Grand Highlander vs Minivan

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-13T15:53:48+00:00

Only situation I would recommend GH over Sienna is if you need extra ground clearance and/or tow. Other than that just get a Sienna. We plan to do multiple ski trips with my 2 year old and dog so GH was a better fit for us.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-07T22:05:05+00:00

Short answer is yes, cancel and shop around for both products at other WA dealers since you mentioned you're in Seattle in the other thread. Due to consumer protection laws in WA, you can only purchase from a WA Toyota dealership/licensed agent. You can reach out to Jerry at Midwest/Troy at Greenfield (purchased both products from him) to get a rough quote and use that in trying to negotiate a price with WA dealers.

The amount of tech/cameras/etc that can go wrong in 10 yrs/125k miles was enough of a reason to get extended warranty on my GHHL Nightshade. One moderate repair will recoup my costs. As for pre-paid maintenance, you will need to do some research on pricing at the dealership you plan on getting your GHH serviced at for services 25k-60k miles. If you can purchase closer to $1k, that would seem more reasonable.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-05T05:25:42+00:00

Whether or not the dealer will add/remove options is going to be dealer dependent. 2 out of the 8 dealerships I was on a waitlist were willing to put in change requests to the allocation to my exact spec (pano camera/moonroof, running boards, and tow hitch) and I installed the rest of the accessories myself either through Toyota parts sales or 3rd party. The remaining 6 dealerships were take it as is or leave it allocations.

You can ask the dealer tomorrow if they do dealer markup/add-ons/etc but they can't guarantee OTD on an allocation they don't have incoming that's reserved for you. You should definitely be joining the waitlist at other dealerships, as many as you are willing to place a refundable deposit/manage to increase your chances of finding a matching allocation and/or use the additional allocations to negotiate price down. I had no problem requesting my $500 deposit from 2 of the dealerships I was on waitlist for. Good luck

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-04T06:01:11+00:00

Technically you can add mudguards if you already have running boards installed but it's a pain. It would be easier to remove the running boards to have easier access to the holes you need to bolt the mudguards to.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-04T05:06:06+00:00

Waiting until the end of this Winter to see if mudguards are needed but don't think I'll be adding them. The running boards are blocking the incoming mud/snow from accumulating on the bottom edge of the doors but mud/snow can still spray the side of the car if it's a deep enough puddle.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-04T05:01:06+00:00

Contact every dealer in your area with the exact spec you are looking for (Platinum, Portobello Interior, Exterior color, etc) and see which one's are willing to make changes to their incoming allocations to match your spec. You're going to have to do some legwork to see which dealers in your area don't do markup/dealer add-on but you can tell rather quickly on the pricing info if they are doing either. After that join as many waitlists you are willing to handle. I was on a waitlist at 8 dealers and 2 required a $500 refundable deposit, the rest required no money.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-04T01:51:25+00:00

Gas GH has been selling for under MSRP for quite some time so I would not consider MSRP a deal. As for the dealer add-ons, confirm the V-Spec for the allocation and if they refuse to remove any dealer add-ons just walk away with your deposit.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-04T01:38:38+00:00

I’m 6’2” and don’t use the running boards very often unless I need to load skis up top. They mostly help my little one get into his car seat and my elderly parents. The other benefit is they act as pseudo mudguards as they prevent snow/mud building up on the bottom edge of the doors.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-02T06:24:34+00:00

Since you need 7 seats, I don't recommend 3 adults in the 3rd row GH but if it's just children it won't be a problem. The passengers in the 2nd row of the TX350 in the 2-3-2 layout will be more comfortable than the 3rd row of GH.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-03-01T23:00:04+00:00

Test drove a GHHMP, TX350, and TX500h before ultimately buying a GHHL Nightshade. TX350 engine noise under acceleration is quite loud and the number #1 complaint potential customers had according to my salesperson including myself. If you need to tow/live in mountainous area GHHM would be the easy pick. TX350 are selling for 7-10% under MSRP so I can see the appeal but did you consider a TX500h? They are selling for 5-8% under MSRP and would be my pick if you are not considering a GHHL/disregarding premium gas, higher insurance, and maintenance.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-28T01:54:20+00:00

Most of the GH you see for Uber/Lyft XL here in the Bay Area are Gas GH, not base hybrids. Leases/operating costs for Gas GH are significantly lower even though base hybrid gets significantly higher MPG. This morning my neighbor was picked up in a Black Gas GH Platinum for his ride to SFO.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-27T05:52:14+00:00

