Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
New Toyota Highlander Hybrid Owners - Give Us Your Report
Congratulations on your new vehicle! Post your first impressions here!
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Toyota apparently allocated based on the number of Highlanders sold during the previous year. I put my order in last July.
BTW, all the Highlanders on ebay are "expected to arrive on..." and have hefty premiums on the reserve - on the order of $4k for a 2wd limited. Purchase price on my limited 4wd with nav system was $41,300.
I would be curious as to which NAV you liked the best. From what I have read the Honda/Acura is the best NAV on the market. You can give us your opinion on which is the easiest to use.
Thx,
We have put about 50 miles on it and so far it is great. We have a 2000 Yukon that we have been driving for the past 5 years. Compared to the Yukon is is quite a bit smaller but much more refined and much quieter inside. It soaks up the bumps in the roads and almost zero wind noise. The start-up the the gas motor is almost imperceptible and driving around town mostly with the electric motor only is pretty cool. The power delivery is what is most remarkable. Does it feel like a V8? Even better. The power is instantaneous because of the electric motor in combination with the 3.3L gas motor. The seats are very comfortable and the amount of space for the rear passengers is excellent. Needless to say that the third row seat is very tight. Overall it is a significant improvement over a standard gas motor. But...it should be since in real terms the price is significantly higher. At least for day one, no complaints, just smiles.
through the countryside over the hills and flats of Missouri and it drove like a dream! I used the
engine brake on the downhill side to slow my decent and talk about a quiet ride through our neighborhood Wow! When the gas engine shuts off and the electric motor kicks in, its like your
driving a golf cart. I traded in a 97 Land Cruiser and there is know comparison. Hope the HH lasts as long as my cruiser did! :shades:
The car drives quite differently from a regular Highlander - it has amazing torque - passing slowpokes never felt so good! The turning radius is also fantastic. The silence at low speeds and when stationary took some getting used to - I kept thinking I had stalled, but now I really enjoy those totally quiet moments.
Before I chose the Highlander I test drove the Lexus RX, which I really wanted to like. The car was great except that I found the visibility to be horrible. No wonder they put a camera on the back - you can't see otherwise. What I love about the Highlander is that I have a total sense of where the limits of the car are around me - I can even see the hood, which is something I haven't been able to do in my car in years. My daughter I and I are only 5'2" and the Highlander doesn't feel to big for us - nor does it feel too small for my 6'1" husband.
I have no illusions that we will save money owning this car - we paid full sticker price (but no extra markup) when I'm sure one could bargain nicely for a regular Highlander. But this car is so cool I have absolutely no regrets - we did spring for the extended warrenty, however, as a precaution against future expensive repairs. Nobody at our dealership mentioned "Toyotaguard" so I don't think we got that. I would have refused. The warrently covers roadside service. By the way, I called a few dealers and some don't have waitiing lists - they just sell first come first serve. I think if someone really wanted this car and called around regularly you could get one. Can't wait for my vanity plates - NV MYMPG.
Limited, 4WD, NAV
First, we are thrilled. My wife's car, replaced a 1997 Expedition that peaked at 10 mpg. Everything is relative but for us, anything approaching the promised mpg is just fine. Also, my wife really wanted a hybrid so premium price for hybrid seen as worth it to us.
MPG - - a bit disappointing but still too early to tell. We have driven about 600 miles since we purchased 2 weeks ago. Avg. about 25 mpg, all city/suburb driving. Its been warm and we run the AC a lot so I suspect that hasn't helped. I'll wait until after over 1000 given comments on this board that mpg improves.
Great drive. The dash gauges show you when you are running on gas and/or electric and it makes you aware of driving habits (plus fun to watch gauges). Great/amazing acceleration and responsiveness (from this board I gather that is due to the two electric motors, front and back). You give up nothing on performance when you want it (merging onto highway) which is comforting.
If you haven't driven hybrid before (we had not) starting the car is an experience. Dead silence. If you like to rev your engine at stop lights you don't want this car. Initial acceleration from a stopped position is smooth, predictable and similar to non-hybrids we've owned.
The cargo room is ample (I wouldn't want to ask anyone to use the 3rd seat but we don't plan on having to use it - - its very small). The good news, for us, is that the room it takes to add 3rd row means ample room when you fold down seat. My wife likes better than Expedition because she can reach everything in the back with ease. I wish the back window would open separately but its more an inconvenience as we can still haul pretty good with the HH, just need to tie things down between the hardware store and home.
