I haven't noticed the body roll too much but would be interested if a sway bar came out
I too see my hood vibrating and it is a bit distracting though I can't hear it - thank goodness
I haven't gotten over 24 mpg including highway, how are you getting 27?

 

The only way we got over 26 was with the wind in ECO mode. Around town, it is actually under 20.

 

Hood on my ford bronco did same thing. Must be the aluminum. The higher the speed or wind the more it shook.

After owning our Grand Highlander Platinum for almost a month, we have put just under 2000mi on her. Trip to Delaware within a week of ownership and the last couple weeks the western side of our state and Upstate NY to Niagara. Its been a great road tripper, it replaced my '18 Outback 2. with 104k on the clock- so shes filling those shoes nicely. I have not had any issues with the gas engine, in fact i find the 2.4T plenty peppy to move the GH and pulls great merging or passing in traffic- very snappy. Our mileage has varied from 23-27mpg depending on how much i put my foot in it. Over the last 1000mi or so, i have made a few observations and im wondering if anyone has answers/insight:

• she needs a rear swaybar, big girl has some body roll; has there been any word from any manufacturers on these?
• hood flutter, i know its aluminum and im fine with it- its the way of the future for manufacturers to cut weight and alittle cost. has anyone come across hood struts? i mean for close to 60k a prop rod?
• wind noise hasnt been apparent until yesterday, it was gusty out and it sounded like the upper portion of the door was being pulled away from the roof, the whistling noise took me back to my old jeep days when i ran soft upper doors and the wind would pull those away from the soft top and create a whistle
• front tow point? any ideas? we didnt get the front tag bracket installed, so id like to install an offset mount; is this even possible?
• lighting; reverse lights leave alot to be desired, the fogs could be alittle better too...

Overall, after 1800mi on the clock- shes been great, the 2.4T can be alittle noisy at start up but quiets down quickly. ill be doing an oil change at 5k, with a turbo the 10k oil change intervals doesnt sit well with me. i know i know, "if the engineers didnt think 10k was safe they wouldnt spec that interval"...

it has a Multi-link rear suspension with stabilizer bar. So sway bar is there all ready.

 

Hood on my ford bronco did same thing. Must be the aluminum. The higher the speed or wind the more it shook.

it has a Multi-link rear suspension with stabilizer bar. So sway bar is there all ready.

correct, but a larger diameter swaybar in the rear would help with body roll

 

correct, but a larger diameter swaybar in the rear would help with body roll

Gotcha. Just didn't want people thinking there wasn't one at all, as some vehicles in this segment do not.

 

The hood flutter is there. It's kind of a known item...for those that notice. I bet it won't be fixed or repaired or resolved.

 

All manufacturers using aluminum hoods are going to need to figure out a proper way of bracing them to prevent the fluttering.

 

I’m loving my car but having a serious issue with how FIRM and uncomfortable the drivers seat it. I drive a lot around town each day and it’s by far the hardest seat I’ve ever sat in. My back started bothering me after the first week.

 

Sorry you've run into this. I had back surgery and am sympathetic to your issue. Sucks not getting to take extended drives before buying vehicles.

 

I’m loving my car but having a serious issue with how FIRM and uncomfortable the drivers seat it. I drive a lot around town each day and it’s by far the hardest seat I’ve ever sat in. My back started bothering me after the first week.

So subjective as what's too firm for one is too soft to the other. It's why there are so many kinds of mattresses,too. Hard for manufacturers to appease everone. But it sucks its uncomfortable for you.

This does make having to buy vehicles that you've never gotten to drive a potential problem. I've started trying to rent a similar vehicle before I buy it, if possible, since few dealers have enough inventory to let you take extended test drives in them.

 

Oh yes totally true but it is SO FIRM I can’t even describe it. I was sort of shocked at how firm it was! Love the car though and hoping I just get used to it.

 

Oh yes totally true but it is SO FIRM I can’t even describe it. I was sort of shocked at how firm it was! Love the car though and hoping I just get used to it.

