Does any one have thoughts/experience driving HH i4WD in the snow/ice? How does it compare to a regular 4WD in say, a 4Runner?

uhheh, no, i4WD on the HiHy is complete BS, it's not even connected drivetrain , there is a small tiny tiny electric motor on the back that rpovides a little traction. Can not compare to a 4 runner or Tahoe's 4x4 system.

So does that mean that the HiHy sucks on the ice/snow? I bought one recently. Love the fact that I'm driving a Hybrid, Toyota and SUV at the same time. But I feel a little snookered. I bought it because I thought I could plow through the snow and ice in the NE. I guess I was wrong. Shame on me. Anyone else have experiences (good or bad) on driving a HiHy i4WD on the ice and snow?

I haven't had any problems on the snow and ice that have plagued Denver for the last few weeks.

I agree with Randy in Aurora. I live in Colorado Springs and we have had 7 straight weeks of snow. I can say that I am very happy, and a little surprised, with the way the 400h operated in the snow. I went through some areas where some other SUV's were stuck.

Yes, the rear wheels are only attached to an electric motor, but the rear kicks in whenever the front wheels start to spin in the slightest. So yes, most of the time the 400h is in 2 WD mode, but you have the 4 WD when you need it. The ABS brakes work great on slippery roads also. The traction control kicked in a couple of times and seems to do what it is suposed to do also. The 400h is not designed to go off road and be subject to a lot of abuse, but if your question was about using the 400h in town on snowy roads, I think you'll be very happy with the handling of the 400h in snow.

By the way, doing most of the driving in 2 WD probably saves gas, so it it not such a bad idea.

Plenty of "real" off-road 4x4 have part time 4wd - but I agree than anything lacking a real locking differential, and 4-Lo isn't going to be considered off road ready for a number of people. Personally, I have gone offroading dozens of times, and it's rare to need those features (only in mud in my experience). I'm not a crazy off roader, just recreationally while camping. I'd feel fine taking my 400h to these places.

Well i don't even cosider it to be a 4x4 system at all beacuse you barely have any power to the rear wheels because it's not a connected drive train. A real 4x4 system can take full power advantage of the system. The Highlander can't. Off road for me is off road, you have to have a real 4x4, my Tahoe has autotrac that engages 4x4 automaticaly. My Highlanders 4x4 system can not compare even just a little to a real 4x4 system because the back wheels are only powered by a tiny tiny 50kw motor. I mean it's good for normal driving conditions like a wet road or even gravel. But if you go into mud it sucks. And the traction control wont allow any wheel spin so you cant get unstul like you could in a normal 4x4. But the Highlander is not designed for offroad. And I would not take a Lexus off road anyways because I could not afford to risk damaging such a nice car lol/

Randy: To ask the obvious: is the 400h the same car as the Highlander Hybrid?

Are four wheels receiving power? Than it's 4wd. Period.

I must disagree - if the rear wheels have traction and the front don't, the HiHy or 400h will be able to get moving.
I agree- no crossovers are designed for off-road work. These are car-based unibody chassis we're talking about. BUT - I've taken everything from a CR-V to an RX 300 offroad without any problems.

Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a very similar vehicle to the Lexus RX 400h - virtually identical save the looks, features, warranty, and suspension.

uhh, that little electric motor can not provide much power at all. A V6 Highlander with 4x4 would work because it's actualy a connected drive train. Also in snow alot of people with the i4wd could not even get the car to move because of the VDIM. The Front wheels get alot more power than the rear wheels, the rear wheels only get 67 HP lol. You could not get a Highlander Hybrid most of the places I go. But then again I don't expect the highlander to be off road. That's why I bought it, because it's the perfect city car. I love it, it's wonderfull.