Anyone own a Kia ? (1 Viewer)

[Steve Schaffer]

Kirk,
The 4 banger Highlander is an unappreciated gem in my opinion. If you don't plan any really heavy hauling or trailer towing it's ideal, especially in 2wd versions.

The 4 in the Highlander is a newish design, actually originated on the 01 Highlander and appeared on the Camry starting with the 02 models. It's got chain driven overhead cams as opposed to belt drive on the V-6, so you don't have to have the timing belt changed at 90k.

It gives away little in power unless the vehicle is very heavily loaded, and as far as quiet and refinement goes it's actually easy to drive one and assume it's a V-6 until you look under the hood or note the absence of the V-6 emblem on the tailgate.

The Highlander is my favorite onroad SUV, perfect for those who need a roomy wagon and don't need to do any serious off-roading. These things are very stable and relaxing on long trips--excellent freeway cruisers.

Since it's a unibody design it allows most of the heavy bits to be located fairly low in the chassis--note when you raise the hood how far down the engine is--so there's really almost none of the dreaded tippiness associated with SUVs. I find the cornering quite good, as is also the case with the RAV-4.

Here in Fresno the temperature averages high 90s to low 100s 5 months out of the year, and Highlanders have very powerful air conditioning.

It might interest you guys to know that the auto techs who work at dealerships invariably choose the 4 cylinder versions of the Camry, Solara, and Highlander over the V-6. The sacrifice in performance is not enough to outweigh the much easier maintenance and better fuel economy, not to mention the significantly lower initial price. These 4s are torquey motors with balance shafts to do away with the buzziness at higher rpms normally associated with largish 4 cylinder engines. They're smooth and quiet in operation and will cruise the freeways serenely all day at 80+ mph.

IF you need to haul really heavy loads on frequent occasions and also require 4 wheel drive (adds significant vehicle weight and a bit of rolling resistance) the V-6 would be a better choice for the Highlander. For normal use and vacation trips that don't involve tons of camping gear or the towing of trailers, the 4 does just fine.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

C'mon Steve - I think YOU are the unappreciated gem around here...

Fantastic info, really appreciate it. If I was ready to buy today, I'd be on the Toyota lot with checkbook in hand. Nice to hear the great comments on the 4-cylinder/2wd. Only a couple snowstorms a year here, plus I have no need to go off-road or trailer. Your highway comments are real helpful since 65% of my daily commute is highway, while 20% is rough city streets and Highlander should handle both well. Must be something with Toyota suspensions as our Sienna does a decent job smoothing the city bumps/potholes.

Since I own a sailboat, I haul sails around frequently, so I prefer a wagon/mid-size SUV over a sedan. Hauling fairly lightweight stuff, but lots of volume (sailbags).

Hoping the resale value of 2wd and 4-cylinder does ok percentage-wise compared with the 4wd 6cyl.... Perhaps even better ? (i.e. - a 2wd-4cyl costs 15% less new, and after 5 yrs should still have a Blue Book value ~15% then a 4wd-6cyl).

 

[Shane Martin]

Kirk,
You and me both would be at the dealership. I"m really close to buying a 4-Runner unless I get scared away which is unlikely to occur.

 

[Philip_G]

From past cars I've noticed after 2 years the $2000 larger engine is only worth about an additional $500 blue book, so the 4cyl might even do better than that.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Shane,
Nothing to be scared of with the new 4-Runner. We had a recall on the V6 models about 9 months ago, all units in dealer stock were corrected before delivery to customers. Involved a revision to a fuel rail pulsation damper, a half-hour fix. If you're considering a used V6 you can give the VIN number to any Toyota dealer and they can make sure the recall was performed.

Of the body-on-frame Toyota SUVs (Sequoia and Land Cruiser are the other two) I like the 4Runner best. The Sequoia is a converted Tundra, not bad but not nearly as sophisticated as the 4Runner which was designed from the ground up as an SUV, not adapted from an existing Truck chassis. The Land Cruiser is likewise an exclusively SUV design but is very heavy and very expensive.

The V6 in the 4Runner actually has more horsepower than the V8, but a bit less torque. V8 for heavy towing, V6 fine even with 4wd.

The Highlander is a bit more car-like than the 4Runner as far as stability but the 4Runner is very much less tippy in it's current incarnation than previous models. It's also better suited for really bad dirt roads or offroading than the Highlander.

In markets outside North America the current 4Runner is sold as a smaller model of the Land Cruiser line.

All Highlanders, 4Runners, and Land Cruisers are built in Japan, all Sequoias in Indiana.

Being an adaptation of the Tundra which was designed to sell in the mid teens in base form up to low 30s in crewcab limited trim, some Sequoia bits seem a bit downmarket compared to those found on the Highlander and 4Runner which weren't adapted from significantly less expensive models. Mechanically all is fine, of course, but the dash is kinda cheap looking and some other trim and interior things seem less refined or less well thoughtout than on the other SUVs. I've also found the AC on the Sequoia a bit slow to cool one that's been left out in our Fresno sun for hours, especially if it's a dark color.

Frankly if I were in the market for a Sequoia sized SUV I'd probably go for a GM Yukon or Chevy Tahoe instead unless I was planning on keeping the vehicle for 20 years.