Just got mine a few days ago, a certified used one from a Toyota dealership. When I went on the test drive around town, the computer said it was getting about 34MPG - fantastic! However, on the ride home I noticed the average MPG was 22MPG...wierd. In my few miles of driving around town I'm getting around 27 which is respectable. Not sure whether the HiHy is tuned to use the pulse/glide like the Prius; I think when accelerating except very gentle acceleration it always uses gas plus battery.
I figured it was a bargain considering the 4wd, leather, sunroof, JBL stereo(although my 07 model has a cassette tape player with CD- what's up with that?), room for the dog and hybrid system. Considered Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner but the interiors are extremely cramped - about the same as my Ford Focus station wagon!
Glad to hear from other owners of this unique vehicle!">
About getting 34 MPG on your test drive. If the car had just gotten a new tank of fuel the MPG meter resets and so if you are in favorable conditions right off the bat, ie; flat road or down hill, then you will be showing great MPGs because it will show you the average, and at that moment your average will be pretty good, in the conditions I mentioned. I have seen mine read as high as 50 something when getting gas and then immediately going down a long hill. After driving more and driving in other conditions, slight or severe hills, the MPGs go down and for me average into the mid to lower 20s. Usually 21-23. I live in a town with a combination of flat and moderately hilly roads. My MPGs are definitely better on highway, contrary to what is advertised. If you notice this let me know. I want to see if there actually any people out there who get their better milage in the city than the highway.
To put it in perspective, my wife gets around 25 MPG in her 2010 Elantra Touring, so for the size and weight I think it's actually really good. One review I read said to think of it as a 4 cylinder w/8 cylinder power. My brother's 4Runner has 248HP with 20MPG on the highway, if you can get 27-29 with 248 hybrid HP then you're doing almost 50% better.
Congrats on your purchase of a certified 2007 Highlander Hybrid. I bought my 2007 HH Limited (Nav, JBL, Leather, MR, etc.) new in April 2007 and have nearly 25K trouble free miles on it. My best mpg has been nearly 30mpg and worst has been about 26mpg. I usually average 27-28 mpg overall with prudent use of the go pedal. BTW, the combined HP for the HH is 268. The suplimental electric motor adds 60hp to the ICE's 208. The car has gobs of power which can be addictive and reduce mpg but it's good to know there's always power to spare. I recently changed the oil/filter and air filter so my mpg should improve slightly. Best of luck with your new HH.
Up to 26 mpg on 2 tanks 2010 model. My thought is 25-26 is good enough on these models, I guess there is confusion because i see people complaining but it must be about the older models that are supposed to get better mileage. Are people doing better than the rated mpg on the newer models?
I was having issues with the mpg decreasing during the colder months but it has bounced back now that it is warming up. Still not at the 27-28 (for 2008) I was getting last summer, but mornings are still chilly here. Hoping it will continue to creep up.
Let me ask your queston another way: If I need to disconnect my battery for any legit reason (e.g.; to replace a bad battery or to replace something that needed the battery disconnected) would that void my warrenty? Don't think so. Well, even if I was to disconnect it for legit reason(s), it still would reset my computer. I have an '06 HiHy and the battery disconnect trick works for me. As far as the Service reminder, I think the only time it is reset is when I manualy reset it (but should say that I've never checked it after disonnecting the battery.)
About a year ago, I posted the "disconnect battery trick" for resetting the computer. At that time, I suggested to leave it disconnected for about 10 minutes. However, I noticed that even though the reset trick worked, the computer seemed to gravitate ("learn") back to it's old state fairly quickly. So one time when I went into a restaurant for dinner, I first disconnected the battery. About an hour and half later, I reconnected the battery. That time, my computer keep me around 27.5 mpg for about a year before degrading slightly. I'd recommend the longer time if you feel you need to reset your computer.
This fall, highlander hybrid will adopt the 450h system, that system gives out ~29mph avg for RX. We should expect the same performance for Highlander. With regular V6 at 20mpg avg, The Hybrid will be 50% more efficient, which then easier to justified the extra ~8K cost.
I did the calculations before I bought my '10 gas Limited in January. That extra $8,000 will buy 60,000 miles worth of gas at $2.69. In reality, instead of the 20 mpg I used in the calculations, my gas Limited is getting 22 mpg on the Interstate (where I do 98% of my driving and usually drive 72 to 80 mph. It's rural mostly with lots of hills and one mountain near Charlottesville.)
