If you're looking for long term, don't look any further than Toyota/Honda. Although we have a Highlander and have no issues with it whatsoever (2009/35k miles) the middle seat in the 2nd row is a pet peeve of mine, essentially making it a 4 seater. If that is enough for you than I'd say go ahead.

 

Pilot is roomier you actually have trunk room with the 3rd row up but the upcoming highlander is bigger.

 

Of those you listed, the Highlander is a perfect fit.

While the Honda is a bit larger, we liked the comfort of the Highlander better and the fact the second row seats convert to captians chairs. In fact that was an option that trumped just about everything else on the market.

To us the Explorer just seemed a little cheap on the inside and to me it felt like it was twice it's actual size, but not in a good way. I don't know if it's the high belt line or just overall design, but it just didn't seem right.

We didn't look a the Sorento or the Santa Fe, but my only thing with Hyundai and Kia is their long term reliability. They look great, have good features for the money, but when you take a hard look at the materials used and the way things are put together they reveal a cheap side that makes me pause. My in-laws have a fully loaded Equus, and on the surface it looks like a top-shelf luxury sedan, but as you start to focus on the details, you begin to see where they cut corners to keep costs down.

 

The main issue I had with the Pilot is that it has a timing belt which will require periodic replacement. I know it has 100K intervals but the Highlander has a chain with no maintenance required. That's $500-600 saved and no one mucking about in your engine.

 

I'm for the Highlander, and if nothing has recently changed, the Highlander is going to give you the best gas mileage. My '12 AWD Limited V6 gives me roughly 21-22 with my suburban style city driving, and I do between 25 & 28 on the highway.

 

it baffles me as to why Honda continues to put timing belts in engines in their new cars. timing belt replacement can run close to $1,000 with labor. this must cost them many thousands of sales per year.

 

+ 1....It cost them a vehicle with me. I've always done my own timing belt replacements, so that's why I'm a bit off on the estimate (Im sure).

 

How often do you plan on using the 3rd row and for what kind of occupants (kids or adults)?

 

Thanks for all the input especially the Highlander redesign for 2014 heads up. Took the Pilot for a drive tonight and gotta say despite timing belt versus timing chain, the 2013 Pilot is roomier than the 2013 Highlander. The second 60/40 bench in the Pilot is much better than the Highlanders captains with interchangeable seat/console. The back seat in the pilot also holds three. The second row is for our two early teens and the third row would be used one per week or more for their friends. I was disappointed in my Honda van and its trans failure only to learn that the trans is a weak link in the design of the van. Still like my T-100 pickup tho, third Toyota pickup!

 

Get the 2013 Highlander. Because it's the last series, all of the bugs will be ironed out. Problem free :thumbsup:

 

Have you checked to see if the Odyssey and Pilot use the same transaxle? I know Toyota shares a lot of the same transaxles between various models with the save 3.5L V6, Honda may do the same....

 

Yep, Pilot and Ody share basic tranny design, although Honda pretty much addressed premature failure chronic to 03 and 04. Still not as bullet proof as the HL, as they cross 100k.

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stay away from highlander thi is why

My wife and I purchase a 2008 highlander sport new. We have had numerous problems in the last year and they have been major repairs. I would like to warn you all as well first is the seals in the trans-axle on passenger side front it started leaking six months ago so I went to toyota for an estimate. They wanted $1800.00 labour (14 hrs) and parts were $45.00 I said top it up and don't touch it I went to my friends mechanic who is a honda certified mechanic that opened up his own shop he looked at the job and said he will do it for 200.00. So I was thinking do it of course this was 3 months ago. Then on sunday last weekend my wife pulls up on driveway I was outside And I yell at her to turn car off. A big trail of oil behind her car so I look underneath and I kid you not oil is pouring out from the crank case housing luckily there was 2 litres of oil still in engine. So I asked Toyota a price for job their price was 1800.00 again 14 hrs labor. Needless to say I went back to the other mechanic and he will do the job for $500.00. I just have to wait two weeks to get it done. I also recommend you change the oil lines from filter to engine as it is a design change and the rubber ones blow out without warning. The dealerships are robbing us blind and the complain about work load than why don't they charge what a job is really worth instead of trying to get rich on us. We have 110000 miles and this is our first Toyota we live in the country side so most of all the miles are highway I have never had this much trouble with domestic vehicles. After this repair we are selling and never buying another Toyota as long as we live. So in short keep your eyes open for these repairs or it can cost you your engine or trans-axle.

 

It's fair to say that those issues mentioned above aren't common among highlander/klugers.

It really bugs me when people negatively blanket an entire model because of specific problems with their vehicle. It may come down to that specific car or the way in which it has been maintained.

In any case I 100% recommend the highlander/kluger. I've had three and all have been great.


