2008 Toyota Highlander

So I've been eyeing the Jeep Commander for about a year. I own a Jeep and am happy with it, but right when I finally decided to buy the Commander, we started having lots of problems with my Grand Cherokee. Time to broaden my scope a bit. So, I test drove the Jeep Commander, the Highlander Hybrid, and the Highlander Limited before finally settling on the Highlander Sport. I loved the Commander but hated the mpg. The same goes for the Highlander Hybrid—the 26 mpg is just too close to the 23 highway rating for the non-hybrid, but you pay a lot more. I can't wait for the day when hybrids get a better bang for the buck! The Highlander Limited was fantastic, but I really didn't want to pay the extra two grand for the Nav system. So, the Sport it was.

While there were some disappointments, and a few features wound up tipping the balance and planting us firmly in the Highlander camp. I'll point those out when I get to them.

First, here are some differences I do NOT like between the Limited and Sport.

* The Limited has that nice video screen for the Nav system and other options. I would have liked the option to leave that screen in place since it would still be useful despite having no Nav system.
* The Tire Pressure Monitoring System pretty much disappears with the Sport. On the Limited, it's this nice display page (on the small screen) of the vehicle and its four tires, and the pressure for each tire. Very useful information. The Sport retains the small screen, but does away with the particular page. Instead, you get a light on the dash which will illuminate if the pressure gets below a certain point (the manual does not specify what that limit is). Not nearly as useful as the page display. Why they get rid of that page is beyond me.
* The front passenger seat is non-power. I was fairly disappointed with this.

Performance:

My previous vehicle was a Jeep Grand Cherokee, so I'm basing a lot of these comparisons to that. I truly enjoy the performance of the Highlander. It feels more solid than the Jeep, and I can handle corners at a higher speed than I could with the Jeep. The steering is slightly looser, but I'm OK with that.

We just breezed through a mild D.C.-area winter, but when there was ice around, I did my best to see what it would take to make the Highlander slide. I couldn't do it (I'm sure it was a combination of Highlander performance along with a healthy dose of Not Enough Ice).

The suspension is rather soft, which gives it a sort of luxury-car feel.

Engine performance. Very good acceleration. I've beaten lights going uphill—there is definitely some power under the hood, and the Highlander accelerates like it's on a flat road. But here's one of my biggest gripes about this vehicle: a very noticeable lag between flooring the pedal and the acceleration. The truck actually seems to lose power in that lag. It drives me crazy. This lag is hard-wired in there—don't let a slick salesman talk up the transmission and tell you the ECT-i ["i" for intelligence] is a smart system and will adapt to your driving habits—that's not what it does. I wasn't fooled by this, but I can see other people being snowed. Anyway, this flaw really annoys me, and it was very apparent during my test drives, but it should say something about the Highlander that I decided to go with it despite the lag.

Braking performance. Generally, it's fine. But perhaps it's the newness of the vehicle or maybe an overactive Brake Assist feature (more on that below), but the brakes are somewhat grabby. I'm used to a nice, smooth braking action. I haven't seen that yet on the Highlander. The brakes tend to be a bit soft at first touch with my foot, which makes me press harder, which all of the sudden produces a sharp grab. It's not like things are flying around inside the car, but it was noticeable enough that my wife asked me why I was braking the way I was. Now, if I was reading this, I'd assume the author just didn't know what he was doing and had a heavy foot or something. I'm not one of those people. I know what I'm doing behind the wheel.

Interior:

I absolutely love it. Roomy, comfortable, modern. But there are some problems.

Working my way from front to rear…

Multi-Info Display. This is the little screen high up on the center console. Gives you all sorts of data, including doubling as your backup camera display when in Reverse. The MID gives you trip data (average MPG, cruising range [how far you can go with the gas you have], distance counter, and a fuel consumption history (probably more applicable to the Hybrid). You can cycle through all of these displays.

Additional info is also displayed: outside temp, time, warning messages, and A/C system (temps, mode, etc).

Ride. This is one of the quietest vehicles I've ever been in. I can hold a hushed conversation with my wife at 80 mph without leaning toward her. A quiet ride is a big deal for me, and the Highlander excels in this area.

Roominess and Accessories. Tons of room for both me and the front passenger. Four cupholders up front. Two are configurable (I really love little things like that!) so they can adapt to larger cups or cups with handles.

Huge between-seat bin/armrest. It's comfortable and roomy. Problem: Accessing this thing requires some maneuvering from the driver. I really have to get my arm out of the lid's way if I want to do more than simply crack it.

For the passengers in back, there is a ton of room. We have a baby seat for our 2-year old. Plus, we have an 11-year old with friends. Toting around the baby, the teeny-bopper, plus her friends was a requirement. The versatility of the Highlander with regard to seating was a swaying factor for us. Toting the family around, plus three of the teeny-bopper's friends is a snap.

