Cory Wolfe

Damn.. If get an extra, send it to me.

Good point. I find it funny about the crash tests. The NHTSA's procedures result in most vehicle getting good ratings. They need to adopt the IIHS's procedures. Not only are they tougher, they're more realistic.

What do you guys have planned this weekend? Myself, as usual, am going to the Knox Dale Homecoming, so I won't online. Don't celebrate too much.

Like with the rear, it's attractive. I was so surprised when I saw this. I mean... I was losing faith in Chrysler's ability to design a good looking vehicle.

Haha... Do I seem mad to you? I'm sorry.. I'll try better to emote my emotions.

Haha... so looks only matter on the outside?

Haha... That's just funny.

That, a personal attack? The only one in need of an ego check is yourself. Making false claims about something of which you have no room to speak of... Essentially putting down an entire forum because of your own problems? Yeah. Yes, it looks positively attractive from that angle. I'm glad I'm able to say that about a Chrysler product again.

Haha, I swear you found my parent's reciepts from ours. Yes, I would stay away from S-10s. I'd try to find a Jeep Cherokee, personally. Perhaps a Ford Bronco or the aforementioned K Blazers. I'd also looking into an 87 or older Chevy pickup.

After the numerous hills I had to push myself to ride up on the 23 mile ride I took today... But I like the exercise.

Haha, well, I skimmed over that part. A few suggestions that haven't been mentioned: Infiniti G35 Pontiac Firebird Chevy Camaro Lincoln LS

Haha... I so thought this had to do with erectile dysfunction. Oops.

New only? Or will you consider used?

That's fair. I do agree with most of that. My hypocracy?! :rotflmao:

The boot... Not bees, but depending on if I'm with someone or not, there can be something in there. :wink:

Looks good, but whether GM brings it to production or not is the question.

I'm not the one defending a silly color for some odd reason, and yet, can't even back up statements. My bonnet is completely bee-less.

So what exactly will this compete with?

No, I'm not joking. Just look around. Many of the members, whether they're GM fans, Chrysler fans, Ford fans, Toyota fans, Honda Fans, etc... They're longtime members. They stick around. If you can't see beyond you're own bias, that's you're own problem, not one with this forum. Perhaps stepping off your pedestal will help you "see the light". So, by all definitions, you're a troll. Nice to know. :wink:

I can't say for sure as I haven't had the luck to find one unlocked as I did with this Highlander. Based on looks alone and what I've head of each, I would say that the Lambdas have a good chance of being the class-leaders. It was slightly shocking, for sure.

Happy birthday, Sir.

This is the Lounge. No guests can view it and the majority of members who view it regularly post. Guess who posts regularly? GM fanatics. So yeah, your point isn't much of a point. It's far from a "public service / perception correction" in here. "The point is --as alluded to by 98-- is that hondacuras are not supposed to have ANY of these issues, whereas Pontiacs & Chevys are supposed to be loaded with them." Let me get this straight... You are saying that the perception of Hondas/Acuras/etc being imaculate while the perception of Pontiacs/Chevrolets/etc being far from imaculate is wrong, and the perception of the former is more incorrect than the latter, while no vehicle is immune to problems, and you'll point out problems on the one of the former only because of the perception problem, but leave alone the fact that many vehicles suffer from the problems... You're essentially letting the latter get off scott-free. The former is okay to take issue with because of its perception, but the latter, no, let's not worry any problems of those. Tell me, how is that not what I said it was? This whole discussion of perceptions and being just to bash other vehicles with BS "public service" in a forum where only members of a GM fansite can see is absolutely retarded. All of you who think lowering yourself to the level of others makes any damn sense have such warped perceptions of your own.

Ouch. Hope the recovery is quick.

I was thinking... If the windshield surround was black instead of silver, it would make this color stand out even further. Although, I've never liked converts with silver windshield surrounds in the first place.

