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Comments
The Ltd HH is very very nice, but it's still not a Lexus.
In CA, all cars receiving the PZEV, AT-PZEV, ZEV ratings must offer 10 years, 150K miles warranty. SULEV does not have such a requirement as far as I know.
When a manufacturer qualifies a vehicle for SULEV, it must test the car for 150000 miles. If passed, the vehicle will receive SULEV rating and must offer 8 years 100K miles.
PZEV, AT-PZEV, ZEV cars *must* also pass the same SULEV 150,000 miles test before they are eligible for receiving the higer rating.
I do remember reading early in 2005 that the HH was to be certified as AT-PZEV because it is supposed to be completely gas-fume-leak proof. As we all can see, the HH is SULEV :confuse:.
I been thinking about it. I'll call my Toyota dealer to see what they have to say about it. I stop at a installer Friday and they said they will have to check it out.
Mike
If you live in CA, check out Carson Toyota in Southern CA. Their site shows a couple of sales. They were offering $2K off last August when Laurel in MD did same so it is likely that Carson is matching Laurel yet again this time.
Business Week reported (Dec. '05) following Hybrid sales figures:
• 9,350 in 2000
• 20,287 in 2001
• 35,000 in 2002
• 47,525 in 2003
• 88,000 in 2004
• 187,439 (through November 2005)
99000 Prius sold in 2005, 40000 Honda Hybrids (all models) sold. RX400h holding steady at 2600 cars a month until October when it dropped below 2000. The HH holds steady at 2300 cars a month.
Got our HH from Carson Toyota (Southern CA) last year and checked their site last month for friends and family, Carson is turning over those HH's steadily. I am beginning to see more HH showing up in the SF Bay Area as well. At least in CA, the HH and other Hybrids seem to be selling.
Love it or hate it, looks like hybrids are here to stay.
I saw an HH that startled me the other day as there are so few in my town. Even the dealership said they only work on 2 or 3 a month (5000 mile tune-ups is all they've done). This one was black with fancy swoopy painting on the side - kind of like an 80's van. Quite surprised me. . .
mmreid
Thanks,
JAFO
Greg
As for the bluetooth issue... I already have a bluetooth headset but I don't like to drive with it attached to my ear. I would rather utilize the nav system screen for the phone. Since other manufacturers are installing bluetooth into their vehicles, it makes me wonder why Toyota didn't put it into this vehicle (or even offer it as an option). If anyone knows of an aftermarket that will allow me to utilize the nav system, please let me know.
Thanks for the replies.
JAFO
The Highlander needs a major updating in size, features, styling, powertrain, etc. This is the 'lame duck' year for this model.
I also understand that the 2006 credits will be phased out after the first 60,000 hybrids sold by each manufacturer. Does anyone know how we are supposed to know whether our particular hybrid is one of the first 60,000 or not? Is Toyota supposed to provide some kind of tax documentation?
I got my HH on January 5, so I suspect I am safe.
Thanks!
The Toyota dealers are not taking charge od the Tax credit as they did for 2005. Your accountant should be able to get all of that information for you. It will be different for every customer.
I don't think you'll get any documentation, nor do you need it. the credit gets phased out 1 quarter after the 60,000th hybrid is sold. so getting the credit is a matter of buying before a particular DATE, not the spot on the sales list. Basically if you buy before June 30th, youre DEFINATELY safe- you're probably safe if you buy before Sept 30, and probably not safe if you buy before Dec 31.
http://www.atomfilms.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=cant_afford_gas&preplay
His H2 gets 11 mpg mixed but he rarely drives it because people will flip him off
If the H2 were only $25K each, it would be a fantastic off-road vehicle that can really take serious abuse. He took me down a trail in Death Valley 2 years ago and that car can really motor over some real nasty terrain. I could see a H2 on a ranch, all caked with dirt and mud and full of scratches and chips due to real ranch work. Problem is, better bring along a dozen "jelly cans" or have a fuel truck at the trail head. It eats up fuel when off-roading.
I see the potential of an H2 for off-road use, just cannot fathom why people would buy them and park them in suburb garages and driveways.
Some questions. The salesman told me the car has tire pressure monitoring but I cannot find any documentation on that. Has anyone tried to change the window buttons to auto like the drivers side is now? In my old 4-Runner, both front windows were auto open and close and I loved it. Finally, has anyone had any success in programming the car to lock the doors after you start to drive?
