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In an interesting twist: Toyota has gone up to 65 series tires for the 18" wheel option. I am quite surprised. Wheelbase now matches Land Cruiser at an identical 112.2
It looks tighter and more fitting. Great to hear that if feels Lexus like. But not the best 3 row. I have no doubt a larger Traverse style Sequoia is coming.
There should not be any press-embargos on its road-manners.....that is pure nonsense. If he can't talk freely as an auto-press-reviewer, then let someone else ride along with them and let THEM talk.
From the review, I didn't get any impression of "Lexus." No wood, little luxury, etc. Not a bad job, but not up-class.
So it's quite interesting Toyota decided to use the Highlander to re-introduce a Boss Hogg feature...
this highlander seems very nice, but i think toyota's going to regret they didn't make it a bit bigger. At 6:30 into that video you can see the third row is still a joke. but it will definitely sell well anyway.
i don't care for the odd infotainment area and 'traditional' shifter still.
There should not be any press-embargos on its road-manners.....that is pure nonsense. If he can't talk freely as an auto-press-reviewer, then let someone else ride along with them and let THEM talk.
It's been discussed before, it's not nonsense. Or you don't understand the reason for the press embargo. This is so that all media has a chance to release stories at the same time. The media events happen in like 3-4, sometimes as many as 5 waves. This is in order to get all the various newspapers, magazines and now YouTubers etc through to experience the vehicle. Toyota wants to make sure as many of these people come to the events to get exposure. Now, if wave 1 were to be able to publish impressions and details immediately, then many other outlets would complain, because of the all important click count/reach etc. The embargo allows for all waves of the media event to be completed. And then at the end of the final wave, the embargo is lifted, again giving time for the final wave participants to be able to prepare and edit their own stories/videos, etc.
Then everyone has a fair "start" to launch their stories. If an outlet was to break an embargo, they likely could be moved down in priority for inclusion in future events, vehicle evaluation loans, etc.
this highlander seems very nice, but i think toyota's going to regret they didn't make it a bit bigger. At 6:30 into that video you can see the third row is still a joke. but it will definitely sell well anyway.
i don't care for the odd infotainment area and 'traditional' shifter still.
I agree that Highlander likely should have moved a bit bigger, but Highlander has been smallest in the main 3 row segment (outside of like the Sorento and Outlander, etc) for quite some time and still leads in sales. That said, the segment has shifted bigger. Toyota obviously has the Sienna for larger 3 row intenders, with their segment exclusive AWD. So within their portfolio they obviously didn't feel pressured to go Atlas/Ascent size, let alone behemoth Traverse/Enclave.
Like you said, it'll still sell, and they'll likely never know how much more it might have sold had it been that half size larger. As you know, Toyota drags its heels on a lot of things, look at how long it took for a 3 row Lexus to show up, and even then, pretty terrible (since it's Highlander based). This may not bode well for an improved (read: significantly enlarged) RX-L, so maybe they'll have an more dedicated larger 3 row for Lexus, since they don't have Sienna to offer for larger 3 row needs.
Toyota obviously has the Sienna for larger 3 row intenders, with their segment exclusive AWD. So within their portfolio they obviously didn't feel pressured to go Atlas/Ascent size, let alone behemoth Traverse/Enclave.
sienna's a minivan, with an ANCIENT interior, which is a niche vehicle. I don't consider the transverse/enclave 'behemoths'... their 3rd row is just 'ok' (vs. awful in many 3 rows). now a suburban or expedition... they're big!
Toyota drags its heels on a lot of things, look at how long it took for a 3 row Lexus to show up, and even then, pretty terrible (since it's Highlander based). This may not bode well for an improved (read: significantly enlarged) RX-L, so maybe they'll have an more dedicated larger 3 row for Lexus, since they don't have Sienna to offer for larger 3 row needs.
Yeah the RX-L is lame and looks horrible with a wheelbase that's too short.
So within their portfolio they obviously didn't feel pressured to go Atlas/Ascent size, let alone behemoth Traverse/Enclave.
Toyota has 4Runner, Sienna, Sequoia and Land Cruiser within their portfolio. They also have the Lexus version too that overlap price points. Back when they released the Highlander info, they clearly said “empty nesters” are a segment they want to target. This new Highlander is designed to appeal to a segment that is slightly different than those who put all the emphasis on 3rd two space. 3rd row space is meaningless to me. I would love it if they offered a 2 row version like they do in the 4Runner
12-04-19, 03:58 PM
