Ride - silky smooth, rides like a car. Feels fine for light off-roading. Handling - very capable and confident, it has the usual AWD roll but never feels too tippy. Really nice knowing VSC is watching over you. Braking - Pedal is a little light, but the brakes are VERY strong. Brake Assist works as advertised by sucking the brake pedal to the floor and stopping it full force. Comfort - We find the leather seats spectacular, with lots of padding and support in all the right places Safety - Rated "Good" overall by the IIHS, no overly-rigid ladder frame, anti-whiplash seats, side impact airbags, head restraints all around Styling - Kind of plain, but it has some handsome angles and nothing offensive. I find the MDX to look a little odd from the front. Convenience - Redesigned 2002 console works very nicely, with serious cupholders and a large storage bin. Finally got it right. Visibility - Excellent, commanding view of the road Quality - Except for a few random parts from the economy car parts bin, most interior and exterior parts look and feel very high-quality Ergonomics - Well-designed seats, simple dashboard layout. Best automatic climate controller I''ve ever seen, even

The window, lock, and mirror controls need to be illuminated at night. No auto-dimming mirrors. A couple of random cheap plastic parts aren''t very congruent with the excellent interior quality and thoughful ness. This isn''t a heavy duty off-roading vehicle, but that''s appropriate for the target audience. A third row seat would have been nice. Turn signal stalk really sensitive. Weird option packages. No head curtain airbags.

The Highlander is a very capable car-based SUV that will please most midsize SUV shoppers. It''s comfortable, confident, and surprisingly fun to drive for such a large vehicle

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Acura MDX (really nice but ridiculous wait and squinty nose), Dodge Durango (ride, handling, comfort, economy, interior and quality absolutley silly compared to the Highlander, plus CR condemns it and

Reliability, Utility, Economy (4 cyl, Front wheel drive), safety (with skid control and side air bags), low levels of vibration, harshness, and noise--it is very quiet. Relatively low parts and service costs. Great factory mechanic training program-I bought the service manuals and chjecked on one of the Toyota schools here in New Mexico.

Big, costly-to-replace tires. Costly (1200 at 150,000 miles) to replace chain drive for cams and balance shafts on 4 cyl. Still cheaper to operate than V6. Would have liked real 5 mph indestructable bumpers, but that isn''''t stylish.

It was time to pass my 1982 Volvo diesel 245GL wagon on to my son and get a suitable replacement. I read the Consumers Reports, Car and Driver, and Motor Trend and Carreview.com reviews on the 2001 Highlander. I visited East Coast, Pennsylvania, and Southwest Dealers. They had a few in stock. It is very popular. Some had dealer mark ups of $500-$1000 over MSRP. Few would deal on price. I saw some of the first 2002 model Highlanders. Surprise, Surprise! Toyota read the same reviews and addressed the complaints in the new 2002 production-- They added sound deadening to the rear fender wells. They added a center console with big, heavy-duty cup holders. They added a fold-down center armrest in the rear. They included the converter and wiring with the tow prep option. Now where to buy and get the options I wanted? Toyota, like all the rest, makes up option packages for the US market. Take it or leave it. They then dangle all of the various goodies available in their brochure and on their web site. Is there a way to get what you want at a good price? Yes there is. Use INTERNET SHOPPING. I did and I won! But then I am patient. Certain dealers (very few) will take special orders for just the car you want; plus they will discount below MSRP if you are willing to wait for delivery. On the Highlander, I ordered exactly the options that I wanted, will have to wait 12-16 weeks or more for delivery, and had to put $1000 down on the purchase. I got my Highlander for $1800 below MSRP, will get to do the registration my self saving another $130-$150 in fees, and will be happy for the next 15-20 years driving the Highlander unless my wife takes it over and I get her Camry. My salesman was Dan Kieth at Las Cruces (NM), Toyota (yes-my hometown after all of that internet shopping and flying around). He is at lctoyota@zianet.com or 1 877-523-5911 or 505-523-5566. Some other New Mexico Toyota Dealers are dealing. Call Mike at Roswell Toyota 505-622-5860 to keep Dan honest and work the best price.

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Volvo wagon, Toyota Camry, numerous rental cars in business trips. Looked at VW Passet wagon-turned off by turbo heat, permium gas, battery location, and dealer attitude.s

Responsive and effortless!

Can''t seem to drive straight home!

This is not my first Toyota and for that reason alone I did not test drive the Highlander. This is everything my Camry''s and Corolla''s and Sienna''s have been with the addition of four wheel drive. It has all the bells and whistles and they are all very smooth during operation as I had expected.

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No four wheel but plenty of front wheel Toyota''s.