Love the car, the handling and the ride. Do wish it had MP3 hook-ups but I can dream.
drive smooth drive safe!
Look up a POI, note the phone number then try to look up that phone number. It should be there.
I doubt that the Bluetooth functionality is in there but I suppose it's possible.
Thanks,
JAFO
a) to make a statement
b) for the tax credit and other perks
c) because they’re environmentally friendly
d) to save money at the pump
e) to be the first to own new technology
Please submit a few sentences to support your response no later than Friday, January 27, 2006. Be sure to include your Forums username. Thanks! (wclarke@edmunds.com)
The environmental benefits are well documented. Along with the reduction gas consumption is the companion benefit of reduced emissions. I like to breate and personally feel like we should all do our part.
I am also aware of the fact that my single purchase (so far) will not save the world (darn it). Which is why (a) is such a close runner up. Though I enjoy the statement it makes to other passers by (who notice the hybrid better with the "Save the Dinosaurs" plate frame I got at an enthusiast site), I am more interested in making a statement to GM and Toyota.
Every car I owned before the HiHy said GM on it somewhere. I am a conquest for Toyota because they are filling the leadership void left by our domestic automakers (though Ford is now showing promise). To Toyota I say "here is my money because you are being the hybrid leader". I will not buy another gas only vehicle if I have any choice in the matter. I will also jump at the opportunity to own a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). A PHEV for those unfamiliar with the term is much like a modern Prius, HiHy or Ford Escape Hybrid except it can be plugged in at night to charge larger batteries giving it farther electric range (see Plug-In Partners )
Good luck with your survey...
($34.6k, HH Limited no nav/no dvd/sonora gold, $150 or something in fees)
In the meantime, I was checking around the area for other damaged areas and noticed that I had a lot of little nicks in the plastic panel by the seatbelt and door. We realized that it was also on the passenger side but not as many and it was due to the seatbelt buckle hitting it. I'm not impressed with how easy it is to nick it. The next time I'm at the dealership, I'm going to bring it to their attention and see what they say. Anyways, just wanted to bring it to your attention if you're as particular about your car as I am.
Toyota won me over by delivering a properly powered car with exquisite fit and finish inside and out. This is where domestic falls short. Toyota tries to over-engineer and over-deliver in order to crack into and lead a market. It offered everything we wanted from power to safety to comfort to reliability to build quality.
The domestic always forced me to make irritating compromises. If the engine is what I want, the interior is cheap. When the interior is good, there is no air bag or the engine is loud and harsh. I wish for once, they can do everything right.
Why we Americans cannot compete against Asians and Europeans is beyond me. High cost of insurance cannot be the only reason.
If your HH has the stock Goodyear Integrity tires, please be careful with them. They have lousy sidewall and easily cut and punctured by road hazards. We had one sliced up on a well maintained dirt road. Another owner posted last year that he/she lost 2 Integrity tires due to sidewall cuts. Integrity is not truck or SUV tire, it is a minivan or sedan tire, what a lousy choice for a car like the HH.
2006_hh, "Toyota Highlander Owners: Accessories & Modifications" #1161, 3 Feb 2006 8:08 pm
that you can play your dvd on the nav screen.
Anyone did this?
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars_trucks/2154662.html?page=1&c- =y
There is also a good discussion of the methods and limitations of the EPA FE testing.
Regarding the HH and 'muscle hybrids' I think the comment from the Sierra Club is off base:
Dan Becker, the Sierra Club's director of Global Warming Programs, thinks muscle hybrids exploit hybrid hype without delivering real benefits. "The auto companies [need to] get smart and gear back to more efficient vehicles," he says.
While they would like to do away with all large vehicles optimally it's not feasible in the US. Backhanding the HH does a disservice to everyone who is actually making an effort to save resorces. In fact the HH, if driven properly, will save the same amount of fuel on an annual basis as will the Prius.
Just to clarify your statement. It will save as much if you were going to buy a non-hybrid Highlander. You can save a whole lot more gas with the Prius than the ICE only Highlander.
I think the Sierra club is trying to promote smaller more efficient cars and Toyota along with the other car makers want to sell bigger more expensive cars, SUVs and trucks.