That's 5 years of gas for me at this point and I ususally keeps cars only 4 or 5 years. Eight grand is a lot of money.
I live in the city and walk to work - 6 blocks - so the hybrid didn't hold my interest for long after I got a quote on battery replacement cost.
If you are buying a Hybrid only to save money on gas, you're correct in that it takes a long time to break even. Your estimate of the price of gas over the next 4-5 years may be conservative based on how it has increased over the last few years. However, there are other reasons for buying a hybrid.
I had a '75 Datsun B210 and a '78 B210. The '75 was creamed by a '72 Impala running a stop sign. Next I moved up in the world got an '86 Subaru GL 4wd wagon with a 85 HP engine and kept it for 14 years. Had a 4-cyl. Camry for a few years and an '02 4-cyl. Forester for 5 years. I drove my father's '06 Avalon XLS for 3 years after he moved to assisted living and gave it to me. My mother is in nursing care and totally dependent for everything due to Alzheimer's. She can chew most days and that's it.
I'll be 60 this year and had back surgery in 2003. I'll be driving what makes the most sense to me from here on out. If I didn't drive 260 round-trip miles every Friday to visit the folks and take my father a restaurant meal, I'd be back to driving 4- or 5,000 miles a year. Hybrids make even less sense at that level.
Maybe I should buy a scooter like my father uses. He burns up a set of $100 batteries every 5 or 6 months. Good thing they saved their money with their care running $15,000 a month. Cash.
i have a 2010 HH with about 4000 miles bought in aug at first got about 25 to 27 miles per gal, now its Nov (winter here cold) now im only getting about 18 to 19 miles per gal would the cold wheather effect it that much. Does anyone out there have same problem Thanks
My 2009 HH is slightly better, but as winter comes I expect it will fall a little. I enjoyed driving in the fall. Without A/C my hybrid battery frequently charged to the max and likewise I could get 25-27 mpg.
I have a 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid. The 12 volt battery went dead and we replaced it. I was getting about 26 mpg average and now, since replacing the battery I'm getting 22. Is there something I need to reset or do I just wait and see???
I previously posted the information that if the "normal" battery on the '06 HyHi was disconnected for any reason, your hybrid computer would be reset to default upon reconnecting the battery. Followup to this, I have learned that there is a Toyota Service Bulletin (TSB) (EG026-05) warning that the Idle Speed Control (ISC) might need to be reset if the "normal" battery is disconnected. So, disconnecting the battery seems to reset the computer but it will most likely cause the ISC to need resetting. Symptoms will be: 1. Reduced gas mileage. 2. Engine seems to run longer when slowing down or at a stop. 3. Engine noise at low or idle rpm. I had all three symptoms after disconnecting/reconnecting my battery. One owner reported that he was charged about $80 for Toyota service to reset the ISC. However, someone else posted a do-it-yourself method. I tried the latter and it seems to work. I repeat it here in case you are experiencing one or all three: --quote-- "1. Drive the car for at least 15 minutes under engine load to warm the engine and coolant to normal operating temperature. 2. Park the car, shift into P, turn off all electrical (a/c, radio, lights, etc.). 3. Turn the car off, then back on. 4. Set your hybrid status screen to show the battery charge level. 5. Hold the brake pedal down (I used my left foot), shift to D, continue to hold the brake pedal down all the way, then press the gas pedal down until the engine comes on and begins charging the hybrid battery. The car will not move or attempt to move, so don't worry - but the brake pedal must be kept firmly down! 6. Repeat the above for 30-40 second intervals until the hybrid battery is fully charged - the battery status will be green and full and you'll notice the engine stops revving when you press the gas pedal down. 7. Shift back into P, turn the car off for 5 seconds, then back on and press the gas pedal enough to kick the engine on. 8. Let the engine continue to run on its own (no pedals) until it cycles and then shuts itself off. 9. Either drive off at this point (you can turn A/C, radio, etc, back on), or shut down." --unquote--
As I said, this procedure seemed to have worked for me. Also, I wasn't sure what the "Repeat the above.." in step 6 meant so I assumed it meant to cycle the shifter back to P after taking foot off of gas, and then back to D while of course you keep the brake depressed, and then reapplying the gas.
