Key highlights of the 2019 Toyota Highlander
Key highlights of the 2019 Toyota Highlander

The 2019 Toyota Highlander is a great large size SUV that redefines adventure driving. It has a stunning feature- rich interior design that beautifully complements the bold and tough exterior. The Highlander dominates the asphalt with an all-wheel drive and also handles uncertain roads and driving conditions.

Check out what more the Highlander has to offer both under the hood and inside the luxurious yet budget-friendly build.

Feature-rich interior
Stay plugged in with all your favorite electronic devices with all kinds of external ports made available on the central dash. Plus, the interior is layered with silencing materials for insulation along the floor to give you the quietest ride possible. There is a comfortable seating space for a total of 8 people with reclining third-row seats. When you plan to ride solo and haul some luggage, just fold down the extra seats to create a massive cargo space. Above all, one of the key highlights of the premium SUV is the panoramic moonroof that opens up to give you a spectacular view of the night sky.

Unmatched performance
Direct is the most apt reference when it comes to the engine configuration of the 2019 Toyota Highlander. We are talking about Direct-fuel injection and Direct Shift 8AT automatic transmission. Both components are built to handle the massive torque and power generated by the 3.5L V6 engine. But even with all power under the hood, the Highlander maintains a 21/27 mileage estimated for city/highway driving all day long. And if you are worried about emissions, the Highlander’s MPG meets EPA standards to earn an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) rating.

Automatic stop and start feature
The engines can start and switch off on their own depending on when the vehicle is stationary and needs to move. For example, while stopping at a red light, the automatic feature cuts power and saves fuel, especially at longer intersections. And simply releasing the brake pedal will trigger the engine to start on its own. This is one of the reasons for the Highlander being extremely fuel efficient.

Dynamic control torque
The main advantage of an all-wheel drive is superior control in multiple driving modes and road conditions. The Toyota Highlander features a Dynamic Torque Control system that uniformly distributes the engine’s power across all four wheels. If the ride gets too bumpy, the onboard sensors adjust the power to ensure the vehicle maintains a proper driving line and control. The dynamic control also adjusts braking accordingly to ensure a smooth ride on rough and uncertain terrain.

Towing capacity
If you thought the Highlander is just another large size SUV off the block, think again. With a maximum load of nearly 5000 lbs, the 2019 Toyota Highlander is also built for towing. So the next time you plan a nice weekend getaway out in the woods, hook up your camper van to the back of the car, and off you go!

  • Affordable New SUVs

    In recent the times, the automotive market in the country sees a considerable upswing in the entry of SUVs of every size and price range. The SUV is increasingly becoming popular owing to its large size, sturdier build, the promise of increased passenger safety and a host of other luxury add ons. However, while there are several tops of the range luxury SUVs that are available for prices that exceed hundred thousand dollars, there are equally a large number of new SUV offerings from manufacturers who are managing to combine efficiency, high performance and reliability with luxurious features at prices that are for the most part affordable.

    Here are some new SUVs, which are on the market with on road prices that are less than US$40,000.

    The Accura RD-X which has scored very highly on all performance and design tests, can seat 5 and offers fuel economy of 20 miles per gallon within the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway. The 2018 model has scored very well on numerous crash tests and offers luxurious driving comforts at a viable price.

    The Land Rover is appealing to car enthusiasts who love its rugged exterior bodywork that makes it an ideal vehicle of choice for its off-roading capabilities. However, the Land Rover comes with a price tag that corresponds to its truck like capabilities, but the discovery Sport from Land Rover gives you a reliable mid-sized SUV with the option of adding third-row seating too.

    At a base price of US$ 32,900, the Audi Q3 is a new SUV offering from the Audi stables that is available with the high-quality interiors that Audi is reputed for. At this price and you get to buy yourself a compact SUV that comes with the greatly sought after Audi branding.

    Another new SUV that has received positive feedback is the Cadillac XT5. This is a midsize SUV with a moderate engine that is designed to give the user a comfortable driving experience. It has a roomy cabin and can seat five passengers very comfortably.

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  • Tips before trying makeup testers in stores

    Before buying a cosmetic product, most of us tend to swoop down on the counter at the store where we get to try on the testers. However, after we have tied them out, more often than not we end up feeling guilty for three reasons, two of them being that the tester didn’t match out skin tone or texture and we couldn’t apply it well. However, what we overlook is the question as to how hygienic the tester really is. Although it is obvious that we don’t feel satisfied to buy products without trying them out, we certainly would think twice or thrice before trying on eye shadows or lip lipsticks which have been used before. In fact, according to statistics, half of the testers have been discovered to be crammed with Strep and E. Coli bacteria, having been heavily contaminated due to the heavily varied use. One can even get pink eye or a virus like hepatitis. Listed below are some tips before trying testers:

    Be safe, try personal: Popular stores would be ready to prepare personal testers for their customers, especially for products such as lipsticks, going in from dipping and spraying the shade with alcohol. Alcohol Sanitizer wipes are also available these days, with which one could scrape off the top most layer of the product, the used part, and use the unused one below. Trying products with disposable or brushes is also recommended. Sharpening the top layer is also good enough as all the contamination are deposited on the surface layer.

