Toyota Highlander Hybrid Testimonials
Hi,We have a 2006 Toyota Highlander 2 Wheel Drive. We live at 3,500 foot elevation on the slopes of Haleakala, on Maui. Anytime we go anywhere, we almost always have to drive down to sea level and back. By far, most of our driving is highway driving and we are averaging just over 24 mpg.
I'm curious what others are getting in this vehicle.
Aloha,
Bill
Are you the owner of a Toyota Highlander hybrid? Tell us about your experiences with the Highlander hybrid. What kind of gas mileage do you get in your hybrid Highlander and in what kind of driving?
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Labels: Highlander hybrid, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota
posted by Dahcredyns at
2:42 PM
87 Comments:
I bought a 4-wheel drive Highlander Hybrid one week ago. I have only put 165 miles on it thus far, mostly short drives (less than 8 miles at a time in town), so I am still learning how to best maximize the fuel efficiency. I am being very gentle with the gas pedal and coasting downhill without my foot on the pedal at all. I am only getting 22.5 mpg according to the computer, which is disappointing, and am eager to make the calculation myself with my first fillup. A major concern is that the battery has yet to fully charge. It has not charged more than 6 bars out of the 8 maximum. I am hoping that a fully charged batter will result in the electric motor contributing to power more frequently. I am sold on the electronic power steering and the transmission combination which allows the vechicle to truly coast when going downhill without the tranmission slowing the vehicle. The interior, exterior, amenities etc. are all great, I'm disappointed in the fuel efficiency thus far. I would gladly give up some power for more fuel efficiency.
Darrell Powledge, Roanoke, Virgnia
We bought our Hybrid Highlander in July 05'. In the beginning we were getting about 27mpg. These last couple months it has taken a turn for the worse. My driving conditions haven't changed (mostly city driving). The last 5 fill ups we have averaged about 20mpg. I have noticed the gas comes on almost immediately now, unlike before when the electricity was used up to about 30mph (on the flat). We took it into the Toyota dealer and they insisted there was nothing wrong or the lights would've come on. There is something wrong when you spend the extra money to purchase a vehicle that is supposed to be better for the environment and it ends up not being the case. We didn't buy this thinking we would get our money back in the gas money we saved. We bought this thinking it polluted less and didn't consume as much gas. It is frustrating being mislead.
By the way Darrell the battery is rarely ever charged all way. I don't think that makes a difference unless it's really low. I'm not sure though.
Darrell-
I think you bring up a good point regarding the Highlander hybrid, a fuel economy/performance switch.
Toyota is considering this option. Currently the Highlander hybrid is supposed to provide V6 power with V4 fuel efficiency.
A friend of mine drives a 4WD conventional Highlander and achieves well under 20 mpg in real world driving. The Highlander hybrid is supposed to achieve about 20 - 30 percent better fuel economy than the conventional Highlander, so you seem in the range.
Nonetheless, why not V4 power with great fuel efficiency?
I think Toyota MUST address this issue in the future. If people want to focus on fuel efficiency, let them.
Let us know if anything changes.
______
Tricia, please write back if you have any changes in performance, etc., as well.
Also, Tricia, you still are polluting less in your hybrid compared to the conventional Highlander. Additionally, the typical conventional Highlander achieves less than 20 mpg in the city.
Again, please let us know how it goes.
I bought my 2006 Highlander 4x4 (base model with package #1) in late September '05 on eBay from a dealer in Lockport, NY. At that time I felt like I got a good deal, at $2,000 below MSRP. I flew from my home (near Burlington, Vermont) to Buffalo (thanks to Jet Blue's $69 1-way fare) to get the car and then drove it home. I paid close attention to my driving technique and stayed on secondary roads, avoiding interstates. That 500-mile trip in cool, dry weather yielded almost 31 mpg. I have never been able to duplicate that economy. Car now has 2,500 miles and has averaged 23-25 mpg. Vermont is hilly, so I am often going up and down grades more than long distances on flat roads. Mileage seems to vary a lot with colder temps, use of A/C, heat, lights, etc. As others have remarked, the V-6 seems to run more frequently, no matter how lightly I use the accelerator. As of today (2/3/06) we have escaped our normal winter in NW Vermont this year: little snow and no below-zero temps. Wonder what effect those would have on economy? Perhaps the HiHy's mileage will improve in the spring. I am proud to own and drive such a vehicle, but would not recommend it to anyone whose budget can't easily afford the premium price over a gas-only 4-cyl or V-6 Highlander.
I bought a Highlander Hybrid i
C'mon Caliloza, tell us about your Highlander hybrid!!! What kind of mileage are you getting?
I, too, am disappointed with my Highlander mileage (24), mostly because the sticker said 28-32. QUESTION: Does anyone know how to get the maint. required light to go off? Last oil change, the mechanic showed me and I can't remember or get it to do it. Hold in the button on odo. while starting? thanks.
We just bought a HH a week ago, after 250 miles I am getting 27.4mpg, I was very careful to maximize this by coasting a lot up to redlights and not accerating up hills, but then I mostly drive that way except in my Boxster. MY wife and I are amazed at how quiet the car is going down the highway. I also noticed the battery is not fully charging, but that probably would be hard to do with the electric motor coming on as much as it does going up hills.
I purchased one about 2 months ago.. I now have 4000 miles on it.
I got about 28-30 on the atlanta highways in rush hour traffic in bumper to bumper traffic. I go on electric alot of the time by being easy on the gas.
I found out 60 is the sweet spot for highway mileage. Above 60 I found that it did not use the electric at all. I had to go on a trip 800 miles each way and I got about 25 MPG going 70 most of the time.
If you drive under 60 using the cruise control and do not have a hilly road you will use the electric occasionally while on the cruise control only. I was rarely able to get the electric at highway speeds except at cruise.
Whenever you start it the motor has to run to warm up the engine to operating temperature. so if you do alot of short trips it will constantly use the gas motor.
I am pretty happy since atlanta traffic is pretty bad. It is a roomy car that gets 4 cylinder mileage with a v6 with lots of power.
We bought our HH Ltd. in September. I am disappointed in the mpg. On average we get 25 mpg or less. On the highway it averages about 26 mpg but in the city we get only about 20 mpg. When I took it in to see if something was wrong with the HH, the service manager said,"It may take 10,000 miles for the HH to break in." This seems a bit high since many people do not drive 10,000 in 2 years. When I talked to the mechanic, he said that the HH are still in experimental mode, and really don't know how many mpg it will get due to the higher power. He said he has only seen 2 HH so far.
I also do not see the battery mode kick in very often in city driving. If it does, it stays on for only a few seconds.
It is true that the Highlander hybrid was not built specifically for fuel efficiency. Toyota has stated that this might be an option in the future: either more performance or better fuel efficiency.
Still, you are achieving v6 performance without v6 fuel economy.
If you drive a 4 wd standard highlander, you'd achieve well under 20 mpg.
If a standard Highlander averages 18 mpg in combined city/highway real world driving and a Highlander hybrid achieves 22 mpg in combined city/highway driving - that's more than a 20 percent gain in fuel efficiency.
