '09 Honda Pilot when they arrive later this month. However, I'd say the odds are zero that Toyota is going to reimburse you for a functional option that has included safety features that irk you. (They irk me, too, but the overall value proposition for Toyota beats all other car makes, in my opinion.)
By your logic, someone could demand Toyota reimburse them for the variable intermittent wipers, because they wipe at 2 and 4 seconds, but not 3 seconds. Or, as others have posted about, someone could demand that Toyota reimburse them for not having a split fold down 3rd row seat "and I didn't notice it until I bought the car."
Comparing wipers to lack of GPS function does not jive.
What you should have said would be like this.
Because its dangerous to drive on wet slippery road, Toyota thinks that it would be safer to remain parked. Therefore, as soon as you start to drive, your wipers will be turned off. You will only be allowed to use them while stationary, so you don't drive on wet roads.
As for 3rd row seats, same applies. The logic would be that you could only use them when stationary, If you want to drive, you have to fold the 3rd seat down, so that rear seat passengers are not exposed to a potential rear end collision.
As for Honda's Nav, its fully functional. which allows myself or my wife (whoever is in the passenger seat) to search for POI's while moving.
In any case, I have managed to find a way to defeat the lockout on the Highlander.
I am just annoyed that Toyota wants to be my mother.
The following story is true. Unfortunately it is not unique. Because other Lexus buyers had the same experience I detail below, the website LexusOverride.com was born. Because Lexus has removed the override feature from it’s vehicles without prior warning to preexisting or potential new customers, it falls on others to inform the car buying public just what you get when you buy a Lexus. Here is my story.
September 30, 2006:
After considerable research and deliberation, I purchased a new car- my first Lexus after many a Toyota . I bought a 2007 model Lexus ES350 right off the lot from Newport Lexus in Southern California. Before buying the vehicle and because it was important to me, I spoke to the salesman specifically about the Lexus Navigation system and asked about the override. The 2007 models were very new then and there was little known about them. The salesman assured me that there were a series of ‘codes’ that could be inserted to allow use of the Nav system while moving but said he did not know them. There have been ‘override’ codes on previous Lexus models, so I had no reason to doubt him. He then volunteered that there were even ways to get the DVD to play movies while the car was moving, if I went to an aftermarket installer. The movie option did not appeal to me but I felt satisfied I had done my due diligence about the navigation and so I bought the car. What a great day!
October, 2006- January, 2007
The Lexus owner’s sites and other user groups are abuzz – looking for the override codes to the new Navigation system. The new system, the 6.1 version, is made by Denso. Slowly, rumors come out that the code is harder to find, that it involves turning on the headlights, that there is no code, that only the technicians know it and are sworn to not reveal it, etc. During this time, I place occasional calls to the Lexus’ Customer Service 800 number to try to get the override information. I am repeatedly told nothing specific about the presence or absence of an override or even an official Lexus policy on the override during this time.
January, 2007
This time, the call to Lexus 800 is different. The Lexus representative tells me officially there is no override for the 2007 vehicles, all of which have the 6.1 Nav system. I can’t believe it! I ask how I can go about returning my car. Lexus’ Customer Service instructs me to contact the Center for Dispute Resolution and file my claim.
January- May, 2007
My case winds through the National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS) for months. Information is requested, and it is intially considered a 'valid' case by the panel. However, the case ends up being thrown out because Lexus asks for a summary judgment to nullify the case since “the car operates as it is intended”. All along I had noted that the issue was that the vehicle was materially modified without customer warning – I took the case to settlement like Lexus told me to do, and this, this is what I get?
June, 2007
I register some domains, hire programmers and LexusOverride.com is born. To date, hundreds of people have signed up with little publicity for the site. One Half of those signing up state they would not have bought a Lexus if they knew the Override was not available.
August, 2007.
Consumer's Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports is contacted about the Lexus Override controversy. They are in the midst of determining whether this is a significant user issue that deserves customer education.
August 30, 2007.
