My wife and parents has been pressing me to get a more practical vehicle, something with six or seven seats and a useful amount of cargo volume. An all-wheel-drive vehicle would also be quite useful this winter, as my new community doesn't plow the roads nearly as promptly as my old one. I've been dragging my feet on this task for two reasons. First, I generally find larger vehicles less enjoyable to drive. Second, if I actually bought something I'd have less reason to take test drives. And I clearly enjoy taking test drives.

These days I can almost add a third reason to the list: fuel economy. I was shocked the other day by my newfound ability to put over $40 in gas into my small Mazda wagon. Said small wagon is seeming smarter now that gas is over $3. Most minivans use nearly twice as much gas, and most 7-seat SUVs use even more.

I say "almost" because of the subject of this review: Toyota's new-for-2006 Highlander Hybrid. A third row is standard. The front-drive version earns EPA ratings of 33/28. The 4WD version doesn't do much worse, at 31/27. Impressive for such a large vehicle.

Normally a Highlander wouldn't be near the top of my list of seven-passenger vehicles. But the hybrid powertrain makes it a considerably more interesting choice. To find out how well I could live with one, I took a base Highlander Hybrid for a test drive. The day before I drove the Ford Escape Hybrid, enabling me to compare the two. My full review of the Escape can be read here.

For a review of the non-hybrid Highlander, complete with comparisons to the Honda Pilot, Mitsubishi Endeavor, and Nissan Murano, see my review of the 2004 here.

Styling

The Lexus RX 330 and Nissan Murano have proven that every SUV doesn’t have to look like a box on wheels. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with a box. The Jeep Cherokee of the 1980s and 1990s was all edges and angles, yet quite attractive in an outdoorsy sort of way. The Scion xB is as boxy as boxy can be, yet is the current hot thing. But these are exceptions. Most boxes are boring. Or worse. The Highlander falls in the last category. In stark contrast to its Lexus sibling, it is a poorly proportioned hopelessly bland box.

To my eye, the Highlander's styling lacks presence, a necessity with an SUV (otherwise you might as well buy a minivan). The flat bodysides suggest it is stamped out of tin, especially in lighter shades. Calty, Toyota's California design studio, couldn't have had a hand in this one. I'm not sure any designers did. Maybe it was styled by engineers?

All this notwithstanding, 17-inch alloys standard on both hybrid models somehow boost the vehicle’s appearance to borderline acceptable, especially when viewed from the front quarter. (Viewing the Highlander dead-on to the side still isn't advisable, as this highlights the vehicle's proportions.) It seems this is a design that greatly benefits from larger wheels. Still, if you want style in your hybrid SUV, you'll probably want the Lexus. Just plan on spending more and giving up the third-row seat.

The Highlander’s interior fares better, as its intersecting instrument nacelles, bulbous trim pieces, upward curving center console, and various non-standard shapes are clearly the work of designers. The sharper edged RX 330 interior is at once even more unique, less odd, and more attractive, but it’s perhaps the most attractively designed interior in any SUV. The Highlander’s interior certainly looks better than the average SUV interior, and manages to be distinctive.

Though hardly a match for the extra-fine RX 330 interior, the Highlander’s interior materials are all tasteful and high in quality, at least with leather. (The cloth feels like it belongs in a vehicle half the Hybrid's mid-thirties price.) Most competitors feel lower in quality.

Accommodations

The Highlander’s driving position no doubt finds favor with many owners. It’s significantly higher than a car’s. Visibility is very good. To boost its credibility as an SUV the Highlander’s hood is high and flat, making its entire expanse clearly visible from the drivers seat. Few hoods, even in SUVs, are quite so visible these days. Many people dislike how current styling often renders the edge of the hood invisible. They’ll be happy here.

They’ll probably also like the relatively upright windshield, which enables a relatively shallow instrument panel. The Highlander’s step-in height is on the low side for an SUV, making it easier to get into than most. Unlike in most conventional SUVs, I see no need for the optional running boards.

I did not care for the Highlander's seats so much this time around. I don't know if the seats have changed, or my expectations have. Though I don't have long legs, the front seat cushions felt too short to me. If the seat was tilted up in front just a little I felt an uncomfortable bulge mid-thigh. Simple solution I suppose: don't tilt the front seat up. But a larger, better-shaped cushion would be better. On a positive note, a driver's seat power lumbar adjuster is standard.

The second row both reclines and adjusts fore and aft a number of inches. Good-sized adults have plenty of legroom as long as they’re about as far back as the fronts. The cushion is high enough off the floor to provide good thigh support. But the smaller Escape does better here. A fold-down armrest is very wide, which might prevent bickering between younger passengers.

A third-row seat is standard on either hybrid model. Although headroom is sufficient, the cushion is very low to the floor and legroom is scarce (though not as scarce as in the Subaru Tribeca). The salesman demonstrated that legroom can be increased by sliding the first and second rows forward, but this would merely share the misery more widely. However, if you need space to stow extra kids the new seat should serve well. Especially if you want a third row in a hybrid, as only the Highlander offers this combination.

The third row has a fan control for the rear heater. This seems odd, as the only people small enough to fit back there comfortably cannot be entrusted with such a control. Hence the lock-out on the instrument panel.

Retrofitting the hybrid bits did not affect cargo volume, at least not on paper. Thus the Highlander Hybrid offers a bit over 80 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded. However, the second row does not fold entirely flat and you can’t fit much stuff behind the Highlander’s third row.

All seats fold without tilting their cushions or removing their headrests. Except the front passenger seat, which unlike those in a growing number of vehicles does not fold. The interior is chock full of storage compartments and cupholders.