The Highlander is in-flight configurable, so to speak. You have three choices of how to manage the middle passenger row: Two seats divided by a utility console, two seats with a large gap between them for easy access to the back (whether it's the third-row seating or open storage), or you can bench the entire row by switching the utility console with a little seat—basically filling the gap with an extra seat. There is a compartment beneath the driver's between-seat storage bin which stores the utility console/extra seat. You'll probably either love this idea, or hate it. We loved it. Problem: Just make sure to remember that when installing the extra seat, you take care to move the seat belt receptacle so you don't wind up burying it with the seat itself.

Caveats: You don't want to give that middle seat to an adult. You probably could if you had to, but it'd be a bit tight. Also, it's a good idea to swap the console and seat out a time or two since it can be a bit confusing as how to unlatch them and reattach them. Don't wait until you have a handful of people standing there, waiting to climb in the truck while you're fiddling with the seats (the instructions in the manual aren't the best, and the pictures are a bit hard to decipher).

Third Row Seating. (If you chose this option) Easy to use. A snap to fold down and put up. Don't have to worry about seat belts. Of course, you don't want to stick adults back there for extended periods of time, but it's perfect for kids.

Also, there is a decent amount of room behind the third row seats when they're up. This extra room was another swaying factor for us. We wanted to be able to put groceries and other stuff behind the 3rd row passengers. Are you going to be able to fit luggage back there? Maybe a small carry-on or two, but that's about it.

Pockets. I put this in here because I'm one of those guys that loves pockets. I wear a flight suit almost every day. Lotsa pockets. I'm in heaven. The Highlander has the equivalent. There are tons of places to put stuff. One of my favorite is on the center console, at knee height, where I've never seen any sort of pocket in any other vehicle. It's like the engineers didn't want to waste any space. There's the little sunglass holder in the roof, which comes partially down, turning into a little mirror where I can see everyone in the truck. I love this pocket, but it does feel a bit flimsy, and requires a gentle touch to put in/take out your glasses if you don't want them scratched on the outer lip. Pockets in the doors, backs of seats, center console, next to the side view mirror controls, even one in the very back of the vehicle.

Controls:

Blue-Tooth. Pretty easy time pairing with my phone and using. However, I've found it much easier to dial folks via my phone than try to use voice recognition feature (it blows). Dialing via the phone will automatically flow to the Bluetooth (and my phone gives me the option to switch back to the phone to kick out of Bluetooth). I don't like that the BT system looks only for the paired phone. This makes it painful if, say, your spouse wants to use it. He/she will have to go through the pairing procedure to use a different phone. How easy would it have been to let the system detect multiple phones and prompt the driver which he wants as the primary?

A/C & Heating. Ok, maybe I really am dumber than I think I am. But really, the system Toyota has come up with here is bizarrely difficult. There are many buttons. Gone are the simple, intuitive pictures of hot/cold, vent options, and outside air. Now, to get cool outside air in, you have go through some mental gymnastics: Ok, we need the fan On, then we need to make sure the A/C button is Off, then we need to make sure the Circulate button is Off, then we need to make sure we set the Temp all the way to the lowest setting.

Windows. Not a big deal, but I have to mention it—I really don't like how the car handle impedes my ability to press the window buttons. I have to sort of work my wrist and hand around the handle. Bad engineering.

Also, for the sunroof, I had a small problem in where it broke. Why did it break? Well, I'm off to work one morning and it's around 45 degrees F. Cool enough to where I decide I want to open the sunroof. I forget to close it when I get to work (it was partly cloudy out). Well, crazy Maryland weather comes along and by the time I leave work it's freezing out and lightly sleeting. There's a bit of ice on the truck. I get in, start the truck, and try to close the sunroof. It doesn't really want to close and I hear the motor doing something fishy, so I stop the proceedings and try to clear the ice off the tracks. I try to close it again and it works, sort of. As it gets into the closed position I hear a loud PoP! from the roof. Turns out the window somehow bent the track. There's supposedly some sort of resistance sensor up there, but I don't think it works.

Stereo. No problems with it. It sounds great and the controls are fairly easy to use. Takes some know-how to get to the settings (bass, fade, balance, etc), but other than that it's a snap to use.

Gear Lever. I know this is one of the least important things out there, but I'm just a bit disappointed with it. The thing is sort of notched arc, engineered so you can't accidentally knock the lever into Reverse or Park from Drive. This is all well and good. But they include this silly "S" mode (manual shift) and I really hate it. It's an extra position right next to the Drive position. I knocked the lever over there all the time (I have since stuck something in there to prevent the lever from going into that mode—I'll never use it). Probably not a big deal as long as you don't shift up or down, but still, I don't want the tranny in that mode at all.

