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I think the car is very sharp looking and drives pretty well. I bought it because I needed to haul cartons for my chains of Health stores and also because of the 40K miles I put on a year, I wanted comfort. I had been driving a Mercury Grand Marquis AS which allowed me to put on 140,000 miles with very little cost of maintenance while hauling as much as thousands of pounds. The Highlander is attractive and the seats are even more comfortable than the Marquis but it is a much carder ride (g. speed bumps). I am going to take it into the dealer tomorrow and have them recheck the tire pressure to see if that softens ride. But main reason is that between 85-90 miles per hour I get a loud whistle that sounds to me like it is coming from something rubbing. Others in the car have thought it might just be unusual wind noise but definitely is something that should not be. Has anyone else experienced this and if so was it correctable.
Thanks for your input.
Gray
Here in the nation's capital, we have a huge number of incoming residents and may of them need cars. We have 5 Highlanders on the lot and all but one arrived this week. The one that has been here longer is a 4 cylinder 4x4. The V6 4x4s fly out of here pretty quickly and I can't get enough of the most expensive version with leather, VSC, side bags etc. Its a regional thing.
FYI, one reason we went with the RX300 is that it's design and aerodynamics make it extremely quiet on the highway. You can hardly hear any wind noise. It's nice.
TC
To get LA (about $814 invoice) you must purchase the LL package.
Nothing else is required to purchase the perforated leather seats (around $1400 invoice).
Just ordered one:
Limited, Leather (LA), Floor mats, Single DC upgrade, Tow Package, Hitch and converter,28K.
I'm smiling
This is assuming their info is correct, but it's usually pretty good, and the tool is generally not as clumsy and slow as Toyota's build-your-own tool can be. It also has invoice pricing.
1. Has anybody obtained the car with the perforated leather seats? It seems as if the regular leather is not available on the 4 cyl models and is a "regional" option, whatever that means.
I have always had the non-perforated type of leather. Can you comment on how the perforated leather looks and feels and how much you like it. Is it "cheap" looking? Is perforated leather better in hot climates? I live in New York and I am not sure whether I can obtain it here. Also, I would like the side air bags and so I hope I can get both on the vehicle.
2. Also, has anybodyr test driven a 4 cyl vehicle with FWD, and if so is the pickup OK
or is it a real slug? The car is for my wife and she is not looking for
a macho rush of pickup that I might like. I just want it to be decent.
With the excellent silky smooth, quiet and powerful Toyota/Lexus V6, I can't imagine why anyone would want the inline-4 engine. But, that's just my opinion.
Drew
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Vans and SUVs message boards
4 Cyl is good for city Driving.6 cyl really does it on the highway and as Drew says: Why give up the Lexus Rs300 engine ? Toyota is touting the Hl is as good as the Rx300 and they are hoping people buy into that with the ridiculous prices they are asking for the HL.
The Highlander was fully loaded with all the options and priced at $35k MSRP. The dealer added over $3k for dealer prep and several accessories worth maybe a few hundred dollars. What a disappointment!
After reading some of the messages on this site, I will not be purchasing a Highlander in my area anytime soon! I am encouraged to hear that some of you are purchasing Highlanders at a much lower price.
Does anyone know the availability of Highlanders in the Northern California area?
I beleive the reason that you cannot get the regular leather with the 4 cyl is because you must purchase the Limited package to get the regular leather. I don't think that you can get the limited package on a 4 cyl.; therefore, you wont be able to get regular leather with the 4 cyl. (at least from the factory anyway)
I have seen Highlanders with both regular and perforated leather. I ordered a limited and had intended on ordering the perforated leather, until I saw it. It did not look "cheap" at all, just not as "rich" as I thought it should. I ended up saving about $600 by getting the regular leather. Having said that, if I were not getting a limited, I would not hesitate to get the perforated leather.
Hope this helps.
We drove a HL again yesterday, and it seemed bumpier and more jolting than we recalled.
While neither has been crash tested (nor has the Explorer), results can usually be correlated to the platform the vehicle is based on. The RX300, based on the Camry platform, earns high marks. The Highlander is similarly based so it should also do well.
