Great ride, as smooth as a car and very quiet.
Very good gas mileage for a sport utilty with a 220hp engine
Toyota quality and resale value
Reclining rear seats
One-handed folding of rear seats

Center console-What was toyota thinking???
Upgraded stereo has everything but base (how about a subwoofer?) and steering wheel controls.
Compass, $400 for a compass??
Pricey options
A little sluggish accelerating off the line, but good acceleration in passing situations.

I spent several months comparing most of the mid-size SUV's and decided to buy the Acura MDX. I went into the dealership willing to pay full sticker price (it didn't make me happy), but the arrogance of the sales manager turned me away from the Acura. I hope they have a loyal customer base when the MDX sales start to slow, because they aren't building any now.
The Highlander was my second choice and I am very glad that I went with the Highlander.

The first week that I owned the Highlander I took it on a 400 mile trip. The fuel economy averaged 23mpg, golly-my Jeep GC's never got above 18mpg.
The trip was a joy, the truck was car smooth riding and very quiet. The vehicle was driven up to 80 mph and not a hint of the wind noise problem that I have read about.

The Highlander has all of the Lexus quality in my book without the Lexus price and also without the funky LCD panel in the dash.

The center console is a joke, the cup holders are poorly postioned and do not keep the drinks securely in place. My 97 4Runner had cupholder problems up front as well, Toyota either needs to get the cupholder concept or just leave them out. The center console in the Lexus is light years ahead of the toyota, why couldn't they just have the same console??

I have had several adults ride in the back seat and all have commented on how comfortable the seat postion is and how nice the ride is. I think the semi-reclining back seats make this vehicle the most comfortable to ride in the back of any of the SUV's that I compared.

The back seats in my Jeep GC's required removing the headrests, folding the seat bottom forward and then folding the back down. A two handed manuever and if the front seat was all the way to the back it had to be moved slightly forward. The Highlander seats are a joy to fold down. One handed and it doesn't matter where the front seat is positioned. I noticed that the GMC Envoy seats were difficult to fold down when the front seats were all the way back as well.

The Highlander may not be the cheapest SUV in the mid-sized class, but when combined with Toyota quality and the product that you get it is the best value as far as I am concerned. I highly recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a quality SUV that is going to be used around town or on the road. If you are looking for off-road 4WD then get a truck. A $30,000+ vehicle is not the vehicle to take to any serious off road driving situations unless you have too much money and are looking to keep your mechanic and body shop guy smiling as he collects his kids college funds.

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Compared to Nissan Pathfinder (stiff ride), GMC Envoy (nice ride, great power, couldn't get past first year American made vehicle reliability question, Mercedes SUV (didn't like the ride), Acura MDX (sticker price or more and 'you are lucky we're letting you have the privilege of buying our vehicle'), BMW X5 (unbelievable driving experience, lets just say ouch when looking at the price).
I have owned: 1994 Jeep GC laredo 4WD V8, 1997 4Runner, 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD V8.
Both Grand cherokees were great when they ran. The first one was nothing but a maintenance nightmare. The 2000 GC limited was bought back by Daimler-Chrysler before the lemon law proceedings kicked in.
The 97 4Runner was very reliable, but rode like a truck and had none of the 'refinements' or creature comforts that GC's had.

very roomy - inside & trunk too
good a/c, stereo
drives like a car
really great buy for the money
nice little features, like for example, if you accidentally leave the headlights on, they turn off automatically when you remove the key from the ignition

None in my opinion. But if you want to do off-roading you will definitely need the 4x4.

I was looking for an affordable SUV, which is pretty much a necessity here in Puerto Rico, since it rains frequently and there are many potholes on the roads. I had driven a Lexus RX300, but really didn't want to pay for one. The Highlander feels just like the Lexus, yet I paid about $10K less. I am VERY HAPPY with it!!!

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First SUV

Little body roll through turns, Very comfortable ride, Roomy.

The volume control has no indicator to exactly how loud your volume is up. You just need to "ear" it. When the front window is down and the car is moving at a good speed, (35+), The wind that flow into the cabin gets in between the seat belt and the space behind the belt causing this wind noise that's kind of simillar to a helicopter flapping. Cruise control acelleration.

This is a awesome car. I'm glad I bought it but there are a few flaws. My 6 Disc CD changer jammed today showing error 3 on the lcd screen. Must go to Toyota to see if they can fix that for me. If you got the little storage area/center consul as a option you will notice that they removed the cup holders on the driver seat so there is a slot for envelopes or maps etc. It's not alot of room and is hard to get your fingers in there if you drop say like your pen. Cup holders do suck in the front. The only think it wont be spilling is plastic water bottles. Don't get me wrong this is a great car. It's just the little things that need to be nagged about. Just be careful with the cd changer if you have that option. I suggest you don't press eject while the cd is playing. eject when selecting which cd to eject or it might get stuck likes mines did. Has anyone else had that problem with the CD changer jamming while attempting to eject or any oter reason for jamming?

