Opinions on the Highlander? Or other options for a third row seat SUV...

We have a 2017 Highlander XLE. We’re 30k miles in so far and it’s been a great car with no issues. Rides super smooth compared to the Tacoma and even a 4Runner.

If you go the Highlander route, id recommend captains chairs for the second row rather than a bench. It makes it a little easier to sneak into the third row in my opinion.

Only disappointment was the original tires will be toast after about 35k, but that’s just me nitpicking. They did fine and even were okay in the snow. I’ve not yet had a car with CarPlay so I don’t know what I’m missing there...haha.

We compared against the Pilot and just preferred the Toyota more. It felt a little smaller (and is slightly) and my wife was stepping up from a civic so anything was going to feel big.

 

My wife is currently shopping newer used Highlanders as well. We previously had a 2011 Pilot which was great for the storage space, but gas mileage was atrocious and at 80k miles it started to need lots of maintenance and repair. Not like the Hondas I had years before.
Thanks for all the feedback on the Highlanders

 

Same here, thanks for the Highlander feedback. Looking forward to a test drive this week, and I’ll add some comments to the collective afterwards.

 

My wife has been driving a 2005 Highlander since I bought it for her new.
It's coming up on 200k miles now, nothing but regular maintenance plus tires, batteries.
Hard to believe.
It's been the best vehicle either of us has ever had, by far.
If the new ones are comparable and you don't need excitement, you can't go wrong.

 

My Mom has an 2005 as well. It’s right at 210k and the thing refuses to die. She is looking at getting a new RAV4 in the fall though.

 

So now to throw a wrench in all this, we are realizing the Highlander doesn’t have nearly the same interior space as the Enclave did, so now we’re considering a used Sequoia. Sigh. This may take months.

 

Land Cruiser. Our 2003 LC has been serving us well for 16 years and 196k miles.

 

The Sequoia is nice but man it’s in desperate need of updating. Plus, 13 mpg is no fun either if you care about that sorta thing.

 

Yes they are really nice but this...

 

CX9

 

We are currently looking at a 15 xle awd higlander with 50k on it. Anything to look for, or out for?

 

Well, heading out this afternoon to look at vehicles, still keeping Highlander on the list. Atlas and CX9 as well. Sequoia is off.

I hear some Kia dealerships are price gouging customers on the Telluride. Doesn’t surprise me, those vehicles are as hot as Tacoma Pros in some areas. Similar issue with overcharging well above the MSRP and right now they can’t keep certain models in stock, they are so hot. That’s what happens when a vehicle is first in its class on the US News and World Report rankings and in its first model year.

Supply and demand...

 

Impressions from test drives (all new vehicle years):
Highlander: Wife loved the ergonomics of the cabin, and said seats were comfy. I was sad about no Apple Car Play. The cargo room is noticeably smaller than the other vehicles we looked at, in all three dimensions. I liked that the rear window can be opened independent of the hatch. Wife said it drove very nicely. There is hardly any space between captains chairs if you go that route, and they are basically the bench seat without about 8 inches of seat in the middle. She felt totally claustrophobic in the 3rd row but they do lean back which is unique. Strap mechanism to fold 3rd row seats
down or lean back seemed a bit flimsy.

Buick Enclave: styled nicely inside and out, but slightly underpowered. Pickup with gas pedal to the floor was a little slow. Body higher than other vehicles so the fender wells don’t intrude on cargo space as much. Gets you nice cargo room. I would worry about reliability because...Buick. Has a version of Car Play interface. Looked at one that had a nav system that I would never use due to Car Play.

VW Atlas: beautiful interior. Very comfortable. 3rd row is specifically for only two but would you ever put three in reality? Top trim level has ridiculous moonroof almost full length of vehicle. Plenty of space all over. Handles ok. 6 year 72K drivetrain AND bumper to bumper standard brand new. Has Car Play like everything else except Toyota.

Chevy Traverse: Body style changed in 2018 and it’s much nicer. Lots of cargo room, doesn’t feel cheap like older model did. Nothing super exciting but nothing super negative. Drives fine.

Kia Telluride: has a cool mechanism to fold the 2nd row. Other than that it left a cheap impression. Seems like exactly what it is, a cheap knockoff of a Land Rover. So every soccer mom can pretend they’re driving an expensive car. Looking in the engine bay only solidified this opinion. The engine cover is not screwed or bolted in place, it clicks on sort of like the lid to a Pyrex mixing bowl. That alone turned me off. And this was the top of the line vehicle.

Shew, I hate the car buying experience. Definitely going to look at used 18’s and expand the search area to the whole southeast coast. Not a fan of buying new.

 

own an 18 highlander. boring is the first thing that comes to mind. very behind in tech and safety systems are intrusive. though the rear glass popping up seems cool, haven't used it once in 2 years. mileage is decent. throttle response is better than a stock tacoma but still mushy. it's quiet but still shifts around a lot, you just don't notice it. my kids can crawl through the middle to get to the 3rd row but it's cramped. with the 3rd row up rear storage is bad (fixed for '20 i guess). the straps for the 3rd row are annoying as all hell and backwards to what i feel would be intuitive. i also don't find the seats particularly comfortable. not bad, but no better than a taco. but they adjust up and down haha.

'20 highlander may resolve a lot of these issues but it's the same powertrain (snore). looking to a ford explorer st when they start showing up on lots.

 

oh, and i hate how toyota has you push and hold buttons for certain actions. mainly the hatch. it is beyond annoying that both the dash button and fob button are push and hold to open. if i press the damn button, open the effing hatch. not hold the damn button for 5 seconds. very very annoying when you add how slow the hatch is to open.

 

Boring is the first word that comes to mind with the majority of what Toyota builds. And Ill disagree with the seats. At least on the '19 I own the seats are the most comfortable Ive set in from a Toyota. The tech is definitely behind in the Entune.

 

one that hits most of those needs is the honda pilot.

 

don't lookup what they did to the 20 GX. Ugh

 

might just be me. but yeah the seats aren't bad, just not for me. wish the head rest was adjustable forward/back. feels too far back for me.