Toyota Highlander Hybrid Driving Tips & Tricks

bnc1

Thank you all for the info....I am a CA person, so will check on the battery warranty. What are the special driving requirements? And how does the 2WD do on hills (we have lots of those here!)

jdkahler

Driving the HH is different mainly in that you need to learn not to be a "lead foot," and to take advantage of engine braking so that the system switches to generate mode as you approach, say, a traffic signal or stop sign. If you don't use cruise control on the highway, start using it, the computer is better at managing speed and energy than you could ever be, especially when traffic is moving smoothly. I've always liked cruise but lots of folks on here - and my wife - hardly have used it, but it seems to make a big difference.

I've taken to watching the MPG meter and try to milk it some to get to the high end of MPG, my wife, used to a Corolla with 5 speed is especially getting used to more gentle techniques rather than pushing to the next shift point. Really, though, you get used to just smooth and easy, the gauges are just a fun toy and challenge. We live in the Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia, which as you might expect from the name is rather hilly for a city, and the HH has no problem in hills, lots of power if needed going up them (passing buses for instance) and on Fridays we tend to go on a drive and return home by going the couple of miles down through Chestnut Hill - my game is to see how much I can do without the engine starting, usually run electric all the way and when I'm being really good can almost make it al the way home. Darned expensive electic golf cart! Driving around, accelleration and maintaining speed is better than anything else I've driven in hilly areas, including some old V8s and several V6 vans. On the highway you need to be careful driving hills on cruise control, the HH can keep up and easily overtake others including some cars that you would think have power - the electric motor just kicks in and you keep going. - John

sbgirl

No problem on the hills. I have gone over the Grapevine several times and it didn't even effect it at all. I drive up a pretty good size hill everyday to work and let me tell you it is so easy to go 100+...I didn't even realize that I was until I looked down (I had to outperform my friend's v8 chevy truck....which I dusted him easily). As you may have noticed, I tend to have a leadfoot so getting between 25 and 27 mpg is pretty darn good to me.

cdptrap

Several friends asked about HH cornering and then saw a post here about same. To be more precise, I will list where we have been and how the HH responded to the curves. Not useful for out-of-state readers but people in central CA area considering the car may find this useful.

California State Freeway 152 East (deadly) Pacheco Pass
California State Freeway 152 West Hecker Pass
California State Freeway 129 West from 101 to the coast.
California State Freeway 120 (Scenic but dangerous) - Yosemite national park
HWY 1 Oyester farms, Pt. Reyes to SF stretch.

For drivers who know how to position the car in a lane, how to adjust the speed as necessary and how to get into and out of a curve, the HH steering will respond precisely and let us drive through most of the curves at posted speed limit uphill and downhill. Hairpins are exceptions, we have to slow about 5 MPH below posted speed through hairpins.

Hope that helps with cornering concerns.

energyecon

I now have about 1800 miles on my awd HH. I was expecting it to improve from the 22-28 I was getting. Instead it is getting worse mileage. OK, a lot of my trips have been short local hops in the hills of San Francisco, so I wouldn't expect too much. But I just tried it on a 30 mile mostly freeway trip and I still only got 16.5. No traffic, moderate temperatures, no steep grades, really light foot, mostly 55-60 mph using cruise. What up wit dat?

I do notice on my Scan Guage (see above) that my rpms do not go to zero ever at highway speeds, even when I am on a down grade and am regenerating or braking. The ICE hangs in at about 950 prm and 15% LOD.

In local driving, the electric kicks in and the ICE shuts off at low speeds and braking. But it is impossible to get it to use much electric on hills, even at low constant speeds.

Should I bring it in to the shop?

cdptrap

I live in SJ, which freeway did you try the 30-mile? Does your HH have the NAV screen to show MPG? Just more data for you to compare.

We know that our HH is sensitive to gentle grades, it has in fact "trained" us to spot gentle upslope on various freeways and roads in the bay area.

On a recent trip to and fro SF from SJ, we net only 22 MPG. Freeway portion was on HWY 280 at 65 mph. In-town portion was Geary Blvd around 10-th street area, then lots of intown to Cristy field and back all at traffic speed, no chance to PnG. 280 is all hills so that explains the low mpg.

