Why so many Highlander on the Toyota lots?

I just drove past a local Toyota dealer. I saw a lot full of Highlanders. Not a single other model available. Just found that kind of hilarious. I do wonder why that is.

 

No it's because Toyota doesn't purposely under-build them to keep the prices high. Way more of those on the road than 4R's.

 

They stock what sells best. Like the Limited 4R, at least in Canada, every dealer has a few.
Corolla as well.

 

Best seller.

Also made in US and less susceptible to COVID global supply chain fuckery.

 

Limited 4R is the biggest seller in Canada?
Make sense, Limited was the best option for winter conditions why I got for my wifey.

 

My local dealer stocks Corollas, RAV4's, and Camrys the most as that is what they sell the most of. The other models are lucky if you see 3 or 4 of each.

 

Just a guess but maybe Highlander is the only model where they can still get all the parts to build it. Our local dealers seem similar where the Mazda dealer has a ton of CX-5's but nothing else, the Honda dealer has a bunch of HR-V's but not much else, and the Ford and Jeep places had almost nothing.

 

This /\

 

Tundras made in TX yet can't find any on lots though.

 

That’s because it’s being re-designed.

 

No one wants to buy Highlander because of all the transmission problems?

 

I work with a guy who’s wife wouldn’t let him get a 4Runner so he got a highlander. He keeps trying to convince me (convince himself) that it’s just as good. I feel like patting him on the head…

 

“My HiGhLaNdEr Is JuSt As CoOl As YoUr 4RUnNeR” ok dude. *Head pats*

 

Interested to see what he say about this on today's Q&A session (if he picks my question)

 

That must be some badass Highlander. Let's play "Follow the Leader".

 

yeah I didn't give mine a choice. lol. Arrived at the port yesterday. She's a bit bummed she's losing her cooled seats and actual leather but neither one of us could handle the front end of the limited. I can change the interior if the softer isn't to her liking. She'll get new tires and rims right away and I'll toss a sub setup from OEM audio plus in it. Life will be good.

 

I visited my local yota dealer last week, they usually have hundreds of vehicles on the lot, there may have been 20, no 4runner no tacoma, no tundra in sight. Sad.

 

I guess it depends on how you use it. A Highlander is probably better at pretty much everything besides off-roading. If I didn't off-road, I might be in a Highlander instead.

 

Highlander sales

2015 - 158,915
2016 - 191,379
2017 - 215,775
2018 - 244,511
2019 - 239,437
2020 - 212,276
2021 - 120,344

4Runner sales

2015 - 97,034
2016 - 111,952
2017 - 128,296
2018 - 139,694
2019 - 131,864
2020 - 129,052
2021 - 60,622

Mom has a new highlander. It is super nice. More comfortable than a 4Runner and so easy to drive. Decent gas mileage and very reliable. Also decently priced. It's her third highlander over the years. All of them have been amazing and without any big issues.

I see a ton of highlanders on the road in CA wherever I go. Very popular selling vehicle for sure.

 

My wife won’t let’s us get a Highlander, she was against the 4Runner as well, but now after owning one for a year, she knows another may be in our future.

 

Hard to say why ?

 

To be fair, it's probably better than the 4R at literally everything other than offroading.

 

Amen!

 

Haha, I commented before even seeing your post. There's a few Highlanders of the last 3 generations in a 2 block radius of my house, whenever I walk my dog past the new ones, I always have the fleeting thought that maybe I should have gotten one of those (ZERO legal wheeling within hours of me) instead, but then I'm like "naaaaah, that looks too much like a minivan". I'd probably rather just get a minivan, at least I could stand my bike up inside of it.

Side note: Minivans actually make awesome mountain bike haulers. In Moab we fit 4 adults and the accompanying bikes and gear in a swb Caravan. We could only fit 3 people/bikes/gear in the Suburban we also had. I fell in love with that Burb though, damn that thing drove nice. We got over 20mpg with it too.

 

Well, not serious snow. Rather have my Limited in nasty weather than a Highlander. More ground clearance. Locking center diff and ATRAC, more robust 4WD system.

Or a disaster scenario -- again, more ground clearance, more serious 4WD, BOF, plus skid plates. A bit more toughness and durability generally.

Also has a tad more total cargo room.

Plus, you know, not to be shallow, but the Highlander has "soccer mom" written all over it. Looks count. And that's coming from a guy with a Limited!

All that said, I confess I'd like my wife to get a Highlander. A, so I can drive it sometimes. B, so she stops driving my 4Runner all the time!

 

Great minds...

I am sure that a Highlander or Sienna would be much nicer 90% of the time. I may pick up one or the other when the 4runner is paid off.

 

I totally agree...

 

Only because you have AWD

 

So... interesting story (well maybe lol). Local dealer shows dozens of Highlanders in stock. But if you go there you'll find there are just two. All the rest are on order, awaiting chips or carriers or whatever else is holding things up. Real cars with VINs and everything, but not really there. Sales guy says many have already been "sold" (by which I think he means have deposits) awaiting their arrival.

 

Right! Full time 4WD is one of the many reasons I love my Limited and am glad I didn't go with the ORP that I was first planning on. The irony is that I only looked at a Limited cause my wife insisted on leather. The best 4R value seemed to me to be the SR5 P and ORP. But I'm so happy she sent me down that road.