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I decided I couldn't wait for the Canadian release of the Highlander (Feb 2014) so went ahead and purchased a 2014 MDX (AWD Navi).

Drove the Highlander after it was available. I LIKE the way the Highlander feels on the road, BUT everything about the MDX feels 1-class nicer.....

And for only about $5k difference, I am happy to have the premium feel of the Acura vs. what Toyota fit and finish is like.

But compared to EVERY OTHER 3 row CUV/SUV on the market for similar money (Sante Fe, Pathfinder, Durango, Pilot, QX60) I like the Highlander better.

Overall I'd rate the Highlander an excellent 2nd choice.
 
I've grown quite fond of it!

Agreed....I'm not wild about the GX styling this year. But, that's just my taste....
It looks a ton better to me than the previous series. BTW, it was 82 degrees today!

Randy B
 

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Sorry, but I'm not a fan of that new GX styling. I can't stand the new 4runners either! Lexus seems like they've gone with some very busy designs. They look like they have too many conflicting lines to me. Just my 2 cents.
 
I've owned two Highlanders and three MDX's, and both are great vehicles. However, I have to disagree when you say Acura is not a luxury brand. That's crazy! I personally don't care for the styling inside or outside of the new Highlander, and in driving both, agree that there's no comparison. I pick up my new MDX this week. That being said, again, I think both are fine vehicles, and they just appeal to different types of buyers. Enjoy!!
I would have to agree that Acura is considered a Premium brand but certainly not a Luxury brand. With that said, it doesn't take anything away from the quality, workmanship, reliability, and stellar resale value Acura has to offer. I've owned 4 Acuras and they were all solid as a rock!
 
Agreed. We've owned 2 Highlanders over the past 10 years, and even though they were nice vehicles, it's apples and oranges. I just really don't like the direction Toyota has gone with their redesign!
 
Discussion starter · #30 ·
Agreed. We've owned 2 Highlanders over the past 10 years, and even though they were nice vehicles, it's apples and oranges. I just really don't like the direction Toyota has gone with their redesign!
You might be right about your previous gen highlanders, but the newly redesigned 2014 is a whole lot better. So it's not comparing apples and oranges. Here is another article I just read

Head-to-Head Review: 2014 Toyota Highlander versus 2014 Acura MDX - NY Daily News


Head-to-Head Review: 2014 Toyota Highlander versus 2014 Acura MDX
Here, we have two freshly redesigned, seven-passenger SUVs—one from the technophile Acura brand, and the other from workaday Toyota. With an as-tested price difference of roughly $12,000, how close could these fancy family SUVs really be? Is a luxury badge worth a premium price, or does Toyota manage an unexpected victory?

BY STEVE SILER / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014, 3:26 PM

TOYOTA
The 2014 Toyota Highlander is brand new. But does this mainstream crossover have what it takes to unseat a highly-regarded rival wearing a luxury badge?


Neither

2014 Acura MDX

2014 Toyota Highlander

These days, a luxury experience doesn’t always come with a luxury badge. This applies to everything from cars and clothes, to hotels and restaurants. This is good news for the masses, but it also puts heat on luxury brands to build extra value into products. Otherwise, all you’re really getting is a fancy badge.

So what happens when Acura gently revises the redesigned MDX crossover while Toyota pulls out the stops redesigning its Highlander? You get two vehicles that are surprisingly close to each other, except in price.


ACURA
The 2014 Acura MDX has been given an updated exterior. It's attractive, though we think the Toyota Highlander has a bolder overall look to it.


On the outside, the Acura and Highlander look very different. The Acura’s design is all-new, but it looks similar to last year’s model, though with the edges smoothed over. To tell it from the 2013 MDX, you have to know what to look for – if you see a thin row of LED headlamps or horizontal, light-pipe tail lamps, you’re looking at the 2014 model. From a design standpoint, Acura played it safe.


TOYOTA
The 2014 Highlander's price ranges from $30,000 for the basic LE trim level, to $42,000 for the Highlander Limited model (hybrid-powered Highlanders can crest the $50-grand barrier, however).