We also drive a lot around the East Bay, HWY 80, 980, 580, 880 over the bay bridge, sometimes over Dumbarton (84). The only fairly flat stretch is 880 outside of Oakland on the way down into Milpitas &San Jose area with fewer dips and rises. Along that stretch, the NAV screen can show MPG range from 16-35 MPG.

If you are really game, try HWY 85 between 101 in Mtn. View and South San Jose and back. It has some flat stretches. Try lower speed to 60-65 MPh after the crazy merge from 101 to 85. Or try 101 south from old Candlestick into Palo Alto or San Jose and then back at 65 mph. Your HH should at least break 20 MPG in each of these even with 4 adults on-board. We do these trips a couple of times a month.

If it still returns 16 MPG, may be it is time to have it checked.

The SF bay area does not seem to have many freeways that are really flat so it is not easy to test.

cdptrap

One more thing :-).

The ICE does not cut off much on freeways but we notice the MPG number can be quite impressive even then. We take our MPG only at end of a tank.

On hills, the ICE comes on fairly quickly unless you have a full charge and able to nurse it really slowly, around 10 mph or lower. Even then, by the time the angle is approximately 25 degrees plus, the ICE kicks in. Our driveway is uphill so getting up on electric is a game we play everyday.

gazguzler

I'd have 16mpg looked at.

I should mention that I had to get the kids to a party PDQ Sunday. It wasn't warm and I glanced down early on in the trip to see I was getting 22mpg AVG. I gave up and drove more than normal. Often fast and accelerating (in fact it's the first time I've put the radar detector on since July). When I got back I braced myself for the teens but it said 34.2 MPG for 22 miles . . . without trying, in fact, it felt like an act of sabotage. Now I wonder if I haven't been giving PnG too much credit. I was really shocked and re-examining everything.

cdptrap

Now I wonder if I haven't been giving PnG too much credit. I was really shocked and re-examining everything.

Hmmmm.... this is really interesting. My wife reported similar observation 2 weeks ago but I did not believe her. She claimed to be zipping around in town with her mother and the mileage did not suffer when she got home. Her theory/observation was that getting up to speed faster let her start rolling earlier and longer, that charged the battery fuller and the car would cut into electric mode sooner and longer. She also thinks that by accelerating off the block more aggressively, the electric kicks in to overcome intertia thus the ICE does much less work up front at low speed. I of course thought she was just justifying her more aggressive driving style.

Hmmmm..... looks like time to try the same. If nothing else, it is a good excuse to enjoy the HH's power for a day.

landdriver

I have a non-hybrid Highlander but remember reading in the owner's manual that for fuel efficiency you should quickly accelerate to your desired speed. I tend not to do this, but may try doing so to see if it improves my fuel economy (19mpg mixed SF Bay Area V6 AWD).

16mpg sounds really low to me too for the HH; even for the non-hybrid V6 owners tend to get around 17-21 mpg.

ulev

Check your tire pressure.

Mine was off by 10lbs long after I picked it up from the dealer...

They sometimes deflate the tires in order to clear the transporters, some dealers have'nt figured this out yet...

Some on this board reccommend inflating to 35+ pressure and claim to have improved MPG.

I just filled mine to 35lbs. new tank of fuel and I will check out the theory...

My last tank only gave me 388 miles when the 'low fuel' light went on...usually I get close to 400 miles before it lights.

Maybe the change over to cooler temps might effect the fuel bladder ???

shilohlady

Is the 16MPG what you are seeing on the ScanGuage or from calculations based on a fill-up? The reason I ask is because on another forum I saw some posts that stated the ScanGuage could not accurately calculate the MPG for hybrids as it doesn't know about the ICE shutting down and how to handle it. The good news is that if anyone with a HiHy lives near the guy who makes it, he's willing to work with us to modify the calcuations but he'd need a vehicle to hook it up to and figure out what needs to be changed.

myladdie

The heated seats do lack something-heat. Will have dealer check at the 5k service. Maybe they will get better when it hits 20 below next month here (upstate NY).
Other disappointment is passenger power(?) seat. Only goes back & forth-not adjustabe like driver's side. Not even described in the owerner's manual.
Don't get me wrong. I do like my HH Limited, but I expected better in the above 2 items, especially with a Limited. But I can live with it-there are many other good features.
What is PnG for us newcomers to this site? Do I have to get rid of my lead foot? My mpg is about 26 after about 4k miles.

upstateny5

Where in upstate NY are you? I am in Lewis NY and my mileage has been dropping - I had a few tanks with 30+ mpg and a few over 27. Now I am much more in the 26+ mpg range. I think the cooler temps have something to do with it as I definitely do not drive with a lead foot.