The NAV system is good (and would probably be better if I took the time to read the instructions). Reasonably intuitive in terms of finding things. Like the NAV system in my Acura TL, great at finding addresses, etc. but sometimes imprecise when searching out "points of interest." The touch screen is very "responsive"/easy. Bluetooth and interactive audio would have been great but I wouldn't have wanted to pay any more for this car than we did so not a big sacrifice.
Handles very nicely. However, comments that its on a Camry chasis doesn't mean it handles like a sedan. It handles very nicely but still more like an SUV than a sports car - - which is fine.
The biggest surprise is leg room. Two teenagers in second seat love the ample leg room, tilt back seats and roominess. Caution: the driver seat doesn't go back as far as I would like. At 6'1" not that tall but would be much more comfortable if the seat went back another inch or two. Trade-offs - - kids no longer fight about who has to sit behind Dad because he has the seat all the way back.
Hope some find the information useful. Glad to answer any questions. Overall, this car lives up to our expectations and is the perfect car for a mom-about-town who wanted some of the creature comforts of a nice car (NAV, sunroof, soundsystem, leather interior), the height and utility of an SUV, and the mileage that means she will be able to abandon her $52-fill-ups every 5-7 days!
Happy new owners. Look forward to others keeping us all informed on gas mileage over time.
Oh, one tip: If you drive on highway you may have played around with gas peddle to try and find the optimum spot where you are using electric. I found if you use cruise control the car finds that optimal spot for you far more often/consistently than I could figure out/manage on my own.
This is undoubtedly the quietest, most comfortable car we have owned. The dash display is bright and attractive, the controls are intuitive and there are lots of thoughtful little features. It's almost hypnotic watching the LED interplay between gas and electric as you drive. When running on electric only or when braking, there's a vague, almost airplane-like whine....very high-tech sounding. And when you turn the ignition key it takes a lot of getting used to the fact that nothing happens. The gas engine always turns off when you stop. It's strange waiting at a red light now. All you hear are the sounds of other cars and you suddenly realize how odd and blissfully quiet our cities would be if all the other cars did the same thing.
You can milk the miles out of this vehicle if you're not in a rush. Don't get me wrong, the power and pickup were important selling features but now I like to make a game out of how far I can go on electric only. It doesn't take long to figure out the point on the accelerator where the gas kicks in. To keep it in electric only, you can't start as quickly as the pack at a red light but will easily catch up to the average speed. You also can't go up hills in electric only. But you can go blocks and blocks like a stealth vehicle on side streets and the only problem is the pedestrians who nearly step into your path before they realize a car is coming. I suppose eventually the traction battery would become depleted enough that the gas will kick in at some critical point to charge it, but I haven't got there yet. So far I've driven 170 miles on about a quarter tank. Can't wipe the smile off my face. The Toyota dealer in Victoria was a straight shooter. Got the vehicle exactly as ordered, exactly when they said, at MSRP.
Looking forward to seeing more of you on the road.
Ian
Since we've not driven a great deal I can't say much about mileage - except that its a lot better than the 98 Windstar she had before. We got the base because she didn't want the leather seats, and really doesn't like the NAV system - which I love in the Prius. I use the Bluetooth regularly in the Prius but she doesn't, and she was quite pleased with the basic features (including the JBL sound and the moon roof) and didn't need the other bells and whistles. We put the deposit on the Hylander down when we bought the Prius - so we had a very long wait - but she wasn't too particular about colors -ours is silver. She wouldn't have taken white or black. But we were concerned when the first allotments were very light on 4wdi basic models. Now that we have it, we're pleased.
Amazing acceleration, tight steering with perfect handling and manueverability, quiet ride, great parking capability, and more make it my favorite vehicle ever. The creature features galore are just what I wanted, and worth the extra markup for me (dealer had installed backup sensors and DVD - both wanted items for us). We have a luxury vehicle without luxury tax or 'show-off factor'. Being SUV green is very rewarding, especially after a Navigator and Sequoia.
A downside is the leg space in back row, as many others have noted, is not for full size adults or kids. My teens are fine only in the mid row seats, but my preteen can get her friends happily sequestered in the back row.
