newer highlander vs newer 4runner

[sweet trav]

the motivation for this "research" is a third baby on the way and the desire for more room in our family vehicle...hopefully without losing too much offroad capability.

we currently own a built 97 lc on 35s and a stock 08 fj trail team ed (wife's).

the fj is going to be bit crowded with the third car seat so we've begun the search for its replacement.

i was looking at tahoe, suburban, landcruiser (newer series) but those are all pretty big...not really a disqualifier but i think something "slimmer" might be more what we would prefer.

so i've tentatively reduced our options to a newer (5th gen) 4runner or a newer highlander.

both appear to have 3rd row seating (all models???) and both have 4wd/awd (all models???).

i think there's probably more "potential" with the 4runner but they can get pricey for a trail ed.

does anyone have any info on the capability of the highlander? any expedition/offroading accessories available?

thanks for any info!

 

[glock_19]

I think if you still want to go offroad you will be happier with the 4Runner. The Highlander has excellent road manners and isn't too bad in the snow with AWD when on pavement but the uni-body and van chassis struggles off-road.

 

[p nut]

Highlander is a unibody mall-cruisin' lifted station wagon. If your intensions are strictly road and very mild trails, it would fit what you need. However, for actual overlanding/off-roading, I would get the 4Runner. Especially if your wife is used to the capabilities of the FJC.

One other rig you should look at is the Lexus GX460/470. V8/FT4WD, lots of room, and more plush than the 4Runner. I wasn't too impressed with the 5th Gen 4Runner's powertrain. Seemed really weak for some reason. GX460 was leaps ahead. The FT4WD system is also nice (for the wife, especially), compared to the PT4WD on the 4Runner (Limiteds come with FT4WD, though).

 

[sweet trav]

Highlander is a unibody mall-cruisin' lifted station wagon. If your intensions are strictly road and very mild trails, it would fit what you need. However, for actual overlanding/off-roading, I would get the 4Runner. Especially if your wife is used to the capabilities of the FJC.

One other rig you should look at is the Lexus GX460/470. V8/FT4WD, lots of room, and more plush than the 4Runner. I wasn't too impressed with the 5th Gen 4Runner's powertrain. Seemed really weak for some reason. GX460 was leaps ahead. The FT4WD system is also nice (for the wife, especially), compared to the PT4WD on the 4Runner (Limiteds come with FT4WD, though).

thanks for the info guys!

...and thanks for the pointers on the lexus, i'm going to check it out.

 

[banukab]

On a Highlander, the middle position of the 2nd row is not ideal for 3 kids. It's very narrow and is cut significantly shorter for the thighs than the outside seats. It also does not come up as high on the back providing less support as they grow. I have 3 kids as well (8, 6, 4yrs) and access to a current generation Highlander (my parents). The middle is okay for short trips, but miserable on a journey. You would have to use part of the 3rd row to accommodate kids for a trip, but then you are out a lot of cargo space. A Venza would be a better alternative to the Highlander for 3 kids. Neither of these AWD's are off-road machines, but are fine in the snow.

If you intend to keep it for a while, something else to look for while you shop for a new vehicle is how flat the floor is in the middle of the 2nd row. A lot of domestic manufacturers don't seem to pay much attention to this. In fact I didn't either when I bought my Durango, though I only had 2 kids at the time and didn't know there would be a third. As your kids get older, it will become more important for your kids to have someplace to put their feet. In buying my wife's Camry, we drove a lot of cars. The Fords and Chevy's in particular tended to have a hump in the middle, which caused my daughter (8yrs) problems for where to put her feet. She had to use the space to each side which isn't comfortable. Keep it in mind.

 

[sweet trav]

On a Highlander, the middle position of the 2nd row is not ideal for 3 kids. It's very narrow and is cut significantly shorter for the thighs than the outside seats. It also does not come up as high on the back providing less support as they grow. I have 3 kids as well (8, 6, 4yrs) and access to a current generation Highlander (my parents). The middle is okay for short trips, but miserable on a journey. You would have to use part of the 3rd row to accommodate kids for a trip, but then you are out a lot of cargo space. A Venza would be a better alternative to the Highlander for 3 kids. Neither of these AWD's are off-road machines, but are fine in the snow.

If you intend to keep it for a while, something else to look for while you shop for a new vehicle is how flat the floor is in the middle of the 2nd row. A lot of domestic manufacturers don't seem to pay much attention to this. In fact I didn't either when I bought my Durango, though I only had 2 kids at the time and didn't know there would be a third. As your kids get older, it will become more important for your kids to have someplace to put their feet. In buying my wife's Camry, we drove a lot of cars. The Fords and Chevy's in particular tended to have a hump in the middle, which caused my daughter (8yrs) problems for where to put her feet. She had to use the space to each side which isn't comfortable. Keep it in mind.

Thanks for that info!

I was already of the mindset that we would need to use the third row on virtually all of these options. I'm looking into the lexus gx470 platform...looks good!

 

[MrGrimm]

Also note that the Trail Edition 4Runner does not have the option for 3rd row seats. Only the Limited and SR5 trim levels come with those. I had a 2010 TE and that thing was a blast but way too nice to take off road.

 

[sweet trav]

Also note that the Trail Edition 4Runner does not have the option for 3rd row seats. Only the Limited and SR5 trim levels come with those. I had a 2010 TE and that thing was a blast but way too nice to take off road.

Thanks! That's what I was noticing when I was looking at a few of them.

 

[sweet trav]

anyone have any thoughts on the sequoia??? lockers, etc???

 

[p nut]

i was looking at tahoe, suburban, landcruiser (newer series) but those are all pretty big...not really a disqualifier but i think something "slimmer" might be more what we would prefer.

anyone have any thoughts on the sequoia??? lockers, etc???

?? Sequoia is as big, if not bigger than the vehicles mentioned in the first post.

 

[summerprophet]

Sounds like you were already steered away from highlanders, but in the event this is searched for later.......

The highlander is a great rig..... not knocking it, but the suspension is pretty much unmodifiable.

The chassis is based upon the corrolla, so lifts/larger tires and the like are all out.

I HAVE heard of swapping out the suspension for some lexus model to get a 1/2" - 3/4" lift..... but unless you can find a junker, it would be a pretty expensive lift for such minimal gains.

 

[highspeed]

I drove a 2003 4runner sport. It was a V8 with AWD. If you are looking for a SUV I highly recommend something like this. I needed a truck so I sold it but oh man that was a great rig, perfect balance of everything I needed.

 

[Clutch]

My step-dad has a brand new Highlander, while I do like it, and yes it rides better down washboard roads than my built Tacoma. I think it is going to be too small for your needs, especially with three kids...they will only get bigger. That and it is built on a car chassis, I don't see it lasting in the long run if it sees a lot of dirt roads.

I would probably get a Sequoia or a Suburban if I was in your situation, since you already have a 80 for trail duty. Buddy of mine had a late model 4Runner, who has three kids, he sold it to get something bigger...4Runner didn't have enough room for his kids, the kid's friends and kid "stuff".

 

[banukab]

anyone have any thoughts on the sequoia??? lockers, etc???

It depends if you are looking at the 1st or 2nd gen Sequoia. The 1st gen wasn't nearly as big as the new one. It's a bit narrower than a Tahoe or Suburban, roughly about like the 2nd gen Durango, putting them on the small size of the full-sized SUV's. My dad had one before they got the Highlander and I always thought the 1st gen Sequoia was fantastic for trips when I borrowed it. I liked it a lot more than I like the Durango I have now, but I couldn't afford a Sequoia back then (darn resale value).