The 2014 Toyota Highlander, on the other hand, is virtually unrecognizable as a Highlander. And that, as Martha Stewart might say, is a good thing. The last model’s dowdy styling is replaced by square-jawed good looks, with its 2.7-inch longer body creating more room inside. The tall front end has a bold grille, giving a semblance of big-rig authority.


ACURA
The base Acura MDX starts at around $42,000, or roughly where the non-hybrid Highlander models top out. A fully-loaded MDX, with the Advance and Entertainment option packages, costs approximately $56,000.

The overall look is elegant and impressive, especially for the normally quite conservative Toyota brand. For exterior design, the handsome Highlander wins.

Like the lobby of a high-end hotel chain – think W or Andaz – the interior of the Acura MDX is overtly modern. There are crisp metallic surfaces, understated wood inserts on the dash and doors, and a space-age, multi-screen dash certain to appeal to gadget fans. Thing is, like the outside, there’s little that feels massively different about the new one versus last year’s model.


ACURA
The Acura MDX features a split-screen layout in the center of its dashboard.


The Highlander’s interior, while more low-key, is similarly fresh and contemporary. The Highlander boasts tons of storage space, including a broad shelf running the length of the dashboard, from the steering column to the passenger door. This is perfect for stashing cell phones, pens, tissues, gum, or whatever else you like to stuff inside your vehicle. Both trucks came with padded and top-stitched interior surfaces and unexpected (on the Toyota, anyway) rear door sunshades for an extra layer of privacy.


TOYOTA
The 2014 Toyota Highlander cabin is clean and functional. We love the extra long storage compartment that runs along the bottom of the dash.

The MDX (with the Advance package) really shines in seat comfort, however. Covered in super-soft leather, the MDX’s front seats are fabulous. In comparison, the Highlander’s perforated leather seats—heated and cooled as they may be—feel hard and flat. Our Highlander featured second-row captain’s chairs versus the MDX’s bench seat, making it easier for little ones to climb back into the third row.

ACURA
The rear seat in the 2014 Acura MDX offers room for two.

Both vehicles are skimpy on knee-room in the far back, but the Toyota can technically seat three versus the Acura’s two, meaning that if you ordered the second-row bench, the Highlander holds up to eight people. The cabin battle goes to Toyota, by a hair.

As tested, there’s not much daylight between the Highlander Limited with the Driver Assistance package and the MDX in terms of safety and interior technology; both feature the latest connectivity systems and mobile app syncing. Acura’s optional Rear Seat Entertainment package includes an excellent surround sound audio system, and extra-wide 16.2-inch rear seat entertainment screen.


TOYOTA
The 2014 Toyota Highlander offers space for three (small) passengers in its third row.



The Highlander also arrived with rear seat entertainment, with a smaller 9-inch drop-down screen. The Acura and Toyota were equipped with rearview cameras, pre-collision braking, emergency notification systems, radar-based adaptive cruise control, and blind spot and lane departure warning systems. The Acura also brought standard LED headlamps and lane keeping system that keeps the vehicle from drifting out of its intended lane. When the tech is tallied, the Acura comes out slightly ahead.


ACURA
In terms of polished driving behavior, the 2014 Acura MDX easily comes out ahead.

In addition to being slightly lighter in weight, the 290-horsepower MDX is more powerful than the Highlander, and surprisingly, more fuel efficient on the highway. Brakes and body control are also quite mannerly for a seven-passenger crossover, and the steering is more direct. If you were ever to take the MDX on a track (and let’s face it, 99.9% of buyers won’t), the torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive MDX would shock you with its dexterity.

TOYOTA
The Highlander is available with a 2.7-liter 4-cylinder, or optional 3.5-liter V-6 engine. Customers can also choose between front and all-wheel-drive.

The Highlander is hardly a wimp when equipped with its optional 270-hp V-6 engine. Unfortunately, the engine emits a drone at around 2,000 rpm, which tends to be right where the revs fall during gearshifts. The steering is also numb by comparison to the Acura.

In normal driving circumstances, these vehicles are roughly as good as each other. But when you’ve gotta get a move on, you’ll want the MDX.


