[98CamryLE]

I recently purchased a Highlander 2022 XLE AWD and overall I'm very pleased with it. There's one thing that I'm not thrilled with- the part of the center console that sits where my knee rests is hard plastic on my XLE.

Before buying my Highlander, I had two Accords... a 2019 Sport 2.0t and a 2021 Touring. I had the same issue with the 2019 Sport... the place where my knee rested against the side of the center console was hard plastic. Quite a few people on the Accord forum that I frequent noticed that on higher-trim Accords, that piece was cushy leather (or more likely, fake leather- but still cushy). Quite a few people ended up buying the two trim pieces from Honda and just swapping them out- and now they had a nice cushy trim piece where their right knee rests against the center console.

So my question:
For those of you with Limiteds and Platinums, is that trim piece soft leather (or fake leather)- or hard plastic? I looked it up and Toyota does sell that piece- and it appears as though they offer a few different options beyond color choice for that trim piece- some with faux wood and some without. It seems like one is about $85 and one is $129 with the slight discounts that the you can get online.

If I go with the one that doesn't include the faux wood- will it still be soft material?

I really wasn't interested in spending the extra $4000-5000 for a Limited... and didn't want or need most of the features that come on the Limited over the XLE... but I'd love it if my knee didn't hit a hard piece of plastic each time that I drove.

 

[Fixodent66]

I too was wondering about this as weather is getting warmer and I will be in shorts soon and would to change these out to the padded version found on the limited and platinum models. Looking at the parts digram with inputting limited as trim it doesn't make sense to me when I click on the part # 55403 the part that shows does not match diagram?

 

[toto]

That's OK. The description is correct. The diagram is shows is just a reference to the exploded diagram similar to the one above.

Here are all the color choices and part numbers for reference # 55403G (drivers side?) and 55402E (passenger side?).

 

[Fixodent66]

That's OK. The description is correct. The diagram is shows is just a reference to the exploded diagram similar to the one above.

Here are all the color choices and part numbers for reference # 55403G (drivers side?) and 55402E (passenger side?).

View attachment 386322

Thanks, that makes sense, may have to order these as I don’t think my knees will not survive the summer with shorts on😂😂

 

[toto]

So my question:
For those of you with Limiteds and Platinums, is that trim piece soft leather (or fake leather)- or hard plastic? I looked it up and Toyota does sell that piece- and it appears as though they offer a few different options beyond color choice for that trim piece- some with faux wood and some without. It seems like one is about $85 and one is $129 with the slight discounts that the you can get online.

It's the fake leather. It's not well padded at all, so it's almost as hard as the plastic but it's a little softer to the touch.

 

[pimpin-tl]

It's padded enough to not hurt or bother your knee. I don't mind it at all as it does work in my Platinum.

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[Doug88]

I've got a platinum and while it might be softer than the XLE my knee still hurts after a long day of driving.

 

[pimpin-tl]

I've got a platinum and while it might be softer than the XLE my knee still hurts after a long day of driving.

I just drove 3-4 hours one way Tuesday and back Wednesday another 3-5 hours and didn't bother me at all. Hmm

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[JB in AZ]

Everyone is different, body size and how they sit, and/or drive the car. On road trips, don't you all use cruise control? Try repositioning the seat. It is not a problem for me.

 

[dveeg]

We have a Platinum and never really noticed it on drives, long or short. So I guess no issues here….

 

[Djbobby]

platinum owner here, drove the models with little or no padding, and walked away do to that “very” reason. Then I got a call back from the dealership advising they now have a platinum that as described above has a thin layer of padding (thin!) After a test drive and a peek at all of the other bells and whistle’s I bought it. Well after my first long trip my right knee was getting as sore as hell and right leg became exhausted from trying to alleviate the pressure from the console against my right knee. Don’t be fooled, the padding is very thin AND it basically non existent at the very very top. My work around, which is far from perfect, was a product that was designed for this very purpose. The picture is not from my install, but you get the idea. For me, This product still is a tad tight against the area a few inches below the actual side of my knee but is the lesser of two evils.
side si

 

[JB in AZ]

Two words: Cruise control.

Especially on the highway/longish trips

 

[Djbobby]

Two words: Cruise control.

Especially on the highway/longish trips

well Maybe for you, but I still need a place to rest my leg against.

 

[2VZ-FE]

The stitching is more annoying than the relatively lack of padding.

 

[JB in AZ]

It is a good thing that there are numerous choices when shopping for a new car.

 

[Djbobby]

It's padded enough to not hurt or bother your knee. I don't mind it at all as it does work in my Platinum.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

My issue is that there is no padding to speak of at the very top, the existing padding zeros out right before the chrome strip. Pretty much the same strip in the lesser equipped models. Like someone said it depends on the size of your body. I'm 6'1 and also drive a Sequoia with the shifter on the steering column so I am used to nothing being at my right knee.