Saturday, March 18, 2017

2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum Interior Measurements (Or: will my windsurfing gear fit?)

Unlike windsurfers, I guess most folks don't buy Sports Utility Vehicles for their utility. Good luck finding measurements for the interior cargo-area of most SUVs. Yes, you can find the cargo area volume. But when's the last time you filled your car with a liquid? Did you even fill the whole thing up?

Thanks to this oversight, I had to visit car dealerships with a tape measure. Yeah, I was the dork measuring SUVs.

I personally made the following interior measurements with a tape measure. Beware: these measurements are rounded to the nearest half inch, and the geometry inside cars is complex. The Highlander is much more complex inside than the box-like Element.

Also, these measures come from a 2017 Highlander Hybrid Limited with the Platinum package. The batteries and electric motors go somewhere. Specifically, I believe the batteries live under the floor of the rear cabin.

These measurements will vary depending on where exactly you measure things. For instance, the diagonal measurements below start from a little cubby area under the rear window on the driver's side. A mast or a boom could probably fit in that cubby, but a bookshelf wouldn't. The bulkier an item, the less of that lengthy you will be able to take advantage of. Also, the cargo opening is curved in multiple dimensions. The distance from the back of a seat to the rear of the vehicle gets shorter as you move the measuring point to the outside of the Highlander.

Remember: if you're trying to fit something more bulky than a tape measure, assume you have a shorter distance to work with. Don't base the purchase of a vehicle only on my measurements -- try to fit your stuff first!

2017 Highlander Interior Cargo Measurements

  1. Rear opening height 31"
  2. Rear opening width 41.5" near the top, 47" near the bottom
  3. Minimum rear width at floor 45.5"
  4. Distance from the rear to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way back) 77.5
  5. Distance  from the rear to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way forward, probably not comfortable) 90"
  6. Distance from rear to the dashboard along the center 112"
  7. Distance from the rear to the center console 81.5"
  8. Height in rear cargo area 32.5" 
  9. Distance to the back of the middle seats 43"
  10. Distance along the ceiling from front to rear over passenger seats 98"
  11. Ceiling width at the side doors 50"
  12. Height behind front seats 46.5"
  13. Height at front seats 43.5
  14. Diagonal from the rear on the driver side to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way back)  95"
  15. Diagonal from the rear on the driver side to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way forward, not comfortable) 102"  

The 2017 Toyota Highlander vs. The 2006 Honda Element

The Highlander is a significantly larger vehicle on the outside than the Honda Element, so my measurements had me double-taking. The shorter, narrower Element wins a few dimensions!

In Favor of the Element

  • Rear opening height - a nine and a half inch advantage for the Element
  • Cargo area height  - a nine and a half inch advantage
  • The height from the floor to the ceiling in front of the driver's seat - a four and a half inch advantage

In Favor of the Highlander

  • Distance from the rear to the back of the front passenger seat - an 11 to 15 inch advantage to the Highlander
  • A 13 inch advantage to the diagonal cargo area with the passenger seat all the way back
  • A 16 inch advantage from the rear to the back of the second row of seats

2006 Honda Element Interior Measurements (Or: will my windsurfing gear fit?)

Until very recently, my 2006 Honda Element has been my primary means of windsurfing transportation. One of the primary reasons I purchased the Element was to haul my windsurfing gear. The Element has the footprint of a compact car and the capacity of the Grand Canyon. Almost.

I physically made the following measurements with a tape measure. Beware: these measurements are rounded to the nearest half inch, and the geometry inside cars is complex. These measurements will vary depending on where exactly you measure things.

If you're trying to fit something more bulky than a tape measure, you might have difficulty. Don't base the purchase of a vehicle only on my measurements -- try to fit your stuff first!
  1. Rear opening height 40.5"
  2. Rear opening width 43.5"
  3. Minimum width at floor 38.5"
  4. Minimum rear width 4" up from floor 42.5" *
  5. Distance from the rear to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way back) 61"
  6. Distance  from the rear to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way forward, collapsed,  not usable) 75"
  7. Distance from rear to the front console (where the gear shift is) 94"
  8. Height in rear cargo area 42"
  9. Distance to back of the rear seats 27"
  10. Length along ceiling from front to rear over the passenger seats 103"
  11. Ceiling width at side doors 50.5"
  12. Height behind front seats 46"
  13. Height in front of front seats 48"
  14. Diagonal to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way back) 82”
  15. Diagonal to the back of the front passenger seat (seat all the way forward, not usable) 98”

Carrying Windsurfing Gear

When I go windsurfing, I usually remove both rear seats from the Element. You almost certainly will need to remove or fold one to get a board to fit.

The Mast

I run two NRS loop straps along the ceiling of the Element. One strap I run between the rear grab handles. The other strap I run between the metal loops the back door latches on to.

The two NRS straps let me suspend my mast just under the ceiling from the rear window of the cargo hatch all the way to my front window. This renders at least one of the sun shades unusable. Obviously I must disassemble the mast first.

The Sail and Boom

Both the sail and the boom run straight back from the area between the front seats to the rear of the Element.

The Board

My Fanatic Skate is about 91 inches long. It too fits inside my Element by sitting alongside my mast and boom. The nose of the Skate curves towards the passenger seat, making it pretty much unusable (unless you don't mind being incredibly uncomfortable). 

My JP Australia X-Cite Ride 145 is much larger, and would fit inside the Element in an emergency. However, if my roof straps haven't suffered a catastrophic failure, I prefer to put the large board on top. I mount the board to my roof using a set of Yakima crossbars and NRS Loop Straps. Unlike my previous straps, my new ones are rated for 1500 pounds.

I mount the X-Cite ride upside down with the front pointing to the front of the Element. The curve of the nose of the board almost matches the slope of my windshield.

I use one NRS Loop Strap pair per crossbar. One loop strap wraps around a tower, so it can't shift from side to side. The other strap loops  around the crossbar. A pad goes over the bar, the board goes on the pad, and the strap tightens over the board.

I'm extra cautious after my board surfed on Interstate 37, so a final loop strap connects to one of the foot-straps to a crossbar. This is probably overkill -- the board seems quite stable without it. However, I hope to never again watch my board cartwheel across 3 lanes of traffic as I yell like a maniac. Once is enough.

I also documented my interior cargo-area measurements of the 2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum.

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