Would that be just to keep it during that taxable year? If so, one could buy a hybrid Dec. 31 for the tax credit and sell it January 2. Of course it would be a 'used car' at that point but one virutally new . . . without the tax credit.

Bob Wilson

 

I also own a Highlander hybrid, now with 8K miles, and get between 21 and 25 mpg, averaging about 23 mpg for mixed city/hiwy driving. Milage definitely poorer in colder weather, but the best I ever get in nice weather is 24-25 mpg. Have met with the Toyota factory rep and his take was pretty much "tough luck, that's the way it is..." They are not willing to consider doing anything to compensate me for having spent $6500 extra to have a hybrid which is only marginally better in fuel economy than a 6 cyl gas vehicle. He did point out my emissions are lower, so I keep reminding myself when I refill the tank every 360 miles or so. I've read these vehicles are not selling as well as expected. If I had it to do over, I would NOT buy this vehicle.

 

My apology for an off thread rant ......but.....

This again, reminds me of why people should only buy a sport utility vehicle if you need it to haul stuff like boats, trailers, trash and only use it as a secondary vehicle for its intended purpose. Not to drive to and fro around town for short errands, taxi service for neighbors kids, back and forth to work at the office.....

I'm as guilty as the rest because I almost always have owned SUV's in the past, but my work commute was only 10 miles round trip and most times I rode my bike. Only used my SUV for weekend ski, camping, canoe trips with lots of gear. IMHO, most people who buy an SUV should also have an alternate more FE/Green vehicle for everyday use....But this is the good old USA and people want that false sense of safety a larger vehicle supposedly provides so they sacrifice FE for creature comforts.....

 

Would people buy a 4-cyl HiHy? Not as much towing, lower price (hopefully) and better mileage. How many HiHy drivers are using it to tow 4500 lbs.? I think the performance hybrid has been proven to be less popular than the frugal hybrid. I love the idea that owning a hybrid means not sacrificing "performance", but sheesh, taking a V-6 and ADDING to it sems to defeat the purpose of a hybrid as I see it, IMO. I don't see having your cake and eating it too here. Unless you really NEED all that power and towing to tote milk to and from the store???

 

As a PS to my previous post...many people opt for a 4WD vehicle due to their supposed need to have it for 3 days out of the year. In that case, you have just SUV choices in hybrid form (Escape, HiHy, Lexus). For 80-90% of people's needs, a 4-cyl hybrid would be great in an AWD form. People love the idea of my Prius, but looked elsewhere when they learn it's front-drive only.

C'mon, Toyota, get an affordable, practical, AWD smaller hybrid out there and u have a market...not to mention a hybrid mini-van...how long do we have to wait...

 

I don't think HiHys are on the lots because they don't get the MPGs that the EPA tested it at. *No* automobile does unless you go to certain distances to hypermile (e.g., over-inflating your tires, pulse & glide, driving at or under speed limits, etc). I wouldn't offer a refund or credit for something that is entirely up to the driver either, though I would hope I had the capacity to educate my customer better than it appears your dealer has.

I think there are HiHys on the lots because it's a market 'tweener. Our 2WD HiHy Limited was $39.6K. People who have ~$40K to spend on an SUV are in Lexus RX330 territory. Many people who shop in that territory don't want to take a step "down" to Toyota. Whether or not they end up buying an RX330 instead of a HiHy, or kick in even more $$ to get the RX400h, I don't know. In our case, my fiancee would have gotten the RX330, a Nissan Murano, or the Acura TL, had she not gotten the HiHy. All of which, with options of her choosing, were within a few thousand of each other.

As for your 24-25mpg in nice weather -- that's a 20% decrease in the EPA figures (for 2WD, since you didn't specify which you have). By many accounts, most cars can expect to get 15 to 20% less than the EPA numbers. The non-hybrid 6CYL 2WD Limited is EPA rated at 22MPG in 50/50 driving. 20% below that and you're at 17.6MPG. From 17.6mpg to your 23-25mpg is a 33%-43% increase in mpg over what you may expect in the non-hybrid. I'm not sure I would consider that marginal. If people are expecting Civic-like 30-40MPG from a 4000lb+ SUV, then they're expecting too much and might want to, as ralph dog suggests, reconsider their need for an SUV in the first place. At the end of the day, it's still an SUV and just like any other SUV, is limited by... size, weight & aerodynamics.

Rick

 

Actually, I agree with you. However, when we bought it, I thought we could have good fuel ecomomy AND the size and carrying capacity of a mid-sized SUV. I do have a large vegetable garden in an adjacent town, and haul a fair amount of stuff back and forth, so the SUV is not just for commuting and non-hauling errands. My main point in posting was that Toyota doesn't deliver the fuel ecomony we were led to expect when we bought the vehicle, and they are unwilling to do anything to compensate us for the shortfall; just wanted to let other prospective buyers know of our experience with this vehicle, and do recognize there is unit-to-unit variation in this regard, "your milage may vary".

 

I'm afraid I don't understand what kind of compensation you should get. They'd have to give every customer of every vehicle they sell some kind of compensation for any lack of satisfaction. That's just not going to happen.

 

Unfortunatly you are not going to get much sympathy from this Hybrid apologist crowd. I feel your pain, cut your losses and consider it Hybrid Lesson learned.

 

Considering that the supposed "anti-hybrid" Consumer Reports got even worse at 22mpg hybrid and 19mpg gas you're not doing bad at 23. Your not to far from the 25.3 average here. The Highlander is not beating the EPA estimate by anyone here best overall being 29.8, isn't it 31/27 city/highway? I doubt your friend, why don't you 2 swap vehicles for a tank.

I see no reason to take a huge bath selling now, stay the course you'll still come out ahead, selling is your worst option financially. Your mistake was the initial purchase and it's to late to correct that. But if you always sell before 30,000 then you don't seem that concerned with the financials.