Very disappointing to hear that. I hope they soften with time. 😞

 

I know this might be petty- but I find Toyota's decision to leave out some features from the platinum trim of the Grand Highlander confusing- considering that you get those features in lower-priced SUVs in their lineup.

*Adaptive headlights- which are available in the top trims of other Toyota vehicles- including the Camry and Highlander. I think that you can get them in a $32,000 Corolla Cross SUV too... but they aren't listed as a feature for the $55,000+ Grand Highlander Platinum. Is that a misprint or did Toyota really omit them?

*You have to pay extra for the illuminated sill plates, which come standard on the regular Highlander Platinum trim.

*No standard sunroof on the XLE or Limited trims. No standard sunroof offered at all- only a panoramic one that's a $1350 option on the XLE and Limited trims.

*No fog lights on the XLE. You get fog lights on both the Rav4 and regular Highlander when you opt for the XLE trim- but Toyota omits them from the Grand Highlander XLE.

Plus- it seems like Toyota doubled-down on the use of Chrometec wheels. It seems like quite a few higher trim levels have large 20" wheels that seem to have the Chrometec (or Chrometec-like) covers glued on to them.

 

I know this might be petty- but I find Toyota's decision to leave out some features from the platinum trim of the Grand Highlander confusing- considering that you get those features in lower-priced SUVs in their lineup.

*Adaptive headlights- which are available in the top trims of other Toyota vehicles- including the Camry and Highlander. I think that you can get them in a $32,000 Corolla Cross SUV too... but they aren't listed as a feature for the $55,000+ Grand Highlander Platinum. Is that a misprint or did Toyota really omit them?

*You have to pay extra for the illuminated sill plates, which come standard on the regular Highlander Platinum trim.

*No standard sunroof on the XLE or Limited trims. No standard sunroof offered at all- only a panoramic one that's a $1350 option on the XLE and Limited trims.

*No fog lights on the XLE. You get fog lights on both the Rav4 and regular Highlander when you opt for the XLE trim- but Toyota omits them from the Grand Highlander XLE.

Plus- it seems like Toyota doubled-down on the use of Chrometec wheels. It seems like quite a few higher trim levels have large 20" wheels that seem to have the Chrometec (or Chrometec-like) covers glued on to them.

adaptive headlights, yes. my '18 outback limited which cost $20k less new had adaptive steering responsive headlights- even at the platinum level, these cant be standard? id take that over a heated steering wheel

 

It is my conjecture that the underlying issue pertains to a scarcity of components for the adaptive headlight system. This situation seems to have fortuitously contributed to cost savings, especially as a significant number of Grand Highlanders are being sold prior to their arrival at dealership lots.

Turning attention to the matter of the rigid seating arrangements, my perspective suggests that this design choice may stem from a desire to mitigate early signs of wear and wrinkling on the seats of brand-new vehicles. This could entail the integration of denser foam material to maintain a pristine appearance over a more extended period.

Moreover, the automaker appears to have recognized the inherent challenge of universally satisfying all consumers' preferences, a predicament we previously encountered in the analogy of the mattress comparison. This inherent dilemma acknowledges that tailoring seat comfort to every individual's liking is a Herculean task. The proposition to allow for individual customization by employing additional cushions as needed may be their pragmatic solution to this conundrum.

 

You guys are complaining about adaptive headlights and such and I can’t even get a second key fob. l’ll generously assume it’s supply chain related but that excuse is getting old now.
I’ll add one more thing I’m surprised this car doesn’t have, at least in the Limited trim is electric steering wheel adjuster.
Much lesser cars have them. Not a big deal but I was a little surprised it was missing.

 

Yeah- it seems like it's mainly the new style key fob that Toyota is still having trouble with. Most new Toyotas come with two fobs now- but the ones that use the newest style fob- the Grand Highlander, Prius, and Crown, for example, are still only being shipped with one fob... at least based on the little warning labels that are on all of them at my local dealership. Camrys, regular Highlanders, and Rav4s all seem to be coming with two fobs now- but they use the older style fobs.

