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The Palisade, Telluride, Ascent, Pilot and CX-9 all were TSPs as well. The non-Asian brands didn't get it.But not Top Safety Pick +.
The headlights got very different ratings based on trim level. The headlights are rated Poor on L through XLE trim levels, Acceptable on Limited, and Good only for Platinum.
Crash test ratings are all Good, and the Front Crash Prevention tests are all Superior.
Overall, a great test result, but too bad the headlights are so inconsistent across trims.
A wider static beam pattern, specifically, a wider hotspot in the static beam pattern.Going around turns, they don't cover enough distance, but I don't see how you could meet the distance requirement without an adaptive system that will aim more light in the direction you're heading.
We specifically went in to buy a high end trim RAV4 or HL in December 2018, and ended up with an Avalon Limited for significantly less money, and got a lot more content.These (Headlights) and many other change should be coming sooner than later, IF Toyota is paying any attention to the competition, mainly Kia / Hyundai, which at least from aesthetics both inside and out seem to be catching the eyes and hears of a lot of folks. In my opinion, if Toyota doesn't try to catch up soon, they may get so far behind, it will take one hell of an upgrade on any one model to catch up or leap ahead.
Any company can be 1 maybe 2 steps behind and catch up, but 3, 4, 5 or more steps is very hard, and while they have a great reputation, that along won't allow them to grow or maintain the #1 spot and won't matter, if they aren't selling many.
Yes it will be interesting to see what the next year or 2 bring from all these companies, but it looks like it's Toyota that will need to start catching up, a place they aren't real familiar with.
^ I'd agree with that comment about driven by market share. 2020 Highlander is fairly competitive in its class for now, but other Toyota models lack a lot of features until they're being pushed by competition. Heck, the Tacoma didn't even have auto-locking doors until 2016. That's been common on every other Toyota product I've owned for a long time. But wait - there's a resurgence in competition now in mid-size pickups, so wow, Tacoma has finally gotten some big changes. Tacoma even got Entune 3.0, the connected services, and LED headlights for 2020 without a redesign. Current designs for the 4Runner, Tundra, Sequoia, and even Land Cruiser are pretty dated now. It's crazy that the $85K+ Land Cruiser doesn't have Entune 3.0 and connected services and a lot of the other things on a Highlander Platinum.
Pretty disappointing the Telluride and Palisade didn't do better.Kia / Hyundai didn't do any better on the test, so you can argue that Toyota is keeping up.
Telluride was rated Acceptable on headlights on SX trim, and Poor on the others.
Palisade was rated Good on headlights for Limited and for SEL with an option package, and Marginal on the other trims.
Toyota's decision to not put CP/AA had nothing to do with reliability.I completely agree. Toyota makes quality and reliable vehicles, but they're far too conservative on introducing creature comforts into their vehicle lineup. Look how long it took to get Apple Carplay and Android Auto into Lexus/Toyota vehicles. I've had this argument before with people here on TN and other Toyota enthusiast forums, and some come back with, "Well, I'd rather have a reliable vehicle with fewer features as that's just more stuff that can go wrong." I mean, I get it, but I hope that you're buying the entry level trim then... (and of course based upon their sigs, none of said posters did... It's always either a top-end or near top-end trim model).
I'm not expecting some Mercedes navigation system with augmented reality GPS navigation and real-time camera with arrow instructions on the GPS screen.... Or, a LCD dash that goes from the driver's dash all the way to the GPS. I'm not expecting like some 18" LCD screen in portrait mode like Tesla or Ford Explorer. But, I think the Android Auto/Apple CarPlay just coming to Toyota in 2020 (Maybe lexus had Carplay for a few years... I don't follow them that closely)... it's just sad.... and there's almost a certain arrogance from Toyota management that consumers will continue to buy their cars up lacking something like Android Auto that American makers with cars half or 1/3 of Lexus/Toyota's will have.
But, it's my fault as well for this conundrum as I still buy despite all of this.
Where are the Hondas? Brand is no longer interchangeable with Toyota in Consumer Reports ratings
Falling reliability means Honda is no longer interchangeable with Toyota at the top of Consumer Reports' reliability ratings
“People used to talk about Honda and Toyota in the same sentence [when recommending cars],” Fisher says. Now “Honda and Toyota are not interchangeable in terms of reliability.”
The discrepancy points out a fundamental tradeoff in manufacturing, especially with products as complex and visceral as cars: Buying the latest, greatest features may make for a more desirable product, but it often comes at the cost of reliability, because manufacturers often miss bugs in products until millions get into the hands of consumers.
Toyota is almost the opposite. The company is very slow to roll out new technology in most cases (with the notable exception of hybrid powertrains), which often gets its cars labeled boring or uninspired. But their reliability stands alone at the top of most long-term reliability studies.
The thing I hate about Hondas isn't their reliability as much, but their infotainment systems were only marginally better than most of the industry. I know Toyota gets knocked for theirs, while Honda did offer Carplay and Android Auto, the interface wasn't that great, and some of their models (like the Civic) came without even a power knob.![]()
Where are the Hondas? Brand is no longer interchangeable with Toyota in Consumer Reports ratings | Torque News
Falling reliability means Honda is no longer interchangeable with Toyota at the top of Consumer Reports' reliability ratings.www.torquenews.com