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Comments: 1-15, 16-21
Nothing has gone wrong with my 2004 Highlander over the 10 months that I have owned it.
This mid size SUV drives like a sedan. I drives equally well on city roads and highways. Gas mileage is 18 city and 27 highway with air conditioner running. I have the V6 cylinder 256 Horse power.
I think you are too high on the horsepower rating.
My 2001 Highland Limited V6 AWD has been flawless. With 83,000 miles, it still runs like the day I bought it. I had one problem with the AC fan going on and off, but the dealer found the bad connection and it's working great. I'm always scared of buying first year models, but Toyota did this one well. Can't say enough about how reliable this vehicle has been. Unfortunately, my vehicle got hit by hail yesterday and I'm worried they are going to total the SUV. So, I'm looking at buying another maybe a hybrid.
Regardless of the horsepower rating these things are the slowest SUV on the market. I test drove several cars and SUV's before buying my (Ford) truck, and the V-6 Highlander was so slow I'd be embarrassed to own one.
To the Ford driver - the Highlander is no way the "Slowest SUV on the market". Did you drive a V6, or were 3 spark plugs disconnected?
In reading the negative comments about the Highlander it's obvious why I'm seeing ads for them with huge discounts. They apparently have lots of problems and perform very poorly. This really doesn't surprise me, as the Highlander is basically an already underpowered Camry drive train with a much heavier body.
I am not sure about the 2004 model, but the 2006 is a 3.3 liter V-6, rated at 215hp.
I can't believe the HUGE discounts I'm seeing on the Highlander now. I wouldn't buy one (mainly because of all the negative stuff I hear and read about them) but the prices I'm seeing for them now are almost competitive with the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Sante Fe (which are much better vehicles, but sell cheaper usually).
It's good that people are finally waking up to the fact that Japanese brands aren't all they are reported to be (by Japanese owned car magazines). The Hyundai Sante Fe and Kia Sorento are definitely far better and more reliable than the Highlander. I've driven the Highlander and The Sorento, and the Sorento had far more power and felt much safer and more solid by far than the slow and erratically handling Highlander.
Has anyone heard anything about recalls on the Highlander for braking problems and transmission problems? There seem to be a lot of problems in those areas.
This morning's paper carried an item about yet ANOTHER recall on the trouble-prone Highlander SUV (and it's Lexus clone). Now it seems that the accelerator might stick on the floor "possibly causing an accident". Since the cars are so dog-slow it would likely be a very minor accident of course, but this is yet another example of how Toyota's quality is grossly over rated.
No, the GMC CAN'T stand in the shadow of the Highlander. The Highlander is usually going too slow to safely be in its shadow very long without getting run over. Before making such silly statements as 13:48 the commenter needs to read the SCORES of negative comments on various Highlander reviews regarding poor performance (slow as a BRICK), erratic handling, poor (or non-existent) braking, safety recalls involving sticking accelerators, air bags and other serious safety issues, and the problematic transmissions that can't decide when to shift. Out of 9 SUV's we've driven (all equipped with 6's) the Highlander was not only the slowest, it was DANGEROUSLY SLOW, as so many other comments have indicated. Even the Ford Escape we drove would have run rings around it (not to mention being safer and actually having brakes that worked).
When my wife and I test drove a V-6 Highlander we were very disappointed in the poor acceleration. It was slower than all the other similar SUV's we drove. In addition, the one we drove felt very unstable when braking. It seemed to pull heavily to the left side. Those factors, plus a poor fit and finish in the interior quickly convinced us the Highlander was not an acceptable choice for us. We found Toyota's reputation for quality unwarranted in this particular vehicle.
The Highlander would probably be an excellent vehicle for older people or people who only want basic transportation with a bit more room than a regular sedan, however those looking for spirited performance or off-road performance and speed need to look at more powerful, truck based SUV's. The Highlander is basically a "crossover" design. It's based on a car and is not supposed to be competing with more traditional SUV's such as Chevy Trailblazers, GMC's, Durangos or other genuine SUV's built on more rugged truck platforms. To try to compare them with such vehicles is not an even comparison by any stretch of the imagination. For really spirited performance in a car based SUV the very powerful new Mazda crossover deserves a good look.
I have owned my Highlander for the past three years and have had no trouble with it, except for the a/c turning off when I pass a small puddle of water when it's raining, which could be quite annoying if you live in the Tropics like I do. Yet, I am quite happy with it because I previously owned a GMC Jimmy 2001 SUV and a month later it was in the shop for so many reasons I lost count!! After two painful years, I finally won a decision at the Consumer Affairs office, and recovered 85% of my investment (plus the 2 years I used it when it was not in the shop). With this reimbursement I bought the 2004 Highlander and no problems so far. As for it being slow, why do you need to accelerate your vehicle so fast, are you in a race? My SUV responds real fine and believe me, I drive fast!!
Agreed, this is not an off-roading, trailer-pulling truck or a dragster. Let's face it, 99% of all SUV miles are for basic transportation. This is in fact a Camry station wagon substitute, assembled in Japan. And the Camry drive train is legendary for being the most reliable in automotive history.