| remydog |
With great sadness, my lease is over and I must turn in my '04 next week. I will miss the terrific handling, smooth acceleration, gobs of room and great looks.
I will not miss the fuel economy or the lack of a suitable place to put my left arm while driving.
I would have replaced it with an '07, but -- still no hybrid in the line, same lousy arm rest, and the new engine drives nothing like the old one. It is terribly rough as others have mentioned in these threads. I also can't believe that the only way to get a power lift gate is to buy the dvd unit at $2000. Well, I don't sit in the back seat, so it does me no friggin' good! But I do use the lift gate all the time and having it automated like on my wife's Odyssey is a pleasure at times.
It's really a shame because I like the styling of the new car and the very cool new nav set up.
The likely replacement will be an '07 Highlander hybrid -- same horsepower rating as my '04, but in a lighter and more nimble package. It does have its shortcomings, but for substantially less money, and much better fuel economy, it's hard to look for anything else. (The cvt transmission is also pretty cool.)
The biggest disappointments for me on the Hihy are the nav unit (can't program while driving) and lack of bluetooth and xm. I decided to buy the car without the nav and will spend the money I saved on an aftermarket in-dash pioneer unit that includes all the features and more (ipod, rear camera and traffic) that Toyota neglected to include.
I have hugely enjoyed my visits to this board and participating in so many great discussions. Maybe by 2010 Acura will have eliminated the current shortcomings and I'll be back! |
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| JeffK |
Good luck!
Hope you drove the Highlander before you bought: The handling might be a bit on the "soft" side.
Did you look at the Honda Pilot? I believe it is less than the Highlander.
JeffK |
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| BostonX |
| Remydog's point is well taken; I start to get excited about the new MDX, but when I remember that the gas mileage is even worse than my already expensive-to-operate 2005 I find myself looking for alternatives... |
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| theseans |
Not to mention that the Highlander is nearly invisible from a styling stand-point...a million things higher on my priority list than looks and design usually, but that little detail has kept me from buying a highlander twice now. That, and the 60k Cdn. sticker price on the Hybrid....
quote:
Originally posted by JeffK
Good luck!
Hope you drove the Highlander before you bought: The handling might be a bit on the "soft" side.
Did you look at the Honda Pilot? I believe it is less than the Highlander.
JeffK
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| vicpai |
.....both the Highlander and Highlander Hybrid are completely new.
See here:
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/futu..._HIGHLANDER_IMG
also a pic on the toyota website shows the Hybrid can be operated in "electric only" and "econ" modes and its rated at the same fuel economy figures on the new 2008 EPA tests!
Here are a couple pics I could find: |
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| vicpai |
| ....in one thread. So here are a few more: |
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| vicpai |
| ....interior shots |
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| ctt61 |
| my 2005 will be off lease next year, love to see mdx hybrid other wise might have to turn to 2008 highlander hybrid. anyone know if we will ever see mdx hybrid anytime soon |
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