Beachin’ With The Toyota Highlander
Every year in June we head to Ocean Isle Beach, NC, with my aunts for a week at the beach. It’s a tradition that has been going strong for 30 years! We usually have a few regular habits (?) that we stick to: one of my Aunts picks up Price’s fried chicken, which we eat the night we arrive at the beach, then one night we always boil shrimp fresh from Holden Brother’s in Shalotte, another we make crabcakes and the last night we order from Island Gourmet so we don’t have to fret over cleaning up. This year Trent and I decided to mix it up a bit by arriving in style driving the Toyota Highlander! Read on for more about our experience and how this SUV is the perfect, versatile car for families and entrepreneurs alike!
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read about my budget-friendly beach essentials
Heading into beach week the packing situation is always daunting. Of course, I always make a list that includes my favorite beach essentials, outfit needs, and any extra accessories or toys we might want like floats, chairs, or umbrellas. As you might imagine, this means we need a car with ample storage space! When Toyota wanted to lend us the Highlander I was relieved because I knew it could fit everything with ease! In addition to having a nice-sized trunk, the second and third row of seats both fold flat. When we were finished packing we were surprised to see that we had some room to spare! The Highlander also came in handy when we were running around Ocean Isle Beach taking photos for the blog. We were able to keep all of my outfits organized, props ready, and still have plenty of room for me to change. It even fit this giant pineapple float! The Highlander made our entire trip much easier and I’m so glad we had the chance to test drive it.
shop the look
Of course, when people first see you pull up in the Toyota Highlander they aren’t going to noticed the amount of storage space, they’re going to see the stylish exterior. Trent and I have a thing for all-white vehicles, so perhaps I’m a little biased when I say this, but this car looks amazing! The color is a beautiful pearly white, I love the over-all shape, and the wheels look tasteful and modern. I especially liked that the size was perfect for navigating through highways, cities, and small towns. As Goldilocks would say: not too big, not too small, it was just right.
read my review of the toyota rav4
This is where I really want to talk about the versatility of the Toyota Highlander. While Trent and I don’t have children yet, we do hope to start a family in the future. The Highlander would be a great investment for us because while we don’t need the second or third row of seats all the time, it will come in handy when that day comes. In the meantime, I’ll be continuing to hustle as a self-employed blogger and entrepreneur. This means lots of meetings, tons of gear, and the need for a car that can function as a means of transportation, an office, and a fitting room. The Highlander was able to check all of these needs off the list!
On top of that, it was a comfortable ride and featured the adaptive cruise control that I enjoyed so much when test driving the RAV4. It made the road-trip less stressful and it seemed to fly by! The interior was beautiful, had plenty of bells and whistles, and we especially loved the sunroof!
All-in-all, I would highly recommend the Toyota Highlander for car buyers that are looking for a stylish, versatile SUV with a relatively affordable price-point. I know I’ll be considering it next time we go to make a car purchase! I hope you found this review helpful and enjoyed the memories we made with it. You can see the rest of our photos in the gallery below my signature. If you have any questions or want to share your experience with the Toyota Highlander, feel free to leave them in the comment section!