    Don’t try anything open: Don’t try anything or everything that comes in an open pot or jar. Most people out of fascination dip their own fingers into the product and try it out on their faces, such as face lotions, lip gloss or loose powdered eye shadow. Disposable cotton bud or pads are good to go.

    The trying areas: For the cheeks products like foundation, blush or face glitter, always use the back of your palm as the testing place and now your cheeks or the jawline. Don’t try any eye makeup either, such as pencil eyeliners or kajal – use the back of your hand for that too. This area also helps you identify how soft the bristles are by just drawing fine lines on your skin. If you really want to try on eye products, sanitize the tip with clinical alcohol. Unless and until the sale staff offers you clean fresh sample testers, do not indulge in putting anything on your face. Chances of infections such as zits is very high.

    Days of the week: Try visiting cosmetic stores on weekdays because weekends are too crowded for the staff to be paying complete attention to what kind of testers they’re giving you.

    Be smart and follow these tips to stay safe from infections from testers.

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  • How to make the most of allergy medicine coupons

    Most often we use coupons for shopping at a departmental store or eating at a fast food center and get other purchase items at discounted prices. Similarly, Allergy medicine coupons can be used for buying prescription as well as over-the-counter medicines.

    Here are some pointers, which you can follow to save some money on your monthly medication expenses by using allergy medicine coupons.

    Where to look for coupons?
    You will have to keep your eyes and ears open all the time. Whether you are at a newspaper stall or a shopping mall, go through newspapers and magazines for coupons and even coupon booklets that are available in stalls. Search the Internet. You will find many allergy medicine coupon websites offering discounts on allergy medicines.

    Save them even if you don’t need them
    Saving coupons now can help you tomorrow. Whatever allergy medicine coupons you see, cut them or print them, and save them even if you are not suffering from allergies.

    Maintain a coupon book
    The best way is to tabulate coupons that you have so that you are aware of the allergy medicine. You can do this by maintaining a coupon book. Take a diary and pin all the coupons that you have, either alphabetically or according to the products they refer to.

    Store credit
    Store credit is also a good way of saving money. More often than not, they redeem the store credit in the form of coupons. Use this opportunity to make sure that you can use the coupons for any medicine you want. Turn them into allergy medicine coupons and get your medicines at great discounts.

    Medicine coupons will help you save money, but you should know how to get the best out of these allergy medicine coupons.

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  • Find out more about Lenovo laptops

    Laptop sales have been rapidly gaining momentum in comparison with the personal computer sales. You can access the much needed information easily from your notebook PC at any given from any place. Since you can carry them, space restrictions do not apply. There are different types of laptops available nowadays and these products are being used for a wide range of purposes including home use, business use, gaming, media center and other similar tasks. There are also cheap laptops, ultra portable laptops netbooks, zenbook and the list goes endless. You can select the most suitable one based upon your needs. The plethora of options available makes life easier for the buyers. Leading manufacturers like Lenovo have come up with highly sophisticated devices such as Lenovo ThinkPad X1 and these types of products offer amazing benefits for the users.

    High quality laptops can be purchased at affordable prices

    You might have heard a lot about cheap laptops. The word ‘cheap’ does not mean that the quality is cheap. In fact; cheap laptops refer to affordable laptops. These types notebook PCs are suitable for people with low-budget. You can include advanced products like Lenovo Flex, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 under this category because of their pocket friendly prices.

    When you buy a Lenovo ThinkPad X1, you need to make sure that it offers excellent quality and price should be the next consideration. Low-priced laptops are perfect for students and people, who are beginners or new to computing, can opt for something affordable before searching for a high-end laptop. The market is really flooded with different types of laptops and you have to do some research to select the best one you need.

    Consider the features vigilantly

    When decide to shop for a laptop, the first and foremost thing to take into consideration is the features. When it comes to Lenovo ThinkPad X1, you must check the display, processor, hard drive, operating system, graphics card and memory. When you prepare the list of features, it is very critical to understand the fact that the laptop computers cannot be easily upgraded like desktop computers.

    Thus, you must be a bit careful while assessing the features and it is always advisable to choose a laptop equipped with power-packed features such as Lenovo Idea Pad. There are a lot of online stores available and you need to find a reputed online store to become eligible for the best discounts for laptop purchase. Leading stores offer amazing collection of products at the best prices.