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I am waiting to check out the 2014 Highlander 'in-the-flesh.'

Test drove a 13' and found it to seem very 'cheap' but with a premium price. The 14 will use more updated materials and styling for a more luxury minded interior.

I have never been able to get by the big, crudely sculpted/generic slab side styling of the current model - looks horrid and unrefined to me....

Since I am a designer, I am very discriminating about these things.... it's got to keep my interest from an external and internal visual standpoint.

I tested the 13 to see how the general ride and comfort was. Ride was 'ok'...... lot of road noise.

Too many downsides - so hoping the 14 impresses - otherwise I might keep what I have or look at a Pathfinder.

 

I tested the 13 to see how the general ride and comfort was. Ride was 'ok'...... lot of road noise.

Really? I find the '13 HL extremely quiet, and I've been driving a Lexus LS 430 for the past eight years. We are pleasantly impressed with interior quietness of our HL and we think it rides great. I guess it all depends on what your current ride is.

 

I maintain all my vehicles and this is my wifes car and I beg to differ you should look out for the things I suggested if you plan on keeping your highlander on the road or it will cost you a lot of money and I am not bashing just stating the facts. It is all highway miles which is easier on cars. GOOOOOOD LLLLLUUCk.

 

...
I am not bashing just stating the facts
...

I think we can draw out our own conclusions at this point based on the 5 posts that you've made thus far. And no, I didn't drink the Toytoa Kool-Aid, I just like keeping things in perspective. Since I am fallible, I'm open to which automobile manufacturer has made a product that never had any problems in any of their product line. The answer to that might even convince me to trade my Highlander that has been very good to me. Also, don't even consider Mercedes or BMW since we've been warned in another post about how much you were quoted to repair your Highlander.

 

^ 1 car =/= the whole consensus. We have had plenty with more miles than yours with no issues.

 

^

+1 What he and Dewey said.

 

I have been disappointed with our 2011 so far. First we had the power lift gate hinges fail due to a design defect. This was repaired under TSB. Dealer initially accused us of closing on object which caused damage

Next had leaking oil cooler line, fixed under TSB. But the beauty there is that Toyota made me pay for repair out of pocket. Week 8 has passed and still waiting to be reimbursed

Now I have the dreaded transmission whine and dealer is doing nothing for me

This has been my experience for only 43k miles. Dealers have been generally unhelpful as their instructions from corporate must be to deny all warranty claims.

Of course I'm under original 5/60 power train and also have platinum 7/100 warranty

Transmission constantly whines, I'm usually the guy bashing domestics so my buddies just laugh when they hear about the problems I've had with my "junk jap truck"

Thinking about picking up a 2013/2014 Subaru Outback.

I had planned on owning this vehicle for 100k but I'm not so sure now. It's been babied too with double normal frequency of all fluids etc

Honda Pilot doesn't appeal to me, may still have trans issues etc

So far our Toyota hasn't been any more reliable than a domestic

 

You keep talking about the "dreaded" transmission whine...mine has been doing it since day 1. Hasn't gotten worse/better. At over 100k miles now, transmission still acts the same, even after using it a good deal to tow. It shifts smooth and no unusual actions...so I don't know how "dreaded" it is. Especially considering how little that has come up on this forum being directly related to failures....(ignoring rav4's as I don't know enough about then to comment)

 

I haven't heard anything definitive one way or another as to whether the whine causes any performance problems. Of course dealer says it won't but that doesn't mean it will be trouble free

I guess I think that my $36k Limited model Toyota SUV shouldn't suffer from a whiny transmission.

That doesn't seem acceptable to me from the supposed leader of quality and durability

It is 2013 (granted my truck is a 2011) and Toyota ought to be able to build a reasonably quiet transmission. Most other manufacturers can, and Toyota is waaaaay behind the times by using a 5 speed. One of the reasons I bought the Highlander was because it was mid cycle and used a supposedly tried and true (but admittedly dated) 5sp when many others have 6sp and better fuel economy.

It's just really annoying to me because I shouldn't have to "put up with it", lots of other companies are making high quality cars nowadays. I'd be thrilled if Toyota had a fix...