SUVs are typically heavy and therefore fuel inefficient. Hybrid technology can only help so much until manufacturers start making lighter SUVs and plug-in hybrids.
As for the 10,000 mile break in period - don't expect any real change. That 'break-in' period is just the amount of time it takes drivers to learn how to maximize the fuel efficiency of their hybrid by their driving style.
I have about 7000 miles on my 4WD-i HH (Highlander Hybrid) and, using regular gas, average between 25 and 26 mpg. That's about 430 miles of driving with the 17.2 gallon tank. It's supposed to average 26-36 mpg for city and 22-32 mpg for highway driving.
There's an interesting note in the Toyota owner's manual: "For improved vehicle performance, the use of premium unleaded gasoline with an octane Rating of 91 or higher is recommended." I plan to fill up with the higher octane and check the mileage.
I like our Highlander Hybrid but we too get about 22 mpg overall in the Portland & Vancouver area. I have found that Consumer Reports offers an honest assessment of real gas mileage on most models. I hope Toyota is paying attention to these comments, both these blogs and other sources. I have checked with Toyota several times and, just like the other comments I have read, they offer no solution or reasonable solution that I have not already tried. I drive our Highlander very carefully to conserve as much fuel as possible. I am aware that some loss in mileage has to do with the winter gas fuel formulation that is added in OR and WA. We have also had a Toyota Prius nearly two years now. We are all hybrid and we certainly did not buy them with the idea that it was going to be a money saver but we do want to lower our overall CO2 emissions. I hope car manufactures and the EPA can get together to offer us an honest assessment of performance. There are many of us that do want to make a difference.
Barry and Denise
We bought our Highlander hybrid about a year ago and have already 17000 miles on it. We are pretty happy with our mileage - about 28 mpg in Summer and 27 mpg in Winter (we live in Minneapolis). It all depends on how you drive. I drive it regularly and know how to improve the mileage (be light on your gas pedal and accelerate slowly). When someone else drives it, I often notice mileage going down.
I bought a used 2006 HH with 18000 miles and have 21000 now and my overall city/light highway mileage is 23 -24 mpg. There are no hills in Florida. We recently completed a 185 mile highway trip 65 - 75 mph with cruise control on and got a disappointing 21 miles per gallon. Are any of you owners keeping the tire pressure at 36 psi vs 32? Is there a downside to keeping the pressure at 35ps?
I'm a brand new Highlander 4WD Hybrid owner and I absolutely love it. I loved my 2000 Xterra too, but it never got over 19.5 MPG in the 145,000 miles I drove it - - and it had horrible acceleration power. (My average was usually around 18 MPG.)
My first two tankfuls with my Highlander have been 28.6 MPG and 28.4 MPG. That's almost 60% better than my Xterra. And - - the power is amazing! Push on the accelerator and feel yourself being pushed back into your seat! Extremely fast pick-up for an SUV.
I too am a quite dissapointed in my HiHY mgp. I get better gas mileage on the fwy than in the city - which is completely opposite to what is advertised and from what I understood to be the science behind the hybrid synergy system. I am lucky to get 23mpg -- I live in Los Angeles where the temp is ideal and the driving conditions are supposed to be "perfect" for the hybrid vehicle. I am at mile 650 just having bought it two weeks ago and 650 miles has taken over a tank and 1/2 of gas. I have driven it various ways - slow, coasting a great deal, breaking blah blah blah -- it seems to make no difference to when I just drive it like i would drive any other car. Very frustrating considering we spend about 10 grand more to get it this way. My only hope is that they are not lying about the emissions. When I contacted the dealereship about the issue -- I was told that the EPA was going to release a new statement next
year indicating that they overestimated the average by 30%/ Feeling a bit like a fool right now. If any of you have any suggestions please let me know - I would love to see this improve.
I bought my front wheel drive 2007 Highlander Hybrid Limited about Thanksgiving 2006. I love it. With careful, but not too slow, driving, I get about 25 mpg around town. People have to realize that this Highlander Hybrid is not merely an economy car; it is a performance car in an SUV package.
Robert F.
Charlottesville, VA
We got 28.4 mpg on our first tank on the Highlander Hybrid. We expect to get over 30 soon. I am surprised at how many people don't know how to drive hybrids. Read about Pulse and Glide! Here are some ideas:
1: Try NOT to use the electrics. This sounds odd, but energy conversion is inefficient and hte Atkinson engine is very efficient.
2: Accelerate Briskly, at about 50kw. Do NOT accelerate "slowly" like every says. The Atkinson engine is less efficient at "partial throttle."
3. Finally, try to get the engine to go off. This is the glide part. You accelerate to say 55, then lift the throttle to turn off the engine, then apply a little throttle to keep from recharging the batteries.
Don't beleive me? Read about the guys who got over 100mpg in the Prius using this technique.
Soon...I plan to try higher octane gas, take off the roof rack crossbars, use higher tire pressures, use N when going downhill (unless I need to recharge or slow down). 30mpg is doeable, and you do NOT need to accelerate slowly. Although going 40-50 would give you better mileage than 45-55.
We purchased an 06 Highlander hybrid. I did not expect to get the posted gas mileage, however I did expect to get somewhere between the two numbers. Our first trip was to California from Utah. We averages 28.5 miles for the duration of the trip there and back. This continued until winter when I dropped to 25 mpg then to 20-21mpg. I took the car to the dealership multiple times only to have them me that there was nothing wrong. Finally they had the service rep look at it who said my software that causes the motors to come on was disabled. The re-enabled it and my MPG went up to 26mpg. when the weather warmed up I was back to 28.5 again until about three months ago. I smelled an electronic burning smell and my MPG has dropped again to between 24-25 mpg. I took it back to the dealership again who again says there is nothing wrong. I am extremely disappointed in the car I could have saved 10K and purchased the regular gas model. I am averaging about 350 miles per tank.
JD
In July '06 we bought a Highlander Hybrid-I. We were told by the dealership that we could expect to get 30 mpg. For the first 15k miles, we averaged a consistent 26-28mpg.. not bad for an SUV. I attributed the difference between what the dealership said regarding MPG and our actual mileage as "salesman hipe".
However, after the 15k mile service the fuel milage dropped by almost 20%. I am now averaging 21-23 mpg! As I read this forum, it seems to be the "common thread" to the postings on this blog.
I took the vehicle back to Toyota to report the drastic drop in mileage. They "checked" the vehicle and could find nothing wrong.. not surprisingly! The service writer at the dealership suggested that it could be the air filter. I had it changed. The mileage remains the same.. 21-23 mpg.
I get the same answer from our Toyota dealership (Santa Clarita, CA)that everyone else is getting.. that there is no problem with the car. I TOTALLY DISAGREE.. THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG WHEN THE MILEAGE SUDDENLY DROPS!.. AND BASED ON THE COMMENTS LEFT ON THIS BLOG, IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES.
This vehicle was my first Toyota.. and it wil be my last! Unless Toyota can diagnose and correct what appears to be a common problem, they will get the car back at the end of the lease.
