2020 Highlander vs 2nd generation CX-9

arock712

arock712

:
2017 CX9 GT AWD
The exterior styling of the Highlander doesn't look that great with all the body creases and lines. It looks like it's dented in the rear. Would definitely go with a darker color to minimize the lines. Probably need to see it in person. But, I'll keep my 2017 CX-9, thank you very much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nglDwiREHFE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l47xIyJ65kg

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Is the new Highlander all new, or is it just a facelift over the previous version?

I've ridden in the previous version. Typical high Toyota quality, roomy, ride & fuel consumption weren't as good as my CX9.
 
I'm glad I did not hold out for this new Highlander and went ahead and got the CX-9. I think this is a total miss. The exterior styling is just odd to me. That line that runs from the lower door down and up and over the wheel well is not attractive and that rear end with what looks like dents, is strange. Exhaust is buried under the car but at least no fake tips. Same powertrain with the same V-6 and 8 speed. I hope they fixed the throttle response. Infotainment screen is too big. What's next a 22 inch screen so no one looks at the road? They didn't add much if any cargo space to that's a tie with the CX-9. Other than potential resale and the V-6 that so many seem to want the CX-9 blows it away. The early reviews from Redline and Alex on Auto's seem to be mehhh but it will sell.
 
PTguy said:
Is the new Highlander all new, or is it just a facelift over the previous version?

I've ridden in the previous version. Typical high Toyota quality, roomy, ride & fuel consumption weren't as good as my CX9.
Click to expand...

This is all new, well, aside from the usual engine/tranny carryover. 4th generation.

I agree with others, they missed the mark on many aspects with this one. In 2018, I was between the Highlander and CX-9 and fortunately went with Mazda. I'd never consider this one.

They bucked the trend of increasimg size which I believe was the wrong move in this segment. As the CX-9 is criticized all the time for smaller interior dimensions, Toyota comes along and actually decreases total cargo volume 10 cu ft now matching the CX-9's! Look at how hot the Telluride is and soon the Palisade. Largely because of their impressive packaging and real 3rd row seats.

Why was Toyota afraid to add just 6 more inches and increase that awkwardly short wheelbase? Having bigger SUVs in it's lineup shouldn't have been the reason. I wonder if it's to more easily sell them in other markets that need smaller proportions.

Regardless, it'll still be a best seller because it's a "Toyota Highlander". Was just hoping for something more compelling. We'll, it does make me feel even better that my older CX-9 is better than the all new 2020 Highlander.
 
JPL said:
This is all new, well, aside from the usual engine/tranny carryover. 4th generation.

I agree with others, they missed the mark on many aspects with this one. In 2018, I was between the Highlander and CX-9 and fortunately went with Mazda. I'd never consider this one.

They bucked the trend of increasimg size which I believe was the wrong move in this segment. As the CX-9 is criticized all the time for smaller interior dimensions, Toyota comes along and actually decreases total cargo volume 10 cu ft now matching the CX-9's! Look at how hot the Telluride is and soon the Palisade. Largely because of their impressive packaging and real 3rd row seats.

Why was Toyota afraid to add just 6 more inches and increase that awkwardly short wheelbase? Having bigger SUVs in it's lineup shouldn't have been the reason. I wonder if it's to more easily sell them in other markets that need smaller proportions.

Regardless, it'll still be a best seller because it's a "Toyota Highlander". Was just hoping for something more compelling. We'll, it does make me feel even better that my older CX-9 is better than the all new 2020 Highlander.
Click to expand...


Yup, the interesting part is that these will sell like hot cakes. Local dealers at Toyota are hardly ever willing to budge on price for new 'Yotas, and I expect this one will be no different.
Personally, I like it. It looks bulbous, but IMO they had to do it this way to keep it less masculine which is opposite of the Rav 4

About the others...I like the Atlas, but I feel like the Telluride is going to age quickly, and finally... the ascent just doesn't look right
 
Coming from a 2013 Toyota Venza Ltd to a 2019 CX-9 GT I evaluated the Highlander Ltd Platinum and the Honda Pilot Touring. Originally I was leaning to the Highlander as my Venza has been the most reliable car I've ever owned in 45 years of driving. The problems with the Platinum trim level nav/infotainment system and voice commands dropped it from my list and the Honda also has serious problems with their infotainment/nav and digital instrument cluster so that was a no-go.

