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Comments
Ok, so I'm 4,700 miles away from the free first oil change @ 5,000 miles. When my wife took delivery of her 2005 HL the sales person said the first oil change is free and it's to be done at 5,000 miles. So I asked him if they are using syn oil. He said, no, just the usuall stuff. I know cars like Bmw's for example use syn oil and the first scheduled change is at 15,000 miles. In the past the oil needed to be changed after the break in period. I don't understand why they want us to wait until 5,000 miles if this is not syn oil. Has everyone out there waited for the 5,000 before changing their oil? I'm worried about having to wait that long.
I was also given a free oil change on my '04 Highlander and since it was dealer specific and I was leaving town for several months I had it done at 2000 miles. The dealer doesn't care when you do it so if you are more comfortable doing it at say 3000, I'm sure the service dept. will be glad to take care of it. Since the factory recommends every 5000 on the HL, that is what I'm doing now.
Most dealers used recycled, re-refined, oil, bought in bulk by the tanker load.
Lots of new cars recommend synthetic and don't require oil changes but every 15,000 miles.
No it isn't. The manual (mine is an '04) says 5,000 miles. Why keep repeating this misinformation? Earlier manuals said 7,500 but current ones ONLY mention 5,000 and this has come up many times before.
We are interested in the Highlander b/c of safety features and space, but cost is a huge deal for us right now. Price-wise a 4 cyl is our best option right now, but we have only had 6 cyl and my husband is skeptical that such a large vehicle could do well w/ a 4 cyl.
Thank you so much in advance,
Melissa (6'3" mother of a very tall 15 month old -trying to find a vehicle large enough to grow w/ us).
I wonder what their average highway speed was. I've never gotten better than 23 on 70-75 mph and usually only 21-22.
Thanks again, and if others out there wouldn't mind, I would love to hear more opinions.
Melissa
Similarly, if you do opt for the 4 cyl then you will likely get ~22 mpg city with reasonable driving habits.
I beg to differ. My wife is a very conservative driver and I don't think we've ever gotten 18mpg on a city driving tank. Part of our problem is everything is a short hop, she goes miles to work, 2 miles to the grocery store, etc. This is especially bad in the winter when the car rarely gets fully warmed up.
Unless one's city driving includes long stretches of uninterrupted travel at 30-40 mph, I don't think the EPA 18 mpg rating is attainable. As the say, YMMV
If it's just a 'round town, errand vehicle, the 4 would be fine. If you like power, the 4 may disappoint. Just my personal take on it.
I present this as just another data point. As you can see, CR generally reports anywhere from 3-8 mpg less than the city EPA rating for their driving and often 3-4 mpg more than the EPA highway rating. Based on my experience, I doubt that their highway mileage figure is based on freeway driving at legal to 5 mph above legal speeds, at least not for a box-like vehicle like the Highlander.
We looked at the 4 cyl but never drove it and ending up buying the Ltd 2wd just because we felt we got a good deal on it with all the options andI had had a van that felt sluggish so I was ready for a little get up and go for a while. We may regret it if the gas mileage is really terrible but I would sure test drive the 4 cyl and see if it has enough power for you with everyone on board and if so, get it. Only you know how much power you are happy with in a vehicle. They have made a lot of changes to the 4 cyl motors over the years in all cars. If you aren't on the highway having to deal with aggressive drivers and are a mom staying around town with your child, the 4 cyl may well be what you are happy with.
Good Luck with your decision and these forums are really helpful and informative.
I love the Highlander, but are there other SUVs that get decent gas mileage, have get-up, and don't cost over 25k? I really want 5-star safety ratings as well. (I don't ask too much do I?) I have researched forever and the Highlander just seems to be the best choice. The CR-V does great on gas mil also, but again we are back to the 4 cyl. The Ford Freestyle has good safety ratings and gas mil., but I don't like the look. We keep our cars forever, so I really want to make the right choice!
This is not going to be an easy decision. Thanks again for your comments.
Melissa
AWD doesn't do anything when stopping, only when moving. It would help when going around slipperty corners but you can't defy the laws of physics so driving appropriately for conditions is the best strategy regardless of the type of vehicle.
I've got a 2002 with the 2.4L 4-cylinder, and it's never felt underpowered to me. Its usual use is in hilly Southern California, with 1-4 people on board. The 2005 Highlanders have slightly more power than mine, as well as traction control - even with FWD (2WD on the Front), they would be great in snow.
But, if you need to tow ANYTHING regularly, I'd go with the V-6.
