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April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/toyota_highlander_2001

  Eric Peters
EditorEric Peters

Toyota's successful penetration of the U.S. light truck/SUV market continues with the all-new 2001 Highlander, the ideal midsize SUV for the person who likes the Lexus RX300, but not the window sticker that comes with the RX.

That's because the Highlander shares its basic platform with the RX300. Similarities abound, from the interior's characteristic shifter console to the layout of the front-drive/all-wheel drivetrain. The interior space is comparable, too, with plenty of room for five people plus a cargo area in the rear. With its rear seats folded down, the Highlander has 81.4 cubic feet of interior storage space (38.5 with the rear seats up) and can pull up to 3500 pounds when properly equipped.

Differences lie in the overall shape (the Toyota has a boxier and more pugnacious stance than the softer, rounder RX300), in the standard V-6 in the RX300 (the Highlander comes standard with a four-cylinder; the RX's 220-hp V-6 is optional) and the overall differing ambience and level of features and equipment one would expect to encounter in a luxury vehicle (the Lexus) vs. the more bourgeois Toyota.

And let's not forget the tab. Base model, four-cylinder, front-drive Highlanders carry a sticker price of $23,995; loaded V-6 models equipped with all-wheel drive have an MSRP of $26,975. The base front-drive RX300, meanwhile, stickers at $33,905.

Prestige rebate

And that’s the big lesson here. If you can live without the prestige nameplate of the RX300, it's possible to save a bunch of money and get a very similar vehicle, indeed, one built by the same company, using many of the same pieces, for thousands less.

The loaded V-6 model Highlander uses exactly the same 3.0-liter, 220-hp V-6 used in the RX300; the optional all-wheel-drive system, too, is almost identical to that used on the Lexus. And though the Highlander is bigger than the RX300, it weighs less, so it's probably quicker and more responsive.

Toyota's successful penetration of the U.S. light truck/SUV market continues with the all-new 2001 Highlander, the ideal midsize SUV for the person who likes the Lexus RX300, but not the window sticker that comes with the RX. That's because the Highlander shares its basic platform with the RX300. Similarities abound, from the interior's characteristic shifter console to the layout of the front-drive/all-wheel drivetrain. The interior space is comparable, too, with plenty of room for five people plus a cargo area in the rear. With its rear seats folded down, the Highlander has 81.4 cubic feet of interior storage space (38.5 with the rear seats up) and can pull up to 3500 pounds when properly equipped. Differences lie in the overall shape (the Toyota has a boxier and more pugnacious stance than the softer, rounder RX300), in the standard V-6 in the RX300 (the Highlander comes standard with a four-cylinder; the RX's 220-hp V-6 is optional) and the overall differing ambience and level of features and equipment one would expect to encounter in a luxury vehicle (the Lexus) vs. the more bourgeois Toyota. And let's not forget the tab. Base model, four-cylinder, front-drive Highlanders carry a sticker price of $23,995; loaded V-6 models equipped with all-wheel drive have an MSRP of $26,975. The base front-drive RX300, meanwhile, stickers at $33,905. Prestige rebate And that’s the big lesson here. If you can live without the prestige nameplate of the RX300, it's possible to save a bunch of money and get a very similar vehicle, indeed, one built by the same company, using many of the same pieces, for thousands less. The loaded V-6 model Highlander uses exactly the same 3.0-liter, 220-hp V-6 used in the RX300; the optional all-wheel-drive system, too, is almost identical to that used on the Lexus. And though the Highlander is bigger than the RX300, it weighs less, so it's probably quicker and more responsive. Toyota's successful penetration of the U.S. light truck/SUV market continues with the all-new 2001 Highlander, the ideal midsize SUV for the person who likes the Lexus RX300 , but not the window sticker that comes with the RX. That's because the Highlander shares its basic platform ...