Re: climbing a hill on electric; had to do this last weekend, pulling away from a curb on an uphill start - HH was perfect, with it's characteristic excellent acceleration.
My only complaints are: non-auto locking doors, no bluetooth or hookups for ipod, and no voice commands. Otherwise, we're getting close to perfection with this vehicle. :shades:
We had been on the waiting list since Oct.and managed to get bumped up, since 2 people were on vacation when they made the call for the car, and we are glad they were.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/johnnyroaster/hh.jpg
As we were coming back toward our house, we stopped at a light. A guy and his girlfriend were standing on the sidewalk next to the car. The gas engine had turned off as usual.
The guy did kind of a double-take and asked, "What's wrong? Did you run out of gas?"
I replied, "No, it's a hybrid!" And we drove away with big smiles on our faces!
I dropped it off at my dealer's today to get my hitch installed. The loaner they gave me is nearly identical to mine, but not a hybrid. What a great way to compare between the two. The HH's acceleration really rocks and of course is so incredibly quiet. The transition to/from the ICE is amazing.
I didn't know if I'd like the nav unit but have fallen in love with it. There's a bit of a learing curve, but it becomes more and more intuitive as one uses it more. I didn't realize that all of the other auxiliar controls were also routed through the touch screen as well. What a nice way to set up the sound system, memorize and monitor your radio stations, schedule your maintenance, etc
So far, we couldn't be happier..
I agree with 100% regarding your comments on the Navigation system. I not only love it, I now wouldn't purchase an automobile without one if available. I have used maps to find my way around for a long time and they do get me to where I am going - but, in my opinion, the Nav system (especially if you are in unfamiliar territory without a human navigator) provides for a more safe, secure and relaxing trip to your destination.
While everyone here tries to voice meaningful views, only owners have in depth usage experience with the car. 1 news article, good or bad, about the car written by a reporter is somewhat meaningless. A bunch of information from a host of owners provide a better picture of what is good and bad about the car.
And yes, we got our for $1000 below MSRP with no add-on's.
We just completed a 1550-mile trip in our new HH Ltd 4WDi into OR from San Jose, CA. Here is a list of good and bad quirks we found:
For new owners:
1. The Integrity tires are not very good for rocky dirt tracks. We lost a tire to sidewall rupture most likely by sharp rocks. Consider using Wrangler SilentArmor if you plan to take this car down rocky dirt tracks.
2. With careful driving, the car easily takes on flat or steep dirt tracks and trails with aplomb. Ruts, holes, wet spots posed no challenge.
3. Lacking a low-gear ratio, we will not take it on REAL off-road trips or into sand because that is clearly beyond the capability of this car. But the instant torque at low speed acted as a kind of low gear ratio to help get the car moving up steep dirt road/tracks at slow speed and in and out of holes without shooting out of control. It is very very impressive for a car that Toyota clearly states is "not" meant for off-road use. Please do not try this unless you have done it before in a 4x4.
4. Tire changing had a few surprises. First, we found a cargo cover that comes with the car in the tools compartment under the trunk carpet area, a pleasant surprise. It must be removed to access the tools. The tools are nicely organized and laid out in a flat tray making the tire changing process a snap. We changed the cut tire in 15 minutes.
5. The full size spare is not just a lower grade full size tire mounted onto a non-descript spare wheel. The spare is also a Goodyear Integrity and the wheel is a MATCHING wheel that matches the other wheels. A nice touch.
6. Roof rack weight specification is 165 lbs maximum total. We could not find this in the manual and got it off Yakima's spec. Be sure to move front rack crossbar all the way forward to support your cargo box. At HWY speed, the Yakima flexes enough to tap the moonroof on occassions until we moved the front crossmember all the way forward to solve this problem.
7. Moonroof switch has a strange "close" position where if we hold the button in "close" too long, it changes to "lift" to lift open the back edge of the moonroof. So we had to learn when the moonroof is properly closed and when it is actually in the "open" position. If you hear road noise coming in t hrough the moonroof, then it is not closed correctly. The moonroof is silent when closed properly.
8. The "B" (Engine Brake) is not very effective beyond 65-MPH. At 65-MPH, it easily holds or slow the car depending on grade. On many 6% grade, it works beautifully allowing us to drive the car through curves at HWY speed or slower without brakes. At speed over 65-MPH, it does not do much to slow the car.
