4runner owner, Highlander Limited Platinum v Acadia Denali questions

[Jetboy]

Interesting, I didn't know this. FWIW, the RX is Lexus' most successful model.
You can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. Gotta be a reason.

It's not *exactly* the same - but close. It uses the same platform as the rav and highlander but has a slightly more powerful engine. It's a 2GR. Most of the underneath bits are interchangeable, wheel bearings, suspension parts, transmission, etc. Size wise it used to be the exact same as a highlander, but now it's a bit shorter wheel base. The interior is a little nicer. It's honestly not a huge jump from a limited highlander, and IMO the layout of the highlander is better. The RX has a bit of advantage in being very quiet on the highway, better seats - the seat slides back and steering wheel retracts to the dash when you turn it off so it's easy to get in and out, fancy steering headlights that do everything including bright/dim automatically, radar cruise control, all that kinda stuff. I don't put a ton of value in that, but it's basically loaded with everything for about the same price.

The main reason we have an RX350 is that the used market is often better for the RX. A CPO 2yr lease return goes for around $30k, which is 15k less than a limited Highlander, and usually less than a CPO used highlander. Plus the Lexus leases are short, so they're usually really low miles. And you can actually get a 5yr 120k mile CPO warranty if you ask for it. So the *deal* in my experience has been a bit better than buying a highlander. And maintenance at Lexus is not at all like BMW/Audi/Mercedes. A full service oil change with a loaner car while they work is $50. Not $200.

Even new a base model awd RX350 is $43,300. A base limited highlander awd is $42,375. A Highlander Limited Platinum awd is $45,890 starting MSRP.

The bid downside for a lot of folks is that there's no 3rd row. And the rear cargo area is smaller due to the roof shape. It also only gets about 22-25mpg. Not much better than a 4runner.

 

[blacktrail]

If you are looking for a bigger SUV and want something "balla status" that's reliable, I would suggest to get a CPO Yukon or Tahoe, seems like you like the GM products those full size trucks are pretty tuff. If you can't swing it then just go with the safe bet and get the Yota :cheers:

 

[TeamLord]

If you are looking for a bigger SUV and want something "balla status" that's reliable, I would suggest to get a CPO Yukon or Tahoe, seems like you like the GM products those full size trucks are pretty tuff. If you can't swing it then just go with the safe bet and get the Yota :cheers:

There's also the Toyota Sequoia if he wants a HUGE SUV that isn't GM. The Sequoia is pretty posh and very able. We love ours, but SHE'S HUGE.

 

[ATOYOT4R]

Good evening everyone. I, (we) are proud owners of a 2010 Limited 4runner and I (we) purchased it right when it came out. We absolutely love it and have almost 120k miles on it. It has been a fantastic car and now it is time for my wife to trade in her Ford and buy a bigger SUV.

We are looking at the Acadia Denali and Highlander Platinum, (both 2016 models). I personally like the look of the 2017's front end more, but we are ready to move on a car. So here are the biggest questions.

1.What to people with the Platinum's do for rear seat entertainment?
2. Love most about your highlander
3. Hate most about your highlander
4. Any troubles?


I can't really find any great examples of aftermarket headrests ones.

Any help with this, as well as any other buying decisions would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you all in advance.

Q

I have a 2016 Limited with about 8,000 miles on it we have had it since December. We traded a Sienna for it, the Highlander has a lot less usable space but we were done with mini vans. It does get up and go when you put you foot into it, great ride, not great gas mileage 18-20 mpg (all city driving though). I will say I regret the DVD option, I have three kids between 5 and 10, three Ipads would have been cheaper and they can't agree on what to watch anyway. I love the fit and finish and it is pretty luxurious (compared to my SR5). I haven't found anything yet that I do not like about it. They are not cheap but like any Toyota it should hold value. No trouble to date.

 

[blacktrail]

There's also the Toyota Sequoia if he wants a HUGE SUV that isn't GM. The Sequoia is pretty posh and very able. We love ours, but SHE'S HUGE.