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None

This is a good-looking car with roomy interior and a very nice, smooth ride.

Seats uncomfortable for tall people. Needs better quality radio and built in antenna. Strange noise when driving with open windows. Cheap weak materials are used to build this car.

This is a good-looking car with roomy interior and a very nice, smooth ride. Very easy in-out access. Seats are comfortable for me but not for my 6'3" husband and son. Radio could be of better quality. Strange noise when driving with open windows. Interior plastic parts are cheap looking and scratch easily. If you want leather interior there are only two color choices, both very light. The material used for the exterior of the car is very poor. There was a hale storm in our area that caused heavy damage to this "tough" SUV. The hood was so badly damaged that it had to be replaced. Nothing happened to our other three cars parked right next to it. The car has been at the dealership for three weeks now. Still did not get it back. Toyota will not take responsibility for poor material used on exterior of car. They say, "It is an act of God". I guess God just dose not like the Highlander because our Honda, Ford and Eagle sustained no damage at all. Thank God, the insurance company came through for us but we still had to pay the $500 deductible (Toyota will not help with that because of the "act of God" argument.) If you really want a tough SUV, look at something else. Do not expect to haul the dry wall you just bought for your next project in this car. I also suggest parking it in the garage in inclement weather. Try only sunny days....

: Smooth V6 engine and pick up, passenger/cargo room, passenger comfort (including long distances), highway mpg, car-like ride/handling, minimal interior noise for a SUV, easy fold-down and reclinable back seats, exterior style, 360 degree sight lines, cargo liner

: Flimsy interior plastic touches (front passenger door compartments, eyeglass holder, optional center console, glove compartment door), rough ride over bumps, “tinny” JBL audio system, side-by-side wiper and cruise controls are easy to get confused, front passenger captain’s chairs may be too narrow for some people, awkward access to and buckling of front passenger seat belts, cheap carpet mats, recessed display panel difficult to see for sunglasses wearers.

I eat my words (see 5/12 posting)! As of July 2001, Toyota dealers are ready to deal. I got $3,100 off the sticker price. The Highlander is a perfect combo of my last two cars, both Acuras: comfort/size of the 2.5TL sedan and utility of the Integra hatchback (yet much more cargo space). I just traveled 660-mile roundtrip in the Highlander and overall it was a dream to drive. I also averaged 24 mpg on the rolling hills highway using cruise control at 70-75 mph, auto climate control at 77 degrees, and with a fairly full cargo load. However, the long trip did point out some shortcomings. If you wear sunglasses, it’s virtually impossible to see the recessed display panel during the day, especially the tiny cruise control “on” light. The cruise control handle on the steering wheel rests just below the windshield wiper handle on the steering column. Several times I hit the wipers instead of the “decrease cruise control speed” button and that confusion could have put me in some potentially dangerous driving situations. And if you tinker and try to read the small LED temperature/mpg gauge located above the audio/air system while the SUV is in motion, you are liable to run off the road. Finally, when buckling my driver side seat belt, I have to yank the buckle from behind the space between my chair and the side column of the car, then lift my right captain’s chair armrest to buckle in. I am also experiencing an occasional “popping” noise that takes turns on the audio speakers (even with the volume turned down).

These are things to look out for rather than deter you from purchasing a SUV that feels solid, has been for the most part well thought out in amenities and cargo/passenger space, handles great, has pick up to spare and good highway mpg, and is a fairly comfortable ride. And now that you can actually get one loaded for around $30.5k, it’s a deal. If your worst driving conditions are rain and light snow, Consumer Reports states that 2WD with traction control is sufficient. Plus you get a price break, better gas mileage and less parts to break. Also, I compared insurance of a Highlander 2WD vs. 4WD and the 2WD was $425 less to insure annually.

When comparing to the other cars I test drove, the Acura MDX was terrific but out of my price range, too much SUV for my needs, some bad side rear sight lines, and the exterior style is blah. The Subaru Outback didn’t give me the “wow” feeling when I drove it, the interior was tight, and the pickup dragged for a V6 3.0. And it’s still a station wagon despite the bells and whistles.

And for those who think the look of the Highlander is a bit too cuddly, I recommend replacing the mud flaps with optional color-keyed fender flares and a bug/rock deflector on the front. It “butches” it up considerably!

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Subaru Outback LL Bean Limited Edition, Acura MDX

Is roomy, garage door opener, v6 engine, comfortable seats, smooth ride, moonroof, heater and air conditioning, electronic seats,towing capacity of 3500 pounds, drives like a car, and secret storage compartments.

It makes me brag too much.

Its a great car. Buy it. Now.

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Strees-free when passing, smooth ride.

Lacks power when going uphill. When switching from cruise control to manual, engine doesn't seem to respond resulting to non acceleration no matter how hard you step on the accelerator pedal.

I got a 2001 4WD. Near perfect.

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MDX Acura. This SUV is perfect but the salespersons aren't. Too arrogant!