9. Be careful when the car is on "Cruise Control" traveling uphill. Even on steep grade, it will take off when drive system senses it needs more power to maintain speed on the climb. This can be fun but it can also be dangerous because you can plow into a slowing V8 Chevy in a blink. We are used to our V8 ICE car slowing on climbs so to feel this car literally "sink" us into the seat back and "takes off" (like a jet) uphill is actually a bit scary. So for now, we no longer keep it in cruise control when going uphill in traffic.
For general readers:
1. Car fit and finish is top notch. We found nothing loose, bad or anything that is subpar. The 1 news article about Toyota Highlander Hybrid quality is just "sensational" news garbage. Are *all* HH like that? or is it 1 bad apple in a tub of 3000+? Readers need to put on "critical thinking" cap when reading any news articel anyway.
2. Our trip took us through mountain passes ranging from 1500-ft to 3000+ ft at HWY speed. No sweat.
3. Our mileage, with normal safe driving techniques averaged 25.6 MPG mixed at end of trip. I would say we logged about 80% flat and mountainous HWY miles (65-80MPH), 15% flat and hilly country roads (45-55MPH), 5% flat and steep mixed dirt tracks (5-20MPH).
4. Steering is not sports car precise but responsive and tight. It goes where you point it so it is very maneuvarable for a SUV. Car is absolutely stable and solid on curves and turns with proper driving caution of course.
5. For comparison, we easily matched a (not 2006) Mercedes ML 350 SUV in the mountains turn for turn and climb for climb. We trailed it just to keep up with traffic, no hanky panky stupid driving stuff. We passed countless V8 Chevy's, Ford's, Tundra's, Nissan's new truck on mountain roads not just because of power but also because of suprior handling. These trucks may have the power but sloppy handling makes them drift all over a lane going through curves in the moutains while the HH makes a precise track.
6. Instant torque means accelerating to pass is almost instantaneous and sports car like. On 2 occassions, we had to quickly get away from smaller cars racing each other and doing stupid weave-and-pass maneuvers. In both cases, if we had slowed down, the foolish drivers would surely have squeezed between us and a truck in front while they chased each other. So we quickly passed the trucks and found an empty stretch to slow down and let those fools pass us cleanly. It is nice to be able to put some safe distance between us and them in a blink of an eye. None of our previous cars including a late 70's turbo-charged Mustang could have moved so fast.
Forget about all the debates about saving gas and so on. If you really want to save gas above all else, buy a Prius or some Honda Hybrids. If you need a larger people mover SUV with better than V8 performance, top notch handling for SUV's, top quality fit and finish, that is cheaper than Mercedes yet more reliable (according to CU), and in the process, you want it to get decent mileage, consider the HH.
When I said the car takes off on a climb when in "Cruise Control", the car is NOT accelerating beyond set speed. It simply boosts power to maintain the set speed. But unlike ICE cars, the boost is instant with absolutely no lag. So if there is a car in front that is slowing even just slightly because of a steep climb, we will very quickly run right up to it.
With this car, it is best to observe the 3-second rule and be careful how hard you tap the accelerator.
Temperature during the trip averaged 102-F and we had A/C set on auto inside all the time.
ongoing concern for over two years on the Highlander forum. Dealers--for some reason never seem to do this correctly before turning the vehicle over to the customer.
This procedure should be in your manual. The instructions are not too clear, but stay with it and you find the moonroof will work the way it was designed to after the normalization process.
So I've had the car since June 20th and I can only say that l love it. I traded in a 2001 Acura CL and I was afraid I'd lose some of the spunk and handling of my Acura but I am very pleased with the HH. I also confess that, being so short, I like sitting up higher in the SUV. My visibility in the Acura was a real problem, mostly because everyone else around me was driving pick-ups, vans and SUVs. Often pulling out of parking spaces was a visual nightmare - literally backing out blind.
Other than the 500 mile trip home right after I bought the car it's been pretty much in-town driving. We averaged about 26 to 27 mpg on that first tank of gas. The car salesman told us not to use cruise control and to vary the speed a lot on the maiden vogage, so to speak, as we were breaking in the car. The mileage at first did not do that
good around town here and I discovered a reference here to "pulse and glide" and I Googled that and came up with very specific instructions on how to drive that way.
My mileage increased immediately. I am still getting the hang of it and you can't always use it (especially if there are cars behind you - it will probably make them nuts if you vary your speed).
