You are exactly right about the Highlander not being a luxury vehicle. Since 1987 I’ve driven 3 pickup trucks and I use them to do light hauling with my business. I wanted a smaller vehicle with capacity to haul @1500 lbs and I kind of like the truck feel! The Highlander checks all these...
I looked at the Telluride but they wanted over MSRP and no way I will pay over sticker price for any vehicle. Found a new 2020 Highlander with all the features I wanted and saved @$15k over a Telluride. I love the Highlander and it just feels more solid than the Kia or Hyundai cars I test...