 

Just to add my perspective... 1. I don't need adaptive headlights. 2. I definitely do want a heated steering wheel. 3. I am surprised not to have power steering wheel adjustment. 4. I haven't driven over a long distance in a GH, but the three times I've done test drives, the seats have seemed plenty comfortable over those shorter distances.

 

Just to add my perspective... 1. I don't need adaptive headlights. 2. I definitely do want a heated steering wheel. 3. I am surprised not to have power steering wheel adjustment. 4. I haven't driven over a long distance in a GH, but the three times I've done test drives, the seats have seemed plenty comfortable over those shorter distances.

Yeah- no one needs a lot of the features that come on modern vehicles- but they are nice to have given the price that some people are paying for these vehicles. A $50,000+ Highlander should have some luxury features... as should $55,000+ Grand Highlanders.

Adaptive headlights aren't really needed if someone mainly drives in the city or during the day. As someone who drives at night in the country on a fairly regular basis- they come in handy- especially given that the fact that in fall- deer seem to be everywhere and even a split second can be the difference between stopping in time vs an expensive accident because a deer suddenly runs out as you are rounding a curve.

The heated steering wheel that Toyota uses is certainly a nice feature to have- but the fact that Toyota doesn't heat the entire wheel is a bummer. Only 2-4 and 8-10 o'clock are heated. The top and bottom of the wheel are not. My last Accord had a heated steering wheel- and Honda heats the entire wheel... which is nice. Granted, Toyota doesn't charge nearly as much as Honda does for the heated steering wheel option. Honda charged me $450 to install it in my 2021 Accord... in most Toyotas, it's less than $200 to add it a-la-carte or it's part of a pretty affordable cold weather package... or they include it as standard on higher trims.

 

Yeah- no one needs a lot of the features that come on modern vehicles- but they are nice to have given the price that some people are paying for these vehicles. A $50,000+ Highlander should have some luxury features... as should $55,000+ Grand Highlanders.

Adaptive headlights aren't really needed if someone mainly drives in the city or during the day. As someone who drives at night in the country on a fairly regular basis- they come in handy- especially given that the fact that in fall- deer seem to be everywhere and even a split second can be the difference between stopping in time vs an expensive accident because a deer suddenly runs out as you are rounding a curve.

The heated steering wheel that Toyota uses is certainly a nice feature to have- but the fact that Toyota doesn't heat the entire wheel is a bummer. Only 2-4 and 8-10 o'clock are heated. The top and bottom of the wheel are not. My last Accord had a heated steering wheel- and Honda heats the entire wheel... which is nice. Granted, Toyota doesn't charge nearly as much as Honda does for the heated steering wheel option. Honda charged me $450 to install it in my 2021 Accord... in most Toyotas, it's less than $200 to add it a-la-carte or it's part of a pretty affordable cold weather package... or they include it as standard on higher trims.

I haven't tried it yet, but multiple online reviews have pointed out that the Grand Highlanders have the entire steering wheel heated, unlike the regular Highlanders that only heats as you described above.

 

That would be nice- maybe Toyota finally started listening to everyone.

 

i was told 3mon for the 2nd fob, speaking of whys the damn thing so big? lol

to expand off the seat comfort topic, ive driven mine 6+hrs and 3+ hrs now and can say the seating while seeming rigid and uncomfortable definitely better than my outback, at the 2.5hr mark i would start shifting around trying to alleviate pressure on my back. honestly i dont shift nearly as much in my seat in the GH, and while i WISH it had adjustable thigh support like the Ascent i test drove did- at 6'6" i find whats there decent and if the day comes i want thigh support, i will buy a seat cover with such.

 

I was told by our dealer to not expect the second fob until after the first of the year, maybe longer. So, I figure by spring we will be getting the 2nd one.

It’s kind of annoying because the app is flaky at best.
I would never take the car anywhere without the one fob we do have.
I sat in the car 20 minutes the other day with the app and couldn’t get it to start. I was able to open the doors but couldn’t get it to start and this was in my own garage.
But the previous time i tried it after some fiddling I did get it to start with the app.
But overall the app is too unreliable to be useful.

