Toyota Highlander Hybrid

[AlexJet]

I'm looking into getting a 7-seater reliable and fuel economical 4WD vehicle to transport my family on daily basis amd long adventure trips. Nothing hard off-roading, I have Land Cruiser and 4Runner for the hard core.
Was interesting if anyone have any experience with Toyota Hybrid systems. How reliable are they? What are common issues? When major expensive parts need replacement? I want to get 2011 Highlander Hybrid as its nice body lined, new 3.5 engine and better fuel economy then 2010 model.

 

[tanglefoot]

I did a fair bit of Hi-Hy research when my sister was shopping for a crossover.

They are great vehicles. Reliability has been very high. The only trouble area I found was in the first part of 2006 (the first year of the Hi-Hy), the under-capacity inverters were used that had a fairly high failure rate. Once higher-capacity inverters were implemented part way through 2006, the issues pretty well vanished.

I haven't heard of any trouble areas in the later generations, aside from a few instances of loosening rear axle shaft bolts, but that has likely been designed-out.

Reliability of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) is very high. The high-voltage packs last 150,000+ miles (sometimes 250,000+ miles) in the vast majority of cases. The Power Split Device (PSD) is seamless and long-lasting. Computer systems work flawlessly. Power delivery is very smooth and strong.

In a way, the hybrid all-wheel-drive eliminates the drawbacks of conventional, mechanical/electronic AWD systems, since there is no mechanical drive shaft connection between the front and rear differentials. The rear differential is powered independently by a third electric motor/generator (it also assists with regenerative braking).

Aside from the relatively expensive purchase price, downsides are few. Ownership costs are low (aside from registration and insurance) and ownership experience is very satisfying.

Maintenance/repair costs for hybrids are usually lower than those for conventional autos. The HSD system omits the transmission, starter motor and alternator. Since the regenerative braking does most of the work, the wheel brakes last practically forever. The gasoline engine in the HSD leads an easy life, as it operates at the most efficient speed, is infrequently at idle speed and doesn't need to supply much torque. As a home mechanic, the Toyota hybrids are utterly boring, because they hardly ever need anything (and yes, most services are easy to complete at home).

My sister ended up going with something smaller with a lower MSRP (Mazda CX-5), but a used Highlander Hybrid was strongly in the running.

I drive a second-generation Prius (the Hi-Hy's little cousin) I've had since new and am pretty active in the online communities. Once you own a vehicle with HSD, it's tough to do back to anything else.

 

[AlexJet]

I'm worrying about operating Hybrid in winter at bellow freezing point. As it operates on electric motor under 30 km/h, how do one warm the vehicle in the morning and put the heat into the cabin? What about driving in cold temperatures and on snow?

 

[4runnerteq]

The engine will come on any time there is a load. Therefore if the heater and fan are running it will cycle the engine.Warms up just like anything else. Does very well on snow, as well as any all wheel drive. And x2 on previous post. That being said, you would really have to do the math to see if the hybrid will pay for itself. For the Highlander there is not a large difference. I drove one for a demo for a few months averaged 24mpg. One of my coworkers also had one and got 26mpg. Maybe he was a little lighter in the foot than I.

 

[AlexJet]

So I can install remote starter and warm up the engine from home before getting out...???

 

[4runnerteq]

That I would have to ck on. What year? Im not sure factory is available for Hybrid, but I think it is

 

[AlexJet]

Aftermarket Remote Starter.
Prefer to get 2011.

 

[4runnerteq]

Dont see any reason why not

 

[pirates712]

My parents have an 06 Highlander hybrid and my mom loves it. It's actually pretty quick too. Fuel economy depends entirely on how you drive it (as with anything). I don't recall them having any problems with it.

 

[digitaldelay]

Those must haul pretty good with the 3.5L and electric motors! I thought they would have put the 4-banger from the rav4 in there.

Jason

 

[tanglefoot]

They are nice and quick. Lots of torque and no shift-points. Warming up is no problem. There are likely aftermarket remote starters if it is not factory available. Some have found that a few minutes of warm-up time actually improves trip MPG, by helping get the HSD into the later warm-up stages more quickly.

Temperature and trip length are big factors for fuel economy on the hybrids. MPG drops pretty sharply with cold temperatures, because the gasoline engine runs more frequently to supply cabin heat and the warm-up stages take longer. The best MPG is observed on trips of at least 20-30 minutes each way.

The gasoline engine always starts a few seconds after the car is booted up. From then on, it operates as needed. It's not speed-dependent. In the earlier warm-up stages, you can make the gasoline engine start and stop by adjusting the heater controls.

 

[AlexJet]

My regular commute is about 20km highway, 20km rural roads and 10km city one-way, so it brings daily mileage to:
40 km at 100-110 km/h
40 km at 70-80 km/h
20 km at 40-60 km/h
Temperature wise it can be -20C for a 2-3 month

 

[tanglefoot]

Your commute length should be pretty good for mileage but the cold will definitely hurt fuel economy. Some hybrid drivers in cold climates implement some grill blocking (do at your own risk) to help the system warm up faster and maintain temperature. Hybrid power trains don't produce as much heat as conventional power trains and when combined with the heat demand of the cabin, the system can have a hard time maintaining operating temperature. The Highlander Hybrid does have an engine temperature gauge (unlike the Prius), so you don't need a secondary instrument to display engine temperature--you want to keep a close watch on it if grill-blocking.

During the cold months, you might struggle to beat 8 km/l--something to consider. Hybrids do have one cold-weather advantage though: they start easily in cold weather and put little load on the 12v battery. The 12v battery only boots the computers and activates the high-voltage relays. Engine-starting is effortlessly performed by one of the 3-phase AC motors drawing from the high-voltage traction pack.