    You can come across a lot of laptop manufactures in the market and everyone is trying hard to make their products unique and attractive. Trusted manufacturers like Lenovo have introduced some of the most dynamic products and you can definitely consider purchasing them.

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  • Make the best out of your credit with these 10 best credit cards

    In Sophie Kinsella’s popular book Confessions of a Shopaholic, the protagonist Becky Bloomwood lives a posh life; she resides in one of the hippest places in London and has a closet filled with the season’s latest fashion. The only flipside to Becky’s ultra-glam life is that she has a mountain-high debt. Her bank is chasing her around with warning letters filled with big numbers in red. Becky has to face all these problems all thanks to her indiscriminate spending habits with her credit card. While the book has been slotted under chick-lit and romance and incorporates all the elements of this genre, a substantial part of the plot revolves around Becky’s silly but quite effective ideas to delay paying her credit card debt. This is until a debt collector from her bank catches up with her during the climax and everything starts going downhill.

    Thus, it seems, unless you are careful enough, credit cards will either make you (or your credit score) or break you, just like Becky Bloomwood. Although Becky has a happy ending, you may not have the same luck. Hence, it is always good to think beforehand what you expect to do with your credit card: shop, pay your bills, increase your credit score, collect miles by booking air tickets or make hotel reservations. Another crucial factor to consider while applying for a credit card is the repayment amount. So that your situation does not resemble Becky’s, we have listed here 10 best credit cards of 2018, which will give you a head start on researching about the top credit cards suitable for you:

    Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card
    Among the 10 best credit cards, this Chase Sapphire card has been adjudged as one of the best travel credit cards in the market. There is no annual fee and no APR in the first year. After the introductory period, the regular APR is 17.49%-24.49% and the annual fee is $95. You can earn bonus points of up to 50,000 if you spend $4,000 in the first three months.

    Citi ® Double Cash Card
    There is no annual fee and the intro APR includes 0% on balance transfers for the first 18 months. The regular APR is 14.99%-24.99%. You can earn 2% cashback on your shopping. Among the 10 best credit cards listed here, this is one is the best for earning cash back on your purchases.

    Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
    The annual fee is $95, and the intro APR includes 0% on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months. The regular APR is 14.74%-25.74%. You can earn 6% cash back on making purchases at any supermarket and 3% cash back when you swipe your card at any gas station and select departmental stores.

    Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
    This credit card lets you earn 1.5 points for every $1 you spent on purchases. There is no annual fee and the intro APR includes 0% on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles. If you spend at least $1000 in the first 90 days, you can earn 20,000 online points.

    Discover it® Student Cash Back
    Among the 10 best credit cards, this one is most suitable for students. There is no annual fee and intro offer includes 0% on purchases and 10.99% on balance transfer for the first six months.

    SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express
    This card is best suited for small businesses as it lets you earn 5% cash back on purchases made from any supplies store and on wireless telephone services. There is no annual fee and the intro APR is 0% on purchases for the first 15 months. The APR after the introductory period is around 13.99% to 20.99%.

    Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
    Among the 10 best credit cards listed here, this one is quite popular as a flat-rate travel rewards card. There is no intro APR and a regular APR of around 14.49% to 24.49% applicable. There is no annual fee in the first year and later one, you have to pay $95 every year. After you spend $3000 on purchases in the first three months, you will earn a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles.

    The other credit cards in the list of 10 best credit cards include Citi Simplicity® credit card, Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card, and Discover it® Secured. Make sure you research well before applying for any credit card.

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  • Top 5 brand to choose from while buying patio furniture

    Most buyers face the dilemma of deciding on furniture brands, especially for their outdoors. Below are listed some of the best patio furniture providers in the USA. These patio furniture brands offer an array of elegant options which include – deep seating, lounge pieces, dining sets and much more. All these names guarantee the best quality pieces for the most affordable price.