 

I got my GH end of July sale guy said 2 months for the 2nd key fob. It turns out there people still waiting for the 2nd key for almost 8months. As far the app I was having trouble connecting what fixed the problem was deleting the app an reinstalling it and I set the connection range to max been working great

 

Ok so I tried to start the car after changing sensitivity to “High”. No luck.
So I deleted the app and now I can’t do anything. 🙄
I don’t want to reset everything because it’s got all my wife’s settings.
This is extraordinarily frustrating.

 

Coastal GHigh, do you mean that owners of other Toyota vehicles that also use the same newer style key fob have been waiting for almost 8 months?

 

Yes! They told me they will email me once the key is made. I’m probably gonna see it sometime next year

 

• lighting; reverse lights leave alot to be desired, the fogs could be alittle better too...

As I continue to casually watch the allocations worksheets, I came up behind a GH for the first time and had a colossal disappointment - the turn signals are red. Our 2011 Sienna has amber turn signals, so clearly Toyota understands the safety advantage. Did the aesthetics designers win over the safety-minded engineers?

Your Turn Signals Are Putting You in Danger

With a simple change, we could reduce the number of rear-end collisions, turning incidents, and parking lot bumps.

www.roadandtrack.com

Here's Why The U.S. Doesn't Require Amber Turn Signals

And of course, part of it revolves around money. And of course, part of it revolves around money.

www.thedrive.com

 

I did get a little further recently with this issue. Sorry that I don't recall exactly how I kind of got it work...with all the buttons I pushed. What I mean with kind of is, that I did get this setup, but only the lock and unlock options show up on the app and not the Start. Try this. If you were given an invite for digital key access from your wife's phone to yours, and she is the primary driver, you can try to make sure you are connected via Bluetooth in the vehicle when you accept the invitation. You may also need to have your user selected and logged into on the screen and not hers. Different phones can do different things and there could also be confusion with what the phone will ask you to turn on or change. Your mileage may vary. Good luck. My next attempt will likely be to contact Toyota support. I still think a major software update needs to happen on the GH.

 

Yeah after a couple hours of messing around with it I was finally able to get back to where I was before I deleted the app.
I do get the start option on my app (along with lock and unlock) however only the lock & unlock actually work, alert slowly.
When I just tried to start it a few minutes ago I got a different error message. And god knows I've gotten more various error messages in this process than I ever thought possible.

 

FWIW just finished a 6 hour roadtrip in my Limited Hybrid and averaged about 28.2 MPG running at 77MPH going thru some moderately hilly terrain. Interstate travel. Once again, around town on some state highways at 45-55 mph speed limits and 20 Mph neighborhoods I’m getting 39+mpg over multiple tanks of gas so far. So pretty consistent.

 

Re: using Digital Key to start vehicle.
After reading the owner's manual and re-reading the 'error message' while trying to use the digital key, I discovered a few Very Important requirements!

The Digital Key only works as a remote start function! In other words, the vehicle must NOT be occupied, all doors must be closed, windows closed and doors locked. Then you can use the digital key to start the vehicle.

 

Re: using Digital Key to start vehicle.
After reading the owner's manual and re-reading the 'error message' while trying to use the digital key, I discovered a few Very Important requirements!

The Digital Key only works as a remote start function! In other words, the vehicle must NOT be occupied, all doors must be closed, windows closed and doors locked. Then you can use the digital key to start the vehicle.

That's not how I read the Digital Key section of the owner's manual. How it's written there, the digital key can be used to operate the vehicle similar to the electronic (normal) key.

 

I ordered amsoil 0-w20 signature series


I’m at 1500 miles just flushed out the old oil today with Amsoil signature series 0-w20 (5.3 quarts with filter) an uses Toyota oil filter (90915-YZZN1) I didn’t bother resetting the maintenance. I’m very impressed with amsoil little pricy but hey.

edit: for anyone here that’s going to use amsoil remember when ordering the jugs it’s only 1gal = 4 quarts they don’t have the 1.25gal jugs. You will need 1 jugs an 2 quarts