My wife and I are getting close to purchasing her a new SUV and I think we have are minds set on the new 2014 Toyota Highlander. Before we saw the new Highlander we were pretty set on the 2014 Overland because its an amazing looking vehicle with TONS of options and tech. For the most part every Toyota has always bored me until we saw the commercial for this new Highlander and I started watching reviews and checked one out at the dealership.
So let me explain our situation. This will be my wifes vehicle as our family is growing again and her 2004 Accord is getting up there in mileage and space can be pretty tight at times. I owned a 2012 Overland V6 for about a year and it was a good vehicle, but sold that because I missed driving cars and we didnt really have a need for an SUV at the time (it was an impulse buy lol). I love everything about the 2014 Overland, however I will be honest I have been getting more and more nervous after hearing about quality issues and electrical issues (which may or may have not been worked out by now I dunno). That along with the possibly not so great Jeep service im starting to look elsewhere. If it was for me its not big deal, but for my wife how can you go wrong with a Toyota? Then I found out that is has a useful 3rd row and even captains center row which is awesome...and in a mid size SUV and not something enormous like a Tahoe or Durango. With the platinum package you get most of the features of an Overland such as heated steering wheel, cooled seats, adaptive cruise, pano sunroof, blind spot monitoring...you name it. The only thing that kind of boggles my mind is that it doesnt come with HID headlights. How can a car with so much tech not have that feature? Oh well guess its not the end of the world. It has halogen projectors. What has me thrilled is I found out it has the rear tailgate flipper glass which is a great feature and was done away with for whatever reason on the 2014 GC's. Reviews are all excellent and apparently its the only SUV that currently has a 5 star + crash rating. Price wise it looks like it can be had for less than a somewhat equivalent V6 Overland.
Please dont take this post as if im putting the Overland down because its an amazing vehicle and I will always love those things, but just looking for some input from you guys to see if anyone else has driven or checked out a 2014 Highlander Limited with Platinum package and compared the two? I know some guys on this forum are offroaders or use their vehicles for towing, the Highlander can tow 5,000lbs and apparently is relatively capable offroad, but for this threads sake, the vehicle we purchase will never see a trailer or anything but paved suburban roads.
other vehicles considered was the Honda Pilot which we ruled out the second we saw the highlander mainly because it costs the same and has literally what seemed like no feature even remotely close to the Overland or Highlander...plus its not pretty to look at. Durango is just too big and I could be slightly concerned with reliability for the wife. New GMC Acadia seems nice, but also doesnt seem to come as equipped.
not sure what you need us for, sounds like your minds made up. You probably have already done this but join a toyota forum and start reading over there. enjoy the new ride
I dont have my mind made up. I need you guys to see if anyone has checked that vehicle out and compared directly to the Jeep and wanted their personal opinions.
To lstowell, I dont see anything that effects a highlander?!?
I noticed a couple lengthy threads that compare the two that I missed in my original search. Ill check those out now.
I don't know how much different the 14 is, but my wife and I drove a 13 Highlander before buying a 14 Overland. Our impression was that we considered the Jeep to be a fun vehicle that we looked forward to driving. In comparison the Toyota seemed very boring. Nice, but more like an appliance, much like a mini van.
The 2014 is completely new and redesigned. I would say as different as the WK2 is from the WK.
Mods, go ahead and delete this thread if you want. After a better search I found all the info I needed comparing the two as there was a couple very good threads on this exact topic. Seems like guys on this forum speak pretty highly of the 2014 Highlander.
Sorry to start this new thread.
I owned a 2006 sequoia and thought I'd be heading back to Toyota with the new highlander. I don't need the 3rd row but it can be nice to have. Anyway, I didn't want 2nd row captain's chairs and that's your only choice at the limited level. That was a deal breaker for me although many people seem to prefer that feature. Good luck to you !
Can't believe you and your wife don't just get another Overland after having owned one recently and having a pretty good idea what you're getting. Too bad you didn't keep your Overland and get rid of her Acord back when you sold your Overland.
It's rough man I understand what you mean, I swear all people post on the forums is complaints! Makes it seem like the vehicle is made of glass and made by the blind.