Anybody up for a "class-action" law suit??
AJH
Castaic, CA
Has anyone actually used their Hybrid Highlander driving in wet snowy/icy conditions? My sister can get a great deal on one, but she heard that it might be unsafe because going down hill, you are electric and there is no down shifting. I think she's worried about sliding because she'll need to break more. I'd love to give her examples of folks who used that hybrid in the snow and had a good/great experience. I have a Prius and haven't driven it to the snow yet, so have no opinion on it either way.
You actually can 'downshift' in the highlander by putting the shifter in the B slot. This increases the drag on all 4 wheels by (apparently) allowing the electric motors to provide more resistance (and thus generate more power I suppose). This is a very noticable increase in 'drag.'
As for snowy conditions, our '07 HHL did fantastic this past winter in a variety of winter/snowy conditions, and in some where other 4wd vehicles were getting stuck. Highly recommended.
We have a 2007 Highlander with four-wheel drive. We have over 3,500 miles in it, and have consistently averaged 31 mpg. We live in Denver, and the milage frequently drops to around 27-28 mpg when we drive up into the mountains, but then climbs back up on the downhill run back into the city. I don't know why others don't get the same results, but you cannot just jump in and drive the same way that you always have, and expect to get the benefits of the hybrid drive. We are both careful about gentle acceleration and gradual deceleration. I think that this vehicle has actually improved my driving - you do have look down the road and "drive ahead" to get the most out of it.
I bought a Highlander Hybrid07 in April 07 with 26.7 mpg. Right now I have 9,500 miles and it's 24.4mpg. I hope it will go up but it never does. So I just hope that it doesn't go down. I travel alot with full of suitcases at the back, a baby, a plus size mother in law.
In general, I think it's not that good of mileage but it's also not that bad. I just wonder how long the battery will last and does it worth saving up money from gas to change the battery cell??
Usa
The battery is maintained in such conditions no more than two years
I am a real owner. Just purchased a dealer owned 2007 Toyota Hybrid (4 wd) with 3,500 miles. Have averaged at the best 21.6 mpg for in town and long distance driving. I live in upstate NY and have repeatedly been told that since we are in winter time, have snow tires, and that some gasoline has 10% ethanol, that we are getting "good", expectable mpg and that it would take up to 10,000 miles to get the max mpg. We bought this (very base model) because of the sticker that said 26-30 mpg average. I'm meeting with an "expert" regional rep tomorrow, first time in for this. From the other postings, I don't expect much but an attempt to blind sight us. I didn't really have the money to spend as much as we did for this used TH, and really wish I would have bought a regular one...It hasn't even come close to meeting expectations.
Finally, can some one give me more information on the lemon law in NY state, since we are not even close to the 15,000 miles that some have spoken about. Thanks to all for your input.
More people should learn about electric vehicles as a solution. "Zero emissions" is something that's going to be required by law one day (you know it will). Making the decision to go electric is far cheaper anyway, like 10 cents on the dollar vs. gas. (source: zapworld.com)
I am glad that i read this blog. I was going to purchase HH this week. I am sure going to rethink about this now and probably go with other options.
I'm car shopping and the HH has been in my top two choices. I want to make a good decision for the environment but am not sold on "hybrid technology." My concern has been long term maintenance... and battery life. what is the expected life? What is the replacement cost? What is the environmental impact of the manufacture and destruction of the batteries? Does that offset the reduced vehicle emission? This blog has given me some pause too because it seems that there is a consistant complaint about actual mileage. Perhaps this is a US economic problem... here's a consumer who'd like to spend money, is willing to spend more for an environmentally sound choice... BUT there aren't any vehicles out there that provide a solution.... I live in Seattle, on a hill, drive in snow and ice - need 4 or AWD, and seating for 6. Thanks for any comments.
We bought our 2008 HH in February, 2008. I am extremely disappointed. Avg mgp is 20 - 21 after 2000 miles. Yes, as one of the bloggers points out, that's better than the gas-only version, but it was advertised as 27 mpg. That's a big difference (over 25% lower than advertised). I was expecting to get lower than Toyota advertised, but not this much. I feel really ripped off, having paid almost $45,000. The dealer should know what they're selling and warn you. For that much, I should have just bought a BMW.
I have been driving my Highland Hybrid for two years and have 20,000 miles on it and I, too, have seen the mileage decrease since I bought it. Currently am getting around 23-24 mpg. Not at all happy about spending $40,000+ for a vehicle that does not meet it stickered claims. Other than the gas mileage, I love the vehicle and would not like going back to a gasoline only powered vehicle. I like the quietness of the vehicle, my husband calls it my golf cart. I just hope they can fix the mileage problem because I would really like to purchase another one.
We bought a 2007 HH 4wd on new years eve of 2006. First tank we averaged 27.4 using the on-board display. This seemed great compared to the 12-13mpg our '96 Ford Bronco would get.
As time passed, the mileage using the display has decreased to around 22-23 average.
I take the vehicle from Portland to Seattle or Eugene and get 22-23 @ 70-75mph. Did the engineers at Toyota think about an overdrive in these hybrid vehicles??? Our '03 Avalon is most comfortable and gets nearly 27mpg on these same trips.
When the average mileage in the HH was at around 25, I calculated that I could go 425 miles on a tank. At 365 miles, I ran out of gas. At least he vehicle jumped and sputtered but still ran on the battery. Ended up in the Safeway parking lot and all sorts of warning lights came on. Went into the store and did my business. Came out and it started up using the gasoline engine ONLY as the battery was depleated. Drove home 2 miles and called the Toyota dealer who said bring it in. But first, drove to COSTCO to fill-up with reg. unleaded. Mostly downhill but another 2 miles.
After arriving at Toyota, they ran a diagnostic check and told me I had ran out of gas. They reset the warning lights and said don't do that again.
It took one tankfull to get the mileage back over 20mpg after "running out" which I find hard to believe as the hybrid battery indicated flat <2 and I was using the gasoline engine.
Since then, best mileage is 24.8 average. I ask the COSTCO gas person to top it off each time I fill-up. (UNLAWFUL TO PUMP YOUR OWN IN OREGON)
I now have a little over 15,000 miles and am very dissapointed in the mileage. I use the cruise control all the time and do plenty of coasting. Right now, the average mileage reads 23.3.
Still have the Bronco (5.7L V8) and get nearly 15 in town using techniques I've learned with the HH.
Tempted to sell the HH and drive the Bronco. Can turn on a dime and will go everywhere in the snow.
The Highlander Hybrid was a total waste of money in my opinion. We do about a 65/35 mix of city/highway driving, and we barely keep it above 20mpg. Not worth the extra $$$.
Dear Kernpail: We too bought a 2008 Highlander Hybrid (Limited) 4WD-i. We paid $47k (includes the navigation and DVD player). We are averaging 28 MPG, but sometimes can get upto a 30MPG average if gas is bought from Chevron (we use regular unleaded). I am disappointed that the gas engine comes on every time we start the car, even if we want to coast on our street at 5mph. Equally disappointing is the "EV" mode rarely is available when we manually engage it at low speeds. But overall, the HH Limited is very well appointed and we enjoy it. You're right though, at the pricepoint, we could have bought new BMWs.
