I have now seen/sat in (briefly) but not driven, the new '08 Highlander. My initial impressions were:
1. appears very large physically on the outside,
2. styling is quite bland and although I only saw in two dull colors (a silver and a grey), it did nothing for me. My Indigo Ink blue '05 with grey leather interior was nicer to look at IMO.
3. sat in driver's seat briefly and thought the dash/front area nicely done, but not "knock your socks off nice".
4. looking rearward from driver's seat again gave me impression of it being "bigger" than mine,
5. I'm sure the new, larger engine will be appreciated, but will reserve judgement until I actually drive one.
One of the two there was a "Limited" model, stickered at just over $51K. The other was a "Sport" model with no sticker (just off the truck).
Overall, I am glad I am not in the market for a new Highlander as I felt rather underwhelmed at first inspection.
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