So far Toyota has disappointed me with promoting the hybrid performance and playing down the mileage on all but the Prius.
but we can't compare the HH and prius. Try moving 7 people or cargo in the Prius (or count the number of runs you'd have to do).
but T should've made a 4cyl version, no doubt. but blame american consumers for that.
Until the American market eschews the bigger vehicles and we both know this will take some kind of revolution the HH is significantly more fuel efficient than any other V6 out there. The TCH also will be significantly better to drive for FE than other V6's.
I take exception to the Sierra Club and others because if they had their way Toyota would only produce 2 Million 1.3L hybrids for the Yaris all getting 60 mpg minimum. Since only about 150,000 of these would sell, where will the rest go? In the meantime if a buyer like my wife only wants a luxurious V6 who's going to sell it to her? GM? DC?
Giving the V6/SUV/Truck buyer a good capable more fuel efficient vehicle is good for everyone. The Sierra Club's stance has no basic business sense. It's all 'I wish, I hope..' it's not realistic.
I am a Sierra Club member
Please do not clump Sierra Club with a certain "Blue..." organization. That org has blinders on and believe we should all just ride bikes.
Toyota can certainly offer an I4 for the HH but I doubt people will buy it. People who do will complain the first time they have to climb a steep grade with a full load. This 2-ton car needs a V6 option.
I have driven a 155-hp 3500-lb van on mountinous freeway carrying 7 people plus gear. On steep grade, we dropped to 50-MPH in the rightmost lane following big rigs with no power to pass. A 194-HP 3750-lb van did a lot better with the same load but on the same grade, it dropped to 60-MPH. That gave it just barely enough power to pass the big rigs but not by much. The HH on the other hand is in a whole different league. Our HH has not met a steep grade it does not like
There is no one-size-fits-all fuel efficient vehicle. Rather than backhanding Toyota for providing a more fuel efficient Highlander I'd think the Sierra Club should be lauding them. The statement below still irks me.
Dan Becker, the Sierra Club's director of Global Warming Programs, thinks muscle hybrids exploit hybrid hype without delivering real benefits. "The auto companies [need to] get smart and gear back to more efficient vehicles," he says.
'...without delivering real benefits..'????
Maybe he spoke too quickly or maybe he was taken out of context but it sure looks like the 'Official' position of the Sierra Club. If I was a member of the Club, like cdptrap, I'd sure want an explanation because on the face of it he's saying the HH and FEH are shams that should be done away with... 'geared back'.
Maybe they are approaching that 'Blue...' group after all.
All that being said I think Toyota would likely sell more HH if they were linked to the 2.4L engine. The price would be lower and the FE better... BUT.. big But... would the market go for the new configuration with only 192 HP? I thought that they would but from cdptrap's commentary above that might not be enough power. I'll keep an open mind.
OK then.. next year when the Highlander is redone and likely goes onto the Avalon or Sienna frame with the 3.5L ICE V6... Do they link the HSD to this engine giving it over 300hp or leave it on the 3.3L which is a 'dead' configuration or do they link it to the 2.4L as the 'Base' model?
This is all about how I read the article. Knowing how writers/reporters like to pose supportive arguments, I always naturally separate the writer's interpretations from the actual quotes. Just like reading a scientific paper where one must separate the analysis/interpretation from the facts/quotes.
Dan only had 2 statements quoted in the article, the rest are all written by the writer. The first statement appeard on page 2 under the section titled "The Hybrid Backlash". The second statement appeared on page 5 under the section titled "In Our Opinion".
Taken together, the 2 statements read,
"The auto companies [need to] get smart and gear back to more efficient vehicles,"
"I think it's just hype that GM calls a pickup truck that gets only 17 or 18 mpg a hybrid when you can't run the vehicle on electric alone,"
I cannot find anything excitable in these 2 statements.
The writer/reporter is the one who brought in the words "muscle hybrids" and made an interpretation and then claimed that Dan agreed with the writer's interpretation. Without a direct quote from Dan to that effect, I cannot put much faith into this connection.
Regardless of how you view the Sierra Club, it does not hurt to know where it stands regardin hybrids. Here are 3 quick informative links including Dan Becker voicing support for Ford's hybrid SUV when it first came out:
http://www.sierraclub.org/mercurymariner/becker.asp
http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/
http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/downloads/200505_truckreport.pdf