We have the 2006 Highlander Hybrid and are very disappointed not so much with the gas mileage we assumed the advertised numbers would not be true but with the tires seems they wear out very fast due to the extra weight of the electric engine. Have any others experienced this problem? Also a minor fender bender has cost us a ton in repairs?
We live in the South Bay area near LAX and have had the 2008 Highlander Hybrid for about 2 months and 1300 miles. We live in an area that should be about optimum for hybrid performance. The mileage has been disappointing so far, and significantly less than advertised. We're averaging 21.9 (mostly town). At first, we were averaging about 22.5-23, but the last two tanks have dropped, averaging 20.3 in town. with a best tank of 24.7(mostly freeway). This using the "Econ" mode all the time and following all the "mileage tips" in the manual. The last two in town tanks have averaged 20.2, and it doesn't seem to matter how it's driven. The dealer insists nothing is wrong. On top of that, this Highlander Hybrid has failed to start on two ocassions (small starting battery discharged to about 5 volts after sitting in a parking lot for about 2 hours the first time and 2 days in our garage the second). Vehicle was towed to dealer who "found nothing wrong" either time. We have carefully followed the shut down instructions to the letter. Needless to say, the combination of relatively poor gas mileage and the starting issue has shaken our confidence in the vehicle. If the starting problem happens one more time, I'm going to return the vehicle and ask for a full refund. I curious if anyone else has experienced a starting problem...the dealer said "we've never heard of it before". One other note: the premium of about $8K for the Hybrid is a BAD business deal. Hopefully it's better for the environment. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this hybrid over a conventional vehicle. Just not enought advantage.
I am leasing a 2008 Highlander Hybrid LTD and also am very disappointed with the mileage. The computer says 22.5, but my actual calculations show about 20mpg! This is bogus. For a car that cost 50 percent more than my last 2004 Highlander that got 15-17mpg ( 50% streets/50% freeway) it's seems not worth it. I do like the bluetooth and AUX jack for the iPod, but there is a lot of radio interference with the iPod playing through the system.
Not too happy
We ahve had real problems with 2 areas first it seems the mechanics at the lcoal dealer are not too sharp adn will guess at my expense what's wrong and 2nd the origianl tires wore down in less than 24K miles.
Anyone else ahve tire wear issues???
Tire problems have been an issue with the Toyota Highlander hybrid and other Toyota hybrid vehicles.
Some claim its the extra weight of the electric motor and the extra batteries. Some claim its lower resistance tires, especially on the Prius. Maybe its a combination of both, but you are not alone in experiencing tire wear on a toyota hybrid.
I bought a 2007 4WD Highlander in Sept 2006. I now have almost 30,000 on it. I live at 3500 elevation in Bend Oregon and have averaged 26 to 28 mpg consistently according to the computer.(I have not checked that with a manual calculation, but I think I will after reading some of the posts.) My goal is to get better mileage and be as green as possible. So I'm interested in when Toyota may come out with a plug-in conversion kit for the Highlander as they are doing for the Prius. I would like our next new vehicle to be a plug-in from the ground up. My wife drives less than 20 miles per day and that would be perfect for her. Imagine - being FREE OF FOSSIL FUEL!!
we'll still be using a lot of coal when we convert to electricity, so all plug-in hybrid fans should pay keen attention to america's energy policy. just converting to electricity isn't enough. producing clean energy will be a key to plug-in success.
I have a 2006 highland hybrid... it has averaged about 21-23 mpg around Los Angeles, a far cry from advertised prices. The computer mpg display is also inaccurate, generally 1.5-2mpg off from actual mileage (which is lower). however with heavy city driving and traffic, i'm glad to have a hybrid... gas prices are around $4.50/gallon now, and I'd be willing to guess the non-hybrid gets below 15mpg in the city.
I purchased a Highlander Hybrid 7/07 and now have 19,000 miles on it. Gas mileage is an acceptable 27.5 overall. It does help to go easy on the gas pedal. My issue is tire wear. At 19,000 miles, my tires will need to be replaced soon even though the Goodyear Integrity is rated at 50K. It seems Goodyear will not warrant OEM tires although other blogs indicate Goodyear may be working with some folks.
I love the Highlander overall and would certainly recommend it.
L Hansen, Denver, CO
i'd push the tire wear issue with both goodyear and toyota. if you get a written response in return, especially one you don't like, forward it here.
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a disappointment on gas mileage. I have been tracking my mileage and I do not get anywhere over 23 miles per gallon. When my lease is up, the vehicle goes back and I make a point of telling everyone I know about the vehicle being hype and delivering on improved mileage.
I have had my 2008 Highlander Hybrid Limited since 12/07 and have 7K miles on it. At first, it got 25 mpg, but recently it is hovering around 20 mpg. I pay close attention to how I drive and am at a loss as to the decreased performance. It seems like everyone is having the same problem. Does anyone have any tips?
I am waiting to bring it in for the 10K service to ask about the lower mpg.
At one point,I inflated the tires to 42 psi (the tires say max 44) and that increased the mpg but the service manager was worried about them popping and had them deflated to 34 psi. I live in S.California.
I am hugely dissapointed with the exterior body paint. It scratches very easily.
my wife and i bought a '07 hh 4wd last year, and just passed the 10,000 mi mark.we live in portland (OR) in a very hilly part of town, and we do not get nearly the mileage quoted on the sticker.winter city driving- 18mpg, summer city- 22mpg. i think the hills have a lot to do with our poor mileage. the 10% ethanol blend they sell here probably doesn't help either. our highway mileage is usually better, say 24-26, which is not the norm.
As always, your milage will vary. I bougth a 2006 used HiHy 6 months ago with about 42,000 on the odometer. I usually drive 4 miles to work at an average of 45 mph with 6 lights along the way...I usually hit half of them red. The biggest impact on my mileage has been when if was cold. Then I was getting 23-23.5 mpg. In the more rececent warm weather with the AC going at a low level, I'm getting 27.5.
On the highway, it all depends on speed. At 75 mpg, I get about 25.3 mpg. At 65 mpg, it goes up to 29.3 and at 55 mpg, I get 32-33. If it's extremely hot and the AC is blasting, then knock 2-3 mpg off of those numbers..
However, since a V6 Limited gets about 16 in town and 23 on the highway, I'm very happy. Add to that the fact the the HiHy can smoke most sports cars at the ligtht, which makes it a barrel of fun. It can also trailer 3,500 lbs without straining hard, though I haven't had a chance to measure the effect of that on the mileage.
We recently bought a 2008 HH Limited. We currently have 2400 mile on the car. Our gas mileage has gone from 24 mpg using 10% ethenol gas to 18.2 mpg using 100% gas. Has anyone had any luck with getting this problem fixed? We have noticed that the electric engine only runs for a few seconds at a time then shuts off again. I have seen the EV mode come on a fer times but again only for a few seconds. I have tried to follow all the driving tips but nothing helps, I'm beginning to think I
need to involve the locale news stations to try to get the public aware of this problem. If we had known we would not have bought a HH.
