timoc42

is this the same as Vanguard in Japan?

timoc42

XeroK00L

^^Yes, the Vanguard is the Highlander's JDM twin with more luxury touches.

Congrats to Carolinaboy on the awesome new ride.

vboy418

sweet!! congrats

TRDFantasy

Incorrect. The Vanguard is a Rav 4 twin. The JDM market no longer gets the Highlander/Kluger. Instead they get an "upmarket Rav 4" which is the Vanguard.

gsrthomas

iTrader: (1)

Congrats! We bought a new in 2002 Highlander V6 3.0L. Still have it, great car. But the new Highlanders are NICE!

What school/M.S. Program are you going/taking??

XeroK00L

Oops you're right. I was really thinking of the RAV4 but somehow got confused by the topic.

spwolf

to clarify, it is US/longer wheelbase Rav4 :-)

edit: Vanguard is US Rav4

Carolinaboy

Thanks guys for the replies...

I will be attending UCLA to get my Masters in Public Health in Health Services..

The car rides awesome. I love driving it around, except for getting stuck in LA traffic. The interior does very much resemble a Lexus. It is not very plain at all. The back-up camera has helped me out quite a bit in the past few days with parallel parking. The middle seats can change into a whole row itself and into two captain seats, which is pretty nice.

As for the running boards, I feel like the car is missing something. When I look at the car from the side it seems like running boards would make the car look a little nicer. I'm 5'11 so I don't have to have them....

Currently I am getting about 17 miles per gallon..I'm guessin this is pretty much due to traffic in LA...It is supposed to get 24/18

I had wanted to get the Limited, just cuz I really liked the push-button start/keyless entry...but didn't want to pay another couple grand...plus I liked the interior color combo of the Highlander Sport...before looking at the Highlander, I had really wanted the IS250, but I figured that I might be moving around quite a bit in the next few years so I went for an SUV.

Nextourer

Congrats!! Sharp ride! Love the black interior.

Yeah I do wish the SKS system was available on other models, not just the top-of-the-line

Faymester

nice ride are you going to do any suv things with it? or is it going to spend its life on pavement?

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

can highliander offroad???
Maybe very light offroading.

spwolf

sure it can, full time AWD. i still wouldnt do it, it is not an truck....

mmarshall

Yes, light off-roading. Mud, grass, some light fire trails, etc... But remember, this is not a 4Runner or Land Cruiser. It is not designed for creek beds or mountain rock-crawling.

Also, check with your insurance company before going off-road. Some companies restrict or limit off-road coverage.

wolverine

iTrader: (9)

nice suv. makes me want to trade my 02 in. didnt know the sport can get the 3rd row also. thought it was like the 4runners where sport cant get 3rd row....