21st Nov 2006, 18:14

No, the GMC CAN'T stand in the shadow of the Highlander. The Highlander is usually going too slow to safely be in its shadow very long without getting run over. Before making such silly statements as 13:48 the commenter needs to read the SCORES of negative comments on various Highlander reviews regarding poor performance (slow as a BRICK), erratic handling, poor (or non-existent) braking, safety recalls involving sticking accelerators, air bags and other serious safety issues, and the problematic transmissions that can't decide when to shift. Out of 9 SUV's we've driven (all equipped with 6's) the Highlander was not only the slowest, it was DANGEROUSLY SLOW, as so many other comments have indicated. Even the Ford Escape we drove would have run rings around it (not to mention being safer and actually having brakes that worked).

21st Nov 2006, 19:20

When my wife and I test drove a V-6 Highlander we were very disappointed in the poor acceleration. It was slower than all the other similar SUV's we drove. In addition, the one we drove felt very unstable when braking. It seemed to pull heavily to the left side. Those factors, plus a poor fit and finish in the interior quickly convinced us the Highlander was not an acceptable choice for us. We found Toyota's reputation for quality unwarranted in this particular vehicle.

22nd Nov 2006, 15:16

The Highlander would probably be an excellent vehicle for older people or people who only want basic transportation with a bit more room than a regular sedan, however those looking for spirited performance or off-road performance and speed need to look at more powerful, truck based SUV's. The Highlander is basically a "crossover" design. It's based on a car and is not supposed to be competing with more traditional SUV's such as Chevy Trailblazers, GMC's, Durangos or other genuine SUV's built on more rugged truck platforms. To try to compare them with such vehicles is not an even comparison by any stretch of the imagination. For really spirited performance in a car based SUV the very powerful new Mazda crossover deserves a good look.

22nd Nov 2006, 21:30

Both my wife and my brother-in-law are in the medical profession. It is absolutely imperative that they have reliable vehicles that they can depend on to get them to the hospital at any time in any weather. This is especially true of my brother-in-law, who can be called in for emergency surgeries at almost any time. From 1992 to late 2001 my brother-in-law drove a 4-wheel drive Ford Explorer. In well over 100,000 miles it never failed him (or his patients) once. His next choice was the 4-wheel drive Chevy trailblazer. It, too, has performed flawlessly for almost 100,000 miles. From '98 until 2003 my wife also chose the Explorer. She also had not one problem. In early 2003, being very impressed with the incredible smoothness and power of my brother-in-law's Trailblazer, she opted for a 2-wheel drive GMC Envoy (essentially identical mechanically to the Trailblazer, but with more appealing styling and a nicer interior). In almost 4 years it has never seen the inside of a repair shop. Even with the 6 it has far more power than the V-8 Explorers and is much faster and smoother, and even with only two-wheel drive it has proven incredibly stable in inclement weather. To say that these vehicles could not "stand in the shadow" of the lowly Highlander is ludicrous. That commenter has obviously never even ridden in one of these very solid and reliable vehicles. Both my family and that of my brother-in-law own other vehicles (a Jaguar, a Porsche 911 turbo, a Ford truck and a Chevy Suburban). The ones that lives depend on, however, are the solid and very well built GM mid-size SUV's. They've never let us down when it truly mattered.

24th Nov 2006, 15:42

I also can't help, but notice there are no HIGHLANDER ambulances. Thank God for that!!

27th Nov 2006, 15:44

The Highlander has enough power. If you want to squeal the tires or whatever, buy another make; and when you finally see your GMC being dragged out of your driveway to the scrapyard, you can be sure that the Highlander you decided to buy will probably be reliable for another 100,000 miles. Then you can buy another crappy GMC. And for your information, General Motors had 30 recalls last year. Toyota had 12, a bad year for them. GM had 3.8 MILLION more vehicles on the road that were under recall than Toyota did. And if you add up ALL recalls by GM and then by Toyota in the last 10 years, the results are even more laughable. People that would pass up a Toyota drivetrain for a Ford Escape or an Envoy must be insane.

5th Dec 2006, 10:17

I have owned both Ford and Toyota products. My experience with both have been good. The Ford truck I own is now 9 years old. Great service. The Toyota I owned before gave equally good service for 7 years. My wife currently drives a Toyota. Not especially inspiring, it is however, very comfortable and efficient. It is like a good appliance. It does its job well enough that you forget it's there. It was designed and built to work. And it does. My parents are now in the process of selling their GM vehicle and moving to a Toyota. Their vehicle has plenty of power and style, but it is in the shop nearly every month. As for the Highlander (which this forum is supposedly about), I knew it was Camry based. I wondered how the acceleration would hold up with the extra weight of a larger body. Now I know!

7th Dec 2006, 13:40

Toyota doesn't issue voluntary recalls like Ford, GM and Chrysler. They only issue recalls for life-threatening safety issues.

As a rule, most Japanese manufacturers don't issue many recalls because they are not concerned with the satisfaction of their buyers. We've owned Fords that had recalls at 85,000 miles for very minor problems with the ignition system. It was repaired in 15 minutes free of charge on a 6 year old vehicle with 85,000 miles on it by our local Ford dealer. We even had one Ford that was recalled at 105,000 miles for a piece of interior trim that could warp if the car was left in the Sun too much!! Try finding that kind of customer concern from ANY Japanese company.

Look back at the comment from the Highlander owner who was told by a Toyota representative that they were aware of a problem with the brakes on his new Highlander, but told him they had no intention of repairing it "until there was an incident" (i.e., until someone gets killed!!) Gee, that's real customer service isn't it??

28th Dec 2006, 01:21

To the 27th Nov 2006, 15:44 commenter, there is where you're wrong. if you say that passing up a toyota DRIVE TRAIN for a gmc, etc., you'd better explain the recalls on the DRIVE TRAINS of the vehicles that were being compared. a drive train is only part of a vehicle, but not the whole vehicle.