Thue that but is outdated, really bad on gas and it lacks of the blin factor the op is looking for (subjective of course)


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[TeamLord]

Thue that but is outdated, really bad on gas and it lacks of the blin factor the op is looking for (subjective of course)


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It is outdated. Exterior has no bling factor, but interior is sweet. Our 2008 Sequoia 5.7 V8 gets better mpg than our 2003 T4R V6 with 35" tires. Hurts the wallet a bit because the 4Runner is driven more because it's COOLER. LOL

 

[renau001]

We have an '08 highlander sport which was the first year of the 3rd gens for the Highlander. The early models had a couple common issues that were worked out pretty quickly. Oil line recall, the steering intermediate shaft clunk, and what's affectionately known as he vvti "death" rattle on startup. The only one significant was recalled, the last 2 are just noises basically and they were worked out in a couple years. Early water pump failures have also been reported. Other than those early model year issues the reliability seems to have been rock solid.

Our '08 has the steering shaft clunk, and had the vvti startup rattle until I swapped from conventional 5w20 oil to synthetic PP 5w30 (no idea if it was related or it just happened to go away). My water pump also went out at 45k. Even with those early model issues, we've really grown to love the highlander. It runs great, really easy to drive, roomy, great for trips, etc. It's also our vehicle with plent of scratches and a couple dents so we use it, if you know what I mean, without worrying about it. We'll keep it to the wheels fall of probably. Maintenance is also pretty easy on it, except for the drive belt and spark plugs due to the engine being trans-mounted.

So that said, I would love one of the newer models assuming they haven't made an engine or transmission change yet. Ours is 2GR-FE and the 5-speed transmission which I was thinking they've kept pretty much unchanged.

The only thing I might hesitate on now is that ours was made in Japan, and I believe they're now manufactured in the US.

 

[jbrockiii]

My 2 cents. I've been looking at vehicles for months and found a great lease on a 2016 GMC Sierra 4*4 Denali. I was physiqued because I thought it would be super luxurious. After going to the dealership and looking it over and driving, I concluded that the fit and finish was crap. Things inside wiggled around, the center console bin had plastic shards that hadn't been sanded/removed. I could not believe that the MSRP was north of $60K. Wasn't impressed with the drive either. Toyota is definitely a superior product hands down.

 

[1999LTD]

My dad has a 15 limited platinum, I had a 15 XLE. I can promise you that you won't regret the platinum decision. These things are hotter than hot right now and will continue to be. One of the only vehicles Toyota barely EVER offers 0% on (along with the runner, taco, and tundra) because they sell and are popular. Don't do an aftermarket DVD. You're better off getting a couple iPads and a sleeve that mounts to the headrest. It's more practical. Buying a car with a DVD system is like buying a house phone in today's world.

 

[BadgerDad]

4runner vs Acadia is apples to oranges. Do you want a car or a truck?

I owned an Acadia for the past 8 years, great room inside and love that there was space to pack things behind the third row. At the end of the however it was just a tall car.

We put a lot of miles on it and the overall gas mileage was 16-18 city/highway diving. We did the routine maintenance but the little stuff started to creep up on it. We had one of the worst years for the vehicle, reliability wise but nothing major happened to us. After reading about the transmission issues, engine.....we started looking for a new vehicle before we needed to replace the transmission/engine.

Oh replacing the headlights, the engineer that designed the car er truck needs to be shot. You can do it one of two ways pull the front end off the vehicle or remove the inner fender lining, maneuver your arm and feel for the light bracket....well there is a third way pay someone to replace it. I hated replacing the headlight!

Started looking at what we wanted and decided to go with the 4Runner, it really is truck. You sit tall in drivers seat, it rides rough (not car like) but it is fun to drive. Diving on rough roads and having the clearance is great. Drove through Yellow Stone with the Acadia and bottomed out a couple of times, never took it off road after that.

One thing we really like about the 4runner is that the back window rolls down. I joked with my wife that I have one of the most expensive dogs because the 4runner is one of the only vehicles now that has a roll down back window. It was part of the criteria for a new vehicle .

If you plan on just doing city driving then go with highlander/acadia but if you want to use the vehicle for camping, going off road, go with the 4runner.

