By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I've had my Limited for almost two months now, but haven't needed to use them. Luckily, no fog yet, or at least no thick fog.
When the posts here explained what you get in a TO pkg., I see how it beefs up the vehicle for towing 3K lbs.. It may be that I just order a 4 with the TO and wait...although, they may "deal" more on V6's since they're more "plentiful"....or so they say. I give Ross a call at Maplewood.
Thanks for the info.. If anyone else has opinions on the 4 vs. 6 I'm wide open. I keep my vehicles about 8 years and change oil every 3K miles. Have a 98 Camry with a 4 and have been satisfied...again, no screamer, but gets us around with economy.
As you may recall, I tried to stand up for your "slip of the tongue" but as usual got my chops busted for my efforts.
Like a cop once told me many years ago: "Some people spend too much time at the trough"
I find it rather strange how some people that are given a little authority seem to let it go to their heads.
388
As far as the fuel economy differences, that is another question.
Would anyone buy the 4 cylinder just because it gets only one more mile per gallon better fuel economy in the city and 2 miles more per gallon on the highway?
These are the differences between the 4 and 6 cylinder HLs with 4WD.
4WD 4 19/24
4WD 6 18/22
Even without the four wheel drive, will you give up the power and smoothness of the V6 to get three or four more miles per gallon? Even on the highway, that is only a 17.3% difference. So instead of spending say $10 to fill up the tank, it would cost $11.73.
FWD 4 22/27
FWD 6 19/23
I'll gladly pay the increased charges for the improved power and smoothness of the 1MZ-FE.
I cannot imagine how powerless the 4 banger would be in the 4WD models, with only 155 HP for 3715 pounds? Oh well.
Better to have the 220 HP V6 and not use the extra power than to wish it was there, but it's not. And the way mine is running lately, I think that it has even more than the advertised 220 HP.
My personal views only; Your mileage may vary.
Good luck.
388
I had doubts about the 4 on the HL due to the larger size of the vehicle but found it did perform well. What turned me to the 6:
1. Difference in gas mileage is very small. I use 87 octane with the v6 and have gotten 20-22 mpg in mixed driving with every tank. I have a FWD.
2. Look at the HP specs and the rpm's it takes to get there. You'll work your 4 cyl engine a lot harder to get the same performance level.
3. I learned to drive in a classic muscle-car (67 Chevelle with a 396) and I really like the punch of the 6.
4. A guy I work with had a van with a 4 and it labored getting up mountain roads. I'm planning on doing some serious driving on my vacation this year.
5. Maintenance costs are nearly the same (add $ for two extra plugs and a bit of additional labor).
Get the TO package if you can (I got it). Some pieces of it used to be an 'all weather package'. Shop around or order the HL to get one configured the way you want it. I got lucky and found one that wasn't loaded with stuff I didn't need.
Good luck with your decision but the 6 was right for me and I am really enjoying it.
Happy HL'ing
Both were great.... thinking about practicality...
I do dog rescue... need to carry a crate, and have room for four 65 lb dogs.
No snow, rain in winter. Hills and lots of em.
Any thoughts? Seemed the highlander was more expensive....????
*thanks for your thoughts*
If yes, how well does it pull it out of the water?
Does if have a hard time or does it pull it right out?
At what speed can you get up to on the interstate?
Regarding your irritating "Seat Creaking Noise," I have also been dealing with this for the last few months. In my case I determined that the noise comes from the seat belt latching mechanism. Try and see if your noise goes away when you unlatch your seat belt. It's a difficult noise to nail down, I've been in to my service department three times and couldn't prove it to the technicians until the third time. Finally, they are going to look into fixing it. For some reason the plastic inside the seat belt latch creaks and is amplified into your ear by the horn shape of the outer plastic shell. Good luck with your situation and let us know if this fixes your "Creak."
I am new to this Town Hall topic, as I never seriously considered an SUV before now. I currently own a Camry V6 and the top 2 contenders for my next vehicle were the new Nissan Altima and the VW Passat. My main issues with my Camry are: better handling, more safety features and styling (preferably sportier). The Altima and Passat pretty much fit the bill, but with the Passat, I'm worried about reliability and with the Altima, I would prefer better interior elements as well as a V6 without sport suspension. I want better handling without a harsh or jarring ride and I would prefer a V6. Does such a car exist? It didn't seem so. The new Camry seemed promising, but it just doesn't do it for me stylewise. I thought it would grow on me, but quite the opposite. The more I look at it, the more I think how little it looks like th spy shots that got me so excited about it before it arrived. I just don't find it an attractive looking car, my 2000 looks better to me and it's a pretty plain design. The 2002 looks like a bad cross between the Prius and the Avalon. But that's a matter of personal taste.
