Yesterday, I wrote about how none of my friends listen to me when I tell them there are vehicles they can buy that are not the Toyota Grand Highlander. Many of you had thoughts on this post and left hundreds of comments. One person who saw these comments was my friend, the physics professor who just purchased a Grand Highlander. Not only does he have thoughts, but he’s also tested at least one of your theories and proved it wrong.
Did I mention that he’s a professor of physics at a prestigious university? Also, did I point out that his wife is a psychology professor at a different, equally prestigious academic organization? I can promise you that the two of them approach every major decision with both a scientist’s eye for quantitative facts and a psychologist’s ability to suss out the deeper meaning behind human choices. The best way I can describe them is that they once invited us over to their house for a lovely homemade pizza dinner and a board game about winemaking that takes roughly three hours to play.
I probably should have mentioned to them that I was writing this article, but I know they read it because I got a text message from the physics professor this morning stating that “I see I made the press!” to which I replied, “Names were changed to protect the guilty.”
Specifically, he wanted to talk about a comment in this thread wherein regular V10omous pointed out that people are maybe too quick to assume minivans are always the answer. Other commenters accepted this notion, but then this exchange happened:
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You are going to be shocked to learn this, but the household with two college professor parents has a kid who plays the cello. And if that surprises you, you’ll be even more flummoxed when you learn that the physics prof tested this theory and sent me a photo:
Photo: My Friend
He proudly pointed out that he could fit two cellos and, honestly, it looks like I could put two more in there if I didn’t care about the cellos ever being used again.
I laughed so hard when I got this response from my friend, both because it’s exactly the kind of thing he would do and because the Grand Highlander has way more string instrument capacity than I realized. I knew I’d write a follow-up piece and asked if my friend had more to add.
He did. Below is the email I got from him this morning:
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It’s great to hear everyone’s comments about the new purchase. Here are some of my thoughts on what led us towards the Grand Highlander.
#1) We wanted a fuel-efficient car, preferably a hybrid. This is our primary long-distance road trip vehicle. I really enjoy driving fully electric vehicles, but charging adds significant time and mental stress to a road trip. Plus, in the NYC region, electricity is expensive (> $0.30 a kWh in home, fast charging station significantly more). At this rate, a fuel-efficient vehicle like the Grand Highlander Hybrid (35 MPG) has a comparable, if not cheaper, energy cost-per-mile than a Kia KV9. Aside: We didn’t consider the significantly less fuel-efficient Max version.
 #2) I’m biased towards Toyota’s hybrid e-CVT engine/transmission. It’s been around for decades, and I feel very confident in its reliability. My mother had a Prius for nearly 20 years and never had a problem with the engine/transmission.
 #2) We have three kids, including two teenagers, plus we often transport grandparents and friends. The third-row legroom was a real issue for us. Many 3-row crossovers have very little leg room in the back (Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX90, Volvo XC90, Hyundai Santa Fe, etc..). Comparable vehicles with enough legroom, like Pilot or Telluride, didn’t have a hybrid option. Note: We never considered a truck frame SUV like a Dodge Durango, Toyota Sequoia, Chevy Suburban. The added weight, cost, and poorer fuel efficiency removed them from our consideration.
 #3) In general, I agree with commenters that the minivan does everything we need and is potentially a more practical vehicle. For us, it was just a feel thing. I like to be happy driving a vehicle. I prefer the driver position, relative to the vehicle dimensions, and more relaxed seating in a crossover/SUV. I also prefer the higher vehicle clearance and having a spare tire, something not found in some minivans. Minivans are utilitarian, with gizmos like TVs and removable seats on rails, but it’s just not my thing.
Source: My Friend
Source: My Friend
#4) Some caveats. I don’t like the size and shape of the Grand Highlander front end. Granted, it is a very large vehicle, but it appears as though they tried to emphasize its size. There is a fair amount of space under the hood – like more than 6 inches above the engine. Maybe they could have made it slope down more, akin to a Volvo XC90. Perhaps the extra space is for the Max version of the engine, though I suspect they were trying to appeal to the desires of the North American market. Also, to be pedantic, but I’m not fan of the name “Grand Highlander.” Toyota makes a lot of vehicles, and maybe they didn’t have enough time to come up with another name. It feels uninspired, like the creation of the Grand Cherokee from the Cherokee. I wish they just numbered their vehicles like some of the competition: for example: Audi, BMW, and Mazda. However, maybe a lesson can be taken from Jeep’s example. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Grand Highlander soon outsells the Highlander.
