Check another car off our test-drive list! We were able to drive the 2015 Toyota Highlander for a week and decided to take another road trip. Any excuse for a road trip is a-ok in my book 😉 (If you’d like to see where we went you can check out my travel series “36 hours” here!) The long drive really helps you get to know a car. I really wish dealers would offer extended test drives.
Anyways, back to this beaut of an automobile. The Highlander was at the top of our list if not number one. We’re big fans of Toyota, with our Prius now and we’ve had a couple of 4Runners in the past. The Highlander is a highly-rated family car and comes with some really convenient perks to prove it.
The drive is a little less “cushy” than the Lexus, you can definitely feel more of the road. The Highlander also felt pretty substantial – just nice and solid. And it was big! Just so. much. room. Our last two cars have been pretty compact, so it was quite the difference. We used to own a 4Runner and I swear this Highlander was just as big if not bigger than it. Are they making them bigger these days? 🙂 Anyways, the Mr loved the room, can’t say that I’d turn my back on some extra space either!
The Highlander we drove was a Limited edition, so pretty tricked out. It felt just as luxurious as the Lexus RX 350, if not more. It’s obvious that the Highlander’s focus is all about family convenience. I appreciate that, I really do. Here are some of the stand-outs:
seat warmers and coolers
The front seats had seat coolers and heaters just like the Lexus, but the Highlander had seat warmers in the second row as well!
retractable rear window sunshades
We had these in our old X5 and I’ve missed them. Perfect to keep the sun out of children’s eyes.
dynamic cruise control
Cool concept right? Slows the car down before you ram into the car in front of you 😉 Nice safety feature, but in my case? Not really that necessary.
BLind Spot Monitor
Just like the Lexus, loved these subtle but noticeable light-up alerts on the side mirrors.
third row seat
Perfect for hauling around the kids and a friend or two. Will be nice to have when the soccer days roll into town 😉
After driving this Highlander for a week, I have to say that it’s definitely staying at the top of the list! How many of you out there are Highlander drivers? What do you think? Do you love it?
We have a few more cars that we’ll be test driving. Probably not anymore extended drives, but I’ll still be sharing the experience with you guys! So stay tuned while our car hunt continues!
Brittany Deskins says
I got the new Highlander in January and love it!
Reichel Broussard says
Yay! So your's was probably pretty similar to this one 🙂
Kimberly Gregory says
I actually bought a 2008 Highlander Sport in December of 2014. I had a 2006 Nissan Murano before that. It was a good crossover/SUV at first, but as it approached 100,000 miles, EVERYTHING started to fall apart on it. I searched for monthsssss on end and found my Highlander with only 66,000 miles on it! Clean carfax, well kept, etc. It was a bit of a drive to go see it….but totally worth it! We looked at a few Acura MDX's and a couple of Lexus's as well, but I can honestly say that the Highlander was the BEST choice! I LOVEEEE mine! I'm getting married this year (December) and the (future) hubby told me that perhaps for our 1 year Anniversary, we can upgrade to the 2017 Highlander! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for sharing this…my parents are die hard Toyota lovers and they have been thinking about switching from the 4Runner to the Highlander, after seeing & driving mine. I shared this with them! 🙂
Reichel Broussard says
Interesting to know about the Murano! I know the new one is on hubbie's list, but they look to crazy for me 😉 I'll stick to a Highlander 😉 lol
Stacey {steward of design} says
I have the new Highlander and I really like it. I only wish I had got the tan interior instead of the black.
Reichel Broussard says
How come you'd prefer the tan over the black? Just asking because I think my first choice would be black….