2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: A new way of driving

Sun, Feb 24th 2008

VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS
type	2 door, suv - mid, awd
msrp	$39,950
trans	automatic
gas mi.	27mpg/25mpg
rating

Whenever I’m at the wheel of a hybrid vehicle, I feel as if I’m learning to drive all over again. Not literally, of course. The decades of experience I have put in behind the wheel on back roads, freeways and even race tracks have certainly taught me a thing or two, no doubt. But driving a hybrid is different than driving a typical gasoline-powered vehicle.

That’s because when I’m driving a hybrid, I’m making a deliberate choice to safe fuel. Keeping the environment clean is a concern as well, but there’s little I can do to make that a factor in the way I drive.

But I can save fuel driving a hybrid. So when I get into a hybrid, I find myself thinking about driving differently. I start looking for ways to save fuel and find that my “inner driving instructor” starts asking me questions as I drive:

Do I really need to accelerate as hard after this stop?

Do I really need to keep the foot on the gas pedal as I cruise at a steady speed on the freeway?

How far can I coast and maintain speed before I have to give it some gas?

How hard do I really have to push on the gas pedal to keep that speed?

When’s lunch? (Oops! Sorry, that’s my inner stomach talking)

It’s like learning to drive from the inside out because I put the engine and its fuel-saving capacity as a top priority. And because the Highlander’s gauges and multi-functional display give you up-to-the second readings of your fuel economy, it’s easy to start playing with the way you drive to try to increase the fuel mileage.

In fact, I was thrilled to the point of secretly celebrating when I finally got the average fuel miles per gallon to reach 24. Woohoo!

Wait, a hybrid that only gets 24 mpg? What’s that about? In fact, the EPA estimates that the 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid should get between 27 (city) and 25 (highway). It’s not great, but much better than the non-hybrid, two-wheel-drive version that is estimated to get 18 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway.

But one must realize that in order to carry the weight of an SUV without sacrificing much power, there needs to be a decent-size engine to do the pushing. The Highlander’s V-6 engine combines with three electric motors to add power and efficiency to the all-wheel-drive hybrid.

Being a hybrid, the Highlander is also extremely quiet. In fact, a couple of friends commented that it was "As quiet as a spaceship - if you've ever driven one." I'll take her word on that.

OK, so the power is good and the fuel economy is adequate, so what about the dog-gone space? It’s awesome. Both back rows of seats fold nicely flat to provide ample room for crates and cargo, and when in use, the second row seats slide forward and back to provide flexible cargo room when in use. The removable and storable second-row center console offers three options: storage, bench seat or open walkway through to back. It also keeps the floor covered when all seats are folded flat.

Plus, there’s a nifty little latch in the way back that lets you flip the middle row flat without having to trot back to the second row doors. That and the power tailgate make it easy for dog entry without too much human involvement.

All-in-all, it’s a rough road to find any fault with the 2008 Highlander Hybrid as a DogCar, except that the mileage isn’t tail-waggingly wonderful and the price ($38,950 to start) is a bit on the steep side. Otherwise, it’s got all four of my paws!

-- Keith Turner

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Carguy Comments: The all-new 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid features full-time all-wheel-drive and is significantly larger and roomier than the version it replaced. The Hybrid Synergy Drive features a 3.3-liter V-6 engine delivers 209 horsepower that combines with three electric motors to put out 270 horsepower in total. Total cargo capacity behind the first row of seats is 94.1 cubic feet.

-- Keith Turner, The Family Car

View the Highlander Hybrid Video

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2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: Reaching for higher ground Barking Lot Banter: The 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has been redesigned to add room, comfort and efficiency. It’s a classic DogCar with a hybrid twist.