Seeking advice, thoughts, insights. 2019 Highlander

Misses McGov. is in need of a new vehicle. For me it has to be Toyota. For the general features that she wants and the money to be "invested" the arrow is currently pointing at a new-from-the-dealer 2019 Highlander.

Thoughts, perspectives, war stories, WARNINGS or tales of success. I'll take them all.

Thanks in advance.

 

Everyone I know that has a Highlander loves them, including my wife. We have a 2015 with 145k miles. Trouble free, a dream to drive. Having said that, there’s a redesign coming in 2020, likely released in January. It will be slightly bigger, nicer looking IMO, and likely slightly better MPG’s. We’ll probably end up with a new 2020 sometime next year.

 

My Wife has a 2019 hybrid Platinum and its really nice.
27 mpg average so far , all wheel drive. Very comfy driver for commuter car and road trips.

 

Wife has a 2017 Highlander. She loves it. Roomy, comfortable to travel in, and gets around 27 to 28 or so on highway depending how fast you wanna go. Have had zero issues with it. Just oil changes and normal maintenance. When it comes time to replace, I would definitely consider another Highlander

 

Thanks guys, gals and you non-binary types.

 

The new highlander redesign and the Rav 4 both in Hybrid engines are home runs. Rav 4 if you don’t have kids or dogs or need the space. Highlander if you do.

 

If anyone has any Tuesday advice I'll take them.

 

My wife drove a highlander for a couple years. Her only complaint was the torque steer, which I also felt was pretty extreme. A friend just traded their 2018 for a Lexus because of the torque steer. Other than that it was a great vehicle.

We ended up getting a Mercedes GLC300 for less than what we paid for the Highlander. We both like the GLC better. Build quality, performance, features, etc. The dealership experience is much better too, but that would depend where you’re at. The Toyota dealerships in my area are a nightmare.

 

Wife has a 2019 highlander limited and loves it. Drives fantastic. Very comfortable, especially on long trips. Can't beat the reliability. Decent mpg. I think we avg. 25ish. Lots of nice features like cool/heated seats, sunroof, push to start, and tons of in dash space to place your phone, wallet, knickknacks, whatever.

 

The only issue we've had with our 2018 is the transmission. It is very jumpy and takes time to get used to.

 

Wife doesn't like hers. She wants more power and the V6 in this car is good, but will not wow you off the line. Other than that, it's a great car; has all you can ever need. I would suggest a pedal commander to smooth out the acceleration as there is a slight delay when you press the skinny pedal. I don't have a pedal commander as we will turn this vehicle in when lease is up as there is no way my wife will keep this car. Nothing wrong with it, just not what she wanted.

 

As you grab your morning coffee and start your day one last check with you children on this subject of 2019 Highlander.

Gracious.

 

Wife has an '18 XLE. We love it, overall.

A few points:

1. 2020 apparently doesn't have the feature where the hatch glass opens seperately from the hatch itself. We love that little convenience.

2. Radar cruise is nice on ours, but is very aggressive whenever a slower vehicle moves out of your way. Our cruise disengages at 25mph, where the '20 has Stop-and-Go.

3. My wife loves the dashboard shelf, and wonders why they split it up in the new one.

4. Just get the captain seats for the second row. Our bench seat will be okay, but we realize the potential for future kid issues. The middle seat is absurdly small, anyway.

 

Wife has an 18’. She loves it. All that matters. It’s basically a Camry suv lol

 

I drove home a new-from-the-dealer 2019 Pearl Blizzard V6 Wednesday night.

The 8 speed tranny, along with the advanced VVT of the 2gs-fks engine, leaves a flat spot at low RPM's when casually accelerating. Just gotta punch it. Otherwise it will work well for Mrs. McGov. I get my Tundra back!!!

Thanks guys for the nudge on making the decision.

 

Just wait for 2020 update model. They will be hitting lots from port in about ten days. Call a local dealer and ask. They can see them in the system now. Then if you want to save money get the 19. But the 2020 Rav and Highlander are huge upgrades and redesigns.

 

Right on, man! Solid ride, for sure.

 

The 8 spd transmission, coupled with drive by wire, is very frustrating to drive. A lot of hesitation, especially when rounding a corner at a slow speed. Push the go pedal and nothing, then boom, it finally responds but not without a lot of jerking. Lexus has the same issue (we have a 19 RX350 with same trans), and TSB’s have not fixed it. I think this trans is junk and will likely hurt the brand.

 

Well of course they're Good! They are entirely based on a Camry and we know those are Good (yet too bad they stopped making Hybrid Camrys). Same chassis, same drivetrain. Can't go wrong unless you're looking for 3 rows for all Full-Size Adults, not sure the 3rd row occupants will have the same legroom as the 2nd. So test that out well in advance.

Luck and enjoy those Toyotas. : ^ )))