My 07 HH AWD can get as much as 29 MPG if I really want to piss off the drivers behind me. This is not really practical during rush hour.... I'd get shot. More likely I can get around 26 MPG being moderately consertive in my driving. But my son can easily run the effeciency down to 17 MPG by driving like a kid. All-in-all I'm dissappointed with the unattainable claimed 29 to 32 MPG. Toyota benefited from the exageration. I feel seriously taken advantage of as a consumer.
We have a 2006 Highlander Hybird. I too am disappointed in the miles per gallon we get, but the tires are the real issue. Has anyone had any luck with their dealer, Toyota, or Goodyear standing behind the product. My dealer is telling me the car will not pass the next state inspection (October) due to the tire wear. The guy at the dealer is telling me "the tires out of the factory aren't very good".
Any thoughts
We have a 2007 THH, bought new last year. We drive in Chicago suburban traffic - stop and go, some highway, mostly in the 20-45 MPH range every day. Summer mileage is quite good - my current tank, which has 1/8 left, is on 30.2 by the computer. What I've found is 28-30 mpg in the summer, and 24-26 mpg in the winter. That needs to improve, but w have not figured out how to get the battery to charge sooner in Chicago winters. The mileage starts to go down when the temp is under 50F and then dramatically under 40 and then freezing temps.
Anybody have any ideas for how to boost summer and especially winter by a couple of mpgs?
Ok, check this one out. I bought an 08 Highlander Hybrid Limited (smart all wheel drive) just over a month ago. The first tank of gas we received about 25 mpg driving from Lewisville (Toyota of Lewisville) back home to Tulsa, OK. That seemed to be close to the EPA estimates. Cool, maybe we can improve I thought. The next tank of gas was used primarily driving around Tulsa, OK. Gas mileage was worse at 21. I thought you were supposed to get better gas mileage in the city! Over the next 5 or 6 tanks of gas the gas mileage kept going down and hovered around 19-21 for both city and hwy driving. I called the salesman at Lewisville Toyota and he stated that it takes some time for the hybrid to break in but suggested that I take the vehicle in to our local Toyota dealership to make sure everything is ok. So of course after doing this the service dept in Tulsa cleared the vehicle with finding no issues at all. Also the electric motor, when it kicks on always seems to kick back off instantly and doesn't run with any length of time unless idoling or in EV mode. I called Toyota of Lewisville back and spoke to a manager and he asked if I was calculating the gas mileage or going by the display. I told him that i had just filled up the tank and the overall MPG was at 18mpg via the display. The manager then requested that I calculate the next tank of gas using old fashion math. After doing this we found out that the mileage had even gone down more to 16mpg! We have just over 3000 miles on it and i can't get the dealership to take the vehicle back or even trade it in for an equal value vehicle like an Avalon or a Seqouia. If i was to trade it in the manager stated that there was an 18,000 price difference we would be stuck with. Now i am stuck with a vehicle that i paid more than 15-20 thousand dollars more for than a reqular gas powered highlander for the gas mileage, that doesn't even get close to in comparison. Oh and we have tried using "real" gas with no Ethanol and also Premium gasoline, running on Econ mode vs. not, trying to stay on EV mode for traffic driving, not accelerating hard AT ALL, but did not see any differences. Does anyone have any suggestions or would want to go in with to start a class action lawsuit? Please tell me what you would do in my shoes!
I bought my 2WD Highlander Hybrid Limited in March of 2006. I drive a LONG way to work and now have 100,000 miles on it. (This post done Oct 2008.)
I get just under 30mpg as long as I use the cruise control and keep it set at 60mph or less. I also keep the tires at 35psi.
I love my Highlander and bought it instead of a truck because I wanted to haul my dogs and camping gear as well and all the house remodel supplies I am buying. So even though I am not getting 40mpg I am getting better than any mid to large sized pickup. And get a better ride, more comfort and they 'statement' status that the hybrid tag on the vehicle makes.
I have driven my car on trips over 3000 miles twice and do get slightly lower mileage on the all freeway driving. Closer to 26 than 30. I have never come close to 600 miles on a tank but 450 is no problem.
When getting caught in major traffic jams on I-5 where the traffic would be stop and go for hours I loved it since the gas engine didn't come on until the battery was nearly dead. I could sit in traffic an hour and use no gas.
I am already looking ahead to when the battery will need replacing. I hope they have an improved version by then, even possibly a plug-in version.
i bought a used 2007 HH and i think i got a pretty good deal. the computer usually reads 23 - 25 mpg, which may not be close to 30, but that still seems way better than a non-hybrids mpgs. i live in upstate NY where the winters can make it tough to be "light on the peddle", but even so, my mpg isn;t affected that much. i will say that sisnce it has just started to get colder here, 20 - 35 degrees, the gas engine kicks in faster and stays on longer. with all that said, i am loving this vehicle. it's cleaner for the environment and is better on gas mileage than most other suvs.
The hybrid highlander I drive averages 25 mpg, mostly local driving. The worst mileage is on short trips and when cold. If the car could be converted to plug in hybrid the savings would be much greater than the savings for converting a prius which already gets 44 mpg under same conditions, I know I drove that car also. The highlander is much more car than the prius, but needs a little better mileage.
We took possession of our HH 4WD-i Limited in March of 2007. We drive this car 95% of the time in the city (Portland, OR) at speeds around 30-45. The first few tanks we got 26mpg city/27mpg hwy, then settled in at a 24mpg average. We now have 15,000 miles on it and get a whopping 19mpg city/22mpg hwy. Yes, highway is better than city. I think the hybrid system is basically AWOL and does nothing more than pull down the mileage of the gas engine at this point. The leather interior has had issues with staining from our blue jeans and fitment issues on the back seats. On the plus side, this car was nothing short of amazing in the snow this winter. My neighberhood dubbed it the "snowcat" as it became their only delivery system after they got snowed in. Put chains on this thing and you can climb trees! My mileage dropped to 13mpg during the "snowcat" phase. I would not buy the hybrid again unless they make significant improvements. I get 18mpg city/21mpg hwy in my Chevy Silverado 4X4 truck with the 4.8L V8, and it's a much larger vehicle.
