My wife and I may trade in her 01 RX this year for another midsize suv.

Anyone care to offer some advice on these 2 cars.


tia

 

Highlander has three rows of seats but they are basically the same car underneath.

 

I think you need to drive them first. After driving the 450h, I think you will be very impressed with the ride and vehicle. If you want three rows of seats, then that is another story as to what SUV to choose.

 

The interior features don't even compare. Fake wood vs real, electric tilt/ telescoping vs manual, RX is quieter and rides better, better warranty and service.

If you need the 3rd row then the choice is simple.

 

If you don't mind wind and road noise, the highlander is cheaper.

 

The Toyota Highlander is and always has been a quality car but it's not a Lexus. If you need the extra seats then you have the car but if you don't and can spring for the Lexus you won't look back.

Some people say underneath it's the same car. Some specs and design may be similar but none of the major parts (other than maybe some clips or bulbs) have the same parts numbers so....

I considered the Highlander but in the 2010 model it still didn't even have the same 'Atkinson' cycle hybrid system. And my 1st RX spoiled me with Lexus service.

Choose well and good luck either way

 

We first drove a Highlander fully loaded ($40k). I sat in the back seat as my wife drove and commented to myself, 'there is a lot of plastic here'. Then we went over to the Lexus dealer and as soon as my wife opened the door on the RX you knew you were dealing with another class of vehicle. Yes, the RX was $10k more than the equivalent Highlander but well worth it, imo. Drive both and make up your own mind. They are NOT the same underneath the sheetmetal.

 

In terms of physical dimensions, the Highland hybrid is an inch longer, wider, taller and about 150 lbs heavier than a similar 450h. The Highlander hybrid can only be had in awd, whereas the 450h can be awd or fwd. The Highlander does not have memory settings for the power seats/mirrors, and as mentioned the steering wheel tilt/telescope is manually adjusted. Besides the 3rd row seats, the Highlander also has more interior space and cargo space than the 450h. The drivetrain is similar, as the engine, CVT transmission and brakes are the same - power output is different due to gas requirement, the Highlander runs on regular gas. The Highlander also comes w/a full size spare whereas 450h owners are stuck w/the donut spare. . .

 

the highlander looks good after the redesign. However, even though it uses the same engine and drive train as the RX, it has less horsepower output and also is less fuel efficient at the same time. I think this is partly because its only a mild refresh and they did not include the exhaust gas recovery and heat system that is available on the new hybrid drive models.

 

I feel that the Highlander is a pretty nice vehicle, but you can't get it with memory seats or rain-sensing wipers even on the top-line model. The same thing with the Venza. I really liked the exterior design on the Venza, but the lack of memory seats and the R-S wipers took it off the list for me. The only other vehicle that I really considered other than the 2010 RX was the 2010 Cadillac SRX. It was nice in and out and had lots of goodies, but the 3.0 liter engine was a letdown, and the overall powertrain/transmission shifting couldn't hold a candle to the Lexus.

 

I like the Highlander on the outside, but not so much on the inside. As others have pointed it, it isn't nearly as well appointed. The interior of the RX looks like a luxury vehicle, the Highlander looks good, but just not as high quality or luxurious.

 

Even though a couple people already mentioned this, I still want to emphasize it again: the Interior of these two SUVs are not in the same league. If your wife is driving a RX currently, it will be a big disappointment when she sits in a Highlander. Just check out the center piece of Highlander's 2nd row seat, it was just plain ugly. I also think RX looks a LOT better outside, but that's just personal opinion.

If you have to have third row sitting, MDX should be on your list, although it does not have a h-version.

 

We don't own hybrids but when my wifes lease was up I wanted her to get the highlander but I made the mistake of letting her drive the RX 1st so right after that we went and drove the highlander and when I asked her "honey what do you think ." she responded "this isn't even in the same league as the Lexus " and the rest is history. As others have said if you need more cargo room and or a third row seat then go with he highlander. If your leasing there may not even be that great a difference in the lease payments due to the better residual on the RX.

 

I have to disagree a bit with many of the comments here. We have a '10 RX350, and took a look in the '11 Highlander Hybrid Limited, and I think the interior material quality is fairly close. The wood trim looked similar on both, and the black upper dash was the same. The NAV system looked slightly better, but there is no remote touch - though I am starting to dislike my R.T. anyhow.

We did not drive it other than in the lot so I can't say much to that, and the engine did seem a bit rough when it kicked on, but nothing I would call rough. Lack of memory seats did bother me though. Otherwise, if we could choose again between the '10 RX 350 and '11 Highlander Hybrid (which are about the same price) - I think we would go with the Highlander.

 

Well my partners wife has a 10 highlander and my wife has the 10 RX which we put 9000 miles on in 4 months. We did a 3 day road trip in the highlander and don't get me wrong it's a very nice car but it's no Lexus .