Have a 2008 highlander hybrid. bought it 5 months ago with 32k miles. was getting about 25mpg. Then about a month into it, around the same time the soon to be recalled issue of the sensor started going off (http://www.autorecalls.us/recall_search.php?hdRecallMake=Toyota|79&hdRecallMo- del=Highlander+Hybrid%7C1476&ddRecallMake=Toyota%7C79&ddRecallModel=Highlander+H- ybrid%7C1476&x=25&y=10) , and the dealer reset the warning, the MPG plummeted to around 19mg! although isn't terrable, it is terrible for a hybrid. I visually checked the battery and , and the light on the battery itself shows it's good. any ideas why this would be happening? Frankly, for this kind of gas millage, i would have bought a non-hybrid! thank you for your help, L
I too have a 2008 HH that I'm having some mileage issues with. City mpg ranges from 28+ down to the low 20s. The issue seems to be with the regenerative braking system. When mileage is good, the charging needle is pegging out to the max when I brake and I'm recovering a lot of energy. When mileage is poor, the needle barely moves. However when I see this and shift into B, the needle drops down more into the charging zone.
This tells me that I have a problem associated with brake pedal position sensing. The dealer says that if there is a faulty sensor then the check engine light should come on, which it has not. They offered to run their diagnostics. If they find a bad sensor, it will be covered under warranty; if they don't find anything, then I pay up to $125 for their time.
Is this anything like what you are seeing? Does anyone else have this issue?
Been away from this forum for quite some time, so I hope this is going to the correct thread. I have a 2007 HH with 92,000 miles. 30% highway and 70% rural county roads with average speed 35-40 MPH. Conservative driver. I have measured every gallon of gas ever put into this car. Average MPG: 28.3. Anyone out there who can suggest ways to improve this? I am happy with it but always want more MPG, but also want to keep this car!
Looking at the 2007 Highlander Hybrid Review on Edmunds, your mileage looks really good relative to the EPA estimated mileage for the vehicle. Given the price of gas, we ALL want all the mileage performance we can get.
I suppose using some of the techniques hypermilers use might get you a bit more. You can read about it in this Edmunds article: Hypermiling: Quest for Ultimate Fuel Economy
2016 Highlander Hybrid Platinum ... I drove Sacramento California to Reno Nevada (120 miles), around Reno for half a day, then back to Sacramento. Mileage up to Reno 30.4 mpg, around Reno 27.3, and trip back to Sacramento 38.7 mpg. The average for the tank was 28.7
Hello out there! Can't seem to find easy/free access to service bulletins. Many posts here about "Idle Speed Control" or "Idle Speed Learning" resets. Question: Do either of these procedure apply to the 2007 HH and if so, where can I get references for the procedure/s?
Well, if you Google "2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid TSB" you'll come across a list of 15 TSBs from April 2007 to October 2013, none of which are about Idle Speed. If I search for THH TSB Idle Speed, I see there was one for the 2008 HH
Hello, out there! Anyone still using this forum? Don't see any posts in this section after 2017. I find it hard to believe that everyone out there is completely satisfied with their HH mileage and no one needs any more advice on this. I sure need some!
Comments
I figured it was a bargain considering the 4wd, leather, sunroof, JBL stereo(although my 07 model has a cassette tape player with CD- what's up with that?), room for the dog and hybrid system. Considered Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner but the interiors are extremely cramped - about the same as my Ford Focus station wagon!
Glad to hear from other owners of this unique vehicle!">
Congrats on your purchase of a certified 2007 Highlander Hybrid. I bought my 2007 HH Limited (Nav, JBL, Leather, MR, etc.) new in April 2007 and have nearly 25K trouble free miles on it. My best mpg has been nearly 30mpg and worst has been about 26mpg. I usually average 27-28 mpg overall with prudent use of the go pedal. BTW, the combined HP for the HH is 268. The suplimental electric motor adds 60hp to the ICE's 208. The car has gobs of power which can be addictive and reduce mpg but it's good to know there's always power to spare. I recently changed the oil/filter and air filter so my mpg should improve slightly. Best of luck with your new HH.
M. J. McCloskey
About a year ago, I posted the "disconnect battery trick" for resetting the computer. At that time, I suggested to leave it disconnected for about 10 minutes. However, I noticed that even though the reset trick worked, the computer seemed to gravitate ("learn") back to it's old state fairly quickly. So one time when I went into a restaurant for dinner, I first disconnected the battery. About an hour and half later, I reconnected the battery. That time, my computer keep me around 27.5 mpg for about a year before degrading slightly. I'd recommend the longer time if you feel you need to reset your computer.