One of my other questions for him was if he got an actual color, and his response was great:
We initially wanted white, but white makes a car look bigger (my psychologist wife keyed me in on this). That’s why we turned to blue.
I will say, selfishly, I’m also excited about this move because it means that my daughter will be able to go along with them for various adventures and save me a trip in our car. The excuse of “We only have the wagon” will no longer fly!
My friend also gave me a subtle hint as to why the Grand Highlander was a great purchase. He’d just spent a few weeks in South Africa and drove across that country in this thing, stuffed with seven people and luggage:
Photo: My Friend
That is a Toyota Rumion, which is actually a Suzuki Ertiga. It’s a small MPV. While I think this little van is awesome, I’m sure a couple of weeks in it would also make me reach for the biggest Toyota I could find the day I got home, which basically is what happened.
In our house we call it the RAV5, because that’s what it looks like from the rear. Much better name than Grandiose Highlander.
The Car Accumulator
1 day ago
There’s always room for cello.
LionZoo
1 day ago
The hood height is very much a function of the XC90 being an European market vehicle while the Grand Highlander was design basically only for North America. We like our slab sided hoods that come up to an adult’s neck. Also, see, e.g., the difference in hood slope between a Tacoma and a Hilux.
Otter
1 day ago
Looking at the picture of the Highlander and their white rental Rumion, I can’t help feeling a little sick at the unnecessarily tall hood of the SUV and the reduced visibility compared to the minivan. See Ryan F9’s excellent explainer.
I’ve gotten so spoiled driving mostly a van for 10 years, it’s almost offensive to see the hood of my own vehicle at all. Like “Try harder!” 🙂
(Yes, longitudinal engines and large V8+ engines get a pass here, but there is absolutely some kind of “established SUV design expectation” at work here.)
Jsloden
1 day ago
Have a friend of mine who is an artist and does some really huge paintings. He purposely only looked at minivans because of their low load floor, sliding doors, and huge cargo space. He now drives his honda odyssey around without the rear seats 90% of the time hauling his huge paintings. SUV’s just wouldn’t have been an option for him.
My friend the poster dealer sees things the same way. At shows, swap meets, flea markets, the minivan swallows everything and he will not consider anything else.
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But they’re just so blah. A neighbor has a XLE and it looks so basic in black. No adornment that Toyota is famous for. Just a big, vanilla appliance.
Appliances are what Toyota is known for.
In our house we call it the RAV5, because that’s what it looks like from the rear. Much better name than Grandiose Highlander.
There’s always room for cello.
The hood height is very much a function of the XC90 being an European market vehicle while the Grand Highlander was design basically only for North America. We like our slab sided hoods that come up to an adult’s neck. Also, see, e.g., the difference in hood slope between a Tacoma and a Hilux.
Looking at the picture of the Highlander and their white rental Rumion, I can’t help feeling a little sick at the unnecessarily tall hood of the SUV and the reduced visibility compared to the minivan. See Ryan F9’s excellent explainer.
I’ve gotten so spoiled driving mostly a van for 10 years, it’s almost offensive to see the hood of my own vehicle at all. Like “Try harder!” 🙂
(Yes, longitudinal engines and large V8+ engines get a pass here, but there is absolutely some kind of “established SUV design expectation” at work here.)
Have a friend of mine who is an artist and does some really huge paintings. He purposely only looked at minivans because of their low load floor, sliding doors, and huge cargo space. He now drives his honda odyssey around without the rear seats 90% of the time hauling his huge paintings. SUV’s just wouldn’t have been an option for him.
My friend the poster dealer sees things the same way. At shows, swap meets, flea markets, the minivan swallows everything and he will not consider anything else.