I bought my 2006 Highlander Hybrid in May 2005 . Felt like I had to take it since there was a long waiting list for them here in Texas. Came fully loaded, $50,000 dollars . Needed the 4-wheel drive for trips to the mountains skiing. I get almost 30 mpg coming home downhill from the mountains, but here in the city I get about 22 to 28 mpg. I knew the MPG listed on all window stickers was a joke, so I did not think I would get 30 miles to the gallon. Power when I touch the accelerator is unbelievable. I have no worries if I need to pass something on a two lane road. I do like trying to milk the gas pedal but it doesn't seem to make much difference. It seems to be a great snow car, maybe it's because it's a heavy car. Looking at the placard inside the drivers door , the gross empty weight says 5800 pounds. So with a full tank of gas and me at 190 pounds, it's a 3 ton car !!! Also call it my 3 ton golf cart. That's got to contribute to the less than 30 mpg . Can't wait to look at the brake drums because of the huge weight. Tires will be needed this month, also because of the weight. (Came with Michelins) Today , January 2009, I just turned 30,000 miles. Does seem to get better mileage in the summer than winter. Not a single thing has gone wrong with the car. Right now I'm not worried about the batteries . Since I will have to wait another 10 years for a totally electric 4-wheel drive car or a hydrogen car, I think this car will make it til then . This is my first Toyota , I likey . My last 3 cars , a Buick Regal, a Honda Accord , and a Chevy Tahoe Blazer-4-wheel drive , all did not get this mpg, just the Accord came close. So that makes me pleased with the Highlander Hybrid. My Toyota dealer here also not up to par with knowing everything about the car, they do not have good answers for my questions. Wish it had a bigger gas tank, 20 gallons instead of 17. Cousins bought a Prius in late 1999 and here it is early 2009 and they have had no problems with the batteries. Here are my nit-picks: GPS Nav system has a difficult learning curve but still useful. Passenger seat light and alarm goes off when turning corners(with that seat empty). A tachometer would be nice . Wish there was a way to take the tension off the seat belt,I want it not against my body. If I were a woman, I could never wear a bra. Wish seat would go lower, I'm over 6 feet tall. Back seat headrests block visibility. Sometimes I remove . Wish I could take out of 4-wheel drive. Wish steering wheel would tilt more. No need for roof rack. Do not like the "black box" installed in cars nowadays. Don't take these wrong, still enjoy the car. Please do not let the government make us install noise-makers because of the lobby of the blind coalition.
I bought a 2006 4-wheel Highlander Hybrid with 19,000 miles. I'm one of those nuts that tries to get the most milage possible.
At about 35,000 miles, the best milage I could get dropped from 30 mpg to about 24mpg. I go to Florida from Upstate New York. Two years ago I got the 30mpg, and this year only got 23.5mpg. This is on a 3,000 mile round trip.
I checked every possible reason and now know it is the deteriation of the battery capability.
Toyato won't admit it, but that is the case. The battery technology has to be improved before you will be able to get good battery capability over a long period of time.
Ron
In 2007 we bought a new Camry hybrid and a new Lexus RX400h. The total average I get with the Camry is about 35 mpg. The RX400h AWD (comparable to the THH) can get 44 mpg on the highway at 55 mph and can get about 25 mpg with "light" over 15 min drives. As previously stated the Toyota hybrids do not do well on very short trips. The gasoline engine stays on more to warm up the engine. It also seems to be true that they do better on the highway than in the city. The EPA needs to get on the ball with this fact. One thing that no one else has mentioned: there is a lot to be gained by breaking earlier and softer. When breaking the electric motors charge the batteries, but the rate at which they can be charged is limited. This rate is also lessened when the batteries get warmer. If you want to increase your fuel economy in the winter, try storing your vehicle in the garage and keep the heat off till the engine warms up (to reduce warm up time). Also warm engines run more efficient than cold engines. In the winter, on LI, I wear warm clothing and do not use the heat. When you use the heat, you are taking the heat away from the engine making it colder. After all, if you think about what people did a century ago, heat in cars is a luxury. In the summer keep your windows down and your AC off around town and windows up and AC on for highway driving. At higher speeds the wind resistance from the opened windows will use more energy than the AC (true for any vehicle). I agree with the pulse (but not floored) and glide for city driving but above 40 mph low acceleration is best (use cruse control). Any Qs send to ryanf2guy@gmail.com.
Hope this helps,
Ryan
We bought a new 2009 HH in April and have slowly figured out the tricks to getting good mpg. A soft touch on the accelerator is it. Also, any short trips where the engine does not get an opportunity to warm up and go onto the e-drive kills the mpg. Ryan's comments are excellent. I do not, however, think that keeping the heater off in winter will make a difference after the engine has warmed up. In that vein, has anyone installed an engine block heater on the car? Seems that would help immensely in getting the engine up to temp and getting onto e-drive.
I bought a 2008 highlander hybrid and am very disappointed! I get horrible gas mileage (20 average) and I paid 50 grand for it with taxes and warranties. I am so upset. Of course the dealers in San Antonio can't help. This is completely awful. I feel like I was lied to by the dealership and the government who places the gas mileage estimates.
I've had my '08 HyHi for almost a year and a half, with 35,000 miles on it now. I consistently get 31 to 32 mpg commuting the 45 miles from my house to downtown D.C., but only when taking the 2-lane roads with 40 and 50 mph limits. If you get above 60 mph, mph drops to about 26 mpg. Over 70 mph, and mpg is about 24. Driving about 85 mph across the Texas panhandle (less than 10,000 on the odometer) got me about 22 mpg. The key is the kilowatt gauge: the more you keep it at 10 kW, the better the mpg. Practice keeping your foot steady on the gas pedal.
Also, driving technique is crucial. Slow acceleration is terrible for mpg. Fast acceleration TO your cruising speed is crucial, passing it by 10 mph wastes a lot of gasoline. Actually, this is true for any car, but understanding why requires knowing physics, and I lose most folks when I say that word. And hybrids are terrible with lots of short trips. The computer will ALWAYS completely warm up the engine before allowing the electric to be used.
Finally, watch out for the tires. The Toyo's don't last long, and replacements are hard to come by and are expensive.
I bought my Highlander Hybrid in February 2009. I live in Florida. At first I was getting 23 mpg, which I found disappointing, but since then it has gotten much worse. I keep the tires inflated to 40 lbs, drive in economy mode most of the time, do mostly 45-60 mph driving with no stop and go, keep the power guage in the first two bars as much as possible, and now I'm averaging 21 mph. I've been back to the dealer several times. They reset the computer and shrug their shoulders. The general manager told me it is the worst mileage he has encountered on the vehicle. In a word, I am completely unhappy and ready to dump it. If I want 21 mph, I can drive a regular car without all the hybrid complications and have far more driving satisfaction. I literally cannot watch the gas mileage go down. On a one mile trip from my driveway to the main road, at speeds of 25 and below, the average mileage will drop 1.5 mpg. This is with coasting as much as I can. I would never recommend this car to anyone.
Today "Anonymous" wrote:
I bought my Highlander Hybrid in February 2009...
Dear Anonymous, the key to your post is the statement:"On a one mile trip from my driveway to the main road, at speeds of 25 and below, the average mileage will drop 1.5 mpg." DUH! Your engine isn't warm! All the Toyota Hybrid computers warm the engine to operating temperature before engaging the electric. If all you take is trips of less than a few miles, your gas mileage will always be poor.
last anon-
you have a right to be angry, especially with the response from your dealership.
what's your next step?
Darrel Powledge, just drive, accelerate quickly, maintain a steady speed, drive farther. For 8 mile trips, your avg. mpg will not be good in any vehicle.
And those are good points, Dick. I completely concur.
