2019 Toyota Highlander Goes to Charleston

To say I’m a fan of Toyota is an understatement. I got my very first car when I was 15 (totally spoiled by my dad), and it was a Toyota! I fell head over heels and have loved their vehicles ever since.  A few weekends ago, we got the opportunity to take the new 2019 Toyota Highlander on a little road trip to Charleston with the family, and it was so fun! Everyone was excited for the new ride and to check out all of it’s features.

A quick run down of everyone’s favorite features:

• Kevin: The power acceleration and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with Lane Departure Assist
• Kristina: The silent ride when I’m all alone… Also, the ability to put my logo or photo on the media screen.
• Hallen (age 4): The sunroof. Great for throwing water balloons at your mom.
• Hazel (age 2): Room to play at a safe distance from other siblings!
• Winnie (age 7 months): The smooth ride. Perfect for car naps.

We had a blast exploring new and old places in the Highlander. I was anxious to see how we’d like the car with our family since we had grown accustomed to what we had, but the experience of learning all the ins and outs of the Highlander was great! We had more than enough room for our luggage, stroller, and three kiddos! There was even room leftover to explore  and grab some new treasures from where our expeditions took us.

Do you know of anything better than exploring a hot city in the dead of summer than coming back to your very own AC seats?! I honestly can’t think of anything better. I heard about these magical seats, but this was my very first experience with them. So, maybe I should add that to my favorite features of the SUV.

We had room to be spontaneous and fun with the Highlander. We had no agenda except to have fun. That was it. Our daily lives can be fast paced and very scheduled, so we wanted to just make room for our family for a few days. So, we brought a little surprise for the girls. Water balloons. We made a stop overlooking the ocean, pulled out the water balloons, and had a blast!  If you haven’t ever had a random water balloon fight, write it down on your summer bucket list now! It’ll always go over well.

Hallen stayed in the car for the most part keeping those little tootsies clean. There was one main culprit for all the sandy toes in the car, but we won’t get into that. No blame game here. Just fun memories in the making.

One thing Kevin and I have enjoyed doing in the past is SUPing. Well, if the Highlander and SUP board aren’t a match made in Heaven, I don’t know what is! Who else feels like a cool parent when a board is on the roof rack of their vehicle?! I feel like it made us look like we were back in our twenties…with three young children tagging along. Being back in our twenties may just be a dream, but the Highlander definitely gave us and the girls room to dream. Room to imagine and create. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to take the SUP board in the water, because a big storm snuck up on us as soon as we got it, but the girls couldn’t resist a little make believe fun.

So, they became surfing princesses until the rain started pouring down! Worth it. We all hopped back in the Highlander as quickly as we could. The windshield wipers and lights turned right on, and we headed out.

Trips with small children aren’t always relaxed and easy. A lot of times they’re downright tiring…for everyone! And this trip was no exception. Everyone’s naps were off. They stayed up too late, and we ate food at weird times, so the Highlander became our primary way of making sure they all got at least 30 minutes of shut eye between all of the outings. And let me tell you, those car naps were SO peaceful!

After a little energy had re-entered their bodies, we set out for another destination. There are beaches on either side of Charleston, so we went to both. Why not?! We needed more time to bond. So, we drove to some of our favorite places for a quick treat and impromptu play sessions. The girls love to dance, so we thought, “why not just dance in the park?” When there’s no schedule, you have nothing but time and room for spontaneity. Cranked up the stereo and played their favorites!

Like I said, sometimes it’s REALLY hard to go on trips when you have small children. There’s so much packing, trying to think of the unexpected, lack of schedule, meltdowns, more packing, lots of crumbs, and then the unpacking when you get home. I get it. I honestly do. It’s not easy managing it all gracefully. If you’re like me, you start to think that there’s no room in your life to do it well and with ease. You may feel cornered in a box. If you need to dip your toes in the water, try a day trip somewhere. And don’t pack the day full of activities. Leave room to let your kiddos decide what they want to do or leave room to just walk around and take in the sights. All of our trips are still challenging, but oh the memories we have  because we started dipping our toes in the water.

Some of the things I really loved about the 2019 Toyota Highlander make trips less challenging, which could also be the case for you! Sometimes, it’s not even the vacation that’s hard with kiddos. It’s coming and going.

So, a few features to point out for us adults :

• Blind Spot Monitor : A little orange light pops up on your mirrors when a car is in your blind spot. This helps with lane changes immensely!
• Adaptive Cruise Control: You get to choose how many car links you want to stay back from the car in front of you, and depending on the speed of the car in front of you, your cruise control will adapt to their speed. So it’ll slow you down slightly to help you remain 1, 2, or 3 car links behind.
• Power Mode: Exactly what it sounds like. You press a button, and you start to accelerate a lot quicker. It comes in handy when you’re getting on the interstate.
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist: SO cool! If you start to drift out of your lane, you’ll hear a little beep, and the steering wheel will automatically guide you back on the road! Incredible technology! I immediately told Kevin I wanted this SUV just for that!
• Start and Stop Engine: The engine automatically shuts off when the Highlander is at rest (at stop lights, for example), but as soon as you take your foot off the brake, it restarts!
• Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection: Every single car needs this. Seriously. If the car detects that a frontal collision may happen, you’ll start hearing audio to tell you to slow down, and if you don’t pump the brakes, it’ll do it for you to slow you down and steer you away! That’s the kind of technology that just blows me away. I want all of you out there to buy the Highlander just in case my kids walk in front of your vehicle and you aren’t looking!

And features your kids will love:

• Driver Easy Speak : This one is fun. It’s literally a built in microphone so that everyone can hear you easier in the car. Don’t worry. It’s not a megaphone to bust their ear drums. It just allows your voice to carry a little easier.
• Rear Entertainment : Our particular model didn’t have this, but depending on the package you get,  you can have a DVD system for Blu Ray Discs.
• Puddle Lights : Not necessarily intended to entertain kids, but my girls thought they were pretty cool (and so did I)! This feature detects you as you walk up to your vehicle, and turns on a light under the mirrors that reflect “Highlander” on the ground.

All in all, it’s safe to say that the 2019 Toyota Highlander gave us many memories for years to come and gave us room to bond without a schedule that we so deeply desired.