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Highlander?

quaddriver

quaddriver

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Considering trading the RAV4 in (prime age to do it, 3 yrs old, 40K miles, 60K left on platinum warranty, just serviced, inspected and skinned)

Looking at the highlander XLE with the new whizbang 3.5L v6 and 8spd. It has a 5Klb tow rating and I coincidentally have a boat that was 4710 on the hoof last time I weighed it. while a new vehicle is a new vehicle, it would also add the dimension of driving a 'car' to the lake to pull the boat 2 miles from parking->water->parking, saving the Suburban for the times when the 'right tool for the job' is needed.

Are the highlanders as fault free as the rav4? the XLE package has the same gizmos, albeit some are moved around the dash...
 
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I'm certainly not a car guy but you could take a look at the Subaru Ascent. The recent CR auto issue rated them a Top Ten pick of all 2019 vehicles. Subaru all-wheel drive in a similar price range as the Highlander.
 
quaddriver said:
Considering trading the RAV4 in (prime age to do it, 3 yrs old, 40K miles, 60K left on platinum warranty, just serviced, inspected and skinned)

Looking at the highlander XLE with the new whizbang 3.5L v6 and 8spd. It has a 5Klb tow rating and I coincidentally have a boat that was 4710 on the hoof last time I weighed it. while a new vehicle is a new vehicle, it would also add the dimension of driving a 'car' to the lake to pull the boat 2 miles from parking->water->parking, saving the Suburban for the times when the 'right tool for the job' is needed.

Are the highlanders as fault free as the rav4? the XLE package has the same gizmos, albeit some are moved around the dash...
Click to expand...

As an owner of a new 2018 Highlander after a Jeep Cherokee, before that a Chevy Traverse, an Equinox, 2 Tahoes and 3 Blazers all of which were new, I really like the new Highlander from an everyday driver and grocery getter perspective, it handles and rides very much like a car. It's no longer the utility 4WD pathcutter it once was.
I too have the XLE package with amenities I'll probably never use but I really like it and mama does too.
I did a comparison to the Honda Pilot (Honda fan) and they were only a couple grand different in price and the Highlander to me was a better purchase for my money. Time will be the judge but if it's built anything like some of the previous Toyota lines i.e. Camry, you should get some mileage out of it. I liked the fact the hitch and flat 4 plug were already there and didn't have to be dealer installed. My Highlander had zero issue toten my boat at freeway speed and was no slouch steping up to freeway speed pulling that whale.

Sounds to me it's exactly what your looking for. :thumbsup:
 
Consumer Reports only takes data from a few years and not long term. Subaru uses CVT's (many models only come with CVT trans.) if you don't want a std. trans. and they cost $4,500 US to replace before labor costs and they don't have the strength for towing much.

On the Highlander (it looks like a stretched RAV4) I wouldn't tow that much with a FWD based unit body lightweight vehicle especially near or at it's tow rating plus the main drive strength is at the front. Best to stick to the truck based vehicle you have that's designed to take heavy towing. If you want a Toyota SUV to tow heavy loads the Sequoia looks more up to the task. You might get by with the more affordable 4Runner as it has the frame and RWD based design.
 
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My wife has a 2008 Highlander. In 145K miles, it's needed regular maintenance, a water pump and I had to fully rebuild the parking brake. That's it.

I tow a utility trailer with it occasionally, including loaded with 4000lbs of firewood. It did well but I'm not sure I'd want to do that for a long trip.

We'll probably buy another when the next gen comes out in a year or two.
 
A friend tried to tow something that heavy with his 1st Gen Honda Ridgeline and that cost him big $ as the engine blew.
 
Shadowdog said:
Consumer Reports only takes data from a few years and not long term. Subaru uses CVT's (many models only come with CVT trans.) if you don't want a std. trans. and they cost $4,500 US to replace before labor costs and they don't have the strength for towing much.

On the Highlander (it looks like a stretched RAV4) I wouldn't tow that much with a FWD based unit body lightweight vehicle especially near or at it's tow rating plus the main drive strength is at the front. Best to stick to the truck based vehicle you have that's designed to take heavy towing. If you want a Toyota SUV to tow heavy loads the Sequoia looks more up to the task. You might get by with the more affordable 4Runner as it has the frame and RWD based design.
Click to expand...
well the highlander is a different platform than the rav (the rav shares platform with the camry and avalon as part of some new global thing) but I trust toyotas ratings...they tend to 'carry the two' with better precision.

I store the boat 2 miles from the ramp, but I have to drive 100 miles to get there. when I move it to winter storage long distance, the right tool for that job is in fact my bus. It is a full frame square body with a planet killing big block. on weekends we use it to relocate dollar general stores....

btw we did peek at t he 4 runner with the larger (but less powerful) 4.0 - it is also rated for 5Klbs but gets 20mpg compared to the highlander 26....
 
Why are you getting rid of the RAV 4? It sounds barely broken in. Is it just for increased towing capacity?
 
well its a prime time to trade one in at this age and mileage and the larger one can do more of what we need it to
 
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