I visit Lexus Headquarters in Torrance, CA in order to personally give my request to return my vehicle, since Lexus has told me they will not reinstate the override.
A stroll through the Lexus HQ parkinglot reveals a mixture of cars- mostly Lexus vehicles and some are new and some are old. There goes the theory that all the HQ people have 2006 or older vehicles! There are a few basketball courts, a nice outdoor bistro area for lunch- overall, not a bad place to work.
I enter via the guest entryway and am met by a security guard at the front desk. I ask to be directed to Customer Services. The guard explains to me that she cannot tell me where Customer Relations is. Instead, she directs me to a 'red phone'in the waiting area which I am to 'press 0' and I will be connected to Customer Relations. I cross the waiting area to the red phone, pick it up and - the line is dead. I press 0, reset the hook, listen, press 0 - nothing. Oh, the irony! I wonder if this is a Lexus joke or a metaphor for Lexus' consumer attention? I return to the desk and tell the (now 2 desk people) that the phone is dead. They write the 800 number on a piece of paper and tell me to call that from the other phone in the lobby. I call. After a short wait, the cheerful customer service representative picks up. I explain that I am in the lobby and have a letter for Customer Relations. My friendly rep, (Zoe I think) asks " you are in the building?" and I reply yes. She then tells me "I cannot give you that information"!! Say What?? This is now getting surreal. I did not ask for any information- oh, she explains she won't tell me where the customer relations department is located if I do not have an appointment. OK, I say, then can you or someone come down so I can be sure my letter is delivered? No can do, I'm told. Leave the letter with the guard at the front desk and someone will get it to us. So, I leave my letter and go home. No fuss, no muss and certainly no customer service!
10/08/07 Update: Lexus calls to say they are sorry I am unhappy, but they will not offer an override. Then they give me the number for the National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS). Humorously, I already went through NCDS back in January-April as instructed by Lexus, but then Lexus petitioned to have my case thrown out after three months of paperwork, etc. In the meantime, we continue to get traffic and sign-ups. Keep steering car buyers away from Lexus / Toyota until our cars are fixed and sign up to be informed of potential trade-in's or solutions to the Nav Overrride debacle!
October, 2007.
Consumer Reports (shame, shame!) does not inform car buyers about the controversy surrounding the Lexus Navigation system. Oh well, more registrants for me, I guess.
11/7/07 Lexus calls to explain that removing the override was a 'liability decision' made by 'legal'. There is no actual legal requirement that the navigation system be disabled while the car is in motion, but apparently the legal department had decided that it reduces corporate liability. But wait! Good news!! There will be a new and improved voice recognition system in the 2009 vehicles to fix the problem. I ask what if you purchased a 2007 or you buy a 2008 vehicle? Nothing. They are looking into it (but so far the message is you're not going to be happy). Reductive analysis reveals that the latest legal strategy co
12/18/07
Lexus Mails a rebate Check for the total cost of the Nav system- $2650.
1/12/08
Traffic starts to increase on LexusOverride.com as more sites link to us and popularity grows.
1. Call your dealership and ask to return the car (that's what I did) or for a rebate on the Nav system. Remember to document the calls (phone number, date, time, who you spoke to, their response, etc. ). Assuming they refuse to return the vehicle, ask how you can file a claim against Lexus to return your vehicle. Presumably, they will refer you to NCDS (see below). If not, call Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987 (that's what I did). Customer service gave me the number for NCDS and told me to call them.