Meanwhile, the Buick SUV is based on the GM minivan platform (Chevy Venture, Pontiac TransSport / Montana, Oldsmobile Silhouette). That platform has abysmal crash test results (see the link below), so the chances for the Buick SUV having poor crash-worthiness is fairly high.
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/96026.htm
But don't take my word for it, you should test drive an RX for yourself even if you are not interested in buying it, most Lexus dealerships are very accomodating.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Toyota came out with the HL and decided to offer the same safety systems like side air-bags and VSC. But there are two problems I see right now. The fact that dealers are charging MSRP (or above) will cause most folks to buy this vehicle without the safety systems options, hence defeating getting "a good, safe vehicle." The second problem I see due to the pricing is that as soon as Acura ramps up production and meets demand, and the price drops, the MDX will simply corner the market in the low $30K's price range. It's a great vehicle for the money and I would have bought either the RX or MDX. Let's hope Acura doesn't screw up a good thing.
TC
For those who are hungry for HL, I would advise waiting at least 4-5 months. By then, you'll definitely see heavy discounting.
In a recent January sales figure, Toyota saw a large drop in sales. I believe it was 12%, but it was mainly due to slower sales in sedans. Who knows, Toyota will have to offer deep discounting to compete with the influx of new SUVs. Impatience is a virtue if you can wait.
Having said that, I don't know why anyone would go ga-ga over HL. When I first heard about HL, I was excited about Toyota new SUV lineup. After seeing the HL at the LA Auto Show, I was disappointed. To me, it looks a a BIG station wagon. There is no way Toyota is going to convince me that it's an SUV. Once I peeked inside the vehicle, I was disgusted at the layout of the transmission lever. To top it off, what's up with no center console? Why should I have to pay extra $$ to get center console as an option? Imagine driving long distance without resting your elbow on the center console. That would be torture for me.
I have made up my mind that HL is not for me. It doesn't have a rugged look for an SUV. I can see Toyota marketing it towards woman drivers as "car-like" vehicle.
As for me, I'm waiting for the new 2002 GMC Envoy that is coming out next month. It's suppose to be bigger and more powerful then GMC Jimmy/Blazers. When it comes to style and performance, I think GMC Envoy is lot better. But when it comes to quality, nothing is better then the Japanese/Germans.
BTW, I heard a fully loaded GMC Envoy will go for $32K. If a fully loaded HL goes for $35K, that's nuts!! You can get a fully loaded Chevy Tahoe with $5K off from MSRP for mid $30s.
Decisions, decisions.....
Steve
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SUV and Vans Message Boards
The article does not alter my intention to buy a Highlander---in two or three months when the market for them reflects the realities of the growing competition. In fact the article rates Engine/Drive train and Noise and Isolation for the Highlander to be the best of the three. In terms of Value, the Ford rates best. What I found to be the most surprising, however, was the fact that the Ride and Handling of the Ford were ranked as a match for that of the Highlander, and the Highlander did not do as well as the other two in the slalom. The Ford Explorer model that was tested was the V6. The V8 would have been quite a different story, as the article implies. I look forward to test driving the Ford Explorer 02 with the V8 engine, when it becomes available at dealers near me.
Clearly the Highlander has very serious competition, and more is on the way. But the article makes clear that the Highlander merits serious consideration from buyers who value its qualities---as I do---at the right price, which I have not yet seen from dealers in my area. The MT article is very informative and fair.
I sat in Highlander this past weekend. Yes, where they have the gear shift lever does look a little odd at first, but from an ergonomics point of view, it is very well placed and functional. The back seat is spacious (much more room than the Jeep GC), PLENTY of room for 3 kids/teenagers. If you are going to haul around full grown adults in the back on a regular basis, you should be looking at a full sized or mini van, and not an SUV. Colorado dealers won't be getting the 4-cylinder engines - unless you special order one (and as a Denverite, I can't figure out why anyone here would want the 4-cylinder). The interior colors are, to me, too light; the charcoal is a very light gray, and the beige color really is 'Ivory'. The Highlander is going at a premium price right now. If you can wait until later in the year, or at least after Jeep releases its new Liberty (to give the Highlander some more competion), wait about 6 months for the Highlander prices to come down to something reasonable. Also, as interest rates come down, financing rates should also be better in about 6 months.