TOYOTA
It doesn't have a glamorous badge, but the 2014 Toyota Highlander is big on luxury (and value).

RELATED: SLEEK AND EFFICIENT: 2015 ACURA TLX SHOWN OFF AT DETROIT AUTO SHOW

The Winner: 2014 Toyota Highlander Limited

The big story here is not that one of these cushy crossovers is vastly superior to the other; indeed, that they’re so close is what’s remarkable! Both are very nice looking, and each of them holds lots of people and things. They’re also remarkably well-mannered on city streets or on the open highway. With than in mind, however, the Highlander seems like an MDX with $12-grand on the hood.

The Acura MDX is very good, but that level of cash savings goes a long way for most of us. Despite the mainstream badge, the 2014 Toyota Highlander scores a high-content and high-value win.
 
You might be right about your previous gen highlanders, but the newly redesigned 2014 is a whole lot better. So it's not comparing apples and oranges. Here is another article I just read

Head-to-Head Review: 2014 Toyota Highlander versus 2014 Acura MDX - NY Daily News


Head-to-Head Review: 2014 Toyota Highlander versus 2014 Acura MDX
Here, we have two freshly redesigned, seven-passenger SUVs—one from the technophile Acura brand, and the other from workaday Toyota. With an as-tested price difference of roughly $12,000, how close could these fancy family SUVs really be? Is a luxury badge worth a premium price, or does Toyota manage an unexpected victory?

BY STEVE SILER / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014, 3:26 PM

TOYOTA
The 2014 Toyota Highlander is brand new. But does this mainstream crossover have what it takes to unseat a highly-regarded rival wearing a luxury badge?


Neither

2014 Acura MDX

2014 Toyota Highlander

These days, a luxury experience doesn’t always come with a luxury badge. This applies to everything from cars and clothes, to hotels and restaurants. This is good news for the masses, but it also puts heat on luxury brands to build extra value into products. Otherwise, all you’re really getting is a fancy badge.

So what happens when Acura gently revises the redesigned MDX crossover while Toyota pulls out the stops redesigning its Highlander? You get two vehicles that are surprisingly close to each other, except in price.


ACURA
The 2014 Acura MDX has been given an updated exterior. It's attractive, though we think the Toyota Highlander has a bolder overall look to it.


On the outside, the Acura and Highlander look very different. The Acura’s design is all-new, but it looks similar to last year’s model, though with the edges smoothed over. To tell it from the 2013 MDX, you have to know what to look for – if you see a thin row of LED headlamps or horizontal, light-pipe tail lamps, you’re looking at the 2014 model. From a design standpoint, Acura played it safe.


TOYOTA
The 2014 Highlander's price ranges from $30,000 for the basic LE trim level, to $42,000 for the Highlander Limited model (hybrid-powered Highlanders can crest the $50-grand barrier, however).

The 2014 Toyota Highlander, on the other hand, is virtually unrecognizable as a Highlander. And that, as Martha Stewart might say, is a good thing. The last model’s dowdy styling is replaced by square-jawed good looks, with its 2.7-inch longer body creating more room inside. The tall front end has a bold grille, giving a semblance of big-rig authority.


ACURA
The base Acura MDX starts at around $42,000, or roughly where the non-hybrid Highlander models top out. A fully-loaded MDX, with the Advance and Entertainment option packages, costs approximately $56,000.

The overall look is elegant and impressive, especially for the normally quite conservative Toyota brand. For exterior design, the handsome Highlander wins.

Like the lobby of a high-end hotel chain – think W or Andaz – the interior of the Acura MDX is overtly modern. There are crisp metallic surfaces, understated wood inserts on the dash and doors, and a space-age, multi-screen dash certain to appeal to gadget fans. Thing is, like the outside, there’s little that feels massively different about the new one versus last year’s model.


ACURA
The Acura MDX features a split-screen layout in the center of its dashboard.


