Exploring Houston: A 2018 Toyota Highlander Experience

This post was created in partnership with Toyota. As always, all opinions are my own.

Hey Fancy Friends!

Let’s just get this out the way, Toyota and Staycation go hand in hand!

What would summer be without a Staycation? With good reason, I decided to celebrate my birthday local this year and no birthday staycation is complete with out long days out on the town, exploring the city, sampling the latest eats and indulging in the city’s unique culture. With Houston, TX being the fourth largest city in the United States there is definitely not a shortage of things to see and do. In fact, this made the Toyota experience that much greater!

I must admit that I’ve always put Toyota on a pedestal. My whole driving journey, I’ve heard how Toyota cars are good quality cars, that stand the test of time. As a result, I held them in high regard and knew that the Toyota slogan “let’s go places” was the vision I had for my birthday staycation and it wouldn’t be complete without including the Toyota experience. That’s why I was ecstatic when Toyota agreed to partner with me so that I could experience all the hype for myself. For the last week, I’ve been putting the 2018 Toyota Highlander to the test!

So, let’s chat about the 2018 Toyota Highlander and all it’s glory…

When I first set down in the 2018 Toyota Highlander my first reaction was “Ahhhhh”! This is a big upgrade from my daily commute in a 2014 Dodge Dart! The 2018 Highlander is an SUV that doesn’t feel like an SUV. I’m a short girl who can easily get drowned out buy the size of SUV’s. This was different! Its packed with so much space for such a petite frame. It just feels right. I didn’t have to get used to it. The ride was super smooth, it felt like it was mine and I had been driving it forever. This was also my first experience with a silver vehicle and it turned out bright! Everywhere I went the sun bounced beautifully off the silver color offering sweet glimpse of its surroundings.

It came with all of the top notch features that are out on the market now. To be exact, it had all the bells and whistles!

The Perfect Vehicle For Families

My family of four turned into a family of six when my sister and brother-in-law traveled in from Dallas to spend my birthday with me. With the 2018 Toyota Highlander seating seven passengers this was the perfect fit! We had an abundance of space and plenty of room left over. The entry and exit of the vehicle was flawless thanks to the second row captain seats that allows for walk thru to the third row. No having to maneuver or climb over seats to enter or exit the third row! I’ve always wanted to be a mini van mom for the exact ease and comfort this 2018 Toyota Highlander provides. I’m ecstatic to know that I can be stylish and still accomplish the same goals!

A constant struggle for my family is keeping our cell phones charged when we travel because we consistently take tons of pictures to capture memories. You will normally find us fighting over the one lonely charge port in our vehicle. But, guess what!?! We had no issues with this because the 2018 Toyota Highlander boasts not one but five USB charging ports! We were all able to keep our favorite portable devices plugged in for optimal entertainment and a maximum cell phone battery to capture all my favorite birthday staycation moments.

Perfect for road trips and city commutes, the rear seat entertainment experience was by far our favorite feature! The Blu-ray Disc entertainment system features a 9 in display screen equipped with RCA jacks, remote and two wireless headphones. This feature kept my kids quiet long enough for me to bob my head to the latest tunes blaring from the satellite radio. As soon they hoped in the vehicle they plopped in their favorite movie, put on their head phones and enjoyed the experience. They are still begging me to get this exact SUV!

Another feature I was sure to test out was the cargo space. As a sports mom, it’s important that I have enough room to tote around everything for a comfortable experience outdoors. This usually includes the necessary sporting equipment, coolers, umbrellas, bag chairs, snacks, back packs and more. I’m happy to report that the cargo space is the 2018 Toyota Highlander is completely flexible and more importantly all of our things fit with no problem! I love how Toyota kept in mind that every buyer’s journey is different so they created the third row 60/40 split with the goal of accommodating different spatial needs with flexibility.

So, wanna know how I spent my birthday staycation!?

We took a day trip to Galveston Island! Visited the Historic Pleasure Pier, spent some time on the beach and the finale to our day trip…the fireworks display right over the Gulf of Mexico!

No birthday is complete without some self-care. So, I took to the nearest nail spa for some pampering and it was well deserved and greatly appreciated. Birthday eats is a must! So, the family and I piled into the 2018 Toyota Highlander and indulged in a unique burger experience. Afterwards, I got my educational fix at the Houston Police Museum. Finally, we headed home and I got serenaded with the traditional Happy Birthday song over a delicious bundt cake!

Also, I didn’t miss the opportunity to cross off other Houston eats and treats that had been on my radar for while. Lastly, I humbly reflected over this next chapter, made a wish, and blue out the candles in hopes for more great experiences to come!

My Favorite Features of the 2018 Toyota Highlander SE

Push Button Start

Trying to keep up with keys these days are relentless. With this feature, you don’t have to insert a key to start the vehicle. As long as the key is detected inside the vehicle, you can place your foot on the break and press the start button at the same time to start it. This is perfect when you have your hands full or don’t feel like digging all through your purse to locate the key.

Lane Departure Alert

This feature will totally keep you in check! Whether intentional or unintentional, don’t exit your lane without using your blinker or you will be in for a rude awakening. Small corrective steering will kick in to put you in your place and an annoying beep will grab your attention. However, it is a much needed feature that I can see saving lives on the road.

Blind Spot Monitoring

Like all drivers, I wish I had eyes all around me! Well, thanks to Toyota’s Blind Spot Monitoring feature you can and all from your side view mirrors. The symbol in your side view mirror lights up when a car has entered your blind spot on either side of your vehicle. This is genius! My indicator went off a nice amount times while I was driving on the road. Although I still have the habit of turning around to check to see if a vehicle is on the side of me before I change lanes, some days we all need the extra help. Now you have it!

Backup Camera

I say all the time, I don’t know what I would do without my backup camera. It’s a great addition to any vehicle. Especially SUV’s because of their larger body sometimes you can’t truly see everything behind you.

Seats 7

Who needs a mini-van when you can be stylish in an SUV with the same amount of space!? There is plenty of room in here for my family of four and more for us to tote around guests too.

Rear Seat Blue-ray DVD Entertainment System

Honestly, this feature was my family’s favorite! The remote control and wireless headphones were the highlight of our Toyota experience. Perfect for road trips or city commutes its a complete entertainment system for all rear seat passengers.

Three Zone Automatic Climate Control

It seems like my family is never on the same page when it comes to whose hot or cold! This eliminates the battle of trying to please everyone because someone always have to sacrifice their own comfort to appease others. With the individual temperature controls for the front and back passengers, we were all able to control our own air vents and it made for one comfortable ride!