Hello, considering HL vs Tundra

[recurve]

Hello all,
New guy here. This is a very informative forum and hopefully you all can provide me with some insight on my next vehicle.
After driving Ford F150 4WD for the last 20 yrs I am going to get a Toyota 4WD and am considering a base model Highlander 2010 or 2011 vs a double cab tundra.
I've driven both and right now favor the highlander for most of my purposes however a couple of unknowns are performance in snow - I have a job where you cannot call off due to weather and northeast winters can get bad a couple days a year. So snow performance is one area I'd like to know about.
The other is gas mileage - what are you guys getting with your AWD Highlanders?
Any other info you can give regarding these vehicles would be greatly appreciated. I'll also post this in the Tundra section to hear from the truck folks.
Happy Holidays to all!

[JMSinMD]

Talk about apples to oranges.

We have a 2009 Highlander Sport and a 2008 Sequoia Platinum.

In the Highlander we average about 18mpg city/26mpg highway vs. 12mpg city/19mpg highway for the Sequoia (same 5.7 as the Tundra).

Replace the factory tires on the Highlander with a more off road/winter oriented tire and you have a very capable vehicle. I belong to Tundrasolutions.com and there are a lot of Tundra owners (even with 4x4) that are having to put extra weight in their beds to get around in snow. With the Sequoia it's not an issue. If I had to keep only one vehicle it would be the Highlander.

[TrailDust]

Here is a past thread discussing the HL's Performance In Snow, and also you can read reply #30 in this thread as one example of snow performance, but I'd recommend using only the word "snow" in a search of this forum for a number of other threads where members discuss snow performance at length.

Like JMSinMD mentioned, the mileage in the HL is very good for a SUV of its class. I've been able to get as much as 28+ MPG by keeping it at 65 MPH in cruise control, and an average at 70 MPH is 25.5 MPG for me.

[05Moose]

I've got a Double Cab Tacoma and just upgraded our old '05 Highlander to a '10 Base Model Highlander. While my Tacoma doesn't have all the new traction control/VSC features that are now standard, I'm much more comfortable driving the highlander in the snow. No "loose" backend to worry about, AWD in the HL versus me having to pay attention to road conditions and deciding when to switch to/from 4wd in the Tacoma (the disadvantage to part-time 4wd)...those two factors make the highlander a little safer on the roads IMO. That's assuming you replace the factory tires with tires appropriate to the conditions you drive in. If you don't need the truck (which I do), then definitely don't hesitate on the highlander. We see a good 4 mpg better between the two vehicles (Tacoma has 4.0 liter V6, HL has 3.5 liter V6). If you get a larger engine in the Tundra, you're going to see an even bigger discrepancy in MPGs between the two.

Now if you do any off-roading (other than mild off-roading where a higher clearance isn't necessary) or travel off-road to get to work, then I would reverse my recommendation.

[recurve]

Thanks for the comments so far.
Traildust and JMS in MD - are your vehicles AWD that you're getting that good gas mileage?

Yes the vehicles are different but what I need is room for 4, AWD/4WD, some ground clearance andd the ability to haul canoe/kayaks and gear, fishing gear, lawn and garden gear.
The truck is very convenient for this stuff but many times is overkill and rising gas prices are once again a concern.
I think the HL will do fine, but never having used a vehicle like that the truck is still my "comfort zonoe". Will try to rent a HL for a couple days before buying and see how that goes.
Thanks again

[Dman1]

I drive a 2009 Highlander Limited with the 3.5L V6 AWD, towing package, etc. The OEM tires suck in the snow, even when they are brand new. But if you are living in the Northeast, I trust that you plan on getting winter tires. My HL came with the 19" wheels, but my winter wheels are 17" steelies. My tires are Yokohama Geolanders and combined with the weight of the HL, the package performs very well in the snow. I rarely use the Snow function.

I have never owned a pickup truck, so I cannot rightfully compare the two, but as everyone has said, if you don't need a pickup, go with the Highlander.

As for mileage, I easily get 25MPG in the summer on the highway, and that would be going 70-75MPH. When I am towing my 4500lb parachute, I mean camper, I am between 9 and 11 MPG on the highway hovering around 60 MPH.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by recurve

Thanks for the comments so far.
Traildust and JMS in MD - are your vehicles AWD that you're getting that good gas mileage?

Yes, Base model AWD/4WD V6 3.5L. My average over nearly three years of ownership is 18/19 city and 26/28 highway. All in all I average 70% city and 30% highway for 22 MPG in "day-to-day" driving.

[JMSinMD]

Originally Posted by recurve

Thanks for the comments so far.
Traildust and JMS in MD - are your vehicles AWD that you're getting that good gas mileage?

Yes the vehicles are different but what I need is room for 4, AWD/4WD, some ground clearance andd the ability to haul canoe/kayaks and gear, fishing gear, lawn and garden gear.
The truck is very convenient for this stuff but many times is overkill and rising gas prices are once again a concern.
I think the HL will do fine, but never having used a vehicle like that the truck is still my "comfort zonoe". Will try to rent a HL for a couple days before buying and see how that goes.
Thanks again

Yes, the Highlander is a V6 3.5 Sport AWD. The Sequoia is a V8 5.7 Platinum 4x4. Just an FYI the Highlander is available in 4 cylinder and Hybrid variations as well. The 2011 just came out and they are redesigned, it might be a good opportunity to steal a new 2010 still remaining on the lot.

On Tundrasolutions.com there is a classified section with a lot of members selling their trucks, might be able to steal one as well. Tundra's depreciate QUICKLY. When I used to handle repo auctions for TFS it would make my mouth drop to see how many sold in the low 20's.

[AXMACD]

I'm in the market for a Tundra too, crew cab with the smaller engine in black.

[JMSinMD]

Originally Posted by AXMACD

I'm in the market for a Tundra too, crew cab with the smaller engine in black.

There are various engine sizes that you can choose for the Tundra, you cannot choose the color of the engine though

[05Moose]

Originally Posted by AXMACD

I'm in the market for a Tundra too, crew cab with the smaller engine in black.

Originally Posted by JMSinMD

There are various engine sizes that you can choose for the Tundra, you cannot choose the color of the engine though

That's how I read it too.

[Thunderchief]

Originally Posted by 05Moose

That's how I read it too.

I'm slow. reading it 3 times, black engine? Ahhh, no smaller engine and exterior in black! heehee

BTW, yahoo had something there today with the best resale cars and I think the Tundra was right there in the top tier.