2. Call the National center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS) at 800-936-4303. Ask to file a claim about your vehicle. I filed my claim because the Navigation system did not work as represented by the dealer's salesman and because Lexus had made a 'material change' in the operation of the vehicle without telling me as a potential customer. In my case, I specifically asked about using the Navigation system override before I purchased the vehicle. In my case, the salesman said it did exist. I bought in October, 2006 and it may be that he thought there was an override, he knew there was not, or he did not know or care. I filed that initial claim in February, as directed by the people at Lexus Customer Service. You will be contacted (often by phone- log all those calls with names, info, etc because there is no other proof of your contacts) several times - often at the end of the day and the process will move along slowly. The NCDS will ask for documents (sales or lease documents, title, registration, etc. Make copies of all the documents you send and the date sent (you can use return receipt to have better documentation). The NCDS finally decides who will be your aribter for your case. I received calls from my arbiter asking why I filed, what I wanted (to return the car) etc. In my experience, I suddenly found that, just after I had been led to believe my case was accepted, Lexus filed an "eligibility review", which prompted requests for any supporting documents, etc. After about a month, my case was denied on the grounds that the vehicle operated as warranteed. Don't forget that the NCDS is paid by the car companies, not by you. So while you may find them pleasant and courteous, they are not necessarily on your side. There is also pitifully little documentation-ask for copies of anything they reference (ask to have them faxed to you) that came from Lexus, etc. Also, it is a good to print out a report of the fax usage to confirm what you've written in the notebook.
Here are the rules for the NCDS.
3. Give us feedback about how you are doing at lexusoverride@gmail.com . We will post those results on another page on the site. Some registrants have suggested a class action suit. We are attempting to achieve the same outcome with better Corporate-owner relations and lower cost.
More to come soon....
Imagine a manufacturer not telling people that they disabled a hack that they didn't authorize in the first place. I've got some bad news for you: that's why they call it a "hack" and not a "feature."
Also try getting any information on the Nav from Toyota.
Looks like a good Google search would have found you that Lexus lock-out website that you copied-and-pasted here.
Sorry to rub salt in what's obviously a fairly sore wound. I know you made some assumptions when you purchased your Highlander; assumptions that turned out to be wrong.
I guess I'm just as guilty in that respect: I would have assumed that folks who spend $42K on a vehicle would have made their decision with complete knowledge of what they were buying and wouldn't blame the manufacturer if they didn't.
If you're that unhappy with it, trade it in on something else (do your due diligence this time and at least test drive what you're buying) and move on.
But the hyperventilating style and content seems somewhat 'trollish' with the constant comparison to an apparent benefit in a Honda feature. It's pretty obvious that Toyota wants it done one way and Honda wants it another way and both are intentional. So choose.
If it's nothing more than ventilating then you've made your point. We understand, it bothers you. But beyond that 'who cares'.
Because it's dangerous to drive on some roads with it disengaged, Toyota thinks it's safer to allow the computer to control the AWD system in the car. You are not allowed to manually adjust the % of grip going to the wheels. There is no hack provided. Toyota has locked you out of this feature.
By your example, what's next? Toyota will adjust the stereo to the station they want you to listen to? Some music is rather distracting.
Stop the stupid lawyers from getting rich of frivolous lawsuits. Stop the Nanny State and let users be responsible.
I would disagree with that statement. I think it's fine to object to Toyota's intentional limiting of the functionality of the navigation system while the vehicle is in motion. Nimrod99 is entitled to sharing his opinion regardless of whether others agree or not.
I'd actually agree -- if someone is sitting in the passenger seat (and there already is a sensor to detect this), why not allow the navigation system to be used with the disclaimer stating that the passenger should be the only one to use it?
What I do find ridiculous is the remedy being sought. Why should Toyota be responsible for financial compensation to someone who made the assumption that an unauthorized hack would work? And in a newly redesigned model at that?
Ironically these kinds of remedies and legal threats are exactly the reason companies like Toyota install safeguards like the one found in the navigation system. They are protecting themselves from people who fail to take personal responsibility for their own actions.
I read daily, and enjoy others as we learn on here, but after long post on this matter, let's move on to something fresh and different.
Anybody have anything nice to say today about this great SUV?
Well, I will start the day by saying for great looks, great ride, and better than average gas mpg, this is one of the best SUV's out there. If you look at the reviews posted on Edmunds, you will see that the Highlander currently has 102 reviews, which is more than most. I think that says something great about the Highlander, and the majority of the reviews are great.
Let's hear some more great news today! I look forward to some great ones with a positive, interesting likeness for this SUV.