PnG is Pulse and Glide driving. I have the base model HH so my screen is a little one on the speedometer and not the full screen that you have but both versions are illustrated in the owners manual. If I understand PnG correctly you accelerate up to about 45 mph and then ease off the accelerater and coast until you get to 30 mph. You then repeat the process. You want to have no energy going to the wheels or battery.

I recently purchased Scan Gauge (no one has responded to my prior post asking if I have set it up correctly) and it is very helpful at helping me to identify ways to improve my driving techniques. It stores a ton of information including mpg for each trip during the day and prior day.

energyecon

You are correct about the Scan Guage not being correct on MPG. Mileage based on fill-up was actually about 40% higher!!!??

That is good news and bqd news. Good because I am not havign a problem with the HH mileage. But a dissapointment because that is the reason I bought the Scan Guage... I will check with manufacter and report back to this board.

upstateny5

I think theres a good chance that you didn't set up Scan Gauge correctly. I would reset all values and start again - engine size, tank size, hybrid etc. I just filled up for the first time and pressed DONE after fuel fillup.

My Scan Gauge was off by about 1 gallon on the current fillup.

handson77

We recently (3 weeks ago) purchased the new 2006 HH from a dealer here in Los Angeles. We were quite specific when we said we were mostly interested in the 33mpg city, 28mpg highway. The salespeople all told us those numbers were and average and then finished by saying we might be able to get more than that. Not being complete fools, we also took that to mean that we could get less and we would not have been surprised to get around 30mpg in the city. So far we have driven the car a little over 300 miles and done one fill-up. We used 14.25 gal to get 301 miles.
Are we being unreasonable in feeling that 21.5 mpg is nowhere near the 33 mpg quoted?
When we contacted Toyota and the sales person we suddenly were being told about "California additives to the gasoline" which produces a reduction in mileage and that,"oh yes, we know the owner's manual says the breakin period is 1000 miles but you need to drive it at least 5000 miles."
My questions:
1. Should we wait the 5000 miles?
2. Should we take the HH back to the dealer and tell them we believe there is a problem? (Will it do any good?)
3. Has anyone else in California had this experience?

We are getting the feeling that we have been deliberately mislead.
When we contacted the Toyota Customer care line,a young woman listened to our complaint and suggested we log on to the EPA web site to see how average mileage was calculated. She also gave us a case number.
"Lovely," I said, "but how does that help me?"
Her basic response was that it doesn't. The only reason I can see for the case number is if we are trying to get some type of lawsuit going. This is not really what we are after.
Any suggestions or direction would be greatly appreciated.

mmreid

I too experienced less than optimum mileage when I first drove my HH and I've learned a lot from this forum about how to maximize mileage. First I increased tire pressure and learned to use Pulse and Glide (P & G) as well as realizing I could not drive the HH the same way I'd driven any other vehicle. While I'm not in California, I think the main thing to do is change how you drive. I've had quite a lead foot and while the HH drives beautifully and responsively if you need to get away from a crazy driver in a hurry, you won't get better mileage driving at high speed and gunning the engine.

Some thoughts: increase tire pressure to at least 38 psi.
Set the screen behind the steering wheel to the one that shows you mpg at any given second and if you have NAV, the screen that shows you the engines. Learn to take your foot off the gas pedal when going downhill or coasting along - the weight of the vehicle will let you go long distances with the gas engine completely disengaged unless you are climbing hills. Accelerate and decelerate slowly. When you see ahead to a red light or stop sign, take your foot off the gas - this can be done from quite a long distance away. I also found that on roads I travel frequently I get to know the places where the car will glide for long distances and I anticipate them and use no gas at all. I can go from about a half mile from my house to my front door coasting all the way unless stuck behind a very slow truck. Use cruise control in highway conditions as the computer is smarter than you and will maximize mileage.