As for speed, I drove the 4 and found the engine to be a tad sluggish, but I'm used to driving a 5-speed Honda, so not a fair comparison. I'll take the non-Andretti route and smile. FYI, plenty of 4's available in central NJ.
-Dianne
Also, does anyone know the proper terminology for the type of wood (plastic) dressing used in the HL? I'm asking because I saw that there is a standard brown/black wood and a grey wood, perhaps it's nothing more than just that. I saw the grey inside an ivory interior this weekend---it was pretty neat looking.
Thanks in advance.
I can't imagine anyone buying a car or SUV solely because Motor Trend (which conspicuously accepts advertising money from auto manufacturers) told them to do so, and I have owned nothing by Japanese cars for the past 20 years. But I do intend to test drive the Ford Explorer V8 or Mercury Mountaineer V8 when they become available at dealerships. I will likely end up buying a Highlander anyway, although I expect that the 02 Explorer/Mountaineer will have a larger combined market than the Highlander will to those people who will want what those extensively improved Ford products will likely have to offer.
Regarding the areas in which Motor Trend finds disadvantages for the Highlander, some people might find those areas to be relevant to them, and that article contains the first test data results that I have seen published for the three SUVs that they tested. For example the rather modest Highlander results in the slalom: This is consistent with the fact that Consumer Reports rates the Lexus RX300 as below average in handling, and the Camry (which I now own) as average in handling, and the fact that people who value handling over the soft Japanese ride quality tend to prefer European vehicles, such as BMWs, over Japanese vehicles. If I lived in Colorado and drove mountain roads with frequent switch backs, I might be more interested in European than Japanese vehicles. But where I live, that is not a concern, so I prefer the Japanese side of that trade off.
I am wondering if anyone has yet to be able to purchase this vehicle for under MSRP? I am hoping to pick it up for about 6% over invoice which is about 1600-2000 below sticker... Any insite as to if this is a possibility at this time or not?
They were "objective": they were evaluating SUVs, not "vehicles that look like SUVs, and sorta behave like SUVs, but are meant to turn on fella lawnmower riders" :-)
Bob
Motor Trend sometime does those comparision tests and rates test cars by *explicit* position. In those cases, they usually gather a fairly large number of different models and set up criteria that have to be meet in order to be considered in the test to get it fair. Each model then will get a final score and rating.
This is *NOT* the case for the article comparing FORD/BUICK/Toyota. It clearly stated at the end that each of those SUVs has its own virtual and depending on what you want, they may suit you differently.
Totally agree with wbarnett that one can always gether relevant info from MT and make their own informed decisions.
Another question is the roof rack will give a lots of noise when drive at 70miles?
Thanks!
tek4life, where you buy and the local economy probably has more to do with the price you would have to pay. I paid significantly less than msrp. Run from dealers who are putting an adjustment onto msrp.
but practically you can't unless you want to run two or three states away from where you
are. In TX, Gulf State controls the ad-ons, not the dealers; can't even order HL without
port options. Therefore, I have to run to either East coast or West coast like you said...
hate it but nothing can be done...
If you absolutely can't wait, or are unwilling to go out of state—you're stuck.
Bob
Does anybody know what the CF option code is? and does anybody know if you can add the fog lights with out getting the limtted package.
HISLANDER- good luck getting a Highlander. Sure sounds like the dealers in your region have lined the pockets of the lawmakers.
PS: I have problem finding the center console and hood pretector in the Bay area. I was told my three dealers that these parts will not be available for another two months.
in my NY area, my 2 toyota dealers are asking for MSRP. please provide dealers name, phone number, website so i can check them out.
any NY, NJ, CT dealers on this list selling the HL below MSRP???
thanks
Best Wishes
Michael
Is this possible to do and is it a 3-5 minute job.? This is one determining factor in deciding whether to purchase a Pathfinder or Toyota Highlander.Thanks out there....