2019 Toyota Highlander - Better Than the New Model?

the 2019 Toyota Highlander is America's second best-selling midsize SUV and there are many reasons why people love it however the 2020 Highlander is here it is bigger more refined and much more upscale this video is part 2 of my Highlander review series part 1 I showcased a brand new Highlander and compared it to the 2019 model and if you haven't watched it click above right now this video which is part 2 I'm going to showcase the 2019 Toyota Highlander and bring up reasons why you may want to grab a 2019 while they are still being sold there are some compelling reasons why alright let's get started now first I want to give a big shout out to continental Toyota for making this video possible so if you're in the market for a brand new or used Toyota then definitely check out continental Toyota their information is on the screen and also in the description of this video the third generation of the Highlander was introduced in 2014 and since then there has been several exterior refreshes to keep up with the times the 2019 Highlander is much more squared off and chiseled and reminds me of the profile of a Grand Cherokee which to me has the perfect look for mid-sized SUV the front end is dominated by a large chrome grille that carries into the lower bumper and take a look at those large headlights headlights are halogen across all trims but the upper trends get projector treatment fog lights are also available on the upper trims on the side the proportions on the 2.19 looks right for a midsize SUV high-roof short overhang and squared off wheel fenders lower trims get 18-inch alloy wheels while upper trims get 19-inch wheels like you see here the back end especially the taillights remind me of a Grand Cherokee same shape same look on top there's a large spoiler with a large privacy and I'm bottom a lot of black cladding here's a quick look of the front side and back of a 2019 versus a 2020 moving on to the trunk the 2019 Highlander is shorter than the 2020 so there is less cargo room behind the third row and second row however with all the seats down the cargo room is actually very similar underneath the bottom cover you had tools your privacy cover and spare tire seats fold down by tugging on the straps on the seat backs inside this limited trim you are greeted with black leather with a pair of captain chairs for amenities you get a pair of USB ports a household outlet and climate controls same as 2020 also second row sun shades are here but they are a bit more difficult to get hooked here is another minor reasons why the 2019 may be better than the 2020 and that's third row access for the kids take a look at the fold-out cupholders when you need them fold them out but when you don't fold them back down in a 2020 there are cupholders that stick up from the floor which are not removable this is something small but I thought is worth mentioning for adults you have to fold down the second row the opening to get in a third row is smaller than a 2020 and the seats are just as uncomfortable as for the second row I'm 5 feet 10 and I have a good 8 to 10 inches of legroom and at least 6 inches of headroom I feel it's just as spacious in the 2019 Highlander vs. the 2020 moving on to the front the cabinet of 2019 looks okay clearly the 2020 has an edge and looks a lot more upscale but nothing is terrible in 2019 the steering wheel has a good thickness and at ten and two spots are actually a little bit thicker than a 2021 the buns on the left control the info screen where you could get some useful information about your Highlander and some safety features where you could turn on or off left buttons are for volume radio modes and phone controls buttons on the left side of steering wheel are for auto high beam engine auto start/stop power tailgate and parking sensors moving on to the infotainment screen this is where 2019 Highlander shows its age the screen has large icons and around the side are some quick navigation buttons but the interface resolution responsiveness is lacking and also no apple carplay nor Android auto climate control below is OK the NAS for temperature are a little bit too thin but all the other buttons are big and easy to understand such as fan control rear temperature defroster options the shelf underneath the control span to the passenger side and is much larger than the ones you see in the 2020 model underneath the Shelf you have buttons for traction control snow mode hill descent and locking center differential you have a standard shifter cupholders heated and ventilated seats controls but those controls look very dated to me like what you would find from 1990s Lexus the armrest is covered in hard plastic and they aren't very functional inside just a tray and a lot of space on top you have a sunroof now the 2019 Highlander has two engine options the base L trim comes with a 2.7 liter 4-cylinder pushing a 185 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque this engine is mated to a 6-speed auto all other trims get a 3.5 liter v6 pushing 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque now this engine is mated to an 8-speed Auto as for safety feature the 2019 Highlander is equipped with Toyota's safety sense P which includes pre-collision system dynamic radar cruise control Lane Departure alert and Auto high beams what's missing versus the 2020 Highlander is Lane tracing Assist which keeps you within the lanes when used in conjunction with the dynamic cruise control and also Road sinuses which can read the speed limit signs all right I'm behind the wheel of this 2019 Toyota Highlander and I'm going to see how this