Mark Miller and his Toyota Highlander is a love affair that has lasted 16 years and raced for over a million miles (1.6 million kilometers). But in the end, it was Ian who ended the game. The powerful hurricane that ravaged Florida in September 2022 unfortunately did not spare Miller’s SUV. As an employee of a paving company, he was driving his Toyota around the region. It was therefore not easy to get away from it.
“About 8,000 trips through the Alligator Valley”
In his Highlander, Miller says he has made “about 8,000 trips through the Alligator Valley”. This 80-mile stretch of Interstate 75 through the Florida Everglades was formally his daily bread. Since the Highlander was his first new car, taking care of it was a top priority. So Miller formed a special relationship with the Germain Toyota dealership in Naples, which provides annual maintenance for his vehicle.
In search of a new vehicle, Miller naturally returned to the dealership on 21 January. And as fate would have it, he was in for a big surprise. The keys to a brand new Highlander were handed to him by the dealership manager himself, Richard Germain. The model in question was a Bronze Edition with a hybrid powertrain combining a 2.5 litre petrol engine with a small electric motor.
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