There is a learning curve to driving the HH (and I assume any hybrid) and once you get the idea, well, for me anyway, it's become almost a game to see how to use as little gas as possible but trying to avoid totally annoying any cars behind me. Pulse and glide is hard to do if you have a line of cars behind you. If you haven't already figured out Pulse and Glide, it is driving up to about 45 mph, taping the engine and letting the car drop down slowly (using no gas) to 30 mph, and doing it again. Like I said, annoying if there are vehicles behind you. Great on empty roads.

Last thought: if you are used to driving at top speeds and in a hurry, leave a few minutes earlier and drive differently and you will see your mileage increase. I also agree that as the engine breaks in the mileage goes up. I'm now just over 4,000 and it is definitely easier to get routine better mileage.

mmreid

cdptrap

Hi, we are in San Jose, CA and we are not Toyota salespeople :-). A lot of posters here have a lot to share. The following is just our own experience.

Our HH has 5100+ miles and your initial MPG number mirrors ours at that same mileage (400+ miles). Our own experience supports the initial break-in period of 3000 miles and then more gradual MPG improvement to 5000 miles. We are now getting 26-28 mpg depending on driving styles. When we tried really we hard, we got 30 MPG once.

Tire pressure makes a difference. Toyota say 32 minimum, posters here use anything from 32 to 40, our HH uses 37 psi.

Terrain will also impact mpg, flatter is better.

There is also a driver break-in period because we had to learn how to drive our first gas-electric hybrid in order to maximize gas efficiency.

If you want driving techinques, do ask other owners here to post their driving experience.

Hope this helps.

falconone

Did you actually think the dealer would be honest about that? You did test drive it didn't you? Did you notice the mileage in the display? Did you research the internet before you purchased? Edmunds and some other online reviews have gotten anywhere from 25-28 on average. Try putting on more mileage and see what happens. Make sure you have adequate tire pressure. If you're still unhappy, sell it on Ebay. The standard Highlander with the 6cyl engine will average 18-21 on the highway.

handson77

Thanks for the info on the break-in period. We were initially told 1000 but it sounds like 5K is a better estimate.
Also good advice about the tire pressure. We will try that too.
thanks

handson77

Many thanks for your valuable input. When we began driving the HH we attempted to reduce the 'lead' in our feet. We have monitored the NAV info area to try and keep the battery doing most of the work. We will increase the tire pressure and start trying the P&G.
Thanks again.

wwest

how much fossil fuel would be saved if ALL drivers adhered to the extreme measures hybrid owners seem to be going to to get their vehicle's fuel economy closer to EPA estimates.

falconone

Not much.

gazguzler

Very true!

It should be the law that every vehicle shows realtime and avg MPG. I drove a limo in college that had this 20 yrs ago. I couldn't even spell 'inverunmeant' then but I sure was getting competitive with that dash computer trying to best my best.

nsxwes

Very good point. The fact that a real-time indication of fuel mileage is available to a driver does aid in driving more efficiently and increases the drivers desire to increase fuel mileage. I bet if every car had this feature the overall gas savings would be very measurable.

cdptrap

"Extreme measures" need to be defined. Not sure why you think we are using "extreme" techniques.

Extreme to me is jack-rabbit stop/go, racing at stop lights, cutting people off for negligible gain in time, endangering oneself and others by speeding and peforming dangerous maneuvers, running red lights and stop signs. Or do we now consider such behaviors "normal"?

I drove a stick during the gas crunch in the 70's. Remember when OPEC was not yet our "friend"? We got gas based on odd-even day rule. It was normal to put the stick in NEUTRAL and coast to stop or to slow, then shift into the right gear to resume speed. I drove within 5-mph of posted speed then, still do so today.

These are the same tricks I use when driving our HH. The only differences are there is now nothing to shift and there is now a cruise control to maintain speed. The end result is a per tank average of 28 MPG. This from a car that weighs 2 tons and can move like a "rocket" as my wife puts it.

Why would we consider such simple driving techniques "extreme"?

mmreid

My husband has actually tried some of the hybrid driving techniques with his BMW and he gets really tiny mpg savings. Nothing to really write home about. . .maybe half a mile to a mile per gallon savings. He is paying more attention to how he is driving but it's not showing up at the pump. Especially with a car that runs on the most expensive gas.

I have noticed that when he has driven the HH on a few road trips, he tends to get worse mileage than when I drive it. I think my playing around with driving techniques and practice in local daily traffic is definitely paying off.
Of course, it is "my" car and so I am driving it 98% of the time.

