There used to be a time - in the good old days if you ask your parents or grandparents - when vehicles didn't have such safety items as air bags or antilock brakes or even power steering for that matter.
I remember going on vacation with my family, five kids in the back and both parents in the front of a Fiat 500, my mom with the TV on her lap because the place we were staying at didn't have a TV. There were absolutely no safety features in the car except for my dad's big hands and a dashboard.
In fact, at that time there weren't even seatbelts in the back of the car. Although, a lot of good two seatbelts would have done with five kids to protect. If you hit something and you saw it coming you used your hands as air bags. Dad would throw his arm across mom's chest to protect the makeup and holiday hairdo from hitting the dash and the older kids in the back tried to catch the younger ones as they flew through the air like footballs.
If any of the kids didn't make it, well, there would still be four left.
Nowadays there are all sorts of safety gadgets in vehicles and improvements in safety have come a long way. A lot of these items are now mandatory, and manufacturers have installed these and other safety options in a lot of their vehicles.
However, not all vehicles have all the safety options included. So Toyota decided to do something aimed directly at those flying kids, safety arms and mashed hairdos. Every vehicle in Toyota's 2011 model lineup comes standard with what the company calls its Star Safety System. This includes vehicle stability control, brake assist, traction control, antilock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and smart stop technology. The latter "intervenes when the accelerator is depressed first and the brakes are applied firmly for longer than one half second at speeds greater than eight kilometres per hour." This "technology automatically cuts engine power and allows the brakes to take precedence over the accelerator when both pedals are pressed at the same time," according to Toyota.
This information was nice to know when I went for a test drive in the new Highlander this week. Combined with its multitude of airbags these extra safety features make the Highlander a safe vehicle.
But the Highlander is not just about safety. It is also about comfort and carrying ability and it completes both these jobs with ease. With three rows of seats there is easily enough room for seven passengers. There is leather everywhere and the heated seats and tri-zone climate control make for a comfortable cabin. Toyota has designed the Highlander to be functional, going so far as to curve the glove box door upward so when open nothing will fall out, even when going over bumps. There is also a table hidden in a compartment under the front centre console. This can be switched with the centre of the second row seats making for two captains chairs, a centre table and closable storage space. When you need the extra seating space just switch them back.
These rear seat passengers also get climate controls and sliding and reclining seats.
Another nice safety feature (I will explain in a minute) is no chiming when you open the door or take your seatbelt off. Chiming can be really annoying and I don't need a constant chime to remind me I just opened the door or took my seatbelt off. This chime can make drivers mad and some have been known to act rather irrationally because of it. My wife said I only have three weeks left until my anger management course finishes and at that point she might let me drive our car again.
The Highlander is super smooth for a big SUV with silky gear changes from the manumatic box, and as this is a higher-end SUV Toyota has included a multitude of comfort, and convenience items to enhance your driving experience. There is even another safety feature - a rear back up camera - that makes the Highlander a top safety pick. When placed in reverse, a camera on the back of the Highlander provides a wide view of what is behind the vehicle. It will help you avoid running over your boss - unless you want to - or hitting any objects that may have been surreptitiously placed behind your vehicle, like your boss.
Not every vehicle is equipped with an option like this and just the other day I saw an older model minivan with an outside rear view mirror attached to the back window. When I pointed it out to my lovely wife she said, "Well she needs to check the back of her hair too."
After I stopped laughing and pointed out that it was probably to see if there were any children behind the vehicle before backing up she replied, "Well I guess they are important too."
So if you want to check the back of your hair get the rear view mirror. If you want safety get the Toyota Highlander.
Toyota Highlander
Vehicle type: 5-door SUV
Transmission: 5-speed manumatic
Engine: 3.5 litre V6
Horsepower: 270 @ 6,200
Torque: 248 @ 4,700
Mileage: 12.3 l/100 km 23 mpg City 8.8 l/100km 32 mpg Hwy
Price: $52,000