Wipers. This is a mess. The stick on the steering column works just fine, but looking at it, it's just a jumble of little signs. You really have to take a moment and figure out what all of the markings are for.

Steering Wheel controls. All pretty easy and straightforward. I have no complaints about them except to say that I'm not a fan of steering wheel controls on the front face of the wheel. It makes it awkward to use the controls—do you use your thumb or one of your fingers? Either way it makes it a bit difficult to navigate the buttons (while you're driving). You have all the controls you need, but three sets (volume, track/channel up/down, and mode) on one side, and two sets on the other (display and talk [for voice commands]). In addition, on the left lower side of the wheel are your Phone On/Phone Off buttons.

The buttons are flat and flush with the wheel face so it sort of requires that you look at them to see what button you're trying to get to. This makes little sense to me. Other cars have controls on the back of the wheel, and while you can't see them, you can get to them with your fingers without interrupting your grip on the wheel, and there's no need to look down (you wouldn't see anything anyway). Admittedly, there are probably too many controls to stick all of them on the back of the wheel.

Roof Rack. I like the roof rack a lot. Very easy to move the crossbars around. I haven't needed to use it yet, but I'm glad it's there.

Parking Brake. It's one of those old-style tiny pedals down near your left foot. I do not like this design at all. Give me something I can operate with my hand!

Safety:

What can I say? This thing has more airbags than the Republican National Convention (I'm a Republican, so I can say that). I hope to never have to use any of them, but it does much for my peace of mind knowing my family is surrounded by them. And taking tight corners hasn't produced even the mildest tendency to lean, so I feel pretty comfortable that this thing won't roll over unexpectedly unless I'm going crazy at the wheel.

Aside from the airbags, the Highlander has several safety features that are supposed to keep you alive and well.

Backup Camera. I love this feature. Aside from wishing they kept the large screen in the Sport so it'd be much more visible, I also wish this thing was operable while driving (it only works in Reverse). I also wish it came on sooner. Sometimes I like to start the vehicle and go right into Reverse, but the display has to go through a little vehicle systems check first, which takes five or ten seconds. The camera is also adjustable (color, contrast, etc). I've tried adjusting it just for the hell of it, but there didn't seem to be much change in the picture.

ABS. I tested this several times during my test drives. Works as advertised.

Brake Assist. Gives you more braking power when the system detects a panic situation. I don't really have a clue what this means. You have ABS. When you ram the brake pedal down, the system, I'm guessing, will sense a panic situation. You'll automatically go into ABS mode, so I'm not sure how more braking power is going to enter that equation.

Vehicle Stability Control. Controls skidding when swerving suddenly on slick surfaces. Okaaaayyy…

Traction Control. Maintains drive power and prevents wheel spin on slippery roads. Hm. Somehow different than the above.

Hill-Start Assist Control. Prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards when starting on a hill or slippery slope.

Downhill Assist Control (DAC). Helps to prevent high speeds when going down steep slopes. Well, I've always thought that's why they installed that little pedal next to the accelerator. The one called the Brake Pedal. This mode is supposed to kick in when going slow and in the S Mode (that manual shift mode).

Snow Button. No, this does not make it snow (I wish!). The book says it's for accelerating and driving on slick roads. That's all it says. So, your guess is as good as mine on that one.

The Snow Button and DAC buttons are located on the center console near the gear shift and can be very easily (and accidentally) pressed--they're not rocker switches, but instead single-press switches. There are lights on the dash that are supposed to illuminate when these modes are selected. No lights illuminate when I press either of these buttons, so I'm going to have to take it in to get serviced for that. I have no clue if either of these modes actually does anything, but I can say that I've driven on reasonably flat dry surfaces with one or both of these modes on, and noticed absolutely no difference whatsoever (at least, I think they were on. I pressed the buttons. Hard to tell without the dash lights).

I never did get the chance to take the Highlander out in snow/ice, thanks to Global Warming or whatever gave D.C. this mild winter. So I can't speak for how it handles in slippery conditions and whether these features do what they say they do.

MPG:
I haven't had a chance to run a full tank of gas yet on the highway--all of my driving has been either short jaunts on the freeway or city. So far I average in between 15 and 16 MPG. Pretty bad, but what are you gonna do?

Overall Impressions:
As you can see, there are no huge issues anywhere with this SUV. Like with most any vehicle, it does have its share of small flaws. I typically use the Highlander for toting my family around, grocery shopping, and the occasional big haul. It does Excellent with all of these. I truly enjoy driving it.