hi

Funny you should mention this. My wife drives our highlander to the store 2 miles evry 3 days. We put about 20miles per week on the car. I have totally noticed that it gets way lower than EPA this way because its not warmed up. I bought the hybrid before i found this site, and didnt know its the way it worked.

Good for you for checking into it before buying.

The highlander still gets 24MPG from this driving, which is much more than a regular 268 full sized suv would get doing the same driving. Its also better for the enviroment, and buying a hybrid gives you a nice tax break. I still think its worth it.