My last V-6 vehicle was a 1996 Maxima - i loved it, but didn't need all the power. I traded up for more utility, economy, and ground clearance.
similarly priced to the Highlander. Wouldn't want to be explaining that marketing mistake to a Highlander customer.
I'm a bit mystified at the similarity in size and design between the Highlander (Kluger to me) and the new RAV4. There is threee incehs difference in size and very similar features. Are Toota crowding the Highlander out?
Cheers
Graham
But as the others have said, check out the 4-cylinder and see if it suits your needs. I didn't purposely pick the V6, it picked me. (The deal was too good to pass up.) In the past I've had 4 cylinders (Rav4 & Corolla) and both were sufficient. I felt that the RAV4 was a little underpowered but they beefed up the engine in later years.
My 2004 is listed at 230hp
Is Toyota shorting us 15HP??
:mad:
alan_s, "Toyota Avalon 2005+" #8589, 10 Sep 2005 1:12 am
Steve, Host
Thanks to those of you who posted info about 4 vs. 6 cyl get-up etc. I test drove the 4 cyl and found the power to be sufficient, it was surprisingly peppy. This was a used 2004, and we will purchase a 2005 new though. Probably won't drive the v6 b/c I will want it instead, but am not willing to pay the gas prices!
Again, I am 6'3" and when I sat in the backseat of an '04 I found the leg-room to be fine, but the bench seemed to be missing a good 6 inches or so! Can anyone attest to the comfort of the backseat for long periods of time? I like a longer seat for more thigh support.
Thanks again for your help,
Melissa
Anybody tried putting a car seat and two slim booster seats in the 2nd row in the HL? It's a squeeze in my brother's V70, but better if you have the integrated boosters. My oldest daughter may or may not be out of booster seats by next summer - agewise and height yes, but in some states they've got to be 80 lbs... nowhere close - my kids are skinny and tall like their parents.
I understand the HL with 3d row seats has a fixed 2nd row seating position (true?). If so, how is the legroom in the 2nd row.
We aim to keep our cars for about 10 years, so so my 2 daughters will be teenagers, though they'll only get to ride with us on their vacations from the convent ;-) , and my Son will be 11 before we get rid of it.
Thanks
No, that's not true. I have a 04 HL Ltd and both sides of the split 2nd row seat are adjustable.
What does it do? Is it a DVD player for playing DVD movies and provides maps?
If it's a DVD player can you watch a movie while the car is not running?
Thanks.
So, anyway, the navigation system is only used for navigation as well as controlling other vehicle functions such as climate and audio. The system is great. You always know where you are and it will guide you to your destination.
In vehicles that have a rear-seat-entertainment system (such as Sienna), the nav screen will display the DVD movie that is playing in the rear (as long as the vehicle is not moving). But this doesn't apply to the Highlander.
For a good audio/visual introduction to the navigation system go to toyotaiguide.com and select the Highlander Hybrid then select "Navigation System". The system is basically the same.
IMO, ppl make too much of the cost of premium; for the avg. driver it costs maybe a few hundred extra a year.
Has anyone put 2 large carseats in the Highlander? I want to place one in the middle and one behind the driver (Britax Marathon). We just found out we are expecting number 2 yesterday! We aren't even going to consider 3rd row seat in this vehicle as there is not enough leg-room for us. My son is 16 months and 36 inches tall.
Thanks again, you have all been great!
Melissa
That said, my wife and I quickly learned that having one kid behind the driver and one in the middle was not a very good set-up since the kids kept poking at each other and annoying each other in other ways. Having one carseat behind the driver and the other behind the front passenger created some space between the kids and made for easier travels. We put the younger one behind the driver, figuring she would need more attention and that the front passenger could reach that seat more easily than the other.
I am sure we will end up placing the seats as you have stated works best for you. I figured that the newborn in the middle would be the safest, but I am sure the oldest would pick at him or her esp. w/ them facing opposite directions for the first year.
Can an adult still sit in between the two seats? Is this a Highlander you have now?
God we should just get a damn minivan - lol. My husband would die.
Thanks so much!
Melissa
We have a 2004 Highlander, but my kids are teenagers now. When we were using two carseats at the same time we had an '89 Nissan Sentra and an '87 Chevy Nova. Those were all pretty small vehicles, and I don't think we ever tried to fit an adult in back between the carseats. The back seat in the Highlander is much bigger and more comfortable, but the only way to find out if it works for an adult and 2 carseats would be to try it.
Good luck, the highlander is wonderful wagon.
Thanks.