I'm about 700 miles away from its first service at 5,000 miles. Anything I need to know or ask the service department? I assume it is going in for overall check-up and oil change. Should be around the beginning to middle of December which is right around 6 months of ownership. I'm more likely to be taking it in every six months rather than every 5,000 miles.

mmreid

jdkahler

It couldn't hurt, but in my case the MPG improvement is much more vehicle and much less driving style alteration. The little MPG gauge on the dash is a reminder, and a game, but I've used cruise control since I first had it years ago, safe distance and anticipating traffic flow and stops, no jackrabbit starts, no quick stops, the same things that help get better MPG in general. Aware of driving style, not obsessing over it. Maybe a couple of MPG could be chalked up to driving style changes in my case, but the real improvement from 17-20 MPG in the old van to 26-28 MPG in the HH (heavier, larger engine) is due to it being a hybrid.

Now, if the above driving style is extreme.... This is the way I learned to drive from my dad, now 83 and still driving safely, and amazingly accident free in all those years. I'd suggest that economy would improve if drivers would drive responsibly (slow down and relax), besides saving gas accidents would go down and so would blood pressure, but this is not extreme in any way. Still, the contribution of hybrids is definitely much more than teaching drivers to drive better. Improved air quality, even better mileage than ICE-equivalent vehicles, real improvements with hybrid technology. Drivers not ready to trade in for a hybrid would improve their MPG by changing driving style, and when they are ready to trade they could make an additional choice to enhance their gas-saving driving with a gas-saving vehicle. Not that I'll expect the guy hanging on my bumper the next time I'm in traffic on the interstate to change driving style to save some gas.... - John

myladdie

PnG info-upstateny5
Thanks for the explanation on Pulse and Glide. I've tried it for a few days and it seems to improve the mpg. I live in Oneida county and X-country ski often in your area-Tug Hill and the lower Adirondacks. It will be interesting to see how my HH does in the snow this winter-handling and mpg. I'm sure it will be fine-just a little change from my Chevy Tahoe that I traded in.
Where did you get your Scan Gauge? Think it would be helpful to me since I have full screen graphics? Could not find much on the internet about it.

Thanks to all on the discussions on break-even analysis for the HH vs ICE. Just a nit, but don't forget to add in the increased insurance costs. For me, it is another $200 per year for the HH for the same coverage as on an ICE.

splatsterhound

I'm shocked that a salesperson would lie. Really, the things that go on in this world.....

As to later posts that suggest pumping up tire inflation -- there's a reason that tire makers put certain pressures on the tires. Driving in rain or snow with overinflated tires is pretty stupid....I see some posts where people jack up their tires to 45 psi, or higher. "Gee, look Ma, I'm getting great mileage. But wait! My tire just exploded and I'm getting run over by a...."

Also, the whole pulse and glide thing and the 'accelerate really slowly' thing is really annoying for other drivers.

And every car can get really good mileage if a driver just baaabies it: Out of curiosity I took my 10 year old full sized GM sedan and absolutely drove it as easy as I could -- never above 55 mph, incredibly slow acceleration, easy on the hills, coast down. And I came close to touching 40 mpg on a half day drive. No [non-permissible content removed]. Oh, and I pumped the tires up too (but brought 'em back down to normal afterward. My family's safety is more important than saving 2.56 gallons of gas over a decade).

Carry on....

discussion1

The stock HH Goodyear Integrity tire is rated 32 to 40 psi. Toyota recommends 40 psi for those who drive on the autobahn (seriously). Most of us are using anywhere from 35 to 38, all within recommended range. Many of us also handles 4x4 so dropping pressure to drive on sand is not strange to us.

As for PnG and such, I do not believe anyone here will do it when there is a line of cars behind us. I certainly don't. IN practice, I don't do any "Glide". Taking advice from many posters here, I bring the car briskly up to speed and just cruise at posted speed. Then I coast way before the next light or stop sign. For a 4400 lb car, it can coast about half a mile from 45-mph to 20-mph on flat surface.

Once in a while, on an empty freeway early in the morning, I would pop open the moonroof, let the wind through my balding head and let her rip :-). Whhhoooaaa! It gives a kick in the back and has this soft little high pitch whirl/purr like a jet reving up as she takes off silky smooth down the ramp, real sweeeet for an old pilot. Almost want to yank up on the "stick" and soar into the clouds :-).....