Although the Highlander is still a rather conservative style, there is a bit of sportiness that catches my eye. It's not the eye candy of the Altima or Passat, but it looks pretty good as SUVs go. And it seems to have all the elements that I'm looking for, only in SUV form instead of midsize passenger car form. It has a nice, sporty type of design, it's reliable, it has lots of safety and luxury features and a nice interior. It also has a lot of room and AWD available. What's the holdup? Price and the fact that it's an SUV.
I have yet to test drive one to see if I would even like driving an SUV. I thought that maybe it would be too large for me to feel comfortable driving it. But once I looked at the dimensions I saw that apart from height, it's not much bigger than a Camry, which it is based on. So it will have a smooth car-like ride as well as all the amenities that I would want. What I'm wondering is how it handles? Does it have soft handling like the Camry? Or is it really stiff and harsh? Or something in between? Tight handling but a smooth ride. This is what I'm looking for, but it seems hard to find this combination in an affordable vehicle.
Now that you know my story, I'm curious about everyone's thoughts and opinions on someone like me (who generally prefers passenger cars) considering an SUV, the Highlander in particular. Should I even continue to consider it? Or could it be the solution to my car dilemma. I have plenty of time to think about it, so please share your thoughts.
Thanks so much.
SilverCrown
email me at torresaxt@yahoo.com
Go drive the HL. It is as you say "Tight handling but a smooth ride."
We love our Highlander(V6 AWD LTD).
Good luck.
GregB
I don't know whether it's possible, but you might want to see if you can rent one for a few days. People don't often mention it, but the transition from a regular passenger car to an SUV can be a bit of a shock!
I went from a Camry to a 4Runner and it took some getting used to. My main need at the time was four wheel drive. Unfortunately, the 4Runner was underpowered (I got it just before they went to 6 cylinders) which is not desirable on these mountain roads.
On the other hand, there are a lot of very happy SUVers here and I am sure they will offer a ton of advice!
tidester
Host
SUVs
Then I discovered and drove a HL...WOW. Had to have one and within a week it was done. It doesn't hug the curves like the Camry but doesn't feel tippy like the Tacoma did. It rides more like a stiff Camry than a truck.
I work in a job where I have to get in, even in bad weather. We don't get much snow but when we do it is a mess since there aren't enought road crews to keep up with it when it gets over 4-6 inches. The last storm dropped about 6-8 inches and I took the HL out in it and learned how it feels on sloppy roads. I got V6 FWD (3-4 snow storms can't justify AWD for me) and I feel it is the best car I've ever owned.
Just goes to show...I don't even call it a truck I think of it as a Camry on steroids.
Drive one and see. Those Camry commericals...you want one...should be for the HL LOL
brupop: I suspected from the descriptions that the handling would be tighter and more confidence inspiring than in my Camry but would also retain some of the ride smoothness that I love. And I'm thinking that the AWD would increase confidence levels even further. Thank you for confirming my theory.
tidester: Thank you for the warm welcome. I have been on the Town Hall since last year, but this is my first venture into the SUV forums. Renting one is a good idea, if I get serious about it, then I will try to do that. I can see it being a huge transition, but I was thinking that it may be less so with the Highlander since it is supposed to have a "car-like ride". That's part of the appeal for me. I plan to test drive one next week, when I go for service on my car. I'll keep you guys posted on my driving impressions.
karen: I have not considered any Lexus models, I guess I just assume they are out of my price range. However, I can see the HL as becoming very expensive if fully optioned out. Nevertheless, I suspect that the IS300 would be too harsh of a ride for me. Plus, I think it has a small rear seat, which wouldn't work well for me.
pdalpsher: Your comments were also reinforcing. Although I don't feel that my Camry hugs any curves, it seems a bit wallowy to me, but perhaps the older models handled differently. I live in Michigan and sometimes our winters can be relatively mild (like this year so far) and sometimes we get dumped with a ton of snow. I'm not sure if AWD would be worth it, but if I can afford it, I think it would be good to have for those time when we do have "blizzard weather." I can't wait for my test drive.
BTW, I test drove the new Nissan Altima last month and was really impressed. However, the V6 is only available with the SE model (with sport suspension) as well as other desirable options like traction control and auto climate control. I drove the 4 cyl which seemed pretty powerful, but I would not be able to get all of the options that I want on it. Hence, my inclusion of the Highlander, which has all of those options available and a V6. The Altima is a beautiful, sporty car though. But Toyota has been good to me, and it would be nice to stick with them if I can.
Thanks again and keep the comments coming!
SilverCrown
I live in Virginia and I swear the traffic on the interstates doesn't slow down until folks are literally flying off the road. State Police had to issue a special warning to SUV drivers to slow down (6-8 inches, over 300 wrecks in less than 2 hours, most of them SUVs going too fast for conditions).
I have more confidence I will get to where I need to be but don't have any illusion about traveling those conditions at higher speeds than what the Camry did.
