#Highlander hybrid drivers
Given how smooth today’s regular automatics tend to be, it’s likely that many drivers could pilot this hybrid without noticing any difference at all. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that there’s no pronounced shifting because the gear ratios in the transmission (which is neither a conventional transmission nor a belt-driven CVT) are continuously variable. Now in its second generation, the Hybrid drives even more like a normal car, with no real quirks to speak of. If you’re looking to save money in the long run, that’s a more complex story I’ll get to in a moment. So if you’re mostly tooling around the city, they’re hard to beat … if your goal is to burn less gas. This is because the electric motor provides more assistance and regenerates more electricity in stop-and-go driving. GM’s 2-Mode system performs in a similar fashion. Mileage gains that are more substantial in city than in highway driving are common among “full” hybrids of the type Toyota, Lexus, Ford and Nissan currently market. The Highlander costs $1,450 more with 4WD than with FWD, in all trim levels. In other words, you seem to get the gain with very little pain - apart from the higher upfront price.
#Highlander hybrid generator
The electric rear drive eliminates the weight of a mechanical driveshaft coming from the front and adds to the regenerative-braking power, whereby the motor serves as a generator that uses the car’s momentum to recharge the high-voltage battery when braking or coasting. My guess is the rate would be higher in today’s fuel-cost climate, but for what it’s worth, the previous generation’s front-wheel only improved on the 4WD version in city driving, and then only by 1 mpg. The first-generation Highlander Hybrid, last sold as a 2007 model, came in both front- and four-wheel drive, but Toyota says only 20 percent of buyers chose the front-drive version, so it eliminated the option. I guess if you want 4WD it’s no big deal, but if your bottom line is cost - in fuel and purchase price - you’d probably prefer that Toyota over a front-drive Hybrid. While the regular Toyota Highlander comes standard with front-wheel-drive, the Hybrid comes only with four-wheel drive, which it achieves by means of an electric motor on the rear axle. Less impressive is the highway rating, which adds 2 mpg to the non-hybrid 4WD Highlander but just 1 mpg to the front-drive model. Only a year-long average will tell the whole tale.Īs the table illustrates, the Hybrid improves markedly on the city mileage of the regular Highlander and a leading competitor, which in turn boosts its rating for combined driving. Without exception, my experience finds that hybrids suffer dramatic mileage reductions in cold weather for example, the Prius exceeds its EPA estimate in warm temperatures and falls below it in the cold. That said, we need more time to determine how accurately it predicts the new Highlander Hybrid’s performance. MPG disclaimer: Where EPA fuel economy estimates used to overstate performance, especially for hybrids, the new 2008 method is more reliable for some models it seems to have swung toward underestimating hybrid results.
I tested a Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited. The Hybrid comes in base and Limited trim levels, but not the in-between Sport trim offered on the regular Highlander. You can also explore a side-by-side comparison of the Hybrid and gasoline-only non-hybrid. Kelsey Mays covered the regular Toyota Highlander in great detail in his review, so I’ll concentrate on what makes the Hybrid different - and special among hybrids. Short supply, high sale prices and the expiration of federal tax credits for Toyota hybrids all call into question the benefits of buying the Highlander Hybrid. Though the reality of this model is positive overall, it is an expensive alternative with only a minimal mileage advantage on the highway and an electric-only mode that - as executed - is a gimmick of little practical value.
On the surface, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid seems a fantastic idea: a hybridized version of an already relatively efficient crossover, and one of the only hybrids with an electric-only mode.
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