Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV Best Toyota Yet April 2005

Kevin M. Whitlock, a Livonia CPA, recently sent an e-mail that began, "I just finished reading your and (Paul Lienert's) review of the new Honda Ridgeline and wanted to puke."

He went on to accuse us of having a "bias toward the Asian automakers" and advised us to "get off the Ford and GM bashing bandwagon and wake up ... Those 'old companies' built this town and brought the people who read the papers that pay the writers."

Puking readers always get our attention, especially when we are getting ready to write yet another -- yes, favorable -- review of an Asian product.

This week, the subject is the new 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid gasoline/electric sport utility vehicle -- the third vehicle built by Toyota Motor Corp. to get the alternative powertrain treatment behind the entry-level Prius sedan and the luxury Lexus RX 400h SUV.

The Highlander Hybrid, which arrives in dealerships in June, may be the best Toyota hybrid yet.

It is way more affordable than the pricey RX 400h and more practical than the five-passenger Prius, with all versions of the Highlander Hybrid getting a third row perfect for ferrying soccer players or the golf team.

Toyota rightly brags that the midsize Highlander Hybrid is the first seven-passenger hybrid SUV in the automotive industry. It's bound to make more sense for many families than the respectable Ford Escape Hybrid, which only seats five.

The subdued Highlander Hybrid lacks the quirky, conversation-starting looks of the Prius -- inside and out -- but that may be a hidden strength. The minor exterior changes include a new chrome-accented front grille, fancy rear tail plates that use LED technology and a chrome license plate garnish.

In other words, the Highlander Hybrid is utterly mainstream and refreshingly American, with none of the blatantly Japanese high-tech touches you get on the Prius, such as a joystick instead of a shift lever.

Toyota's stair-step hybrids -- there's a size for every need -- offer consumers lots of choices. That's more than we can say for most American carmakers, which have been dragging their feet when it comes to offering the buying public different options for more fuel-efficient vehicles, especially in an era of skyrocketing gas prices.

The overwhelming impression after driving two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive versions of the Highlander Hybrid is just how ordinary this SUV seems and how little it takes to adjust to a hybrid.

It's a virtually seamless transition from an ordinary Highlander into the hybrid version. You basically treat the hybrid as you would a conventional internal-combustion engine, filling it up at the gas station and never doing anything unusual, such as plugging it in to charge up.

The benefit of a hybrid, of course, is lower emissions -- meaning less pollution -- and better fuel economy. The instant fuel consumption readout on the dashboard told me I averaged 29.1 miles per gallon on one 58-mile excursion I made in a 4x2 Highlander Hybrid.

The EPA estimates that the two-wheel drive Highlander Hybrid will get 33 mpg in city driving and 28 mpg on the highway. The four-wheel-drive Highlander Hybrid will get 31 mpg in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway.

The conventional Highlander with a V-6 engine gets 19 mpg in city driving and 25 on the highway, according to the EPA.

All models have a driving range of about 500 miles.

The Highlander Hybrid is powered by a 3.3-liter V-6 engine, paired with a high-torque electric drive motor-generator to make 268 horsepower. It is mated to an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission.

It's basically the same powertrain and platform that you get on the more expensive Lexus RX 400h. The Japan-built Highlander's engine is a bit noisy and the electronic power steering feels like you need slightly more effort than you would in a conventional Highlander, but neither characteristic is a deal breaker.

But while Toyota was cramming the Highlander Hybrid with content like a standard third row -- which will feel fairly cramped to everyone but kids -- I wish the automaker had remembered to include some other critical features.

Adjustable pedals and a telescoping steering wheel, instead of one that just tilts, would have been appreciated. The two features go a long way toward helping women and smaller men get more comfortable behind the wheel. Dual air conditioning controls for front-seat passengers would have been a thoughtful touch as well in a vehicle that stickers for over $30,000.

Still, even a base Highlander Hybrid comes standard with such key equipment as air conditioning, power accessories, a six-speaker CD sound system, remote keyless entry, a roof rack and cruise control.

As with nearly all hybrids, the feature that's likely to take your breath away isn't the ride quality, the powertrain setup or the design -- it's the sticker price. The 4x2 base Highlander Hybrid costs $33,570, including a $540 destination charge -- $6,840 more than a conventional base V-6 Highlander with a third row, which starts at $26,730.

Toyota spokesman John McCandless acknowledges that buyers will pay a premium for the Highlander hybrid, but says the extra $6,840 includes about $2,300 in standard equipment that you don't get on the conventional model, including side curtain air bags, 17-inch alloy wheels, a tow prep package and daytime running lights.

A base four-wheel-drive Highlander Hybrid carries a $34,970 price tag, including destination, while a top-of-the-line Highlander Hybrid Limited with four-wheel-drive starts at $39,830, including destination, and includes a JBL sound system and leather package.

One of the best things about the Highlander Hybrid is the raft of safety features that come standard, including vehicle stability control, traction control and antilock brakes.

The new Toyota hybrid also has the automaker's "vehicle dynamics integrated management" system, which debuted on the Lexus RX 400h.At the Highlander Hybrid's debut in Phoenix, Ernest Bastien, vice president of the vehicle operations group for Toyota Motor Sales USA, predicted that "we are on the verge of an explosion for demand in all things hybrid."

The overriding question seems to be whether Toyota will be able to keep up with anticipated demand for its hybrid lineup and the new Highlander. Bastien said the company is "already discussing potential for a shortfall and hope to have a workable solution."

In the meantime, another reader e-mail arrived with a different twist on positive reviews about Japanese vehicles. "American cars are built better today because of competition with the foreign markets," Mark Ketelson of Wisconsin wrote.

In the case of the Highlander Hybrid, the SUV may be more than just a smart buy for environmentally-conscious drivers; it may also help raise the bar for the whole industry.

SOURCE: Detroit News

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