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SUVs Toyota Highlander 2008 Toyota Highlander
2854 messages, Last post on Oct 21, 2009 at 8:30 AM
You are in the Toyota Highlander Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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I hate to say it but I have buyers remorse on our new Highlander Sport. I had been admiring the car for quite some time and I was excited when we got it but there were some things that I overlooked. After having it a month there are some things that just seem cheap about it. Like the fact that several controls in the car (passengers windows, auto lock, light dimmers,etc) that are not illuminated at night. That just seems odd to me and should be a standard feature. Also, the captains chairs are sorta a pain since we cant put our child's car seat in the center without it covering up the seat belt latches on either outer seats. That is sorta frustrating. And, we were under the impression it was satellite ready but further investigation shows we have to actually buy the antenna and receiver, which costs at least $200 and probably more to install. Bummer. And the dealer was not clear on this. The third row is handy, and while we dont really use it (right now), there is absolutely no room in the back when it is up. So I would not be able to put much of anything back there like a stroller. So we have been thinking of getting storage for the roof rack. And I dont know about other people but there are some major blind spots in the car and neither myself or my husband have been able to find a comfortable seating position for driving. I know, I know.....shoulda woulda coulda. I am just saying I am a little disappointed in some of the features compared to other cars out there. We bought the highlander for Toyota's reliability and safety so I am happy there, but I dont think it will be very functional for us in the long term as we expand our family. Looks like we could be trading it in a few years. 
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Replying to: mherr05 (Nov 10, 2008 6:41 pm) A minivan has all the room a growing family needs. But it's a minivan. Some love them and some won't be seen in one. Choices.!!! |
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Replying to: mherr05 (Nov 10, 2008 6:41 pm) I am 6'2" and have surprisingly little blind spot when driving it, given its girth. I think the big mirrors help a lot. I usually set my mirrors so I can just see down the side of the vehicle and I always turn my head glance back before changing lanes. I agree on the lack of lighting in the car, but for the last 11ish years I've only had Toy's, I am so familiar with the controls, it doesn't need light. But.. Toyota should have lit them up. I don't have kids, but my wife is much smaller than me so memory seats would have been nice... and lumbar on the passenger side front is missing. 3rd row seat in a crossover = severe drain on storage space. To have both, you either need a small trailer or roof rack if you're tall enough, or a minivan / suburban. To think we used to survive (space-wise) in K-cars and Pinto's ? PS: someone said earlier in this forum that installing the satellite module was very laborious... something about removing the drivers seat and dashboard. But, given how much Sat radio 'skips', I would personally never bother with it - even if it was easy to install. |
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Replying to: toyseeker (Nov 11, 2008 6:17 am) Responding to both posts..... I agree about the third row and extra space for crossovers. You are correct at that. I guess the only option I saw was the Saturn Outlook as it does have more space with the third row, but it is very dull and boring inside. And everyone I know said DO NOT buy an american car (GM, Chevy). Although I think they have gotten better over the years. I checked the ratings on the Saturn OL, Chevy Tahoe and they are pretty good. But def more expensive to maintain with gas and all. My husband and I are both about 5'6" so I guess we cant do much about the blind spots in a bigger type of car. We used to have a Nissan Altima. I would have loved a memory seat option too as my husband and I are always changing everything when we get back in. Oh and blinker lights on the mirrors would have been awesome as well. One nice feature is the led that shines down on the console at night. Niice feature. I think we may check out an independent satellite control. I dont think we are up for tearing apart the whole dash and paying X amount of $$ to install. So, for now the Highlander is good for us, but im afraid when we decide to have more kiddos it will start to get cramped.
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Replying to: mherr05 (Nov 12, 2008 6:29 pm) I guess what surprised me the most was how much more difficult it was to park without the camera, relatively speaking of course. |
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Replying to: mherr05 (Nov 12, 2008 6:29 pm) |
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Replying to: mherr05 (Nov 12, 2008 6:29 pm) As to any of the GM products, including the Tahoe and the 3 crossovers (Acadia, Enclave, Outlook), the very latest issue of Consumer Reports gave all of them only a mediocre rating as to reliability, etc. The highly touted Mazda CX9 also did not fare all that well, and none of these gets quite as good as mileage. Consumers bases their findings on actual feedback surveys from current owners. For all of those reasons, the Highlander remains there top rated crossover, so not sure there is one best choice for you. I also have the Limited and find the rear camera very useful when backing up in parking lots, and I also do like the large rearview mirrors. I also think most of these utility vehicles are going to have some amount of blind spots due to their size and body style, compared to most of the sedans. |
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Are any of the 2008 and newer HL owners concerned about lack of tire choices on the 19" wheels? From what I could find on tirerack.com there are only a couple of choices. I personally don't understand the larger wheel trend, especially for a car like the HL. Would it be correct to assume that 17" wheels could be retrofitted to the Sport and Limited versions since the base model has 17" wheels? Wouldn't 17" wheels give a smoother, more compliant ride? I am just trying to do as much research as possible before making a new car decision...
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Replying to: lilstink (Nov 26, 2008 9:33 am) On the other hand most of these "crossover" SUV's will never be driven on anything but relatively s..m..o..o...t...h paved roadbeds. So there is little requirement for the tire to be a significant part/portion of the suspension system. |
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Has anyone recently bought weathertech mats for their highlander? I had heard they were having some mold problems back in the spring that was causing the mats to not fit properly. Weathertech seems the most talked about -- are there any other brands (aside from the OEM mats from Toyota) that work well as all weather floor mats?
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