This is off the Consumer Reports website about other "hybrid" models. It states that the expected Highlander mpg is 27.6. I know this is for an average size SUV but geez! http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detail...D=1083011093475
and wait until you see the price! but toyota is not positioning the highlander and RX400 as hybrids for mileage oriented folks. it is saying they will give V8 performance with V6 economy
about the same for my 2002 buick rendezvous, which is a very appropriate direct comparison to the highlander
If Ford has done their homework, they could carve out a pretty nice niche with a small SUV getting 40 mpg
i agree. i just don't want to be part of any american company's first efforts in a new area. can anybody say '1986 olds cutlass diesel'?
.....And the misinformation has already begun. I spoke with one of the internet sales managers of a local dealership the week before last and he stated the Hybrid Highlander 'might cost a few thousand more than the regular version but, hey, you double your mpg!'.
yes, the misinformation HAS begun. toyota themselves is citing a 30% increase in mileage, not double. the 27.6 mpg figure is toyota's own official estimate. could it be that your sales manager friend was engaging in a little 'puffery' as it's known in the trade?
I might be inclined to look at the highlander for two reasons 1. Optional third row. I got two wee ones in car seats and anytime we go anywhere with anyone we either take both car seats out or we have to get two cars 2. As stated earlier (aaron12) I don't know if I want to be Ford's guinea pigs.
the highlander is also significantly larger than the escape and a much nicer vehicle. it's the PRICE i'm afraid of! anyway, looks like i will have a prius by mid-summer at the latest, so it will be a moot point (fingers crossed)
Yeah, we still have about a year left to pay off Xterra and I'd like to have only 1 car payment for about a year or two. Hopefully, by the time I'm ready, the initial insanity might be over and I won't have to wait eons again for my car.
actually, my 2002 buick is only 2 years old, and normally i would get a new car at 3 years, so the year would be about right... guess i just got 'prius fever'
My truck is 7 years and I need a commuter car. I looked at hybrids as an afterthough, then got bit with the bug. I know I could walk into any Toyota dealer and get an Echo or Corrolla that would do a great job, but after waiting this long, it's like an addiction. I can't give it up.
I wouldn't call them Tag's friends He hasn't exactly been a happy camper throughout this whole process.
