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
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
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.
Comments
I wanted to love this vehicle. I was seriously thinking about one for the decent size and mileage. Then my aunt got a limited. I was not impressed with the mileage. Sure the readout would say I was averaging 25 with my mellow driving style but when actually figuring by actual gas consumed it was only averaging low 20’s. Not sure how people claim to get 30 mpg, especially on the highway where it eats most of it’s gas.
Woofman
2009-05-22 23:22:07
We’ve had our 08 hybrid limited, for a year and we love it! We can fit 2 great Danes in the way back and the Chinese crested in a car seat in the middle and still have room for gear and storage. Even when we use an aftermarket car pet gate it still allows 2 Danes to lay down! This car has far exceeded my expectations!
2009-04-09 21:07:33
We LOVE our Highlander Hybrid, we have a 2007 model and get around 24 MPG in the summer. But for our 140 pound bullmastiff I have to wonder how much longer he will be able to jump in and out.I actually cringe when he jumps down (thinking OMG how much am I damaging his joints now ???) I guess that is the downfall of any SUV. He has plenty of room in the back with the seats in regular position, can turn around just fine, and he doesn’t have to hang his head over the front seats (which would lead to serious drool issues). I think the upholstery has scotch gard on it, so wiping off drool has been easy :-)
2009-02-14 06:15:26
I just bought a Highlander (Limited 2009). It doesn’t save gas. It takes 16L/100KM.
2009-01-26 01:58:40
The glass hatch is very convenient for checking on the pups.
2009-01-17 21:48:39
I have had mine since for 9 months and it has made cross country trips with the hounds and people kids. Great gas milage (compared to it’s gas guzzling counterparts) and much better space than my VW wagon. I fit 2 300 size crates side by side for daily use. I also have the gorilla tough matting all throughout and it is fantastic! I have hid spills from water buckets in the back that never came near the upholstery!
2008-12-31 19:31:03
Lots of space in the back for our chocolate lab, and the third row seatbelts tuck safely away so they are not as tempting a snack!! We added a pet barrier from Weather Tech behind the second row of seats for added safety. Great ride too!
2008-11-17 15:52:33
We have had our 2008 Highlander limited hybrid for 30 days and it has exceeded our expectations. Best 3 row SUV out there!
2008-07-17 14:47:37
I love my 2007 hybrid Highlander (no power lift gate on the 2007 though). Plenty of room for 2 big goldens to ride comfortably. The jump-up is a bit high for my older dog though and like you, I wish the mileage was a tad better. But it handles very well, has lots of spunk, fits in every parking space and is fun to drive and QUIET.
2008-05-29 16:17:52
We really like this car too. My wife gets around 26mpg and on the 2 occasions I have been able to drive a 200mile round trip I got a little over 30mpg
2008-03-19 13:56:41
We love this car. We can fit a deerhound in the backseat, and a greyhound and a staghound in the rear. The car feels very safe and drives very sturdily and steadily.
2008-02-27 11:29:08
If you are worried about gas consumption and MPG don’t buy a Hybrid but a compact car. The reason for buying a Hybrid is to reduce pollution and live healthier not to save money on gas!
2009-06-01 19:39:16