I paid full MSRP for the car which was fully loaded with everything but they also gave me the same trade-in on the Acura as the local Acura dealer had offered me. And here's my question: my Acura ran on the most expensive gas - high performance engine and all that - but the Toyota people told me that I could run on regular. Is that what other hybrid owners are using? We also have a '93 Toyota pick-up truck as a third vehicle and it knocks and pings on regular and we have to use the middle gas, unfortunately.
I've been enjoying reading the discussions here. I sort of bought the car first and researched it later - kind of a dumb and expensive thing to do but I am just crazy about it. I find that when people find out it's a hybrid (I wish it screamed it in big letters across the back instead of that tiny tag) I get a lot of questions. The average person is pretty clueless as to how they work and some even think you have to plug it in at night. . .
mmreid
Aside on the fit and finish article from Detroit - I just had to look real close to see what it was talking about and see nothing but first class fit. The vehicle is amazingly quiet, as tight as the Corolla we traded in and much much quieter than either Ford van I drove previously, and on roads around here - which includes cobblestone city streets - quieter and smoother than a colleague's Acura SUV. I was out on roads that were under construction and also we drive on a farm once a week and it's absolutely solid. If the comments in the article were truly from a Toyota employee they need some reorientation from Toyota.
Yeah, it's expensive but even that's a relative thing. When you compare similarly equipped Highlanders or other makes - add in safety features that to me are priceless and not always available plus some of the other items you may or may not want on any package vehicle - the differential lessens. Toyota is also taking a significant gamble in investing in R&D on something that might or might not give them a return, and since we believe that we need to be developing vehicles that consider better mileage and safety features than comparables on the market, our purchase encourages that development. Like any investment, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. In this case we're really enjoying the ride! - John
1. The mileage is crawling up from 18MPG on the first few miles to 22MPG now. We're still within break-in, so I don't expect much yet. The gas gauge shows less than 1/4 tank gone.
2. Where did they get the database for the Nav system? My street (which has existed for 10 years) is missing.
3. I seem to be getting a slight surge when the ICE shuts off. It does produce slight acceleration, and the battery to front wheels arrow flash on and off on the diagram on the Nav. This is usually during coasting or braking so it's not likely to cause an accident, but it seems like a software bug.
4. I'm getting some non-linear power production when driving at a constant speed over a fairly level surface. It's probably break-in of the transmission.
5. The seats are harder than I remember from my American cars, but no less comfortable. Interesting.
6. VERY easy to drive. It has all of the power of my Jeep, with 2/3 to 1/2 of the fuel consumption. Aside from the "put all of the controls on a stick on the steering column" confusion, it was easy to figure out where the controls are.
So far, I'm happy.
I've had my HH Ltd. a little over 2 weeks and with 500 miles on the odometer, I averaged 26.6 MPG on the first tank full. This is in mixed city/highway driving.
Unlike some HH owners here, I'm "braking in" the engine slowly...varying my speed between 55-65 MPH on the highway until I reach 1500 miles. Always done this, always will, despite what I've been told or have read. Personally, I can't see driving a new car off the lot and accelerating to 85 MPH. It just doesn't feel right.
BTW...LOVE this vehicle !!!
I use the cruise control as much as is humanly possible. That may help with the mileage I'm getting. So far I love this SUV.
It sounds as if your driving cycle fits the design criteria of the HH. Congratulations on your ride!
I traded in a 2002 RAV4 with 32K miles and recall getting 20 mpg in the city consistently. Really hoping I didn't make a mistake here.
There is a lot to like in this feature filled limited HH, but for the money I can do without the fluf like heated seats. I live in Texas and it is HOT! : )
Did you try searching for your street without any prefix or suffxes? I've noticed some streets are there but are wrongly marked as ST, DR or RD when they should be something else. So, for example if your street is West Somewhere Drive, try just entering "Somewhere". Also, make sure your region (Search Area) is set correctly. Go to DEST and doublecheck the search area. If your search area is set to a wrong region, it will not find streets outside that region.
It's not even on the map. You can still see the stubs of the feeder streets from before the neighborhood was built. The first house closed in 1995, the last house closed in late 1996 or early 1997.
I have been following the forum and have read nearly every post since day one but i have never posted so I thought might give you all my new HH report. All your posts have been immensly helpful in helping to make my decision and understand the car so a big thanks to all of you for adding to the forum.