My average MPG is around 28.

upstateny5

Scan Gauge can be purchased at scangauge.com There is a money back guarantee and the manual is downloadable as a PDF file.

We experience similiar weather patterns in the winter but hopefully my HH will be spending most of the winter in Florida - it will be a good opportunity for me to see if the warmer temps increase the MPG. I am still under 3,000 miles and if Scan Gauge is accurate I had one trip yesterday in the mid to upper 30s (lots of coasting, PnG etc). Fun to experiment with driving patterns.

gazguzler

There's nothing unsafe about the tire pressures we've been talking about here. These tires are designed to take these pressures (and won't fail at pressures many times more).

There are some dangerous misconceptions about tire handling in snow and rain, though.

For rain MORE pressure is desirable. The biggest (and most dangerous) handling problem in water is hydroplaning (when the tire skims on the water's surface and doesn't make road contact). This is reduced by higher tire pressure. It's suggested that you increase your tire pressure when you know you'll be driving in rain for extended periods.

Not all snow is the same (fresh powder/packed ice) but reducing tire pressure will never help (but will reduce your ground clearance). In powdery snow, increased pressure certainly helps. Also, as pressure drops in the cold, you'll have to add air when it snows anyway.

For the rare time you're in sand, reducing pressure certainly helps.

We're all thinking about safety here . . . but big picture. If all tires had the maximum permissible pressure our families would live in and breathe cleaner air and have a cleaner environment . . . and that's why we're trying so hard to get better mileage. Because our environment is the biggest safety issue we all face.

discussion1

Thanks for the tire psi info, looks like time to revisit this topic as new posters are asking. Allow me to add a few more tid bits.

Toyota's recommended tire pressure of 32 psi significantly lowers the side wall of the Goodyear Integrity tires. This risks cuts and bruises to the side wall if you drive onto maintained dirt road. We lost a tire already when driving on a well maintained Forest Service dirt road. Bring it up to 35 psi or 37 psi so the side wall clears the ground. The Integrity is not for off-road, so use extreme care and be prepared if you take a long drive on a well maintained dirt trail.

The car is not capable of serious off-road, there is no solid axle and the hybrid system has no "simulated" locking differential mode. I think the current design will burn out the rear motor in the locking mode.

Reducing tire pressure to drive on snow is really not good. If one lives where snow is heavy enough to mirror "sand", use snow tires on all 4 wheels *especially* on FWD vehicles. Traction on snow requires quick shedding of snow and ice from the tread, reducing pressure ends up clogging all the grooves and that means loss of control.

I remember seeing comments on-line somewhere about putting snow tires on drive tires only (front only). For RWD, this may be tolerable but for FWD, the tail will slip and slide in severe road condition and you will lose control. Please, spend the money and use 4 snow tires *especially* if your vehicle is FWD. Safety is more important than saving a couple of hundred bucks.

wwest

I would absolutely agree that the HH, or the RX4, are NOT off-road capable vehicles, and certainly not for SERIOUS off-road use.

But I will disagree that they have no "simulated" locking diff'ls. The VSC activity of braking and/or "unbraking" of itself is an example of LSD simulation. But I'm quiet sure that the traction control firmware will differentially apply braking side to side or front to rear on an as needed basis. The interesting aspect of that is the rear A/C motor can be "dethrottled" virtually instantly if both rear wheels slip.

And we already now that very little torque is used at the rear unless the front wheels begin to slip. That is a perfect example of simulated center diff'l "locking".

But I would also guess, bet, that if there is simulation of LSD activity at the front drive it will be much less aggressive, softer, than at the rear or at the center diff'l.

discussion1

But I will disagree that they have no "simulated" locking diff'ls. The VSC activity ...

Just caught this before leaving for another flight.

You are right, the HH does have a "simulated" center locking diff. even though it does not power the rear wheels full time. For what the HH can and needs to do, this is sufficient.