On the Road

Relative to the hybrid systems offered in some Hondas, the ones in Toyotas (and in the Ford) have larger batteries and much more powerful electric motors. This enables them to run under electric power only at low speeds for short distances. For a more complete description of these systems, see my Toyota Prius review here.

In the front-drive Highlander Hybrid, a 167-horsepower motor is coupled with a 208-horsepower V6 to drive the front wheels. This motor is twice as powerful as the one in the Prius, and far more powerful than the 16-horsepower motor in the Accord Hybrid. Opt for the 4WD Highlander Hybrid, and a second, 68-horsepower motor powers the rear wheels without any assistance from the gas engine.

I drove the 4WD version. With so much power on tap, it should come as no surprise that acceleration is brisk--Toyota claims it'll get to 60 in 7.3 seconds. Aside from the amount of power, electric motors produce their maximum torque at very low RPM, and thus provide excellent off-the-line grunt. Even in the Escape, with it's much less powerful four-cylinder gas engine, I found that getting from a standstill to forty felt effortless.

All in not perfect with the power delivery, however. Perhaps because over 300 horsepower are being fed through the front tires, under hard acceleration the front end felt light and squirrelly. In turns some torque steer was evident. Toyota might want to rethink it's decision to channel none of the main power unit's power to the rear wheels. Then again, most Highlander drivers aren't likely to dip deep into the throttle, and might not even notice these issues.

As in the Prius, the Highlander Hybrid's transmission is a continuously variable unit. If you notice anything different about how the Hybrid drives, it's likely the behavior of this transmission. Like other CVTs, it often holds the engine at a set RPM as the car accelerates. Unlike in other CVT-equipped cars I've driven, though, it's not so easy to tell, as the Hybrid has no tach--for just this reason? Instead of a tach, the Hybrid has a kilowatt gauge that displays how much power the electric motors are producing. The Accord Hybrid, with a conventional automatic, is much harder to distinguish from the regular car. Still, I doubt many people will be bothered by the CVT.

The gas engine automatically cuts off when the Hybrid comes to a stop, then automatically restarts when needed. Accelerate slowly from a stop and the gas engine remains off. Yes, it's the world's largest golf cart. For some reason I found it much easier to remain in electric-only mode in the Escape, once slowly accelerating to nearly 30 miles-per-hour.

Hybrids tend to fall short of the EPA ratings by an even larger margin that regular cars. The base model I test drove lacks an average fuel economy readout. Given that fuel economy is a primary reason people buy hybrids, such a readout should be standard. Instead, to get one you need the Limited's optional navigation system. Luckily, such a vehicle was on the lot, and had been driven about 1600 miles by a sales manager. The salesperson unlocked the car for me, and I checked its trip computer: 25.5 MPG. Almost to the highway rating, and quite good for a seven-passenger SUV.

Along a curvy road the Highlander feels like the relatively compact midsize SUV it is. Though hardly a sporty handler, lean in turns is moderate. I've praised the Highlander's steering in the past. Well, the Hybrid uses a different system where assist is provided by an electric motor. Though light and reasonably accurate, this system doesn't provide nearly as much feedback as the conventional system in the regular Highlander. This was perhaps my largest disappointment with the vehicle.

The Hybrid rides much like the regular Highlander. So, its ride is not quite as smooth as I expect from a Toyota. Though far from punishing, tar strips and the like are distinctly felt. Patchy pavement induces some side-to-side rocking and a minor but easily perceptible amount of shuddering in the front structure. Though smaller and cheaper, the Escape rides better. If ride quality is your top priority, the Lexus RX might be worth its higher price.

While I felt the tar strips, I did not hear them. This is in sharp contrast to many of the cars I test, especially those from Europe. Wind noise is moderately low, at least as low if not lower than in direct competitors, but is another area where the Lexus earns its higher price.

Safety

The Highlander Hybrid comes standard with stability control and six airbags. However, the side curtain airbags only cover the first two rows.

Toyota Highlander Hybrid Price Comparisons and Pricing

You're probably wondering how much more the Hybrid costs than the regular Highlander. How about $4,800, even after equipping the two the same? I personally expected closer to $3,000. On the other hand. AWD still adds only $1,400. It's a no-brainer at that price. In absolute terms, prices range from $33,000 to the low forties.

The Lexus RX runs another $5,400 even after a $2,000 adjustment for extra features in its favor. On the other hand, the Escape Hybrid is about $3,500 less even after an $1,800 adjustment in the Toyota's favor.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Highlander:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Highlander.php

Last Words

The exterior is still blah (no Prius resemblance here) and the steering has lost its appeal, but the Highlander in hybrid form impresses with its acceleration and economy. Quite a combination, that. An Accord Hybrid feels more like a regular car, but the Highlander comes closer than even the latest Prius.

If you need seven seats in a hybrid, then the Highlander is currently your only option. If you only need five, then the Escape and RX 400h are also worth a look. The former doesn't accelerate as quickly, but is nearly as nice inside, handles more nimbly, rides more smoothly, and costs quite a bit less. The latter costs more, but has a better ride, nicer interior, and snazzier exterior.

But does it even make sense to get the Hybrid? Even with gas at $3.00, and assuming the Hybrid gets 50 percent better fuel economy, it will take over 80,000 miles to recoup the extra cost. With the Prius the extra cost is offset by the car's all-around gee-whizzedness. With the Highlander, very little is different from the regular SUV. I suppose it depends how much knowing the technology is there and helping ever so slightly reducing the nation's oil consumption means to you. For me, the extra cost seems a bit much.

A Note on Toyota Highlander Hybrid Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a Highlander Hybrid rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Toyota Highlander Hybrid reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Highlander Hybrid--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Toyota Highlander review (2004 comparisons with Pilot, Endeavor, and Murano)
Ford Escape Hybrid review
Lexus RX 330 review
Toyota Prius review