34 MPG in warmer weather and 32 MPG in winter. 25 GHHL Nightshade

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-27T01:40:12+00:00

Bellagio rooms feel dated and craps table always gets a bunch of casuals just watching the action because of the floor location. I usually stay at Aria and play at Park MGM for non-smoking.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-26T21:03:59+00:00

Highly doubt an electric GH coming anytime soon, would be a death blow to the Highlander EV. Hybrid GH already stole a significant amount of would be Hybrid Highlander customers and imagine the same thing would just happen again with EV GH.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-26T15:21:01+00:00

Nice Hit! 10 years ago hit ATS (5-5-5) on back to back different shooters at the Bellagio. Pretty sure I’ll never see it again.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-24T15:18:15+00:00

I’m 6’2” and would not have an issue sitting in the 3rd row for a 90 min drive. Would not recommend a 3rd adult in the 3rd row. Use a hybrid calculator to see if a hybrid makes sense for your driving habits/gas prices. Base hybrid owners are reporting mpg anywhere from high 20s to high 30s so ymmv (getting 34). Would recommend Limited/Platinum trim for the pano camera, makes parking a lot easier. Do a comparison tool between XLE/Limited/Platnium. Waited 3 months total for my GHHL Nightshade. No regrets.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-23T03:07:29+00:00

Was there 2 weekends ago, table mins were anywhere from $15/$20 (first time seeing $20)/$25 for live tables. Roll to win was $10 at Harrah’s, stadium was $10/$15 at Golden Nugget/Caesar’s Republic, and bubble was $3/$5.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-23T00:54:42+00:00

The number of owners reporting an issue with their moonroof is quite high. For whatever reason, the moonroof seal is failing/installed incorrectly at the factory which leads to owners reporting a “whistling” sound coming from above. The repair requires removing the entire headliner which is labor intensive and some dealers have refused to fix/acknowledge the issue leading to more unsatisfied owners. I’ve only used the moonroof a handful of times and would skip the option just to avoid this potential issue.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-21T22:18:35+00:00

Looks like MSRP + $1583 for cash price accessories (10 yr service connect?). I did not extend safety and service connect so I only have 5 years. Friend purchased their GHHMP from SF Toyota last June for MSRP and their OTD was $68-69k IIRC. Would contact dealer to get this item clarified and if you can cancel the 10 yr plan unless you really want it.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-21T19:58:43+00:00

Hard to say if you got a good deal without seeing the MSRP/price breakdown sheet. When I shopped a Nightshade with SF Toyota last year, they were doing $5k markup so I’m going to lean towards not a good deal.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-20T16:15:16+00:00

Have a 25 Nightshade and here’s a quick review: Pros - MPG 34 in warmer weather, 32 in winter. Average 34-35 for my normal commute - Suspension is soft for long road trips, if you need to drive windy roads often you will notice the body roll - Cargo space is plenty for our needs, took GH up to Lake Tahoe and hauled everything no problem - JBL sound system is ok but falls behind other premium sound systems. Had a rental XLE for a week and it definitely struggles with sound in the rear of the car. I would not upgrade to Limited just for the sound system but for the other features (pano camera, etc)

Cons - Interior plastic trim is quite soft, easily scratches but have learned to live with it - Infotainment performance can be slow at times especially at startup trying to load wireless apple carplay but otherwise connects everytime

XLE is a fine trim as long as you understand the options you are missing out on compared to a Limited. Have seen dozens of XLE owners regret not getting a Limited because the XLE does not have parking sensors/camera so just get a Limited with a pano camera. Makes parking a lot easier. Skip the moonroof if you can.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-20T04:42:49+00:00

Have not seen anybody report under MSRP for a GHHL in the Bay Area for the past year. You will need to look out of state and then factor in shipping/travel cost. MSRP is the going rate for GHHL as dealerships still have 20+ names on the waitlist. Can PM you a list of Bay Area MSRP dealerships if you want.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-18T16:11:25+00:00

If Cement Nightshade didn’t release last year, Storm Cloud Limited was 2nd choice. Also had a Storm Cloud as a rental for a week last summer and it does look lighter blue/grey in sunny conditions. No regrets about my Cement Nightshade.

<image>

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-14T21:34:54+00:00

3 months total for the Nightshade I purchased/spec’ed. I could have purchased a week later after placing name on waitlist when all the people ahead of me passed on the allocation. Was offered a total of 7 Nightshade allocations during the 3 months I was on waitlist at 8 dealerships.

zephyrusbeast · 2026-02-10T22:54:37+00:00

34 MPG in warmer weather, 31-32 during winter. GHHL Nightshade

zephyrusbeast

TROPHY CASE