2001 AWD RX300
Only conclusive test indicates maximum torque to the rear is approximately 25% and TRAC does NOT activate for F/R torque distribution.
I drove a Chev Malibu for almost 5 years and really liked it. When we first saw the HL, my husband really wanted one. I was very skeptical since it was a SUV. However, he got me in one and I drove it and then I was determined to have one.
Since we bought it, my husband hardly gets to drive it. I would not trade it for any other vehicle!!! I feel like I am in a car but higher and with more space. The handling is great, very smooth and quiet. The interior is very comfortable and easy to get into. I'm not very tall so that was a definite plus. My husband on the other hand is 6'3", he is just as comfortable in it as I am. I plan to keep this vehicle a very long time. With a little over 2000 miles we have had no problems at all. I can't wait to go on vacation this summer and drive it a good ways.
Also, VSC is a worthy option which really works wonders in poor conditions making quick maneuvers. It was a mess of snow and rain and road sand this weekend and VSC kicked in a few times and really did its job.
It's probably the best-handling SUV save the BMW X5.
Below are some personal, random observations--nothing gospel:
1. This is, as so many have said, an awesome vehicle--smooth, solidly made, well designed.
2. Privacy glass--I'm sorry I got this option. Oh, it looks cool, and it does what it's supposed to do, but it's a bear at night, significantly reducing visibility when you look over your shoulder trying to see who's coming up from behind in your blind spots. This is true to a lesser degree even in daylight.
3. Blind spots--This is the first SUV I've owned so maybe it's common with this type of vehicle, but you do have to be extraordinarily careful when changing lanes.
4. Headlights--They are incredibly bright. I initially considered getting the foglights, but I wasn't willing to do the Limited route just to get them .And I'm glad I didn't.
5. Colors--Bluestone is an extremely attractive color. I saw various photos of the bluestone during the research, buying, waiting periods, and none of them reflected the reality. In most of the photos I saw, bluestone looked, well, grayish and stodgy. It's sharper than that.
6. Headroom--I avoided the moonroof option because I wanted more headroom. I'm a little over six feet and there is a ton of headroom.
7. Keyless entry/tonneau cover--Keyless entry is a great feature. Tonneau cover...eh. But you can't get the keyless without the tonneau.
8. Tires--Bridgestones, also eh. Toyota dropped the ball here. But I'm not going to basically dump adequate tires and drop big bucks on Michelins. Related: Target sells a $10 digital tire pressure gauge by Accutire. A good investment.
9. Stereo--Maybe I have a tin ear, but the standard system seems ok to me, not great, but ok.
Out of curiosity, are most HL owners going for the 2WD or the 4WD? Also, which model type is most popular, the one with the Limited package (which seems really nice but quite expensive)? Or the one without it? All the bells and whistles sound great, but it can get quite costly IMHO. I was just curious as to what most HL owners opted for and what is perceived as the best value for the $$$.
Thanks again.
SilverCrown
My HL is silver (grey) and I love it. I didn't care for the gold as I just don't think the current gold is as pretty as it has been in the past.
The only color I wouldn't recommend is black. Insurance industry statistics show black cars are involved in more accidents...this statistic is ages old so I've always avoided black vehicles. Black is also a high-maintenance color.
Always thought that green looked really nice on an SUV. Silver is probably the lowest-mainenance color there is. Black is probably the highest.
We're keeping the old Accord for my 16-year-old son, and my wife also has a silver car (a Subaru WRX!), and I don't want to have a driveway with three color-coordinated cars.
Speaking of washing cars, what's the situation with the antenna on the non-LTD HLs when you go to a carwashing. Kinda cheap of Toyota not to have the invisible antenna on all models.
Bluestone metallic is my personal fav, would love to trade mine for this color with anyone. It is just a sharp color with depth, and looks great when clean and doesn't dirty when not washed or in winter months.
silvercrown - mine ia AWD, but wouldn't have gotten a AWD had I a choice. I bought mine which was the only one on the lot. If FWD will do the job, then AWD is extra parts moving that'll need maintainence and repairs long after warranty is over and with it will come extra repair cost if and when required.
Over-all the fit and finish is up to par with the German cars, from the moment the door is shut the thunk is very German. Often I go with a friends that own new Audis', Bimmers, and VW the fit, finish of the trim, plastics, doors, was identical to the HL.
Go to the Toyota website and click on "build your own vehicle". That only lets you choose the groupings of options that dealers actually receive, rather than letting you choose item-by-item (as Edmunds does).
Bottom line is that you can have it made just the way you like it, but be prepared to wait
Regularguy: I have seen the Indigo in person and I must say it looks great!! That is the color I ordered after seeing one in a showroom. I had them take it out, and spent some time driving it and it is really an attractive color. A very deep, dark blue, I would call it Navy. Good luck on your decision!
Mike