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Re fuel, I use unleaded regular, and could not been any happier with the performance and economy. Several months ago, someone did the math on .20 cents more per gallon vs increased mileage. I will stick with the lower test fuel until someone offers compelling evidence the high test is best.
Hally HL'ing to all.
Don't be discouraged by that wait time. We put in a true factory order in September and have been told to anticipate a 6 month wait. If you only need to wait 6 to 8 weeks, your HL configuration should already be in the pipeline. Cliffy1 might be willing to explain the different "types" of orders with Toyota.
Im planning on buying a highlander and its been hard to decide on getting the 4 or 6 cyl engine. The car will will used a commuter and wanted to know if the 4cyl is responsive enough for freeway type of driving (lane changing). Also I live in a hilly area. I had a 89 4runner and the 6 cyl was not great, just sufficient.
Thanks in advance for any opinions!!
However, I would suggest the V6 in your case. It will be much better for you when accelerating into freeway traffic, making lane changes, and negotiating hills. I think you would be continually using the extra torque of the V6 to justify the additional cost.
Didn't the '89 6 cylinder 4Runner have more HP than the new HLs 4 cylinders 155 HP?
If you were dissatisfied with the performance of the 6 cylinder 4Runner, how could you be happy with a HL with LESS performance?
The 4 cylinder HL may have a better power/weight ratio than the 6 cyl 4runner.
True factory orders are a mess and take 4 to 6 months.
If a dealer commits to a 6 to 8 week time frame, he is quoting you the worst case for a diverted unit. You will probably have it sooner.
We factory ordered ours as a 2001 on May 29; received a 2002 on October 5. 130 days. IMO, well worth the wait to get exactly what we wanted. Of course, I was like a kid at Christmas the longer it took...the dealer was nice enough to keep me posted - when it was accepted by Toyota, when it was scheduled to be built, when it arrived in port, etc. Just hang in there! Happy HoLidays...
alimin - bluestone, non-ltd., v6, 4wd.
"True factory orders are a mess and take 4 to 6 months."
My factory order was anything BUT a mess. I e-mailed dealerships and within a few days got a very good price. I was told up front, before I ordered, that I could order ANY type of Highlander but the wait time would be 4 months. While waiting, I was kept informed by the dealer and used the 4 months to save cash and sell my old vehicle at a good price. My Highlander arrived, just as promised, in a little over 4 months, exactly as I wanted.....and I have never seen a V6 AWD with such few options (in many months of looking), and it made the price great. The factory order requires some patience, but the time seems to go fast, and you can get a Highlander exactly as you want it.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards
Here's one from New Car Test Drive:
"Then our touring test began, with multi-lane highways and lesser roads. After determining that dry pavement was a snap for the Highlander whether on gradual climbing curves or twisty descending esses we went searching for more challenge to stretch the willing beastie. We found some sloppy snow melt, a few muddy ruts, icy patches on shadowed curves and even a road meandering upward that was deep with unplowed snow. The Highlander, uncomplaining, dealt with the tasks like an expert speller in the early stages of a championship bee. As it cut upward through eight inches of newly fallen snow like a snowplow on a rescue mission I again startled my companion: "Hey, I like this Highlander, a LOT!" "
The Boston Globe says:
"The result is a soft but assuring highway ride — whisper quiet by the way — with only a small but safely absorbed sense of body roll. In one of the late New England snowstorms we had, it behaved fine, although as seems to be the case with Toyota's traction control systems, you have to be patient and let the system do the work."
MotorTrend:
"While driving on snow-covered mountain roads above Santa Fe, the Highlander felt surefooted and balanced, with the electronics saving the day when adventurous driving met up with poor traction"
MSN CarPoint:
"In the test Highlander, the system worked valiantly to keep the wheels moving in a half foot of snow when I ventured out of the tire tracks on a snowy, dirt road. But note that compared with the 4Runner, the Highlander doesn't have an extra-low gear for rugged off-roading. "
SUV.com:
"More fun, however, is when I motor to the mountains above the city in the Highlander's all-wheel-drive version, ascending into the evergreen-forested high country, where cross-country skiers and outdoor enthusiasts play in this new-fallen white stuff. The slush and snow on the roadways is deeper now, and hairpin turns abound, but the Highlander is never unsettled. "
Have a serious look at the ML320 before you leap, it has a REAL 4WD system, and I don't mean low range or off-road use, just common everyday snow and ice in the Cascades.