I might have jumped the gun and assumed that the last anon drives in a full range of conditions. I guess I further assumed that the dealer would have covered these topics with this consumer.
It's interesting, however, I don't have quite the problems with short trips with my Camry hybrid. Of course, I certainly don't baby the engine until it's warmed up. Still I can achieve stellar fuel economy in trips of 3 - 5 miles.
To Dahcredyns: My Camry Hybrid is a completely different bird, too: 40 mph city and highway. It's the I-4 engine that makes the difference there. It's made to sip gas. The 3.3 V6 in the Highlander is a performance engine. On the other hand, I can't take 6 people on vacation in the Camry.
So you've got the best of both worlds!
Though I do not own the Highlander, I DO own a new Toyota Tacoma non-Hybrid with the electronic automatic transmission & 2 wheel drive. (It is the same 4 cylinder 2.7 L engine that the Highlander uses.) After about 1000 miles of break-in, using the included 10-30 oil, I had the oil changed to Mobil 1 by the dealer. I drove it for 5000 miles and averaged 25 mpg, 27-country, 23- city. Then I brought it in for an oil change and asked a fateful question "Which oil do you put in?"
The dealer said "Oh, we put in 10-30 Mobil 1... that's our standard Synthetic." I informed them that I did NOT want that. I wanted 0-20 Mobil Synthetic *extended mile oil DESIGNED for Hybrids** recommended by Toyota (one of two oils marked around the engine oil fill cap.) He said "we don't have that here" (Now they do) So I told him to wait... and I ran out and purchased it from Walmart, brought it back to the dealer, and proceeded to drive it from that point another 5000 miles to 10,000. I averaged 25-27 mpg in light city, but on the road I got 29.97 mpg at a steady, cruse-controled 63 mph. That however is not the whole story. On a return trip from Indiana to Eastern New York (800+ miles), while out west in Ohio I filled up with "real" gas (-NO-Ethanol) and I averaged 32 mpg for the trip!! Since that time, for 25,000 miles my result are similar given the gas used.
Now, that should give you something to compare to. By the way after some getting used to the smaller seats in back (I got the extended cab two-door with clamshell opening back doors) I am quite comfortable with the truck. It's 6 foot+ bed (my wife calls it "Super-Trunk") easily allows for my Bed-Matress and sleeping bag. It is quite comfortable and dry with the Leer custom cap... Nothing like a portable bed to cut costs on long trips. The gas tank is the same as the 6 cylinder (21 Gallons) so at best I can get 670 miles per tank... but in truth I chicken out at around 600+.
:-D Gotta Love it!
We bought our 2WD Toyota highlander in 2007 as a used 2006edition trading in our 4WD Jeep 6cyl which averaged 17mpg. The highlander now has over 60k mi on it and the wife has declared it as her favorite car. Overall mileage has been in 27mpg +/- 2 range with mostly in town driving using old fashioned method of trip odometer and number of gallons at the pump. Last week we averaged just over 30mpg on a highway trip on flat ground with speeds 55-75mph on an equal mix of interstate and secondary roads. On this trip we kept the AC use to a minimum thanks to overcast and rainy conditions and inflated the tires to 35psi cold.
Tire inflation seems to make a difference of 1-2 mpg and AC use does likewise. The higher inflation of course does sacrifice a little comfort of the ride. Check your tire max psi ratings and the recommended inflation levels for the vehicle before attempting. Over or under inflation can cause irregular tire wear and could be hazardous. When we bought new tires this year I did make sure to get the OEM Goodyear tires rather than a different brand. The ultra high psi limit on those is one reason and the other is they are so quiet on the road. I figured Toyota picked them for mileage as well - not for their road grip!
One note to those in cold or wet climates, when you use either of the two defrost air settings the AC comes on automatically even though the light does not light. On a mild wet day, try alternating between the defrost and vent settings and you'll notice the windows fog up on the vent setting and defog quite rapidly on defrost. That's the compressor going to work for you and unfortunately it cannot be manually controlled. It's somewhat of a safety feature though personally I would prefer the manual control.
Tips: Hills and acceleration habits do make a difference, it is a heavy car with a powerfully tempting 6cyl engine. Except when overtaking a car, I keep the watt needle no more than 25% above zero. From a stop I accelerate lightly on battery power until about 15mph then when the engine kicks in on its own give it more gas up to the speed limit. When going down hill I try to use the regenerative braking lightly holding the brake pedal. The "B" setting on the shifter engages the regenerative braking upon lifting the accelerator but is usually too strong except for steep hills or in mountain driving. When coming to a stop I break lightly *very* early (like a whole block or two) keeping an eye on the watt needle and feeling for the regeneration vs. real brakes. Under anything more than light braking the real brakes seem to take over. So I accelerate a little slower than everyone else, I figure I'm setting a good example on how to save gas.
Most of the time the battery stays in 60-80% range. I sometimes play a game and try to get the battery to 100%, that has happened only once or twice :), although 95% is often achievable.
On emissions, it's obviously not Prius level, but compared to a push-rod inline 6 barely removed from carburetors "clunker" that we had in the Jeep I think I can feel pretty good. Our mileage is roughly equivalent to what we get in our 4cyl 1995 Accord. So the Highlander is a 250+HP SUV with equivalent mileage to 4cyl 120HP sedan - that's a great engineering achievement.
I received an '06 hybrid Highlander for Mother's Day 3+ years ago (it's now Nov. '09). While we like the vehicle, I have to admit that the mileage has been very disappointing. I'm reading these other reviews and just don't know how people are getting 25-30 mpg! I'm a typical suburban mom, driving short spurts on the freeway, and through typical suburban commercial areas. I am consistently getting 22-23 mpg. On the freeway I hit the cruise control as soon as I reach 55-60, and coast as much as possible in the suburbs. On road-trips we've done better - 25-27 mpg., again, using cruise control consistently, and keeping it at about 60 mpg. I live in Portland, Oregon, where the weather is moderate and don't travel over the mountains much. Just typical "mom driving"...
I haven't been as faithful about checking the tire pressure - maybe that would help. Overall though, we've been disappointed. This is one of several "environmentally conscious" purchases we've made that has backfired. I want to encourage manufacturers to invest in the technology, but the technology still has a long way to go! When asked (and I'm not asked as often anymore as I once was), I really can't recommend the extra expense...
I have a 2007 and overall I have been satisfied with this vehicle; HOWEVER it is a bit rough sometimes in the driving and too big. I am NOT impressed at all with the gas mileage, averaging 22 mph.
I have a used 07 hhi limited with 36000 miles, just got back from a 1200 mile trip to st.simons is. achieved 25mpg-towed my friends boston whaler which weighs 2500lbs+and achieved 20mpg towing it to athens ga-about 330 miles.zig
2010 Highlander Limited - 1500 miles, 22mpg in 30 to 40 deg. temps, has now dropped to 18mpg with temps in single digits. Don't understand how Toyota can get away with advertising 27mpg. Very upset, feel like I have been deceived. There should be some sort of consumer action against/ class action?