The other night, I was in Dubois and stopped at Stoltz Toyota/Scion. They had a row of 4 or 5 new Highlanders on the lot. I figured I'd check them out and take some pictures. To my luck, they left one of them unlocked. I was able to fully check everything out besides actually driving it. Thus, I give you my attempt at a half-assed review. Exterior First, I must say it wasn't as bad in person as it originally looked in pictures. While completely lacking in personality, it doesn't induce vomiting, require blindness, or inspire death wishes as select other Toyotas may. It's different enough to be ever so slightly unique, yet bland enough to keep it from straying too far astray. Toyota's few attempts to inject passion into it's vehicle's sheetmetal has resulted in rather ungainly styling. Thankfully, the Highlander's worse design aspect is it's somewhat frumpy front fascia. The headlights flow out of the fenders and around to the front, where they curve down towards the grill. The angle at which they cut off makes for a rather droopy look. The downward trapezoidal shaped grill does as well, and is the most prominent feature. It is compromised of three horizontal bars with slight chrome strips. Above it, creases bulge out of the hood near each upper corner of the grill. The sides feature flared fenders that visually move into each fascia. Where they intersect the rocker panel, there is a chrome strip spanning the distance in between each. The greenhouse is decidedly nondescript with the only interesting aspect being the slight rise in the beltline aft of the rear door. Out back, the three-element tailights come around the fenders and end abruptly at the hatch. Below, the top inward shape of the bumper sweeps up to the corner of each taillight. Creating a familiar look all around, the rear mimics details as seen up front such as the license plate cutout shape, the round inset reflectors, as well as the lower bumper design. Attractive 5-spoke wheels adorn the "Sport" and "Limited" trims, as indicated by a badge located high on each front door. Overall, the Highlander is a very conservative and unoffensive looking crossover. Interior Upon first setting foot inside the Highlander, a familiar aura emits from the interior. Everything has that "Toyota" look of conservatism to it. Nothing jumps out at you as being truly new, or interesting for that matter. It's an attractive interior, certainly not displeasing to the eye by any means. The stacked dashboard, radio and climate controls, and the overall layout are all fairly similar to many other Toyotas. Only the steering wheel appears to be shared. The controls are easy to use and work fluidly. A double set of knobs are found on the edge of the radio/climate controls. A good idea on paper, not such in person when you must reach over to the far knobs. Looking around, there are many upscale touches to be discovered. Bits of chrome, optitron gauges, push-button ignition, JBL sound system, etc.; all the amenities one could possibly want in a family-toting crossover, including cup-holders galore. In the cargo hold, there looked to be lots of room and some slightly innovating ideas, such as the seating/console configurations. Back up front, wood grain covers the center console, lower tier of the center stack, and the door pulls. While nearly all vehicles contain wood grain these days, it looks and feels more fake than what you'll find in your Great Grandmother's '89 Century Custom. The grain, color, and finish are below par. Speaking of being below par, I've yet to touch on the subject of plastic quality. Before doing so, I will say the the fit and finish was impeccable. Not a gab uneven or a piece loose. There were no faults on that front. The materials, themselves, on the other hand, where not what you would expect in a $38k Toyota. The entire dashboard and the majority of the door panels were covered with hard plastic. The only soft-touch areas were the leather covered arm rests on the center console and the doors, as well as a small slab above the rests on the door. On a positive note, the plastics were nicely grained. To conclude, the Highlander's interior is decent, but unimpressive. Final Thoughts To be entirely honest, I was more impressed than I expected to be, yet equally let down. It's a nice crossover that should suit many families fine. It has no glaring faults that would keep any potential customer from purchasing it. Comparing it to others, it doesn't seem class-leading, but is good enough to give Toyota an increase in sales, justified or not. It's certainly the no-excuses default choice for many people out there and getting the lines of non-thinkers to choose a competing vehicle will be difficult. How it holds up in reliability with Toyota's recent mishaps will be interesting to watch.