The First Seven Passenger Hybrid SUV on the Market 2006 Toyota Highlander March 2005

Legend has it that Henry Ford said of the mass-produced Model T, ''You can paint it any color you want, so long as it's black."

A variation on that theme arose with the introduction of the first hybrid gasoline/electric cars, whose buyers said to Toyota and Honda, ''You can paint them any color you want, as long as they're green."

That's because, as Ernest Bastien, vice president of the Toyota Vehicle Operations Group, explained, the early buyers were looking to make fuel-economy and environmental statements by buying ''green."

Early adopters not only purchased the Prius, ''but went out of their way to spread the religion among family and friends and anyone else who would listen."

And boosted by word of mouth and celebrity owners, the Prius took off, even without the benefit of a massive advertising campaign.

But now comes the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the first seven-passenger SUV on the market.

It is Toyota's next step in a move to spread hybrids throughout its lineup, and stands as a symbol of evolution: the first mating of the hybrid economic/environmental promise with the big utility and versatility of the SUV Americans so love.

It may not have the verdant green aura of early hybrids from Toyota and Honda, but its practicality casts a hue of its own.

For starters, while it can haul seven passengers and gear, can tow 3,500 pounds, and, in AWD form, negotiate the worst that winter can fling at us, it also gets an estimated 27-30 miles per gallon overall.

Those are significant numbers for a seven-passenger SUV, and even if they diminish due to driving style or cold weather, they will still remain far above the mid- to high-teens that many SUVs, even some mid-size five-seaters, will deliver.

At peak combined horsepower, with the 3.3-liter gasoline engine and electric motors (two in the front-wheel-drive model, three in the all-wheel-drive), 268 ponies are romping. The AWD system uses strictly an electric motor to power the rear wheels when front wheel slippage is detected and power is shifted aft.

A continuously variable transmission -- in effect, ''belts" that move among expanding and contracting pulleys -- provides a virtually infinite combination of ''gears."

This combination of engine and motors gives about three times the gasoline power as the Prius and double the electric boost. The Highlander can run on electrics alone in slow-moving or stop-and-go traffic.

Further, like the Prius, it is a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle.

By comparison, the Prius, which gets from the high 30s to high 40s per gallon, depending on driving style and ambient temperatures, is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine producing 76 horsepower and with the electric motor delivers a total of 106 horsepower.

The Highlander's 288-volt DC nickel metal hydride battery pack fits cleanly under the middle row of seats so that it takes up no otherwise available space.

The Highlander seats two in the front, three in a 60/40 split middle row, and two in rear seats. The middle seats fold, while the rear seat can be tucked into a well in the floor for flat cargo space.

Standard safety equipment includes stability and traction control, electronic brake force distribution, and brake assist.

Also standard are front seat side-mounted air bags and first- and second-row side curtain air bags.

The standard Highlander Hybrid comes with fabric seats, air conditioning, an eight-way power driver's seat with power lumbar, power windows and door locks, sound system with CD and six speakers, cruise control, a roof rack, and steering wheel audio controls.

The limited model adds leather trim seats, automatic climate control, a four-way power passenger seat, upgraded sound system, antitheft alarm, burled maple wood trim, and leather on the steering wheel and shifter.

A DVD navigation screen is optional.

It is a unibody vehicle that rides atop fully independent suspension. Because of an embargo (so the car magazines don't get beat with the story), I am not allowed to tell you if it delivers a smooth ride, seamless shifting, or surprising power.

Nor can I say whether its hybrid system is transparent so that it behaves much like the regular Highlander.

It is not an offroad vehicle, and does not pretend to be.

And, as Bastien said, ''It will definitely carry a premium price" when it goes on sale in June.

By that he means $4,000 to $5,000 over the standard Highlander cost of $25,000 to $32,000.

Toyota came late to third-row seating in the Highlander. But it has now leapt ahead by offering seven seats and a hybrid power plant.

SOURCE: Boston.com

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