Some of you may recall I was asking for quite a bit of advice on what to look for in some RX350's, I heard the suggestion to look at a Highlander but initially dismissed it. I decided to follow through now though, I looked at an '09 Highlander Sport (FWD), one owner, great shape, regular maintenance, no flaws save a little wear on center console and a small scrape on the passenger fender. It has been a few weeks since I drove the '10 RX350 I looked at, but I recall similar power levels for acceleration. The Highlander definitely seemed stiffer over some bumps, I would call it a little more truck like. I am curious how much that Sport made it ride like that vs. all of them. Really liked the JBL radio it had and the giant touch screen (even if I had a hard time figuring out how to even use it on my test drive). Neither of these SUVs are that sporty in a bend, the Highlander reminded me of that as I tried to take a corner a bit quickly and felt the body really lean. These both feel more like they're made for cruising.

I recall the RX had a much more soft ride, I didn't drive it in the same area but hitting the same kinds of bumps in the Highlander was noticeably more bouncy - but not in a way I found bad or anything. I also thought it was really cool, the Highlander had the heating elements for the windshield wipers. I am but a single guy, so the 3rd row is of no use to me. But trying to weigh the appearance and features along with price. They're very close to each other in all regards and I'm having a really hard time deciding. I almost kind of like the look of the Highlander more...


But the Lexus has a sharp classy look to it, the Highlander looks more utilitarian and appealing in that way (like a mini Sequoia) whereas the RX has an air of sophistication.


So to summarize the two I'm looking at (I am looking at one more Highlander that doesn't have the JBL radio but is AWD):
2009 Gray Highlander Sport, FWD, 101k miles, 1-owner, excellent service records, needs basically nothing but touch up to scrape on passenger front fender and passenger side of front bumper (scuffed, maybe could buff out). Price is about $14,500 - seems like I could probably get this after taxes and fees for around this, maybe $15k.

2010 Black RX350, AWD, 103k miles, 2-owner, impeccable service records, drove perfect and needed nothing - however it had some scrapes on the lower driver side in a few places down the side, the edges of the doors felt rough like door guards were removed and they peeled the lip of paint on the edge of the door off, and some pock marks on the very edge of the hood. This one is priced at $15,500, and if it had no paint issues at all I might just go with it for the supple drive and the lovely wooden steering wheel. But I can absolutely use the paint issues as negotiation points for the price, nothing to lose if they say no (I would probably walk if they refused to lower the price or touch up the scuffs). The RX seemed to drive wonderful and had no mechanical issues, so honestly if one just totally ignored those paint issues it would be otherwise flawless.

It's going to be just me driving either vehicle 90% of the time, with a second passenger sometimes. I need the ability to haul things in the back that just won't fit in a car, Highlander is a bit bigger but the RX is still plenty roomy enough I think - and that supple isolated ride is very nice. No idea if the Highlander's JBL radio is better than the non-ML RX radio though.

Here's a pic I blew up (sorry for grainy quality) to show the scuffs with the arrows, and you can vaguely make out the lip of the edge of the door with that weird paint issue.


What do you all think? I acknowledge the Lexus bias since I am posting on CL, but of course both are Toyota products. Both of these would be impeccably reliable with great maintenance I would figure.

 

I've owned both, and have been impressed by them so much I'd be hard pressed to say which I like more.

They are both great choices so I'd go for the best deal.

 

If you want a soft ride, you may want to avoid any "sport" configuration, Toyota or Lexus. As for the paint issues with the Lexus, get an estimate from a Lexus body shop and include that info in your negotiation with the dealer but I would guesstimate the paint repairs at at least US$1,000.

Many would say that though they're both Toyotas, one is still a Lexus.