I live in San Francisco but dreaded the three year wait list locally for a HH and didn't want to play any games so I chose to purchase one in Dallas Texas where I have family. After making a bunch of calls I ordered a 4WDi, limited, bluestone metallic, with the steel horse tube steps three months ago from Toyota of Richardson (TX) and plunked down a $500 deposit. I was first on the wait list. I knew Texas was the right kind of place to get a HH and was able to get at MSRP with a large discount on the tube steps. Just FYI, Richardson Toyota has four unsold HH on the lot and they haven't been selling well there so anybody in the region who is interested might give them a try. My car, exactly as ordered, came in two weeks ago so last week I flew in with my girlfriend, picked up the car, visited with family for a few days, and then drove it 1700 miles back to San Francisco.
My experience at Toyota was good and they didn't try to sell me anything extravagant other than a 7yr/100,000 mile extended warranty from an independant provider (the name escapes me but it is one of the largest warranty companies). For some reason that dealership did not sell Toyota ExtraCare. So I talked them down nearly a thousand dollars (it took 45 minutes) and got the warranty along with wheel/tire protection for $2000 total. I plan on driving the car for five or six years so I thought this would be good as I have never had an extended warranty not pay for itself over it's lifetime.
On the trip to San Francisco we went through five tanks of gas and averaged 29.6 mpg. My best tank was 34.1 mpg with a strong tailwind and my worst was 24mpg for the 300 miles heading through death valley with a head wind and temperatures reading 122 degrees. The tires were at 40psi from the dealer so I kept them at this higher pressure for the entire trip. I was able to keep the car in electric mode up to around 35 mph and then do a pulse and glide between 30 and 35 but at speeds greater than 35 the gasoline motor always kicks in. The throttle response was smooth and I noticed no surge when the gasoline motor kicked in. In general the hybrid system is transparent and does it's job extremely well.
Here are my overal impressions of the car:
There is plenty of power -even at highway speeds so passing and merging was effortless. The car has a nice highway ride although the suspension rides very stiff when you hit larger potholes. I spent 30 miles on very bad dirt roads in the Mojave and the car handled admirably - again with a stiff but very controlled ride. Braking is excellent but the car dives more than I would like. Handling is also decent although it feels pigish, in comparison to the non-hybrid, in tight corners or when taking decreasing radius turns at higher speeds. I think is due to the extra weight from the hybrid system. I'm used to driving a 3-series BMW so my expectations on handling are quiet high...
I was impressed at the fit and finish of the car including the isolation from road and wind noise and absence of squeeks and rattles but there was a rattling inside the driver seat seat belt height adjuster that annoyed me for a whole day. Does anyone have any experience with this? While driving around parking lots and the visitor center areas at the Grand Canyon I learned the hard way that the car is so quiet that pedestrians will step in front of you. I nearly hit an older couple who walked directly in our path but I manged to nail the brakes and stop in time. I've learned my lesson.
The climate control system is quite good as it managed to keep us comfortable in the mojave in 120+ temperatures although once the mercury climbed past 110 the car slowly got warmer, even with the temperature on the lowest setting, but the air was dehimidified and was an OK temperature (about 75) in the cabin.
The stereo is surprisingly bad with very poor stereo imaging, boomy bass, edgy highes, and boxy mids, and has horrible AM reception (expected). I was annoyed listening to a lot of music that sounds much better in many much less expensive cars than this. I guess I didn't buy this car for the stereo.
Passenger and driver comfort was great and I feel the seats are spot on. However, as most of you know the third row is pretty much useless for anyone except small kids and furry creatures.
So overall, I am quite pleased with the car! I am sure it will be improved in every category in the next couple of years but for now it does exactly what I wanted. It is powerful, safe, attractive, comfortable, has great utility, gets good mileage, and makes a statement to auto manufactures. I'll may just be in line for the 2015 HH.
For less impact harshness lower the tire pressure, but then your mileage will go down a few MPG. Good luck with your HH and welcome to the forum!!!
If you are a purist audiophile (ARC, ML, Nordost, Wilson, etc) demanding perfection, this post will do no good
We had same reaction to the stereo (JBL w/ Changer) for the first 6+ hours playing CD. The initial bass was mushy and boomy, horrible! The treble was too high, almost metallic. Mid-range was "where is it?". So in the beginning, we adjusted the bass down 2 bars, treble down 2 and mid-range up 1 just to be able to tolerate the "noise". It was painful adjusting for different CD's.