For real boulder crawling, I prefer a real center lock diff that powers all 4 wheels full time. While the HH's 4WDi computer is very good at powering up the rear wheels, I am just not comfortable with trusting the timing of a computer when crawling over nasty terrain. But this is pointless because we will never use our HH on the Rubicon :-).

katzjamr

Remember Toyota is using both Michelins and Goodyears on the Hybrids and they do have different recommended psi. I do have a question when you say the Goodyears are rated up to 40 psi. How does running the Goodyear at the higher psi affect tire wear, especially when you are getting over 35 psi. Just wondering.

shilohlady

Yes, there are two different tires for the Highlander Hybrid. I have the michelin's and their max sidewall is rated at 35 psi. I have been setting my pressure to this max and I notice a significant decrease in my mileage when it drops to 33 psi.

shilohlady

Sorry, but your salesman was wrong. The "B" on the shift selector is for engine braking. If you're coasting downhill and shift from D to B then the engine will start braking, charging the battery and slowing the vehicle down.

wwest

But keep in mind that when in the "b" position there will be less regeneration capability to recharge the hybrid batteries. So use it sparingly.

mmreid

I was told by Toyota that the "B" position it was for braking on really steep mountain roads, something I'm not likely to encounter living in Florida!

mmreid

kdhspyder

essentially true.. it's allin the manual..

myladdie

Seems most of you are getting around 26 mpg. I did also for about the first 3 months. But now that colder weather is here in upstate NY and the white stuff is accumulating on the ground, my mph has dropped to about 20 mph (in the last couple of weeks). Anybody else experiencing this?

gazguzler

We're just getting our first real cold in Baltimore and it's eating up gas. That darn engine won't cut off for nothing. I'm having some luck with the engine block heater on the CC but it eventually cools. Still experimenting . . . mainly counting the days to Spring.

upstateny5

Glad to see your post as I too am experiencing a drop in mpg with cold weather (live in Lewis, NY south of Plattsburgh). I have kept track of all mileage with fuel ups since I got the car in mid Sept. My highest mpg was a couple of 30's and the lowest about 23. I am taking my car to the dealership on Thursday but I think my problem is a lot of short trips (closest shopping is 5 miles away) and the car never gets fully warmed up with those trips. If I travel a distance my mpg does improve - a little.

I have scanguage so that really helps me identify what I am getting each trip.

cdptrap

I expect our MPG to drop with this next tank, probably to around 26 (from 28+). Our HH used to run about 60% on full electirc and 40% on ICE+Elec but it is now almost 80% ICE+Elec over the same roads. Weather has been clear and crisp lately but temperature hovers around 37-42. This change in engince behavior coincided with the drop in temperature.

illuminata

I'm very glad to see this post, as I got online to ask the same thing...

When I first got my Hylander Ltd AWD two months ago (Oct 5th), I was getting ~28 mpg, as measured by the tank and odometer, not the computer (which seems to be about 5% too high).

As the weather has gotten cooler, my mileage started to dip. My last tank got me 24.5 mpg, even though the computer said 27 mpg. And now, as the mercury hovers around 10 degrees F (I live in Madison, WI, and it's only going to get colder), the computer is reading under 24 mpg, so I'm guessing that the actual mileage is around 21 mpg.

I checked the pressure on my tires, and it was down to about 30 before I pumped 'em up to 37psi, but that didn't help much, as far as I can tell.

When I've had my ICE vehicles, I've always expected about 5% decline in mileage in the winter, but this 25% drop is surprising and not pleasing...

Tim!/Illuminata

discussion1

10-F! Ouch! We are ranging from 45-F in the morning to 63-F during hottest part of afternoon. Below 55-F, the ICE stays on all the time, above 55-F, its better able to cruise on electric. By 60-F, it is back to "normal". THis is without the A/C running to heat the air. I only use the seat warmer.

We noramlly see 28-MPG, we are down to 25.5 MPG now.

larsb

quote-"When I've had my ICE vehicles, I've always expected about 5% decline in mileage in the winter, but this 25% drop is surprising and not pleasing..."-end quote

Well, remember: how does a Hybrid improve mileage?

By using the electric drivetrain.

The electric drivetrain is not completely used until the operating temp of your vehicle reaches a certain range. For example, your AutoStop feature will not work for the first few minutes in cold weather because the vehicle is not yet warmed up.

So in essence, you are driving a "gasoline only vehicle with the extra weight of an electric drivetrain and a battery" until your vehicle gets warmed up.

My advice is to have an engine block heater installed. Get you an electric outlet timer and turn the block heater on about 4 hours before you drive in the morning, and your MPG will be much better, and it will cost you about 15 to 25 cents in electricity per day.