A 2006 Highlander. That means we don't get to see it on the road for another year and a half.
The article was unnecessarily mean to Honda's hybrids, calling them "mild" in an unusual use of the term. Makes the article sound less than unbiased (written by Toyota press release?).
The extra motor for the rear wheels is a great concept. Hope it works out well in practice. If they do it right, it could be one of the best implementations of 4 wheel drive around. They've already picked out a new name for it: "electric four-wheel-drive with intelligence" (4WD-I).
I see the U.S. automotive industry is claiming the hybrid will add $4000-6000 to the cost of an SUV. I expect Toyota will prove them wrong once again.
Also odd that they list the only direct competitor being the Ford Escape hybrid. That doesn't sound like a direct competitor at all, it's much smaller. They should list all the large SUVs as direct competitors. You don't go out shopping for a hybrid, you go out shopping for a vehicle that meets your need/desire for size, power, cost, and ability to impress those you want impressed. So the Highlander's competitors will be vehicles with similar properties along those lines. Being a hybrid will just give it certain competitive advantages.
Several dealers that I have talked to have claimed that the HH will be on the lots in 6-8 months. I live in Anchorage, Alaska and I imagine someone in the lower 48 will be able to get it sooner than I, so perhaps not so long a wait as you expect.
Hi rbrown,
You're numbers are more in line with what had been reported before. That's why I'm surprised the model year is listed as 2006 in the article. I'm wondering if plans have changed.
Hopefully just a typo on the newspaper's part, if you go to toyota.com and look at the mini-website for the hybrid Highlander it says "2005 Hybrid Highlander." I think we're safe.
___I hope Toyota has reached a bit higher then just 27.4 mpg.
___Here is a thread including pics of the MDXs game gauge before it was even broken in. I usually get higher then 27.4 mpg going back and forth to the gas station let alone out on the hwy and it is already a sub 8 second SUV depending on who tested it
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:2kc1iemq][email protected][/email:2kc1iemq]
___I forgot to log in I hope Toyota has reached a bit higher then just 27.4 mpg.
___Below is a pic of MDXs mileage screen and odometer before it was even broken in. I usually get higher then 27.4 mpg going back and forth to the gas station let alone out on the hwy and it is already a sub 8 second SUV depending on who tested it
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:13orww5w][email protected][/email:13orww5w]
___I have now read that the RXh will be EPA rated for 31/36 city/highway so I suspect the Highlander to do nearly as well given they are built off the same platforms? I can only hope anyway
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:23y0pmza][email protected][/email:23y0pmza]
I think they should have strove more for higher MPG rather than "acceleration". Or at least have a smaller engine available. Some people would probably be more likely to drive it if it got 40/50 mpg.
I think they should have strove more for higher MPG rather than "acceleration". Or at least have a smaller engine available. Some people would probably be more likely to drive it if it got 40/50 mpg.
I agree with "Guest". Any hybrid SUV ought to be able to acheive an overall average MPG of something in the mid-30's. And yes, a smaller and/or more fuel-efficient option should be made available!
"High performance" in an SUV seems silly. A hybrid system with good MPG and a decent weight/towing capacity might be more attractive to buyers interested in those features.
The problem with the Highlander is that it is an SUV. The problem with SUV's are that they are a waste of everything. They are, to put it mildly, stupid and useless vehicles; a hazard to themselves, everyone else on the highway, and the environment.
People who drive a Prius because they are conscious, because they appreciate a step change advance in automotive technology and/or because they want to be innovators (and with luck, in September I will be one of them), should reject the Highlander as in-authentic, a charlatan, a fake.
And finally, to elaborate on the main theme of this tread, "high performance SUV" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. By design the SUV is unstable, unnecessarily heavy, and inefficient. They are effective neither at carrying people (compare to a minivan, which doesn't require a ladder to get in), on the highway (they are disproportionately involved in crashes and when in crashes they turn over), or even off the road.
A "high performance hybrid", would look like an Insight, or any other high performance car (pick your favorite two seater, mine is the Smart Roadster), it would use ultra-caps for the 1000 ft.lb torque, but include a suspension system that would keep the tires in contact with the road and the vehicle in a straight line, two things the BMW is obviously not able to achieve.
Our family has two cars - a sedan and an SUV. The SUV is used for carrying large items, and getting us through the snow in the winter.
It sounds like you'd want everybody driving rollerskates, and having big polluting diesels delivering large items to our homes.
Why does an environmentally-sound vehicle have to be small with little carrying capacity?
I look foward to replacing my Jeep with a Highlander once it's available. I'd probably own a hybrid SUV already if anybody had built one. I WON'T sacrifice functionality for the right to shoehorn myself into a hybrid rollerskate.
Our family has two cars - a sedan and an SUV. The SUV is used for carrying large items, and getting us through the snow in the winter.
It sounds like you'd want everybody driving rollerskates, and having big polluting diesels delivering large items to our homes.
Why does an environmentally-sound vehicle have to be small with little carrying capacity?
I look foward to replacing my Jeep with a Highlander once it's available. I'd probably own a hybrid SUV already if anybody had built one. I WON'T sacrifice functionality for the right to shoehorn myself into a hybrid rollerskate.
The post your refering to sounds like a troll to me.
There are many reasons for having an SUV (or indead any other type of car). I also have an SUV which we bought for winter use as our othr car was a MR2 Roadster (Spyder in the US), which was a) not very ggod in winter b) couldnt carry a paper bag :wink: Now the MR2 is gone and a Prius is on order the SUV will also go.
I currently work at a Toyota Dealership in VA. The MISPRINT in the paper was just that, people see a introduction date of 2005 and ASSUME that it must be a 2006 Model !!! The Introduction of the 2005 Highlander Hybrid is set for the end of Feburary 2005/earily March 2005. It will be a 2005 Model and will follow the introduction of the LEXUS HYBRID which was produced for LEXUS by Toyota since they had no HYBRID TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES!!! That is the only reason for the delay in production and introduction...
Both vehicles will be a relief for SUV buyers and drivers whohave been "saddled" with an economically poor choice all there lives!!!
Comment or concerns and information may be directed to me at [email protected] :idea:
I currently work at a Toyota Dealership in VA. The MISPRINT in the paper was just that, people see a introduction date of 2005 and ASSUME that it must be a 2006 Model !!! The Introduction of the 2005 Highlander Hybrid is set for the end of Feburary 2005/earily March 2005. It will be a 2005 Model and will follow the introduction of the LEXUS HYBRID which was produced for LEXUS by Toyota since they had no HYBRID TECHNOLOGY VEHICLES!!! That is the only reason for the delay in production and introduction...
I do hope you know Lexus is a subsidary of Toyota. The reason why the launch was delayed was because Toyota wanted to stock up on the inventory to minimise the waiting time that it's experiencing with the Prius
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