After close to 12+ hours now, the bass seems to be firming up, getting tight. Treble has lost much of its metallic hardness and the midrange is showing up more. We have old ears so we still set bass down 1 bar, but mid-range is back to "neutral".
JBL makes decent product so we were surprised at first but the extended break-in seems to be working. Another good sign is that different CD shows up differently rather than the same, so the CD player and wires and electronics are fairly decent.
Good luck with your HH listening sessions
I located the car through autotrader.com. and did a trade during a planned trip east.
I also got xm installed by internaction, great install, the unit is totally hidden, and controlled by the nav screen. The sound is worth the cost. In summary, the best vehicle I have ever owned.
I've only driven it about 150 miles, but so far I'm averaging about 28 MPG (mixed driving, expected much less, given the break-in period I've read about here). I've been trying all the hyper-mileage tricks I've read too. Seems like the toughest part to that is dealing with hills (the hills here in San Antonio are pretty small, but the 2WD version doesn't seem to have enough ummph to get up a very minor grade on just electric without slowing considerably).
I seem to recall reading here in the past about an undocumented procedure to turn off the annoying warning screen that pops up every time you turn on the NAV system. I searched this forum for it, but I could only find the procedure to enable the POI buttons when moving. Could anyone post the link to that info? Maybe I just need to use a better keyword in my search.
I couldn't be happier with the vehicle. :shades: Lot's of power if I want, absolutely quiet interior with the highest quality assembly/fit, great ride (much smoother than my RAV4, but not as plush as my wife's Accord). Super comfy seats. The stereo system sounds pretty good, but it still needs some tweaking for my preferences (haven't gotten around to that yet). Having never seen the bluestone color in person until now, I am extremely happy with my color choice. Oh, yeah, my vehicle has the Goodyear Integrity's on it. Still need to increase the air pressure tho' (will pump up to 37 psi cold).
Even after building up very high expectations for this vehicle after reading this forum for so long, I absolutely love this vehicle. Consider me a VERY happy buyer.
Hello:
I read your review about the Highlander Hybrid and was wondering what the Tech from Internaction had to do the Install of the XM insuring that it is controlled by the Nav Screen? You purchased an XM Direct wire correct? And did you also purchase the Alpine adapter for radio connect?
Thank you for your time - I'd really appreciate your feedback and am TOTALLY excited about purchasing our new HH.
Kind Regards
Patty and Mike Shinn
So far, I've put about 400 miles on it (mostly highway, but also some dirt roads), and I've been very happy with it. Even in that short time, I'm averaging around 27-28 mpg. I learning to drive hybrid style, and I'm playing around with PnG driving. Unfortunately, I don't travel many open roads, so I don't get to do a lot of PnG. However, it is a nice feeling when the ICE cuts off during deceleration or at a stop light and I can think, "I'm pretty much getting this for free."
I do want to thank everyone for all the information you have posted on this forum. Many things here influenced my decision to go with an HH. Really, though, the car was the greatest influence.
DF
The procedure in the manual does work. You just have to find the little (usually red) button on the garage door opener and you'll be set. It took me 2 tries but who's counting.
RE: Toyota Highlander hybrid 4wd
The dealer offered us the 7yr. 100,000 extended warranty for 1,700...We thought it to expensive and turned it down..Where did you see one for sale for 995.00...Thanks!
By the way, I'm thinking of contacting Consumer Reports (I'm a magazine and on-line subscriber) and telling them that the 22 mpg they report for the HH is ridiculous. Aren't almost all of us doing much better than that? Or has someone already contacted them? Kind of curious. . .
mmreid
The technology is present in the vehicles to allow us to maximize the FE if we use the best features correctly... driving smarter. On balance in all the comparo's and articles that state that '.... the vehicle only got (_____ mpg ) being driven the way a normal driver would driver...' obscures the fact that the tester is not likely proficient in the use of the HSD system. Heck they've been in it for what 30 min.
Honestly, give me any of the three HH, Prius, 400h and I will be able to provide you with any FE value you desire from 35 mpg to 70 mpg. Give it to a tester who has little idea of it's capabilities and you can see how such results might happen.
Yes you are in fact smarter and more knowledgable than CR on this point.