I'm new and feeling good that I found this site.

I just ordered my Hybrid from the dealership. It's fully loaded with Navi. I work for a governmental entity and we get terrific pricing on hybrids. I'm getting 2% over invoice. I was in the market for a new car and just sold my 2001 Highlander. I am nervous having driven an SUV for the past seven years to downsize to a sedan, although I am excited to be driving something smaller. My Highlander made me feel like I was driving a bronco - literally! I'm also looking forward to better gas mileage since the majority of my commute is stop and go.

Everyone complains about the trunk size in the reviews I've read. What are you feelings and experience regarding this? I have a small family. Married with a 7 year old. We just need something that basically we can take on short road trips, say packing two to three average size suitcases and a few extra items.

Just wanted to introduce myself and looking forward to hearing your feedback.

EricaMom

 

Almost everyone at this forum loves their car, so you wont find too many people saying "stay away!".
Don't let the enthusiasm expressed here sway your judgement... go to the dealer with a four or five suitcases (fill them with towels) and see for yourself, if the trunk is too small for your needs, it's better to cancel the order than be frustrated.
It's a good car, but do your homework before you write the check.

 

While the TCH may feel smaller, it's actually an inch or so bigger in terms of footprint.

My wife and I drive TCHs, and we have retained our 2003 Highlander for hauling stuff from the home center and for our two soon-to-be-licensed teenage boys to drive. I'm reasonably tall and there's no doubt that there's more legroom in the TCH. Headroom, of course, is much better in the Highlander.

RE: the trunk. We do fine with daily trips like groceries. (Remember the words "two," "teenage," and "boys" above, and you can get an idea of how many groceries we pack in the small trunk.)

I'll admit, however, we're taking the Highlander on vacation for the trunk space. My guess is that you'll do ok for the small amount of luggage you describe, though.

 

In terms of safety, many SUVs are built according to safety standards set for trucks, not passenger vehicles (which are much higher).
As such, the "I feel safer in a SUV" feeling might actually be a false sense of security...although in a head on between a Hummer and a Mini, I'd put my money on the (slightly) larger (and heavier) SUV.

 

I am planning on taking my TCH to Nags Head this week. We are spending about 8 days on the road. We have a Blazer that we have taken on this trip the past 2 years so this one should be an adventure. Yesterday, I pulled down the suitcases to see what would fit and found that 2 of our larger suitcases (the kind on rollers that normally sit on their short edge) fit on their long edge perfectly in the trunk with plenty of room left over. We are planning on taking beach stuff as well but I am sure I can get the towels, toys and other gear to fit without tearing my hair out.

I have a 7 year old and a four year old that we are required to take along on the trip since there are laws stating that we cannot leave them home.

At any rate, I think we are going to be fine for this trip. I will post our progress on the adventure for everyone's benefit. We leave friday and I am pretty excited that we should be able make it all the way down on a single tank of gas.

 

Hello,

The trunk space on the TCH is not one of it's best points. For that matter a "regular" Camry isn't much to brag about either....

My wife and I recently did a 2k mile week long road trip and packed three airline approved roll-on / carry-on bags, a large lap top bag, and a large camera bag with room to spare. The only thing I put in the back seat area was a cooler so we could access it...

As well as doing what haraldo suggested and test fitting the trunk I have two other suggestions. First, use soft side luggage if possible to fill in the nooks and crannies. Second, think vertical...the trunk is tall and you can layer bags on top of each other...I had my laptop and camera system on top of the carry-on luggage...

Last consider how often you might need more space versus the ninety some odd percent of the time you don't... Is the trade off in gas mileage, size, etc worth buying a larger "trunk" for the smaller amount of time?

And welcome to the forum...

 

Definitely check out the trunk space closer. If you're not planning on any more kids, you don't have to worry about stroller, etc., which will make it a little easier.

If you're coming out of a Highlander, did you consider the Highlander Hybrid? Keep the same space and feel, but significantly improved mileage?

 

Over a year ago I drove an 06 Jeep GC Limited with the Hemi. I looked at the TCH and couldn't find a dealer willing to give a reasonable deal. Nearly 8 months ago a dealership 100 miles away called me out of the blue (I had sent a message via cars.com or another similar website) to see if I had ever bought a TCH. They offered me the deal I was looking for several months before and I agreed on the spot. Didn't really give myself time to think about it. I drove down, picked up the exact car I wanted (they dealer-traded) and have had ZERO regrets since then. I found I don't need the space of the SUV nearly as much as I thought I did. Relax and don't worry. And if you hate it, you can easily sell it for a profit, more than likely, given the current demand for them.

 

We just took a week's worth of luggage and supplies on a trip from Sacramento to LA. Kids are 9 and 6. Had to be creative in filling the trunk, but did it easily with our Civic. Camry ought to have a little more room. Use backpacks and smaller soft sided bags to fill up the space.

 

Well,

Coming here with a family of 4, road trips to visit colleges, vacations, etc. I can let you know about some items. Std. roll-on bags will fit vertically in the trunk. You would be surprised to see how many... Just use the soft-sided bags mentioned above.

On top of that, you can lay garment bags and other flat items. I don't try to fit huge coolers (we have three small soft-sided ones that pack and carry well) or beach umbrella's in the trunk but have carried my daughters travel trunk to GT at the start of the year.

I did get rid of my Expedition (no towing needed now) but kept the Pilot. It mostly stays parked unless the dog needs a trip to the vet. There is NO way that mutt is riding in my nice new car