I do like the truck but am surprised Toyota is having power train issues with a 5 sp transmission that is quite old

 

Wow, so many strong opinions! This is my first post, so hopefully, I won't make too big a mess. I just purchased a 2010 FWD base model, coming out if a Honda CR-V and I could not be happier with my Highlander. As an engineer and quality guy, a couple of observations
1. All cars are built to a specification list that they meet when they are delivered.
2. In the case of Toyota, all parts are not necessarily provided by the low bidder.
3. Parts of high value are kept in house to maintain quality standards.
4. Cost is of utmost consideration, the market place is a war zone and failure to compete will result in failure.
5. Every manufacturer builds most of their product very close to the center of the Gaussian distribution point for the majority of the measured values during manufacturing as first pass yields are critical ( see note on costs).
6. Once the vehicle is sold, it's duty cycle is unique and it's life expectancy is driven in large part by that and by the quality of its care and upkeep.
7. Some vehicles have parts that are not in the center of the spec limit, but are still in the acceptable range. This can lead to undesirable circumstances to the owner, but the manufacturer accepts this risk as a cost of doing business vis-a-vis repeat customers, owner complaints, etc.
8. Every product that is affordable is a compromise, there are no exceptions.
$40K is a ton of money and paying that for something that does not meet expectations is, at the very least, justification for waxing negative about it. Americans drive more than anyone else, so if you want to find out if your sh~## any good, sell it here and see how it holds up. In the case of the Highlander, the write ups in consumer reports are some of the most positive I've seen, but there will be some that fail to meet expectations.

 

The whine issue in the RAV4 existed for 2-3 years (I believe) before Toyota issued a TSB on it. The fix was a completely remanufactured transmission. Those that received them were happy as they shifted just like new and were silent. Most of the noise complaints happened by 50K miles. In my opinion, the key to getting a new transmission is to be educated about the issue and have examples of others who have the same issue (this board) and examples of positive outcomes (this board). If the dealer says 'Its within spec', you need to ask 'Exactly what is the Toyota spec for this problem?'. You have to press them for specifics as much as possible. Also, if you have access to more than one dealer, make the drive for a second opinion. A lot of good outcomes have come from a second opinion.

 

And the hits just keep on coming for Toyota. Another big recall announced today, but for the Highlander Hybrid and several Lexus models.

I sincerely hope Toyota will get back to its former glory very soon.

Toyota announced two recalls Wednesday to fix problems with some of its Highlander Hybrid SUVs and Lexus IS 350 models.

The recalls cover a total of 369,000 Toyota (TM) vehicles worldwide, including about 235,000 in the U.S. Some 74,000 will be recalled in Japan and 37,500 in Europe.

​

A spokesperson for the Japanese automaker said no accidents or injuries had been reported as a consequence of the faults.
The larger recall includes Highlander Hybrid models produced between 2006 and 2010 and Lexus RX 400h vehicles manufactured from 2006 to 2008.
In those SUVs, transistors in the hybrid system can overheat, triggering a warning that in some cases can result in the vehicle unexpectedly stopping while in operation.
The second recall includes Lexus IS 350, IS 350C and GS 350 vehicles made between 2006 and 2011. These cars can also stop while on the road, this time due to bolts in the variable valve timing control device coming loose.

 

..... Toyota announced two recalls Wednesday to fix problems with some of its Highlander Hybrid SUVs and Lexus IS 350 models.

The larger recall includes Highlander Hybrid models produced between 2006 and 2010 and Lexus RX 400h vehicles manufactured from 2006 to 2008.
In those SUVs, transistors in the hybrid system can overheat, triggering a warning that in some cases can result in the vehicle unexpectedly stopping while in operation.
The second recall includes Lexus IS 350, IS 350C and GS 350 vehicles made between 2006 and 2011. These cars can also stop while on the road, this time due to bolts in the variable valve timing control device coming loose.

When researching the hybrid HL, I ran across information about a small number of HL hybrids stopping suddenly, sometimes in the middle of high speed interstate traffic. . The repair (inverter, I think it was)was very expensive, too. Don't know if this is the same issue, since I decided that a hybrid was not the right match for us, anyway, and went with regular HL.

 

Hey Honda Haters.

Honda doesn't use timing belts on the CRV. They haven't since 2002. I'm sure they don't use them on the Pilot, either.
I love Toyotas, but I love Honda's also. My gutless 98 CRV has 249K and nary a rattle or squeek, absolutely no freeplay in the steering, everything works properly, is comfortable if a bit nerdy. That said, the gen 1 CRV's w/ low miles are selling for more than the Gen 2's. A lot of the Honda forum members like the Gen 2 and Gen 1. Not so much the later, squished ones.
So Honda uses a chain, they had some trouble with the keepers early on.
I got my sister to buy a Lexus and I'm just on here looking at how to avoid sludge, but hello again to everyone.
PJ

 

Honda doesn't use timing belts on the CRV. They haven't since 2002. I'm sure they don't use them on the Pilot, either.
PJ

Actually, they do. All Pilots of all generations have belts. Service interval is 105K miles.

 

Buy anything else than a Toyota. Our '09 Highlander Limited is a lemon/money pit. I wish somebody would steal it so I could collect the insuranse. The 1979 Chevette my wife had when I met her was more reliable.

 

All manufacturers have had lemons come off their lines, and Toyota is no different. Sorry to hear about your bad experiences.