I put some rain guards on the Highlander. They were $40 on Amazon, so I figured “Why not?” I was pleasantly surprised at the quality.
I like the in-channel ones on my 6, but the Highlander’s pinch protection is a bit more finicky, and I didn’t want to risk fighting with that like I have on the Mazda.
Almost 8,000 miles on the Highlander at this point and zero complaints. Literally the only thing that seems cheap on it is the cover for the tether anchor for the car seats. They both broke off as soon as I touched them, but not a big deal.
I want to get a trailer hitch for it soon. That’ll lead to our long range goal of getting a small camper. I want one the size of a pop-up but with hard sides. I’m in a Highlander owners group on Facebook and more people on there haul with their Highlanders than don’t, which makes me feel better about the 5,000 pound capacity. I expect my camper to weigh no more than 3,000. I also want to look into a brake controller.
Overall, we are happy with our purchase. The Highlander chugs among and performs parental car duties well and my 6 is behaving itself as well, which is good because it is paid off and I have no sane desire to get rid of it (but that doesn’t stop me from drooling over CX-9s and other random cars).