, the new Highlander will serve you better than the Jeep and will do so in a more reliable matter. It might be a tad less fuel efficient in real life if you compare the V6 engines due to...the transmission - the Jeep has the better, more modern unit with more gears.
The reason I chose my 14 jeep over the highlander was for the v8 engine. I refuse to drive a v6, just personal preference. Also, I like the idea of having the air suspension because at some point I'll be doing some beach driving. Our wants and needs vary greatly but I do think both vehicles are excellent choices.
My only advice-
test drive both and buy the one that you like the most.
...Also, I like the idea of having the air suspension because at some point I'll be doing some beach driving. Our wants and needs vary greatly but I do think both vehicles are excellent choices.
Sure you can. But I don't think there's any question as to which vehicle is superior when off road(jeep GC vs highlander)
If we are talking jeep air suspension vs jeep coil spring both are good. One is better though. I've owned both and from my experience I prefer more ground clearance vs less.
Again, both are good. But one offers more than the other.
By the way, I've seen a Toyota corolla driven on the beach before, wonder what kind of suspension it has? The point is, lots of things work, some just work better than others.
About 2 month ago I was in same boat picking new car. It was between 14 JGC, 14 Durango, and 14 Highlander. Our Infiniti FX35 lease was coming to the end so you have an idea where i'm coming from.
We need only one car and drive it 50/50 between me and my wife. We have 2 kids.
From the get go I was leaning toward JGC.
We first went to see and test drive Durango and JGC.
Wife liked idea of 3rd row in Durango but after test drive she felt it was too big for her and she would have tough time parking (Brooklyn NY parallel parking only 90% in tight spots). Next was JGC and she said it was just like FX only taller with much better visibility all around.
Next we went to see Highlander. We walked into showroom and i steered her towards Highlander. We approached it from the rear side, "i'm not driving a minivan" were exact words that came out of her mouth. When she saw the front (which i actually don't mind) i knew she was done. Yes looks are subjective, but as she put it "I will not be seen in this t...d"...
We still test drove it, and the ride was nice and everything was where it should be. It just felt typical toyota = boring.
We both like interior and all the gizmos of JGC, we both techies so it was fight who plays with uConnect first and who's phone gets paired first... etc... in Highlander its was more like "yawn... crickets... crickets..."
Also if last winter was preview of whats to come in NYC, I predict JGC will fare much better.
We ended up with 14 JGC v6 Limited which was actually cheapest of the bunch with comparable options.
In my opinion, today's Toyotas are the automotive equivalent of appliances. They get you from Point A to Point B without (too much) trouble, but they have utilitarian "style" and are not that much fun to drive.
They are cars for people who don't care about cars.
(and I say that as a former 4Runner owner, back when the 4Runners were actually good looking -- 2000 or so).
Thanks for all the useful information guys I appreciate it. Without digging too deep into the "how much you paid" threads, off the top of your head what would be an excellent price to pay for a new Overland V6 4wd with advanced technology package? Are they right around 40 even before fees and taxes and stuff? Im in the Chicago area so there are endless amounts of dealers everywhere so prices are very competitive.
I'm not sure on prices but I have heard a lot of people were happy with Zeigler.. I myself went to Sherman in Skokie but probably should have shopped around.
My wife and I looked at them and drove them..a limited and a Platinum with all the toys. It does have some nice features like the adjustable fore and aft Captain's chairs and rear window hatch. The storage shelf is also nice though we found the gauges and overall tech behind the Durango/JGC. The 3rd row is for children only. I could not fit in the back at 6'2" which I can in my 2001 Durango and the 2014 Durango.
Overall we found the features and quality very good but just a tab behind the Durango and another step down from the JGC.
I felt it seemed a little lethargic and when stepped on I also noticed torque steer in the wheel despite being AWD. Apparently it is a FWD heavy performer with the rear only coming into play when there is slippage. It bothered me as I much prefer the feel of a RWD vehicle, but my wife did not notice this. She felt it drove fine, but thought it was down on power compared to our Durango or even the V6 Durango we drove right before. The 8 speed trans also shifts better IMO compared to the Toyota 6speed in the Highlander. It is quiet and is a nice size, about equal to the 1st gen Durango, but quite a bit smaller than the 14 Durango, so I can see the appeal to women and my kids found it easier to get in and out of than the Durango.