The Highlander’s interior, while more low-key, is similarly fresh and contemporary. The Highlander boasts tons of storage space, including a broad shelf running the length of the dashboard, from the steering column to the passenger door. This is perfect for stashing cell phones, pens, tissues, gum, or whatever else you like to stuff inside your vehicle. Both trucks came with padded and top-stitched interior surfaces and unexpected (on the Toyota, anyway) rear door sunshades for an extra layer of privacy.


TOYOTA
The 2014 Toyota Highlander cabin is clean and functional. We love the extra long storage compartment that runs along the bottom of the dash.

The MDX (with the Advance package) really shines in seat comfort, however. Covered in super-soft leather, the MDX’s front seats are fabulous. In comparison, the Highlander’s perforated leather seats—heated and cooled as they may be—feel hard and flat. Our Highlander featured second-row captain’s chairs versus the MDX’s bench seat, making it easier for little ones to climb back into the third row.

ACURA
The rear seat in the 2014 Acura MDX offers room for two.

Both vehicles are skimpy on knee-room in the far back, but the Toyota can technically seat three versus the Acura’s two, meaning that if you ordered the second-row bench, the Highlander holds up to eight people. The cabin battle goes to Toyota, by a hair.

As tested, there’s not much daylight between the Highlander Limited with the Driver Assistance package and the MDX in terms of safety and interior technology; both feature the latest connectivity systems and mobile app syncing. Acura’s optional Rear Seat Entertainment package includes an excellent surround sound audio system, and extra-wide 16.2-inch rear seat entertainment screen.


TOYOTA
The 2014 Toyota Highlander offers space for three (small) passengers in its third row.



The Highlander also arrived with rear seat entertainment, with a smaller 9-inch drop-down screen. The Acura and Toyota were equipped with rearview cameras, pre-collision braking, emergency notification systems, radar-based adaptive cruise control, and blind spot and lane departure warning systems. The Acura also brought standard LED headlamps and lane keeping system that keeps the vehicle from drifting out of its intended lane. When the tech is tallied, the Acura comes out slightly ahead.


ACURA
In terms of polished driving behavior, the 2014 Acura MDX easily comes out ahead.

In addition to being slightly lighter in weight, the 290-horsepower MDX is more powerful than the Highlander, and surprisingly, more fuel efficient on the highway. Brakes and body control are also quite mannerly for a seven-passenger crossover, and the steering is more direct. If you were ever to take the MDX on a track (and let’s face it, 99.9% of buyers won’t), the torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive MDX would shock you with its dexterity.

TOYOTA
The Highlander is available with a 2.7-liter 4-cylinder, or optional 3.5-liter V-6 engine. Customers can also choose between front and all-wheel-drive.

The Highlander is hardly a wimp when equipped with its optional 270-hp V-6 engine. Unfortunately, the engine emits a drone at around 2,000 rpm, which tends to be right where the revs fall during gearshifts. The steering is also numb by comparison to the Acura.

In normal driving circumstances, these vehicles are roughly as good as each other. But when you’ve gotta get a move on, you’ll want the MDX.


TOYOTA
It doesn't have a glamorous badge, but the 2014 Toyota Highlander is big on luxury (and value).

RELATED: SLEEK AND EFFICIENT: 2015 ACURA TLX SHOWN OFF AT DETROIT AUTO SHOW

The Winner: 2014 Toyota Highlander Limited

The big story here is not that one of these cushy crossovers is vastly superior to the other; indeed, that they’re so close is what’s remarkable! Both are very nice looking, and each of them holds lots of people and things. They’re also remarkably well-mannered on city streets or on the open highway. With than in mind, however, the Highlander seems like an MDX with $12-grand on the hood.

The Acura MDX is very good, but that level of cash savings goes a long way for most of us. Despite the mainstream badge, the 2014 Toyota Highlander scores a high-content and high-value win.
Don't get me wrong, Toyota builds several great vehicles. But I personally DO NOT like the new Highlander redesign AT ALL!! And I still feel that there's a certain upscale feel to the Acura line. Walk into a Toyota dealership and then walk into an Acura dealership and tell me there's no difference! NOT!! I consistently receive totally different treatment between these two marques. But, I drive Toyotas as well, so to each his own. You need to drive whatever makes you happy.
 
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