    • Big lots patio furniture: Big lots is a name that resonates with attractive furniture. It was founded on a blend of style and affordability. Big lots patio furniture is known for its durability and long-lasting finishes. You can select from a wide range of colors and styles. From contemporary designs to antique looks, the store has some of the best pieces in outdoor furnishing.
    • Kingsley –Bate: The brand sources all its materials responsibly. They are known for teak patio furniture pieces. They have showcased remarkable designs in weather wicker and stainless steel. Casual Living Magazine has listed them as the best selling furniture brand in the USA.
    • Hampton Bay: Hampton Bay patio furniture is often labeled as the best brand when it comes to cost and quality. The brand retails online through all the major shopping websites. They are known to sell furniture almost up to 75% discounts. The brand is guaranteed to meet all your outdoor decor needs.
    • Tropitone: From hammocks, cushions, rocking chairs to patio umbrellas and chairs, tables and wicker furniture, Tropitone has all the essentials to turn your outdoor area into a space for relaxation and entertainment. Apart from looking good, these outdoor pieces can incredibly withstand all extreme climates. All the products are created under environment-friendly conditions.
    • Brown Jordan: Based in Pasadena, California this furniture brand was started by Hubert Jordan and Robert Brown in 1954. They manufacture all-weather resistant patio furniture and offer exclusive styles and designs in vinyl lace and tubular aluminum, which go by the name “Leisure”. The company boasts of over thirty different collections which are sure to leave every buyer mesmerized.

    You can find these brands on portals such as Kmart patio furniture and home depot patio doors section.

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  • How to keep your pets free from fleas

    Keeping your pets free of fleas is a tough job. You must agree that the primary source of fleas in your home are your pets. Fleas easily get lodged into the fur of your dog or cat and enter your premises. These fleas may not affect your pet’s skin. But they do cause irritation, redness, and swelling of the human skin. So the first step to keep your home free of fleas is to make your pets flea-less.
    There are many home flea treatment options that you can use on your pets to keep them flea-free. Some of these treatments include the following.

    • Treat grassy lawns with nematode
      Pets tend to spend their time outside. It’s only natural. They love to play in backyards and parks. So the best step you can take is to treat your outdoor areas with a natural product that is perfect for controlling fleas. This natural product is a tiny worm called nematode that feeds on flea larvae. This is mixed with water and then applied on the lawn and other grassy regions. Usually, this works within 24 hours, and your garden will be 90% flea free.
    • Bathe your pet
      This is the easiest home flea treatment, where you bathe your pet with a thick foam of soapy water. A dense layer of the foam, if left for more than 5 minutes, will drown the fleas. However, this kind of bath may dry up your pet’s skin, so don’t do this often.
    • Use lemon spray
      This home flea treatment has shown striking results. Boil a thin slice of lemon with water. Cool it down overnight and use a spray bottle to spray the solution on your pet’s skin. Use a comb to spread the solution, deep within the fur.
    • Lavender oil
      Lavender oil is a good flea repellent. Dab some lavender oil on your pet’s neck and its tail. Your pet will not only remain flea-free but will also smell great.

    Keeping your pet clean and tidy is a huge part of home flea treatment as it doesn’t cost you anything and your home will remain pest-free.

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  • What lies underneath 2016 Audi A6’s hood

    This article discusses the mechanical side of the 2016 Audi A6. With this 2016 model, Audi has added additional power to three of its engine. The luxury sedan which is equipped with four high-performing engines has 2.0 litre turbocharged inline- 4 cylinder that has 32 additional horsepower when compared to 2015 model. Similarly, Audi’s S6’s V8 for 2016 has higher horsepower than the 2015 model at 450 horsepower, which is higher by 30 from the previous model.

    In addition, this year’s V6 which is 3.0 litre, has 23 more horsepower that combines to provide total 333 horsepower. On the other hand, the 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel V6 has the same horsepower as found in the 2015 model which is 240. In the A6 2.0-liter front-wheel-drive, there are a 7-speed S Tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission controls gear changes in models. On the other hand, the 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission is linked to an all-wheel-drive configuration of the 2.0 litre. This 8-speed automatic serves with the 3.0 liter supercharged V6 and turbocharged diesel V6. The 4.0 litre V8 is connected to the 7-speed S tronic.

    It has 3.0 litre TDI Clean Diesel Engine by four high-performing engines. The engine offers up 25 city/38 highway mpg. Its diesel offers an amazing 428 lb-ft of torque that can be served immediately. The 2016 Audi A6 will cost just over $46,000 which will include the 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine as well as front-wheel-drive configuration.

    Detailed configuration:

    2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
    252 horsepower @ 5,000-6,000 rpm
    273 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600-4,500 rpm
    EPA city/highway fuel economy: 24/35 mpg (7-speed S tronic automatic, front-wheel drive), 22/32 mpg (8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive)

    3.0-liter supercharged V6
    333 horsepower @ 5,500-6,500 rpm
    325 lb-ft of torque @ 2,900-5,300 rpm
    EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/30 mpg

    3.0-liter turbocharged diesel V6
    240 horsepower @ 3,500-3,750 rpm
    428 lb-ft of torque @ 1,750-2,250
    EPA city/highway fuel economy: 25/38 mpg

    4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8
    450 horsepower @ 5,800-6,400 rpm
    406 lb-ft of torque @ 1,400-5,700 rpm
    EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/27 mpg

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