First of all, Toyota's system is practically identicle to Subaru and Volvo's systems.
Secondly, I believe that this is the exact reason Toyota offers a limited slip/trac. On AWD models, Trac will detect wheel spin and brake the wheel that's spinning too fast. That will force power to other wheels.
It's unlikely that you'll get the Highlander stuck in any terrain it was designed to travel in, including deep snow. And AWD/VSC makes for a more stable ride in bad weather than simply 4WD. Again, 4WD and AWD will do about as much as the leather seats when you're slipping around a corner without keeping your foot on the gas. VSC is very effective at preventing you from sliding right off the road, especially if you're coasting or breaking when you hit an icy patch.
I've done them, but from my perspective, they are still a mess.
I put in a factory order sometime last March and after 2 months I got tired of waiting, (just like Cliffy said).
I got on the Internet and was able to get into the Southeast regional inventory where I found a large number of HLs that were either in the port of Jacksonville or, I assume, on the boat. I plowed through the list for Black, V6, Limited, Moonroof etc. I found 10 vehicles that I could live with, wrote down the partial VIN number of 6 or so digits that identify each vehicle, called my dealer, gave them the VIN for the 10 vehicles and asked them to get me one of them. They were able to get one that had not yet gotten to the port, which gave me the additional advantage of deleting some port installed options, like the "ToyoGard", (and adding one that I did want - the step bars). I assume this was what is called a re-direct.
I love the HL - just gets better all the time. I will soon post my average gas mileage for the last 5000 or 6000 miles.
To Cliffy - thanks for all your good info over all these many posts in this forum.
Impe (and The Lovely Miss Linda)
No complaints, other than I should have ordered the *&^% rear spoiler. Well worth the wait to not have to pay for options I didn't need and to get the mix I wanted. That alone was worth the wait financially. They seem to be able to build ANYTHING, as well, given my eclectic mix of requests (V6, 2wd, leather, tow-prep, side bars, running lamps, No power seats, No Toyoguard, No tinted windows, Stock steel wheels). Out of perhaps a hundred I looked at in SoFla, I saw none without tinted windows (locally installed titanium film is far more effective and less expensive), one with steel wheels, which look very similar to the $1000 alloys, and one with manual seats (amazing that they have knobs that do the same adjustments - hell I neve move it again anyway...) and leather is impossible to get without a half a dozen other options I didn't want.
Now, if I can just figure out how to get a rear spoiler installed after the fact...Any ideas?
As far as custom ordering, I ordered a new Camaro SS in '97 (took 6 weeks)and a Honda S2000 (7 weeks) but my point is that those dealers encouraged ordering. It seems like I remember reading about Honda and VW eventually taking orders on their web site and being able to fill the orders within five weeks. My town has the BMW Z3 and X5 plant. You can place an order and be invited to watch the assembly process. Four to five months to build a car seems awfully long.
Thank you Cliffy for the insight on the factory orders. I was willing to wait the 4 to 6 weeks, but now I may be Highlanding by the New Year......
I used billpenneytoyota.com in Huntsville AL just tonight - here is how you do it:
Log on to the dealer site;
click on "New Inventory";
Click on "Highlander";
Choose "Search Inventory";
next screen will show a table of the dealer's current HLs in stock;
above that table there is a line (in blue), that says "Bill Penney Toyota has access to xxx additional vehicles of this type...";
click on that line to see the whole SE regional inventory (as of 12/12/2001 at 11:00 PM there were 420 vehicles on the list);
look at the table to find the vehicles that are close to what you want;
in the "model" column of the table click the model (in blue) to bring up the info on that individual vehicle - this will bring up the description, (options etc) and that vehicle's 6 digit VIN number;
use BACK to get back to the inventory list to look for additional vehicles;
Write down the 6 digit vehicle number of the vehicle(s) and see if your dealer can get one of them for you.
Hope this helps.
I wanted to check if HL owners with the 4cyl are happy or wished the had gotten the 6cyl.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
My 2001 V6 Limited 2wd currently has 12,450 miles on the odo. Over the last 7025 miles, my average MPG is 23.47.
I live in the north Georgia mountains which consist mostly of rolling hills. 80% of my driving is at Hwy speeds of 65 to 75 mph, (down to Atlanta and back); 2% is in non-rush hour Atlanta, and the other 18% is on Georgia back roads at an average of about 40 mph.
