@dagosa–I understand what you are saying. I bought a Ford Windstar at a dealer in a nearby town and it was inconvenient although the dealer always gave me a loaner car and the service was very good. I bought the 4Runner from an out of town dealer because the dealer that was handling Toyota also had the Buick and GMC line and didn’t know the Toyota product when we were shopping. However, I had problems with the service department of the out of town dealer. A new Toyota dealer did open several years ago about a mile and a half from where I live and I got a good deal on my 2011 Sienna and has a good service department. We had a Chevrolet dealer about a half mile from our house where I bought the Uplander and this was quite convenient. However, the dealer moved down the road across the street from the Toyota dealer.
Some years back when I was a single dad, convenience was very important. I bought non-grocery items even though they were more expensive than the discount store as well as groceries at the grocery store close to my house because it saved time. My car went to a service station close to work where I could walk to my office after dropping off the car.
Well how about this ,lets try to get things that have a power to weight of no less then 13# per HP empty weight-then I dont care how many cylinders it has(especially if it was a diesel) I dont mind driving something thats loaded one way,but I dont want a dog empty(thats my philosiphy on big trucks too,shame on the manufacturers for sticking us with turtles that dont really have to be that way(because the economy doesnt seem to be much different) this gimmick of the better engine carrot to entice you out of 6-7K more dollars really irks me,I wanted to buy a 2wd X-cab Tacoma in the late 90s with the2.7 engine,was told this wasnt availible only the little 4 or the much more expensive v-6 so I skipped Toyota and went elsewhere(never been able to buy a new vehicle in that area-same guy owns most of the dealerships too,might have something to do with it)-Kevin
I agree !
Toyota may have for a while, only offered the bigger four with 4wd. Ultimately they smartened up because they perhaps lost sales to reasonable buyers like you who just wanted the best of both worlds. Sometimes car makers over think making a truck or car and the motors that go in them. No very often though when profit is the motive. But, I know where you are coming from. We don’t expect trucks to not be dogs when loaded, but for goodness sake, give us something respectable when not. Most do now, but t’s taken a while.
Thank you Dagosa,the trouble with my Dakota truck is they gave me 25% less engine,but didnt give me 25% less weight to go with it,that would have given me acceptable performance and boosted the mileage,the smaller engine is throttled more to get a similar level of performance(to a point) and uses as much or more gas for similar performance.So take a tip from the newest Fords-lighten up for Joe Average-Weekend Warrior-Kevin
I am a retired trucker and for years I drove Mopar minivans. I love the seating position, ride , room and fuel economy. I stopped at a local diner frequented by truckers and one I knew slightly watched me come in and said “REAL men drive pickup trucks”. I walked right up to him ( I have about 4" and 30 pounds on him) and said quietly “Real men drive whatever they please”.
He decided his coffee needed his full intention.
Dag, I suspect that convenience is often a motivating factor in purchase decisions of all types, including cars. It only means you’re lazy if you buy, say, a Daewoo because it’s more convenient… 
You got me there. I have my limits. Seriously, I one time made the mistake of buying an older Suzuki Sidekick (close to a Daewoo) from the nearest dealer who was 60 miles away; thinking, anyone could work on one and find parts for them. I was mistaken. I spent the next four years regretting it. I liked the car but the thought of waiting for parts or make shifting them, which we did a couple of times, helped change my mind.
Kevin, I think you meant “…no MORE than 13# per HP empty…” Some car mags have finally corrected this to “weight-to-power ratio.”
Did the OP test drive the 4 and the 6? If the OP plans to ever pull any loads on a trailer, frequently travels with 3 or 4 passengers with luggage, hauls anything heavy, or lives in the mountains with lots of hill; then I’d go with the 6. If most of the use is around town with occasional highway trips and the 4 provides enough acceleration for the OP then go with the 4.
I suspect there are more 6’s sitting on the lot than 4’s and that could sway the salesman toward moving the OP to the bigger 6 engine. A Highlander is not a small light vehicle and a 4 in such a vehicle might be low on power.
All this 4 cylinder vs. 6 cylinder discussion reminds me of the insignia on the front of the DKW cars in the late 1950s. The DKW had a 2 stroke, 3 cylinder engine. In the middle of the insignia was the following: “3 = 6”. This meant that the 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine had the performance of a 6 cylinder engine. If we go back two stroke engines, we could have the discussion about 2 cylinder vs. 3 cylinder engines.
When I owned a 3 cylinder two stroke SAAB and found myself one afternoon fighting semis for wiggle room at seventy five with my right foot trying to push the gas peddle into the grill on the Jersey State Parkway, I would have been very happy to have a real six cylinders.
It was the most dreadful car motor I have ever had the misfortune to be forced to drive, day in and day out. And dumb me actually bought it new by choice for ice racing ! (which it was good for but certainly didn’t do enough to justify it) Love them in chainsaws, but car’s ? GIVE ME 6 REAL CYLINDERS. If the world goes back to two strokes, I give up driving.
@UncleTurbo
I’d bet that 70-80% of the Highlanders you see on the lot are 6 cylinders. The reason being that if you want AWD in a Highlander, you have to get the V6, you can’t get AWD with the I4. And people these days at least where I live are convinced that they need AWD/4WD.
@dagosa–There were two students and one professor at the small private college I attended in the midwest that drove Saabs. The two students were from the east. The professor’s Saab had the doors hinged at the rear–it must have been an older Saab. There was also a Skoda and an NSU Prinz which I believe had a Wankel engine. The students that owned these cars were also from the east. There were VWs all over the place owned by bot students and professors. Interestingly, most of the students from the midwest who had cars had Chevrolets or Fords. I didn’t own a car at that time. At any rate, the Saabs always left a trail of blue smoke.
I thought the SAAB 99 I bought later was an improvement…but only for 50k when it blew a head gasket. It came down to a BMW 2002 and the SAAB…I made the wrong choice. We had six VWs in our family when I graduated and moved out. I was so tired of VWs, anything with heat appealed to me. Even a SAAB two stroke.
All I can say is that you’ll be living with this vehicle for at least 5 years most likely. The bigger motor with more horsepower will make the vehicle a lot more pleasant to drive. And you’ll be kicking yourself when you try to get on a freeway with a big truck right next to you and put your foot down only to be disappointed. You may get a couple more miles per gallon with the 4 banger, but I guess you have to ask yourself what is more important to you. I could cut down on toilet paper use to save money too, but I choose not to
I wouldn’t be suprised if the 4cyl highlander is more of a special order item at most dealers, since you can only have it in the entry level LE trim. Most dealers want the ones with more features which only come with the V6
All I can say is that I am still insufferably pleased with my 2005 Accord EX V6 and have no regrets about buying it. Buying it new, I might add, and I’d never buy a used one. Way too expensive, IMO. But you already know that.
Yep, a car like that I agree,one of my friends had one and it would smoke one of those fancy sporty luxury high end brands(suprised the other Guy)-Kevin
I wouldn't be suprised if the 4cyl highlander is more of a special order item at most dealers, since you can only have it in the entry level LE trim. Most dealers want the ones with more features which only come with the V6
I just bought a 2014 Highlander (LE). But it was the V6 AWD. However the dealer did have a 4-cylinder FWD one on the lot.
Depends on the market, most of the dealers here seem to stock the v6 even in LE trim. You can find a 4cyl Highlander but not in every dealership.