is on the roads so first impression is I actually really like this driving position this is a midsize SUV and you definitely get that commanding view and that's surprising I thought this Highlander would sit lower to the ground but actually when I'm sitting here behind the steering wheel I actually get a really good commanding view of the road and I think a lot of you guys will enjoy that now in addition to this commanding view I will say that these seats are actually really comfortable they're really soft they don't hold me in as well as I would like but I do feel like you know what the bottom cushion is nice and soft it's holding in my butt and overall I think this is a seat that I could be driving for hours upon hours and still be comfortable in so I do like these seats quite a bit now in terms of visibility it's actually really good as well because of this seating position I can see well over the hood no problems with that there's nothing on the hood that's ball Jeon or anything that that I can't see over the windshield is big the side windows are nice and big blind spot back there very very narrow but I'm just limited you do get blind spot monitoring so that's not a problem as well now and the back window even with the third row headrest up they don't block the middle they're kind of out of the way so I could still see out out the back window which is really nice you know I don't hear much at all from the engine from the exhaust from the road cars passing by I don't hear it it is really well insulated except for the fact that the window seems maybe some of the insulation is not put on as good as it should be because I do hear a little bit of wind noise creep through but outside of that it is a really really quiet ride in here now I've owned a few Highlanders in the past the first generation and the second generation which both had very light steering and some people like that some people don't so I'm surprised by the steering in this one it's actually a lot heavier it's it's a surprise so when you're making turns you do feel it if it's heavier than before and I do enjoy that it feels like you know there's more weight to it and you're more you know connected with this Highlander unfortunately though it's not very precise so there's play as you can see like this does not cause any movement in the Highlander as for the steering wheel itself I like the bolstering on here the tended to spot nice and thick the leather is a little bit slippery but you know what I think a lot of you guys would enjoy this okay just a salary up to 60 miles per hour I think this engine is v6 naturally aspirated pushing 295 horsepower it does the job the same thing with this transmission I got up to speed relatively quick I didn't feel like that was slow at all and in terms of passing you guys won't have a problem and the engine is actually very quiet you know even under 4th acceleration there wasn't much noise alright so as for suspension I'm on a freeway that's pretty bumpy let me change to the middle lane here because this is a bumpiest laying out of these three so I was for suspension it's okay when it was smooth roads it definitely was very comfortable but now that there's a lot more bumps and dips and imperfections I don't feel like quite a bit more so than some of the other SUVs I've tested recently it's not bad but you know what it could be better the brakes brakes are normal they don't feel mushy and they catch on one expected doesn't catch on too early or too late so brakes are good for the 2019 Toyota Highlander there are six trim levels with a base L starting around thirty one thousand eight hundred and thirty dollars and a limited platinum topping out around forty seven thousand five hundred ten dollars on all trims all wheel drive adds on about fifteen hundred dollars however right now with the 2020s out Toyota dealerships are discounting the 2019 s heavily many Highlanders are being sold with three four five or even six K off MSRP and there are still plenty of 2019 in stock lastly let's do the good and bad verses of 2020 Highlander starting with the good some may prefer Dexter style in the 2019 over to 2020 visibility is slightly better and a back window does open third row axis is slightly easier for the kids because of the fold-out cupholders same engine transmission and gets the same fuel economy the 2019 has a very comfortable and quiet ride that is similar to the new model and lastly probably the biggest good is the substantial discount right now on a 2019 s versus the new model as for the bad versus the 2020 Highlander some may prefer to new exterior styling the infotainment and cabin just looks dated and is dated there's smaller cargo room overall and in last certain tech features such as apple carplay and android auto so in den which one do you prefer - 2019 or 2020 leave your thoughts below I'm giving the 2019 Toyota Highlander an overall score of 94 and if you want to see how it compares to the brand-new Highlander and others check out drivers only rankings calm thanks for watching hit the like and subscribe to the channel and check out these other videos [Music]

Channel: Drivers Only

Views: 228,750

Keywords: 2019 Toyota Highlander, 2019 Toyota Highlander Limited, 2019 Toyota Highlander Limited Platinum, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Highlander 2019, 2019 Highlander, 2019 toyota highlander vs 2020 toyota highlander, 2019 highlander vs 2020, highlander 2019, highlander 2019 vs 2020, drivers only, toyota highlander 2019, toyota, toyota highlander, Highlander 2020

Id: 3GEyz3Ivars

Length: 13min 1sec (781 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 02 2020