I try to maintain the tires at 30 psi, I use 5W/30 oil changed at approx. 5000 mile intervals, and I run only regular, (87 octane) gas.
My hotrod days are over - my driving style is semi-old folks with gentle acceleration and long of-the-gas stops; although I will occasionally pick on a PT Cruiser at a stop light.
The point of all this is that I am very happy with the HL gas mileage especially when I compare it to other brands of compareable SUVs.
For those contemplating an HL, my opinion is that you will be very pleased with the vehicle.
I've received some quotes from dealers from Sacramento to Monterey. 2 dealers have stated TDA at ~$540. This is the highest I've seen on the boards. Can any of you Norcalers verify this price? I realize everything in this area is inflated so it wouldn't be surprising. Either that or they surf edmunds, too. Also checking the "what did you pay?" board.
TIA,
SW
The instructions state to remove the splash pan to get at the cross members. The bolts are threaded to existing holes.
Does anyone know the longterm effects of removing the splash pan, and if there would be any other problems associated with this installation?
Last but certainly not least, I had to try the Window thing. I have never in my life been in car or truck where, with the windows rolled down ALL the way, it wasn't very loud. Anyone ever wonder why most vehicles rear windows only roll down half way! Now you know!! As for this problem, who cares. I don't normally drive with my windows rolled down at all, front or rear - that's why they invented Air Conditioning. If you don't want Air, just use your vents without Air.
I read here that one guy wants to take his HL back, has a Ford Explorer (91) which doesn't make the noise. Well, I'm not too familiar with the '91 Explorer, but I do believe the windows don't roll down all the way in the back. If they don't, I suggest he take the windows out and drive 60 mph, bet you hear a noise.
Now, I realize that this noise (it's not really a noise by the way, as someone else posted, it is a change in air pressure that is effecting your ears, imitating a noise) is the worst I have ever experienced in a vehicle - but you know what, if you only roll the rear windows down a third of the way, there is hardly any 'noise' at all. I know, I just did it at about 70 mph.
Good Luck
Actually, it used to be on some cars because of the shape of the rear door. Nowadays, even large rear doors do it because it's a child safety standard. It makes it harder for little kids to crawl out of the window of a moving car.
"If it was VSC you should hear the beeping alarm at the same time. "
Only if it was a serious correction. VSC activates all the time to make little corrections. There's a threshold before VSC will warn the driver that they're driving dangerously for the conditions. You'll hear a grinding sound from a couple of corners of the car when VSC makes a moderate to severe correction; it's ABS pumping the wheels.
NO other car I've ever owned has been this loud with a pounding resonance noise like the Highlander. Sure you get noise, but 1/10 of what the Highlander has.
That being said, I'm still very happy with the car. I hardly ever drive with my windows down so it doesn't affect me at all.
'Tain't so McGee.
The dealers are charging $300 here, at least in my general area. I've got an invoice from a dealer in Pasadena that has that amount clearly listed.
Reminds me of the story about the guy who went to the doctor complaining about a pain that only happened when he did "this." The doctor asked him why he did "this" if it hurt.
Why do people continue to do this?
Think it hurts at 40 mph? Try it at 80 mph, and I promise you you'll not do it again.
And what parent would allow their child to hang out of an open window?
My V6 (unlimited) HL has performed flawlessly in these conditions. In fact, I can hardly tell the difference when driving in thick snow as when on pavement. I did trade in the stock Goodyear tires with Michelin Cross Terrains back in the spring, which might explain part of the great performance I've seen.
Incidentally, I've had several occasions to use the ABS system, which sounds awful when applied but seems to work well too.
Is your HL equipped with 4WD?
The only time our FWD HL would see snow might be on the occasional trip away from sunny SoCal where it happens to be rather cold and rainy today.
When this happens, the interstate passes in and out of this area sometimes receive a light dusting, but nothing like the snowfall in your area.
Once in awhile, we go up into the mountains, and I was wondering IF the Michelins would be better than the GY gumballs?
Another thing I have noticed is a 'tick' coming from the engine. I don't recall hearing this 'tick' when I test drove the HL (I did not buy the vehicle I test drove) and was wondering if this was normal or not.
Thanks
If so, how would you rate them?