Toyota Highlander hybrid

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Freddobbs
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Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by Freddobbs »

We have a low mileage 2014 Acura RDX but are thinking about trading up to the highlander hybrid.

Does anyone have an opinion as far as maintenance and safety attributes of the highlander?
PaunchyPirate
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by PaunchyPirate »

Have you found www.toyotanation.com yet? There is a Highlander and a Highlander Hybrid forum there that you can read postings from people on the topic. Sort of like these forums here on Bogleheads.

For what it’s worth, I just got my 2021 Highlander Hybrid about 2 weeks ago. So far so good.
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LadyGeek
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (car).
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Businesscasual
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by Businesscasual »

I have a Toyota RAV4 hybrid and love it. Did a lot of research and my conclusion was a Toyota hybrid will last longer and be lower maintenance than the majority of gas powered vehicles. Toyota also up’d their battery warranty to 150k miles but there’s a lot of people that say it will go well beyond that.
investor4life
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by investor4life »

We have a 2019 Highlander hybrid. Nothing but good things to say about it. We are averaging around 27 mpg in mixed city/freeway driving. I hear that the next gen Highlander hybrids (2020 and later) get even better mileage due to a smaller engine.
CurlyDave
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by CurlyDave »

We have had our '21 Highlander hybrid since Dec 2020. No problems so far. Very good gas mileage.
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jebmke
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by jebmke »

investor4life wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:25 pm We have a 2019 Highlander hybrid. Nothing but good things to say about it. We are averaging around 27 mpg in mixed city/freeway driving. I hear that the next gen Highlander hybrids (2020 and later) get even better mileage due to a smaller engine.
Unencumbered by data, I would have expected better than 27. I get 25 with my V6 RAV4 (2008). Maybe the size is the issue.
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dknightd
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by dknightd »

Freddobbs wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 7:14 pm Does anyone have an opinion as far as maintenance and safety attributes of the highlander?
I'm thinking about one of these. Sure would be nice if I could find one to actually drive.

I suspect maintenance will be minimal, and safety is good.
Retired 2019. So far, so good. I want to wake up every morning. But I want to die in my sleep. Just another conundrum. I think the solution might be afternoon naps ;)
free
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by free »

We bought a 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid in March of last year. We have been very pleased with the comfort and we're averaging 33 mpg around the city. The first year of maintenance is free. As far as safety, the collision avoidance and lane assist work great. I love how it will mange the distance safely between the car ahead of you. It also warns you if your too close to an object when parking and will stop you if necessary. The 360 degree backup camera is amazing as well.
PaunchyPirate
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by PaunchyPirate »

My 2-week old 2021 Highlander Hybrid is averaging about 33.5 mpg. Of course it only has 450 miles on it so far. The mileage pushed up to 35.2 for a brief period when I did a 100 mile round trip on the interstate highway. The advertised sticker mileage is 34 Highway/35 City/35 Average. So it looks like I'll probably be able to get that with no problems after the engine fully breaks in.
shunkman
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by shunkman »

While you are at it, I suggest test driving the Sienna especially if you have a kid or two.
bigskyguy
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by bigskyguy »

We purchased our first hybrid in 2010 (Prius), and upgrade in 2019 to a RAV4. No maintenance issues in 11 years, and we live in the mountains of western Montana. Our Prius gave us approx. 40MPG, and the RAV4 is close. We've considered going all electric, but haven't as yet pulled the plug. Our home is essentially powered off solar panels (Montana is not the most user friendly for solar, both climate wise and rebate wise); we installed our initial panels in 2005, powering approx. 50% of our electric needs at that time. In 2020, we extended and expanded our array and are now electricity independent.
investor4life
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by investor4life »

jebmke wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 6:40 am
investor4life wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:25 pm We have a 2019 Highlander hybrid. Nothing but good things to say about it. We are averaging around 27 mpg in mixed city/freeway driving. I hear that the next gen Highlander hybrids (2020 and later) get even better mileage due to a smaller engine.
Unencumbered by data, I would have expected better than 27. I get 25 with my V6 RAV4 (2008). Maybe the size is the issue.
My 2019's window decal shows an EPA estimated 28 mpg for combined city/freeway, so we are close.

The 2020+ models get better mileage (EPA 34 mpg) because of their smaller engines (2.4L inline-4, 240HP vs 3.5L V6, 306HP on the 2019).

If I could, I'd go back and buy the 2020+ as they are better than a 2019 (which is already pretty good).
investor4life
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Re: Toyota Highlander hybrid

Post by investor4life »

Of course, no sooner than I posted my previous message, I came across a curious "problem" with my hybrid Highlander (2019). I was filling a quarter-full tank today and the pump clicked off at 11 gallons and the fuel gauge showed the tank was full. That puzzled me because I recall that this model has a pretty large tank and by my calculation my car held about 11/(3/4)=14.7 gallons. (Online searches show a capacity of 19.2g whereas my owner's manual says 17.1---regardless both are quite a bit more than what my tank can hold.) I looked online and saw that other owners of 2019+ hybrid Highlanders have experienced this issue as well.

It turns out that this is a well-known issue with Rav4 hybrids due to the different shape of those fuel tanks (when compared to the corresponding non-hybrid version). There is a class-action lawsuit going on with the Rav4's right now.

I recently had the car serviced for a recall having to do with a defective low-pressure fuel pump. Not sure if there's a connection here...
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