Drove friends 2015 Highlander (comparing)

No problem. It can be annoying searching through fancy websites. That's why I like that Toyota publishes "product information" PDFs for their vehicles. Just trying to help. This forum has given me lots of good info in the past.

 

My wife has the 15 Highlander Limited AWD. It's a perfect family car with great fit and finish. It's best in class for a mid SUV IMHO. I'm not sure I totally agree on it being peppy off the line and the breaking makes you realize it's heavy. Otherwise super happy.

 

Agreed totally. Horses for courses.

 

I was all set to buy a highlander, but couldn't figure out how to fit the toolbox from my old Tacoma in the back at the same time as my motorcycle.

 

My wife has a 16 highlander XLE and if you floor it it squeels and torque steers off the line but it's shifts are really smooth and it gets a few more mpgs than the Taco on the freeway. It's great for a family ride but not very masculine for a guy. I would get a 4Runner over a highlander cause it's more masculine. But the highlander is perfect for my wife ,very smooth ride 3 rows of leather

 

Good lord that's almost as much as my 2011 Sierra Denali AWD.....

 

Wife has the '15 Limited. Couldn't agree more. Though I think I going to convince her that her next ride is the 4-runner Pro though.

 

The 4 cyl in the 4th gen Rav4's is nothing like the 3.5 ltr v6 in the 3rd gens, I wouldn't call the little 4 bangers good at jumping off the line. 269hp in a 3600lb SUV with AWD in the older ones was great, they were as quick as a Golf GTI to 60mph.

Yup, long since used to it...I have a '08 Rav4 AWD Limited with the 2GR and it's quite nice, I'd be replacing it with another one if they still had a good engine in the Rav4.

 

Wife also has a Limited 15. She wanted another 4Runner, had to talk her into the highlander because of her commute.
She's still mad at me, but loves the highlander

 

My wife has a 2014 highlander and it does have good acceleration. What it does not have is the atkinson motor like our tacomas. If you haven't had the transmission TSB done then my advice is to get it done, and then learn to press the accelerator peddle on your tacoma and you might be surprised with the acceleration it has.

 

The TSB did help initially but the results fade over time as the tranny re-learns. The one thing it did seem to partially fix long term is the cruise control not wanting to hold 6th gear. It still doesn't like to hold 6th as well as regular driving but it's better. Acceleration is still the same. If you turn on ECT mode it will give you the feeling of better acceleration because it holds gears longer and does not try to shift so early which relieves some of that "dead pedal" feeling but then the truck engine revs up like a leaf blower.

 

My TSB was done when it first came out. I was the first to have it done at the dealership where I bought my truck. I had to tell them about the TSB because they didn't know it existed. It helped my truck run like I think it should and I have not noticed it reverting back to any bad habits it had before the TSB.

 

You probably just got used to it. I noticed after about 4 weeks I hadn't drove our 2016 4runner and my truck started feeling better it seemed. Then I drove our 4runner and hopped back in my truck....newp!!!

 

You might be correct Smitty maybe I have just gotten used to it, but if that is the case then I guess thats a good thing because I no longer am concerned with it. It gets me from point A to Point B with no complaints.

 

We own a 2004 corolla, purchased new, that is getting tired and have been looking at the 4runners and highlanders a little on the web. Shocked at the highlander pricing when compared to the runner I am not sure what we would do. Both are expensive and I really like the stance of the 4runner and the finish of the highlander.......just rambling probably will not be able to swing either and will end up with another corolla or camry. Not giving up on the current corolla yet, just put new tires on and fixing to put new front pads, rotors, radiator, and battery. The car has been pretty much trouble free until this point and with these few repairs we are hoping to send it into the 200k realm. Currently at 145k, planning to run it in the ground.

 

4runner has more truck-like performance and handling. It has a rugged and masculine feel and look. The highlander is more car-like.

 

I think you will find the highlander to be a good family vehicle and feels like a family vehicle. The 4 runner is also a very nice vehicle but seems to have more of a truck feel compared to the highlander.

 

It looks like we agree on something

 

Highlander Hybrid Limited GVWR is 6270 lbs with curb weight of 4861, which means a payload of 1409 lbs. The Double Cab Limited 4x4 Tacoma is GVWR 5600 lbs and curb of 4480 so payload is 1120 lbs. The Tacoma has a much higher towing rating, 3500 for the Highlander and 5760 for the Taco.

Reliability, I dunno. Frame rust recalls from 1995 to (at least so far) 2009. The fuel economy is lousy in the Tacoma. I wish they would build them half as well as the Highlander. It wouldn't be tough, put back on manual hubs to disconnect to stop the front end stuff from always spinning, perhaps add a diesel, get rid of some of the unnecessary (for a pickup truck) stuff inside to lose a few pounds of curb weight, fully box in and add a decent coat of paint to the frame and then we'd have a truck again

 

Wife has a 2016 Highlander XLE AWD. She had a 2007 4-Runner for 9 years (SR5 4x4). She was never crazy about the way the 4 runner drove. Super reliable but it was on a truck frame. She loves the Highlander. Some things I noticed. Same size engine. similar output and similar 6 speed transmission. You just don't notice the engine revs and transmission shifting in the Highlander. You give it gas and it just goes. When moving out, the engine routinely will exceed 3K RPM but it doesn't intrude into the cabin the way the Taco does. The regular throttle mapping seems closer to ECT mode in the Tacoma and I think the 4-5-6 ratios are better matched to the engine. The NVH on the Highlander is miles ahead of the Tacoma. I think the key differences are truck frame vs uni-body. I've had all 3 Gens of the Tacoma and the 3rd Gen is the smoothest but just can't compete with a unibody in noise/isolation.