I hear what your saying. The 2019 Highlander is currently around four inches shorter than the Pilot. They are likely trying to stay competitive with Pilots interior space. My understanding is the 2020 highlander will sit on a new frame/platform .... it will be interesting to see. I am pretty sure they will unveil it in New York Auto Show in April.
The salesman got back to me on the Passport. As I expected , the dealer is not willing to move much off MSRP yet. Also found out adding tow package is over $1500! The adventure package is almost $4k Just not worth it to me. The viewing public will hardly be able to tell the difference between a pilot and passport.
I will sit back ... watch and chomp on some popcorn until the 2020 highlander comes out. Still have Kia, Subaru and Lexus to look at.