In my rural area the other players potentially were Nissan Pathfinder which is very outdated and the new VW Atlas which according to owner's forums and Consumer Reports is a problem plagued mess. We don't have a Subaru dealer within 100 miles so that was out as well. Cannot bring myself to even consider a Kia or Hyundai product. Domestic mid-size SUV's from Jeep, Dodge, Ford, Chevy, Lincoln all have lousy reliability reports and for the most part very cheap interiors and substandard fit and finish.

The new 2020 Gen 4 Highlander style is OK, surprised they went smaller and not larger, and hopefully their infotainment works better to go with the bigger screen. I don't know why they don't have dual exhausts (neither does the Pilot); my Venza did and I thought maybe the new Highlander would but they passed. Overall nothing here to make me regret my decision to get the CX-9.
 
Very odd styling cues. To me it looks like one person designed the upper portion and someone else the lower portion. I don't understand the direction that Toyota is going with their SUVs. At one point they seemed to be following Lexus but with a more conservative bent (especially with the huge grilles). Now they appear to be heading in some other direction. Prior to getting serious about a new vehicle I thought that a Highlander would our most likely candidate and that maybe we should wait on the 2020 redesign. I'm now even happier that we went with the '19 CX-9.
 
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I went over to the Highlander forum to see what those folks are saying and it's not good. Not many like what they've done. Of course taken with grain of salt because many already own one but the over take away is negative. Of course everyone says get a Telluride or Palisade and the CX-9 gets nary a mention.
 
I would say the new one is a big improvement over the current from the inside, still s top choice for most who want to be sensible and doesn't need all that space.

As for the exterior, to be fair when was there ever someone looked at the Highlander and say"wow what a good looking car, I must go get one", I have to see it in person first, right now it looks too minivan.
 
JPL said:
This is all new, well, aside from the usual engine/tranny carryover. 4th generation.

I agree with others, they missed the mark on many aspects with this one. In 2018, I was between the Highlander and CX-9 and fortunately went with Mazda. I'd never consider this one.

They bucked the trend of increasimg size which I believe was the wrong move in this segment. As the CX-9 is criticized all the time for smaller interior dimensions, Toyota comes along and actually decreases total cargo volume 10 cu ft now matching the CX-9's! Look at how hot the Telluride is and soon the Palisade. Largely because of their impressive packaging and real 3rd row seats.

Why was Toyota afraid to add just 6 more inches and increase that awkwardly short wheelbase? Having bigger SUVs in it's lineup shouldn't have been the reason. I wonder if it's to more easily sell them in other markets that need smaller proportions.

Regardless, it'll still be a best seller because it's a "Toyota Highlander". Was just hoping for something more compelling. We'll, it does make me feel even better that my older CX-9 is better than the all new 2020 Highlander.
Click to expand...

They actually increased the wheelbase by a couple inches according to one of the articles I read, but kept the overall length the same. What is odd is the reduction in the overall cargo volume, they must have sculpted the back more and angled the rear glass, losing some volume in the process. The platform is shared with several vehicles, so they are probably constrained on how big they can make it. I think they want to sell Sequoia's too, so they don't want to make it much bigger than it currently is.

The most compelling feature to me is the hybrid drivetrain, which is available on all trim levels and hopefully is a reasonable price delta over non-hybrid AWD version. 34 mpg combined is pretty impressive in this segment, although that's the EPA rating.

Toyota's styling is not appealing to me at all. The current Prius is the worst offender. Unfortunately, Toyota seems to be hell-bent on making all their other vehicles look like it.
 