John, Kansas
Great, we're going to have non-technical consumers go class action because they don't understand their car, and screw things up for the rest of us. Wonderful. If you think all you need to know about a car is how to turn it on and put it in gear, then you should not buy a hybrid, or any other technically advanced piece of equipment. You probably shouldn't even be using this computer.
You do have to learn how to drive this machine and running your heaters, window defrosters etc will lower your milage abit. the thing that pissed me off was that Toyota put standard Highlander tires on the vehicle at initial sale and with the extra wieght of gas & Electric motors my tires wore out at 28K. Replaced with light truck tires that are wearing much better.
I believe there should be a class-action lawsuit for false advertising on the Highlander Hybrid. The sticker advertises 25-27 mpg. I have had a 2008 Highlander Hybrid for just over a year. I get 22-23 mpg consistently. I have tried using econ mode and driving with very slow acceleration. It is impossible to get the quoted mileage unless I'm on a highway going downhill. The dealer only suggests the obvious steps of driving like a grandma, but even that doesn't work. I have talked to others in my San Diego area, and they all get the same results. How can we all be getting mileage so much poorer than advertised? False advertising. Had I known the car would get 22.5 mpg, I wouldn't have bought it. And that's the point.
Last anon-
The problem is your point doesn't make sense.
Toyota doesn't create that number, the EPA does based on the EPA's methodologies.
If you want to sue someone, at least sue the responsible party.
Dahcredyns,
I don't think your comment about the EPA creating the mileage number is quite accurate. The EPA sets the standards regarding distances, speeds, city vs hwy driving, etc. The car company tests the cars. They can do tricky things like drive the car only in temperatures that give good mileage, accelerate extremely slowly, overcharge the batteries. They can also choose which cars they test. I do believe Toyota has culpability here.
From all of these posts, it appears to me that some people get good mileage and some don't. Most people have tried modifying their driving behavior to get better mileage, but their particular car doesn't perform well. I suspect that the manufacturing consistency of this new hybrid technology is much more variable than standard gas engines.
Please see the info below, pasted from
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml#estimates
How are fuel economy estimates obtained?
EPA estimates are based on laboratory tests conducted by manufacturers according to federal regulations. EPA re-tests about 10% of vehicle models to confirm manufacturer's results. For more detailed information, visit our page on How Vehicles Are Tested.
Why does my fuel economy differ from EPA estimates?
No test can accurately predict fuel economy for all drivers and all driving conditions. Driver behavior, driving conditions, vehicle maintenance, fuel characteristics, weather, and other factors can all affect fuel economy significantly as explained here.
What should I do if my fuel economy is excessively low?
If your fuel economy is excessively low, your vehicle may need to be serviced or repaired. You may want to contact your dealer or a reputable repair facility to check your vehicle. The following are some of the diagnostic checks a mechanic will typically conduct for poor mpg:
*
Perform "On-Board Diagnostic System Check" for diagnostic trouble codes (sensors or actuators which may be malfunctioning)
*
Check for dragging brakes
*
Check transmission shift patterns for slipping, use of all gears, lock-up operation
*
Check ignition timing
*
Check owner's driving habits including A/C usage, hard accelerations, carrying heavy loads
*
Check emission control system
*
Check vacuum hoses for leaks, kinks, proper routing
*
Check tire pressure
*
Check fuel type, quality, and alcohol content
*
Check fuel pressure and fuel system for leaks
*
Check air cleaner element
*
Check coolant level
*
Check ignition system for wet plugs, cracks, wear, improper gap, burned electrodes, or heavy deposits, cracking or improperly connected ignition wires
*
Check for proper calibration of speedometer
*
In extreme cases, there may be engine problems such as poor compression or faulty fuel injectors
You said it, "EPA estimates are based on laboratory tests conducted by manufacturers according to federal regulations. EPA re-tests about 10% of vehicle models to confirm manufacturer's results."
That pretty much sums it up right there, "according to federal regulations".
How can Toyota be culpable if they test their vehicles "according to federal regulations"?
How do you break the law by following the law?
If Toyota, or any other automaker presented different results than from that derived while following "federal regulations",then they would culpable. If they achieved their results by not following federal regulations, then they would be culpable.
Every single automaker tweaks the EPA's testing to their advantage because they know the EPA's methodology. This is common knowledge, and it has been the case for decades - long before hybrid vehicles.
More important, if automakers didn't build their cars for EPA testing, many more vehicles would violate CAFE.
That's the real issue if you really want to get into it, if you really care about fuel economy and its impact on the world.
The EPA's regulations have become a loophole to violating the intent of CAFE for tens of millions of gas-guzzlers. Focusing on hybrids is the almost irrelevant issue, but I'm sure its better fodder for a class action lawsuit.
Believe me, I don't like the EPA's methodologies and have regularly written that they need to be updated.
Even worse, the new CAFE standards are going to be based on the OLD "federal regulations" unless the law is rewritten. That's the real disgrace.
I bought a used 2006 Highlander H 4 wd last weekend. I am so disappointed in my first tank of gas! I had illusions of replacing my Matrix full time with this vehicle - no way. I am getting maybe 22 mpg. From you comments, I see that this is not unusual. I had a gas engine 2002 Highlander 4wd - no hybrid. Loved it and it got 18 mpg! At least I didn't pay for a new one!
I purchased a used 2006 hybrid Limited 2 wheel drive thinking I would get the 33/28 mpg the window sticker said and boy have I been disappointed. I am a conservative driver and average a mere 22.5 mpg in relatively flat terrain in Oklahoma. After talking to everyone at the local dealership, doing a tune-up and a diagnostic test on the fuel system, I still have no answers except that Toyota or the EPA are misleading the consumer. I also have tried 91 octane fuel and it has no significant impact except that the service engine light comes on when I use 87 octane. My next step is try gas that contains no ethanol. In conclusion, DO NOT PAY THE EXTRA FOR A HYBRID. It is wasted money.
Billy, I hate to be mean, but you have no clue. If you can't take the time to learn how a hybrid works, why it has to warm up, and why it burns gas when it warms up, then yes, it isn't the car for you. But for you to make a blanket statment that the hybrid isn't worth the money is misleading, ill-conceived, and an opinion with no general substance. Me, 30 mpg out of my Highlander, and if it were you, you'd probably get 19 mpg.
Also anything other than regular gasoline is a waste of time and money.
Toyota Hybrids are the best cars I've ever owned.
I purchased an 2007 HH a few months ago and I could be a Spokesperson for Toyota.This is my first Hybrid so I didn't want to Step Up to a new one- what if I didn't like it?I expected it to be a Turtle WoW! I am surprised.No race car but
it runs quite well.I live in the LA area and fooling around with the hybrid system can get 32+MPG in city traffic.Averaging 29.0 over 2K miles and it is oh so much fun to play with the gas/electric system.I am pleasantly surprised as I was driving a Honda Pilot and thought it couldn't be bested; but this HH is more fun -yet to determine the reliability as the Hybrid system seems quite elaborate and probably most costly to repair thus I got an extended warranty and hope I never need it. Have fun playing with your HH I sure am. Bill
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