If you are leaning towards the Acadia I would also do more research about the engine and transmission and think about getting an extended warranty. If you plan on having it for any length of time you will most likely need it.

 

[Gecko]

We have an '08 highlander sport which was the first year of the 3rd gens for the Highlander.

Not to be too picky, but I think you mean 2nd gen. First year for the 3rd gen Highlander was 2014. Glad you guys are having a good ownership experience

 

[wcjeep]

We test drove a 2015 Highlander Platinum. Wife and I thought the front seats lacked lower back support. I'd wait a few weeks for the new 2017 to start arriving on dealer lots.

I use a travel router with a hard drive connected for my daughter to stream from her Kindle. Sandisk also sells USB wifi memory sticks. I would not consider buying a factory DVD system. Do make sure whatever tablet they watch is minimum 720p resolution.

Amazon Prime does allow some movies to be cached locally on the device for offline play.

For many reasons I no longer consider any GM vehicles.

 

[renau001]

Not to be too picky, but I think you mean 2nd gen. First year for the 3rd gen Highlander was 2014. Glad you guys are having a good ownership experience

Hah, yeah that's exactly what I meant. And sorry OP, I know you weren't asking about a 2nd gen, but I thought it might be helpful to have a longer term opinion. And I was thinking the 2014-16 still had essentially the same 2gr-Fe engine. Although, I believe it does have a 6-speed whereas at least the early 2nd gens were 5-speeds. Anyways...

 

[Qtip]

I bought this with some flash memory and allows my kids to access movies on their iPad's. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00INMB23Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Works great, I converted a bunch of movies from DVD's and BluRay so they can watch different movies at the same time. No need for DVD players in the headrest anymore.

 

[ux460]

Thinking out of the box but have you looked at the new Honda Ridgeline. They'll be out the end of the month. Seriously considering an RTL-E.

 

[TRDproMGM]

Another consideration should be the 3rd gen Pilot. We looked at both the highlander and pilot for the wife and ended up going with an EX-L AWD pilot. Overall reasons for the pilot were gas mileage (always 21+mpg combined driving), adults fit in the 3rd row and there is much more usable space behind 3rd row when it is up. I spend a lot of time driving the pilot when we travel as a family and could not be happier with it! We negotiated a deal comparable to pricing for an XLE AWD highlander with a little bit of work contacting numerous dealers in Eastern NC.

 

[philsey]

I was at my dealers yesterday (getting the absurd estimate for two hatch struts (OMG)).

So there's a 4WD, Hybrid, totally-loaded Highlander on the showroom. MSRP (gasp) $50,890.00.

 

[karmatp]

The Acadia is garbage. My wife just got out of hers with only 65,000 miles on it. Non stop problems, oil leaks, recalls galore, I hated it. They have a silicone seal that leaks every 30,000, seriously, that even came from the mechanic and the GM at the dealership. Major design flaws with the engine.

We now have a 2016 XLE Highlander that is amazing. I am almost jealous looking at it next to my 2016 4Runner. I do love my T4R, but she has me ordering new wheels, hers are dark grey and they look amazing on her mag grey Highlander. I will never own and non Toyota/Lexus vehicle again.

 

[docboy]

The Acadia is garbage. My wife just got out of hers with only 65,000 miles on it. Non stop problems, oil leaks, recalls galore, I hated it. They have a silicone seal that leaks every 30,000, seriously, that even came from the mechanic and the GM at the dealership. Major design flaws with the engine.

We now have a 2016 XLE Highlander that is amazing. I am almost jealous looking at it next to my 2016 4Runner. I do love my T4R, but she has me ordering new wheels, hers are dark grey and they look amazing on her mag grey Highlander. I will never own and non Toyota/Lexus vehicle again.

Curious to hear how you would compare the ride of the T4R and the Highlander; is one ride more composed than the other?

How about driving it both in the city? Is one easier to drive/park?

Thanks!

 

[itsdchz]

2016 Highlander Platinum here.
Couldn't say enough good things about it.
Functionality, reliability, technology, drivability. Fun
My wife's daily driver. I secretly like driving it ...
It really is an all around awesome vehicle that will be way more reliable than Acadia.