Apparently it does have a torque vectoring AWD set up. Not sure if that is new or not but that would go in the plus column.
 
jal142 said:
They actually increased the wheelbase by a couple inches according to one of the articles I read, but kept the overall length the same. What is odd is the reduction in the overall cargo volume, they must have sculpted the back more and angled the rear glass, losing some volume in the process. The platform is shared with several vehicles, so they are probably constrained on how big they can make it. I think they want to sell Sequoia's too, so they don't want to make it much bigger than it currently is.

The most compelling feature to me is the hybrid drivetrain, which is available on all trim levels and hopefully is a reasonable price delta over non-hybrid AWD version. 34 mpg combined is pretty impressive in this segment, although that's the EPA rating.

Toyota's styling is not appealing to me at all. The current Prius is the worst offender. Unfortunately, Toyota seems to be hell-bent on making all their other vehicles look like it.
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Yea that hybrid offers attractive mpg and combined power, hopefully will be priced reasonably, that might make me consider one as I live in a city.
I'm not sure about the size been a mistake though, most of the buyers just need an emergency 3rd row and the Highlander is perfect for that just like Kia's Sorento.
I do agree Toyota is missing a vehicle to compete with the larger offerings.
 
jasong7131 said:
Yea that hybrid offers attractive mpg and combined power, hopefully will be priced reasonably, that might make me consider one as I live in a city.
I'm not sure about the size been a mistake though, most of the buyers just need an emergency 3rd row and the Highlander is perfect for that just like Kia's Sorento.
I do agree Toyota is missing a vehicle to compete with the larger offerings.
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While I would have liked to see it about 8" bigger, it's certainly not going to be the main thing that hinders sales. I think styling might be the main reason some will turn away. Not every entry needs to be near Traverse size. That said, the main complaint I always read about mid-size 3-rows is the tiny 3rd row. After that, the space behind the 3rd row. Only natural that automakers address this more and more.

You could say that Toyota doesn't have a crossover that matches the bigger 3-rows in its class, but remember that Toyota has more SUV's/crossovers than probably anyone. There's the Sequoia, which of course is body on frame. As well as the Land Cruiser, however really expensive. Remember Kia/Hyundai more easily went to the big end of the segment as those are the biggest vehicles they make now. Toyota may be figuring, if you're a Toyota buyer and want BIG, you have the Sequoia. Too bad it's a dinosaur at this point. We need an all new Tundra before we get a new Sequoia.
 
I'll take my 9 all the way. No regrets. How can Honda and Toyota and others offer ugly or no exhaust systems at this price point?
 
ntdouglas said:
I'll take my 9 all the way. No regrets. How can Honda and Toyota and others offer ugly or no exhaust systems at this price point?
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What do you mean "no exhaust system"??

If you are referring to the "dual exhaust" on the CX-9 vs the single exhaust on the Toyota... this so called "dual exhaust" is more of a visual gimmick on these cars than anything else. The 2 OUTLETs on the CX-9 are just that - two pipes coming out of a single muffler. Looks cool, but no performance gains. Zero.
If they put one pipe the results will be exactly the same. Toyota is using a single muffler with single outlet pipe. Their V6, with the "single exhaust" is still a very impressive engine with plenty of power, super smooth, nice sound, and proven reliability.
Having driven both cars, i can also tell you that the CX-9 exhaust tone is no better than the sound the V6 Toyota makes. Our CX-9 sounds just like any 4-cyl car out there, nothing special in the exhaust. I personally prefer the sound of the V6.

And to be fair, the dual exhaust outlets on the CX-9, in stock form, visually are very small and look horribly undersized on such big car.
Mazda is using the same size outlets on the CX-9 as the ones they use on the Mazda 2 & 3. They just look tiny on the SUV. I had to purchase bigger diameter exhaust tips in order to fix this look. Looks much much better now.
Still not sure why Mazda could not add the bigger exhaust tips in the factory, especially on the $45K Signature trim.
 
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