Thought I'd post a few thoughts after taking a couple long trips in the new (2 weeks) 2015 Highlander Limited Platinum:
The Good:
- Love the overall ride - power, handling, shifting, etc. Pleasantlty surprised by the almost-sporty steering response and feel. Smooth shifts with no lag. More than enough power when needed. Visibility and seating position is perfect.
- Very comfortable drivers seat. In our 2003 Mountaineer, it only took about 20 minutes before I started squirming due to back fatigue. In the Highlander, I've driven 4 hours with little to no back fatigue. Cushioning is soft but supportive.
- Dynamic cruise control/Blind spot monitor/Lane departure warning: how did I live without these? Dynamic cruise control is a godsend on long trips. No more canceling and resuming due to slower traffic. Blind spot monitor makes changing lanes at highway speed much less stressful and risky. Lane departure is a nice safeguard if/when I get a little careless or sleepy. Honestly, I will never own another vehicle without these features.
- Reclining captains chairs - my son is very happy.
- Split third row - already came in handy with 4 high school age passengers and their marching band cargo.
The Not So Good:
- Wind noise - very annoying on long trips. Constant noise in my left ear. If it was uniform it might be bearable, but it varies as if there are wind gusts when there is not. Every day seems like a windy day. I don't think it is air leaking through seals, although I hear a bit of that. It's more wind turbulence due to the design of the vehicle. I'll get used to it I guess, but it's pretty disappointing. I think it's exacerbated by how quiet the vehicle is otherwise - since there is very little road noise, all you hear is the wind. I noticed on concrete roads (which are louder) I am not as aware of the wind noise. But once you're back on asphalt and the road noise diminishes, you can't miss the wind.
- Navigation - not very intuitive. I'm still not sure how to cancel a route - I can pause it but I don't see a stop button. There should also be an easily accessible mute button for the voice that doesn't mute the music. I am sure if I spend half a day reading the manual while sitting in the parked vehicle I would get a grasp on these and other things, but that's the point - some things should be more intuitive and not require much research. I find myself still using Apple Maps on my phone.
- Nav/Audio Ergonomics - I have to lean forward and reach to use many features of the nav/audio unit. (I am 5'11") It should be angled toward the driver and a bit closer. In its current position, it seems more passenger friendly than driver friendly.
Overall I am happy with the vehicle. Since it's mostly my wife's daily ride, I'm okay with the wind noise. (She doesn't seem to care, but this a woman who couldn't hear a front wheel bearing that was close to failure). If I had to drive it everyday, not so sure. My car is a Mustang, so it's not like I'm used to luxury car levels of quiet. Yes, you can turn up the radio, but on long trips sometimes you just want some quiet, and you don't get it in this vehicle. It's ashame because otherwise it is high quality in the areas that matter - comfort, handling, power, features, safety, convenience. I would highly suggest you test drive at highway speed on asphalt for at least 10 minutes to make sure you can live with the wind turbulence noise level.
That's it for now. I'll post down the road after a few months with more observations. Hope they help any prospective Highlander buyers.
The Good:
- Love the overall ride - power, handling, shifting, etc. Pleasantlty surprised by the almost-sporty steering response and feel. Smooth shifts with no lag. More than enough power when needed. Visibility and seating position is perfect.
- Very comfortable drivers seat. In our 2003 Mountaineer, it only took about 20 minutes before I started squirming due to back fatigue. In the Highlander, I've driven 4 hours with little to no back fatigue. Cushioning is soft but supportive.
- Dynamic cruise control/Blind spot monitor/Lane departure warning: how did I live without these? Dynamic cruise control is a godsend on long trips. No more canceling and resuming due to slower traffic. Blind spot monitor makes changing lanes at highway speed much less stressful and risky. Lane departure is a nice safeguard if/when I get a little careless or sleepy. Honestly, I will never own another vehicle without these features.
- Reclining captains chairs - my son is very happy.
- Split third row - already came in handy with 4 high school age passengers and their marching band cargo.
The Not So Good:
- Wind noise - very annoying on long trips. Constant noise in my left ear. If it was uniform it might be bearable, but it varies as if there are wind gusts when there is not. Every day seems like a windy day. I don't think it is air leaking through seals, although I hear a bit of that. It's more wind turbulence due to the design of the vehicle. I'll get used to it I guess, but it's pretty disappointing. I think it's exacerbated by how quiet the vehicle is otherwise - since there is very little road noise, all you hear is the wind. I noticed on concrete roads (which are louder) I am not as aware of the wind noise. But once you're back on asphalt and the road noise diminishes, you can't miss the wind.
- Navigation - not very intuitive. I'm still not sure how to cancel a route - I can pause it but I don't see a stop button. There should also be an easily accessible mute button for the voice that doesn't mute the music. I am sure if I spend half a day reading the manual while sitting in the parked vehicle I would get a grasp on these and other things, but that's the point - some things should be more intuitive and not require much research. I find myself still using Apple Maps on my phone.
- Nav/Audio Ergonomics - I have to lean forward and reach to use many features of the nav/audio unit. (I am 5'11") It should be angled toward the driver and a bit closer. In its current position, it seems more passenger friendly than driver friendly.
Overall I am happy with the vehicle. Since it's mostly my wife's daily ride, I'm okay with the wind noise. (She doesn't seem to care, but this a woman who couldn't hear a front wheel bearing that was close to failure). If I had to drive it everyday, not so sure. My car is a Mustang, so it's not like I'm used to luxury car levels of quiet. Yes, you can turn up the radio, but on long trips sometimes you just want some quiet, and you don't get it in this vehicle. It's ashame because otherwise it is high quality in the areas that matter - comfort, handling, power, features, safety, convenience. I would highly suggest you test drive at highway speed on asphalt for at least 10 minutes to make sure you can live with the wind turbulence noise level.
That's it for now. I'll post down the road after a few months with more observations. Hope they help any prospective Highlander buyers.