The Highlander limited seems a good buy to me given the features and price tag of about $37K.
I found the Platinum too pricey and at that point the JGC or Durango Citadel makes more sense. Actually we ended up deciding on the Citadel Durango due to the additional towing capacity and room.
I'm sure one of the threads you found was mine. The new Highlander is a great vehicle, HUGE improvement over the old Highlander. If you have a family, and need to transport 5+ people in comfort the Highlander is a better choice than the Jeep. Certainly will be more reliable.
BUT-it's not a vehicle one can be passionate about, the Jeep is. Very different vehicles.
Yes I did find your other thread and it was very useful thanks. We still aren't set on anything and like you guys the new grand cherokee is such an amazing vehicle it's hard to get myself to consider that Toyota even though I know it will be the more practical choice and more than likely reliable as well. Tough decisions!!
I would never consider a Toyota. I will never buy a vehicle that's not American. I don't care if you say it's built here. The money still goes out of the country.
Unfortunately it's not that simple, it's a global economy. I always try to buy American, but sometimes it doesn't work out. If not I look for cars built in America (at least I'm putting Americans to work). I recently purchased a Kia for my wife. I was originally looking at the Ford Fusion, but after going to several dealerships no one came close to the Kia Optima. It was like half the price of the Fusion with similar equipment and comes with a 100,000 warranty. When I realized it was built in the USA it was done.
For the amount of money that a new Highlander (with high end trim and such) costs, if your at the dealer that day, I'd just check out a 2014 Tundra Crew Max with the 5.7 I-Force. Very comfortable. Tons of power. Really crappy gas mileage. Pain to park. Similar money. Then at that point, the new Ram is very comparable, better fuel mileage, power is just as good, little easier to park, can be a little more expensive do to deals on the Tundra, but once Chrysler kicks in some deals on the Ram, similar costs. At which point, now you are asking yourself do you want to stay with an SUV or a crew cab truck since the higher end models of each (to me) seem to all fall in the same price points. I have not driven any of the new Fords or GM's yet. Personally, when it comes to full size SUV's, I'm most impressed with a brand new Overland 3.6 Pentastar with the 8 speed. Stock, it comes with everything a person could want, all for around 45-47K, depending on the dealer you go to.
My great grandfather and great aunt were in the war. My great aunt only died recently. My great grandfather died a few years back. We were a neutral country at the time they attacked us. They brought us into the war and they deserved the ass kicking we gave them. I won't buy cars from them as long as other countries produce cars. I only buy Japanese made products if I can only get that product from them.
Then your great grandfather survived pearl harbor if he only died a few years ago! Both of my grandfathers fought in WWII...pretty much everybody did.
If you think we were a neutral country when Japan attacked us you need to go back to history class. We were not fighting in the war, but Japan was trying to expand and we were the last impediment keeping them from continuing that expansion. There was a lot of tension there that went back 10-20 years, and there was no question as to who's side we were on when it came to the war.
We had recently moved a lot of ordinance to Hawaii as a show of force to deter the Japanese from continuing to try and expand through the region. We froze all our oil exports to Japan (amongst other things) that year, there was a LOT of rhetoric from FDR about the US being willing to take steps to neutralize Japan's attempts at further expansion. Without our oil exports...and without that expansion into other oil rich areas they were really backed into a corner. The Japanese felt like they were taking preemptive action to neutralize our fleet in the south pacific to protect their interests from our interference. Sound familiar? What do you think we would have done had we realized the ordinance Japan had built up to pull off this attack? Think we might have attacked first? I think we might have.
There are always two sides to these things...the US was certainly not sitting in Hawaii drinking out of coconuts when the Japanese attacked.
In any event...WWII worked out for us. It established us as the world's lone superpower, it was HUGE for our economy. It created the climate of prosperity that your grandparents and parents grew up in. Why do you think no other power has ever attempted to attack us at home? Because they saw what we did to Japan after pearl harbor.
But...all of that is beside the point...the point is...life goes on. Its 70 years later...your closest connection to this is 3 generations behind you...continuing to hold animosities like this makes no sense.
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