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My question would be if there are shortcomings compared to a front wheel drive vehicle or the most basic AWD vehicles with three open differentials that also use traction control to transfer power to wheels with traction from the front axle to the rear. At least the Highlander Hybrid has a separate motor in back that appears to be an advantage, even if it uses traction control and to ship power side to side. Without those details, it seems hard to assess this for certain.
The 2011 drives very nice & quiet, good acceleration. The Limited's push button start is kinda cool too. Also like the darker wood color (interior trim on console, door handles) as opposed to the lighter shade on 2010.
Also, the Toyota HSD system does not do well for FE unless the majority of the time is city stop and go traffic.
Personally I'm looking forward to the 2012 Ford Escape hybrid.
If you live in the snow zone a base FWD vehicle, the HL, is a fairly unsafe choice.
That change would mostly or only be reflected in lower hwy FE which we see is the result.
Thanks
On the 11 I've noticed that the rear cargo cover doesn't retract where it connects to the rear seats. On the 06 HL when you disconnect the covers from the rear seats, they retract like a window shade. Are all 2011 HL's like this ?
Overall I love the 2011 HL. The ride is very comfy and quiet. Fit and finish are great !!!
Good luck with your HL !!!!
I am wondering what other 2011 owners are getting. Also, did you notice any improvement in gas mileage after the first 5000 miles?
Thanks,
Took the car to the dealer and did not like the response. His first question was did you switch to using gas with ethanol? My response was huh??? I have been using gas with ethanol since I bought the car new. Since the check engine light was not on he said there is nothing he could do about this.
So my question is what sort of things will cause the mpg to fall like it did.
Tires have the factory recommend PSI. I have tried different brands of gas and all have the same results.
Any suggestions as to what I need to do to correct this situation?
Marty
mkovacs@attglobal.net
thanks!
We are very pleased with this vehicle. It is quiet, comfortable, seats 7, and still gets 25 mpg in day to day driving. Power is fine. I have a Ford Expedition that feels about the same in the power to weight ratio. The only difference is that it gets about 16mpg day to day.
Will update MPG after a road trip next month.
Thanks for your comments!
Do you keep an egg under the gas pedal?
Dallas To Houston (320 miles @ 65-80 mph) = 23.3 mpg
In Houston (250 Miles @ 50/50 City Highway) = 24.1 mpg
Houston to Dallas (320 miles @ 70-85 mph) = 21.9 mpg (strong head winds)
If my wife drives she usually gets 2 mpg better than I do. We have 2000 miles on the HL now.
*All representations of driving in excess of posted limits are purely fictional and for illustrative purposes only*
My wife still averages about 25.3 in day to day suburban driving; including school drop offs and grocery runs.
When I drive it the mpg still drops off by about 2mpg.
We were considering a GMC Acadia type vehicle before but we are really glad to have the HL. I think we have saved about $250 in gas already over that type of vehicle in similar driving conditions based on what my BIL gets on his Acadia. Over the course of a year we will save almost $700 in gas! That might be chump change for some of you but I am glad to keep the $ in my pocket.
On the highway, I get about 20.
Tank 2 - 250 miles; mostly highway with some grade; 25.8 mpg
Tank 3 - 300 miles; state roads with steep grades; avg 45 mph; 22.9 mpg
Tank 4 - 240 miles; mostly highway with no grade; 26.7 mpg
Tank 5 - 340 miles; even split between highway and suburbs; 25 mpg
- Average speed was 60-70 mph unless indicated
- Kept engine rpm mostly around 2000 with peak rpm during acceleration not exceeding 3000 rpm (didnt know I had so much self-control!!) :shades:
- Weight in car around 500 pounds most of the time
- Regular fuel filled at different stations in PA, VA & MD
- Light AC almost all the time, windows always up
Measurements were all manual; on-board computer number higher by almost 1.5 mpg.
Come to realize average fuel economy was much lower that advertised. It's 50% highway driving and I only got average 13.88 MPG.
Now I am looking into replacing air filter, spark plugs, checking fuel injectors, and hope this improves because I really like this vehicle.
The government specified Fuel Economy specifications in Australia tend to be pretty reliable. My 2004 Kluger is rated at 12.3l/100km. I have found that consistently over 195,000km that this is pretty accurate. Long steady highway trips see that drop to 10.5l/100km or less (I found that I was getting 8.8l/100km on a recent gentle trip).
Conversely aggressive city driving can drive it up to 14.5l/100km, but that is rare.
I tend to drive gently, but not slowly, reading the traffic ahead. I usually find that I end my 25km commute a car or two behind aggressive drivers (frequently ahead of them because of reading traffic conditions a long way ahead, even in stop-start traffic). This in a busy city which easily exceeds US traffic intensity.
I have a roof rack with bars, tow bar and carry a fair bit of heavy safety gear, so would expect worse than average economy.
Equally, I got 145,000km from the first set of brake pads, so there is more than one benefit.
Cheers
Graham
All well now back to my 19/20 MPG.
Lesson learned for sure.
Marty
I have a 2014 Toyota highlander AWD. I average 18.8 mpgs with mixed driving. Any suggestions to improve mpg?