 

Yeah, I drove a very nice FX35 today - a 2009 with just over 60k miles on it. It was clean, looked sharp, had a great engine sound, cool interior, all that. It handled great and everything. But yet...the ride while more supple than say my sporty Maxima 6-speed, you could steel feel things more jarringly in that vehicle. It really is like an SUV version of a G35. It also had some rumble and road noise on the highway. It had new tires and everything so that shouldn't have been a cause. So it handled leagues above the RX or Highlander, but while I love that kind of thing I'm just thinking I'd rather have the softer ride than the one that beats you around a lot.

I looked at an F-150 (I'm looking for a vehicle to haul things more than anything, but looking for something in my tastes that would do that in some capacity) and that thing rode great. I liked the ride more than the FX. FX would out handle it but eh...I have a Corvette so I don't need a hauling vehicle that handles like that too. Not planning to drive crazy in it, but I like the power.

Somehow I feel the dealer will not budge that much on their price and say that for just under $16k it's in great shape, normal wear and tear, etc. Agh, difficult to decide.

 

We just drove a 2017 Highlander and a 2015 RX back to back and my wife chose the RX. The RX ultimately drove like a small car and had less blind spots. As for the ride, Lexus has stiffened up the RX since 2010 a fair amount, the steering feels better and the suspension more buttoned down compared with the newest highlander.

When looking at 2010s, the Highlander was a fair amount smaller with a slightly larger greenhouse. So some of my wife's concerns may not be applicable. Also the previous generation Highlander did ride more truck-like than the current generation.

 

My wife drives a '16 RX, we intend on growing our family and were looking at a '15 Highlander Limited Platinum. Had more bells and whistles than my '13 RX (BSM, RCTA, heated steering wheel hill decent, heated wiper area). Road very nice. What was missing was the 8-speed auto (to which I say IDK what it does for fuel consumption, we both get similar real-world MPG), collapsing side mirrors, LED DRL's that stay on even with headlights are on, transmission Eco/Normal/Sport mode, and the driver seat/steering wheel pushing away from each other. It truly was a nice vehicle but in the end, we didn't go through with it. Sounds silly, but she wants her "Lexus"

 

Doesn't sound silly at all. I'll be completely honest and say it was a little tough for me to go from our Lexus RX to a Toyota Highlander. In the end, I'm very happy with our choice. Even though our '13 RX (when new) and our '16 Highlander were essentially the same price (both had stickers of $52k), I felt like the value was better on the Highlander because of the hybrid system and the additional seating and features on our Highlander that our RX did not have.

Had we decided to go with a new RX, I'm certain we would have really liked it, but the lack of a third row was a deal breaker for us this time.

As a side note, the '17 Highlander gets the 8 speed and engine from the new RX.

 

I have both a 2015 Highlander Limited and lease a 2015 RX350. I like them both equally. They ride a bit differently. The Lexus drivers seat is a bit more comfortable and I like the mouse and position of the NAV screen versus the Highlanders touch screen. The Highlander seems slightly bigger and rides a bit higher.

 

I appreciate the thoughts guys. I actually ended up buying a fairly late model F-150, it was more expensive than what I was looking at but the cool factor and how it drove really appealed to me. I'm looking down even on a lot of full-size SUVs driving this thing, and the safety rating is excellent - combined with the great resale value of a truck and the capabilities. And with the Ecoboost engine, I'm getting about 18 MPG. I'll certainly keep Lexus in mind for the future though, can't beat them for reliability and resale value.

 

My wife preferred the seats in our RX, but I prefer the Highlander seat. Our Highlander has the seat cushion extender and our RX did not. I have long legs (36" inseam) so I think that's why. As for remote touch vs. touchscreen, yes, I agree. I hate the touchscreen in our Highlander.

That's a solid choice. Hope you enjoy.

 

We are getting old. So I traded in Bimmer X5 for RX450h. If I were young I'd be still driving Bimmer ofrAudi Q7. Before these two I liked 2nd gen. Acura MDX. I had to adjust my driving habit and learned to be patient on the road. Today some one asked of my age. I asked back how old are you? Then my answer was I could be almost your great grand father. LOL!