Roomy and fairly quiet

Several manufacturing defects: leaking heater hose,mis-installed trim, squeeks and rattles. Instrument cluster is difficult to read in bright day light; impossible to read with sunglasses on. Braking distance is incredibly long; mass of car is just too great for the braking hardware (may work fine on the Camry but Highlander is over 15% heavier)

Great initial impression. Less and less impressed as time goes on. With other new cars, found pleasant surprises or ingenious features over the fist few months. Still looking for this with the Highlander. General conclusion: is this is a very bland vehicle at heart that can''t be hidden under $15k of overpriced options.

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None

Power when you want it. Driver window that opens & closes when you turn your key if you should forget to close it. Well lit gauges at night. Bright huge lights on the rear. Smooth driving..you hardly know it is running,"really quiet engine". Beautiful styling ..smooth curves. Gas milage is around 28 mile to the gallon.

Wind noise when windows are down.I think if they had of made the back door window retract down that might have made a difference. No console to store a phone or any CDs. Other than that I''m quite happy with this vehicle and wouldn''t settle for anything else!

This is the smoothest driving SUV I have ever driven. The power is just out of this world. It handles like a dream.I have the V6.."UN-limited" but it still drives great. I didn''t want to pay an extra $9200. more for the Limited.

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CRV. and didn''t like it as much as the Highlander.Didn''t like the style of the 2001 Lexus.

Ride is very smooth; highway cruising is comfortable. Handling and turning is assured and tight. The sense you get from the sales brochure is accurate! Seating is very comfortable. Visibility is great! CD player handles CD-R''s of various types without a problem.

Very minor - right knee rests against lower dash in average hgt person; colors of dash displays are varied and inconsistent; not enough useful space between front seats (fold-down cupholders at bit dysfunctional) The described "helicopter" air pressure sound with one window down is clearly there, and lessened only a little by opening a front window. It is not only a sound but has adverse effects on one''s eardrums due to the fluctuating air pressure; someone told me this is observed in other SUVs as well. We don''t drive around much of the year here with the windows open anyway!

I have owned this car for a little over a month. There were absolutely no manufacturing problems or defects evident. The model is the AWD V6 Limited package with leather & 6-CD changer, VSC, etc. -- everything but the center console. It has performed flawlessly, in keeping with the observations of most other reviewers. Although a tad expensive, I am hoping that it will in the long run be a "good deal," given the anticipated quality. I expect that the AWD and VSC will work great in our climate (has it has in my other autos).

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Tried the Acura MDX and (1) it felt too wide, perhaps prone to minor dents and parking problems (2) the center display was a little too busy (3) could not get the lower-end model for 9 months. Otherw

responsive and sporty, drives like my accord except it is very quite and with plenty of power. very cozy ride.

brakes, too soft. they need to correct this plus it tend to nose dive a bit. they won''t budge on the price. very hot item and are in demand.

paid 28k for 2 wheel drive , all options except for leather seats, moonroof, side bags, traction and foglights. overall excellent design it has the classic look, to last imo. lexus rx300 looks good too if modified but mucho dinero. thinking of getting another one or rx300 if they meet my price.

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None

quality, ride, quiet

could use more storage up front, though we will probably buy a storage container for in between the front seats, like we did with the previa minivan we had.

I researched many suv''s & minivans...The highlander had great ratings and I already own a Toyota Avalon and was trading in a Previa so I knew the quality would be there. Actually went on ebay to find out what these were selling for and coincidentally found a dealership in Lauderdale, King Toyota. The dealership/salesperson (Paul) was very professional. No pressure etc...The price was also good, based on what I''ve read on this board, and they gave me a good trade in. They sell quite a few new cars on ebay (while we were there they sold one we were looking at).. We bought a white highlander, 6 cyl, 4 wd, leather, jbl stereo, sunroof..etc. The ride is great...feels like a car and the quality inside and out is top notch.

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test drove a few similar suvs...none compared

interior very nice, rides smooth and luxurious, good cargo space, skid control

not standard w/ floormats, nothing to help hold cargo in place

Overall, we love our new Highlander. It is definitely a head turner. Its not too big or too small. It sits attractively next to our Solara. We Love Toyota just not the dealership we purchased from. they are very reliable vehicles with powerful V6 engines. We need to start a web page for Toyota lovers. bigrobj@hotmail.com

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pathfinder, expedition, navigator

Creature comforts, ride, room, gas mileage

Pricey options

Having owned Chevy Blazers and Ford trucks in the past, we were reluctant to consider an import. However, a month of intensive research and test driving led us to the Highlander. We were looking for SUV functionality with an urban sensibility. We didn''t want anything too big (Durango, Explorer), nor were we interested in the Blazer again. This time, ride and "creature comforts" were king. Our practical side took over, too, when comparing the Highlander to the Lexus and the MDX. Why pay so much more when it rides the same and you have more room?

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Chevy Blazers, Explorers, Durango, Subaru Outback