That's 5 years of gas for me at this point and I ususally keeps cars only 4 or 5 years. Eight grand is a lot of money.
I live in the city and walk to work - 6 blocks - so the hybrid didn't hold my interest for long after I got a quote on battery replacement cost.
John
I had a '75 Datsun B210 and a '78 B210. The '75 was creamed by a '72 Impala running a stop sign. Next I moved up in the world got an '86 Subaru GL 4wd wagon with a 85 HP engine and kept it for 14 years. Had a 4-cyl. Camry for a few years and an '02 4-cyl. Forester for 5 years. I drove my father's '06 Avalon XLS for 3 years after he moved to assisted living and gave it to me. My mother is in nursing care and totally dependent for everything due to Alzheimer's. She can chew most days and that's it.
I'll be 60 this year and had back surgery in 2003. I'll be driving what makes the most sense to me from here on out. If I didn't drive 260 round-trip miles every Friday to visit the folks and take my father a restaurant meal, I'd be back to driving 4- or 5,000 miles a year. Hybrids make even less sense at that level.
Maybe I should buy a scooter like my father uses.
John
There are some leak photos from Moscow, looks good.
1. Reduced gas mileage.
2. Engine seems to run longer when slowing down or at a stop.
3. Engine noise at low or idle rpm. I had all three symptoms after disconnecting/reconnecting my battery. One owner reported that he was charged about $80 for Toyota service to reset the ISC. However, someone else posted a do-it-yourself method. I tried the latter and it seems to work. I repeat it here in case you are experiencing one or all three:
--quote--
"1. Drive the car for at least 15 minutes under engine load to warm the engine and coolant to normal operating temperature.
2. Park the car, shift into P, turn off all electrical (a/c, radio, lights, etc.).
3. Turn the car off, then back on.
4. Set your hybrid status screen to show the battery charge level.
5. Hold the brake pedal down (I used my left foot), shift to D, continue to hold the brake pedal down all the way, then press the gas pedal down until the engine comes on and begins charging the hybrid battery. The car will not move or attempt to move, so don't worry - but the brake pedal must be kept firmly down!
6. Repeat the above for 30-40 second intervals until the hybrid battery is fully charged - the battery status will be green and full and you'll notice the engine stops revving when you press the gas pedal down.
7. Shift back into P, turn the car off for 5 seconds, then back on and press the gas pedal enough to kick the engine on.
8. Let the engine continue to run on its own (no pedals) until it cycles and then shuts itself off.
9. Either drive off at this point (you can turn A/C, radio, etc, back on), or shut down." --unquote--
As I said, this procedure seemed to have worked for me. Also, I wasn't sure what the "Repeat the above.." in step 6 meant so I assumed it meant to cycle the shifter back to P after taking foot off of gas, and then back to D while of course you keep the brake depressed, and then reapplying the gas.
Again, this seemed to work for me.
I visually checked the battery and , and the light on the battery itself shows it's good.
any ideas why this would be happening?
Frankly, for this kind of gas millage, i would have bought a non-hybrid!
thank you for your help,
L
This tells me that I have a problem associated with brake pedal position sensing. The dealer says that if there is a faulty sensor then the check engine light should come on, which it has not. They offered to run their diagnostics. If they find a bad sensor, it will be covered under warranty; if they don't find anything, then I pay up to $125 for their time.
Is this anything like what you are seeing? Does anyone else have this issue?
Followed newski3 procedure to reset the ISC. The system is much improved.
Thank you very much.
Been away from this forum for quite some time, so I hope this is going to the correct thread. I have a 2007 HH with 92,000 miles. 30% highway and 70% rural county roads with average speed 35-40 MPH. Conservative driver. I have measured every gallon of gas ever put into this car. Average MPG: 28.3. Anyone out there who can suggest ways to improve this? I am happy with it but always want more MPG, but also want to keep this car!
Looking at the 2007 Highlander Hybrid Review on Edmunds, your mileage looks really good relative to the EPA estimated mileage for the vehicle. Given the price of gas, we ALL want all the mileage performance we can get.
I suppose using some of the techniques hypermilers use might get you a bit more. You can read about it in this Edmunds article:
Hypermiling: Quest for Ultimate Fuel Economy