HIGHLANDER - It takes a particular driving technique to get maximum fuel mileage from hybrids. The Toyota Highlander, for instance, gets better mileage in city driving, not highway cruising. CNS Photo courtesy of Toyota. If it's energy efficiency, people who buy the Toyota Highlander hybrid, a corporate relative to the Lexus RX 400h, are likely to be disappointed. I took a recent test drive in a Highlander hybrid from Los Angeles to Phoenix and back. I wanted to drive it like a normal car and not baby it. But I didn't abuse it. I drove it at high speeds, and the hybrid was up to the task. But I found the hybrid actually averaged far fewer miles per gallon than its gasoline-powered counterpart. Besides that, the hybrid needed more expensive premium fuel for peak performance. Regular unleaded is acceptable. It takes a particular driving technique to get maximum fuel mileage from hybrids, and I can usually excel at that. I've averaged better than 100 mpg in a Honda Insight. I can achieve the as-advertised 55 mpg or better in the Prius, while most owners gripe about getting mid-40s or less. But in my test of the Highlander, I was able to get just 16 mpg in highway cruising! That was a trip of about 400 miles each way, and I kept it on cruise control most of the time, at or slightly above the 75 mph posted speed limit. Admittedly, city driving, not highway cruising, is a hybrid's strong suit, but both types of driving were mixed in. "Running at high speeds with the AC running will use up fuel whether you are in a hybrid or not," says Dave Hermance, a Toyota spokesman. "Please keep in mind that hybrids shine in stop-and-go traffic." That was not our experience, either. Using the optional onboard computer that Toyota has built into the Highlander hybrid's data center and navigation system, the combination of city and highway driving for 900-plus miles yielded a cumulative fuel mileage average of 21.6 mpg. That compares to a regular V-6 Highlander's ability to average nearly 23 mpg cruising over the same route at the same speed. "In a side-by-side test, in identical conditions, the hybrid should be expected to get at least one mile per gallon (more) than the V-6 gas model," Hermance says. A two-wheel-drive Highlander with a four-cylinder gas engine can do even better - nearly 29 mpg - on regular unleaded. I had wondered what the real-world efficiency of hybrids like the Highlander would be. So earlier, I had checked the computer readouts in other press fleet vehicles to see what the cumulative mileage had been achieved on each of them to date. I couldn't find any of them with better than 21-something. Some were as low as 18, after thousands of miles of driving. The EPA ratings for hybrids are, of course, a faulty gauge of their actual fuel economy, because the real-world fuel usage by the hybrid systems during the EPA test cycle cannot be accurately measured. "The EPA test cycle isn't accurate for any vehicle," Hermance says. Toyota is actually suing to have the EPA standard changed to the more accurate European model, which measures how many gallons of fuel a vehicle is likely to burn in 1,000 miles of combined city/highway driving. "In that scenario," Hermance says, "the hybrid would burn 250-300 gallons, while the gasoline version would use about 400 gallons." When building hybrids, Toyota says it can either skew performance toward high fuel economy/low performance or toward high performance/low fuel economy. In the Prius, Toyota went for nearly maximum economy, at the expense of some performance. In vehicles such as the Highlander and 400h hybrids, the fuel-savings part of the equation has been dialed back, so far, in favor of increased performance - and significant energy savings become debatable. And a Highlander hybrid can cost nearly twice as much as the base Highlander. Our hybrid test vehicle carried a $42,711 sticker - before expected premiums at the dealership - compared with the base Highlander's $24,280 MSRP. (The RX400h is generally $5,000-$7,000 more than the Highlander hybrid.) Factor in the pricing premiums and dealer markups and it becomes difficult to see the economic justification for buying one. In this scenario, the Brave New Era of Hybrid Cars would seem to be a fragile bubble that is vulnerable to being burst. SPECS BOX 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Body style: 7-passenger compact sports utility vehicle Drive system: Front gas engine with hybrid transaxle and front electric drive motor; 4WD-i models equipped with front and rear electric drive motors and a sealed nickel metal hydride battery pack Engine: 3.3-liter, 24-valve DOHC V6 with VVT-i and 3 electric motor generators Horsepower: 268, combined (gasoline engine, 208 at 5,600 rpm; rear motor generator, 68 from 4,610-5,120 rpm) Torque: 212 foot-pounds at 3,600 rpm (torque from motor generator 2, which drives the front wheels, 247 from 0-1,500 rpm; rear motor generator, 96 foot-pounds from 0-610 rpm) Transmission: CVT automatic Acceleration: 0 to 60 mph, 7.0 seconds (estimated) EPA estimated fuel mileage: 2WD, 33/28; 4WD, 31/27 (Observed, 21.6 mpg combined) Fuel tank: 17.2 gallons (Premium recommended, not required) DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 106.9 inches Length: 185.4 inches Front head/leg/shoulder room: 40.1/42.9/57.9 inches Middle head/leg/shoulder room: 38.7/34.6/57.1 inches Rear head/leg/shoulder room: 36.3/30.2/58.5 inches Curb weight: 2WD, 4,070 pounds; 4WD, 4,245 pounds Cargo capacity: 10.5 cubic feet behind 3rd seat, 39.7 3rd seat folded, 80.6 2nd row seat folded FEATURES Standard equipment: Power windows/door/locks/seats, cruise control, alarm, intermittent wipers, AC, stereo Safety equipment: Multi-stage front-seat air bags, front-seat side air bags; front- and second-row curtain air bags; 3-point belts with pretensioners, force limiters, height adjusters and retractors, ABS with VDIM (brake assist, brake-force distribution, stability control and traction control) CHASSIS Suspension: Front - MacPherson struts, coil springs. Rear - double link strut, coil springs (optional self-leveling, height-adjustable air suspension) Steering: Rack and pinion power assist; turning circle, 37.4 feet Brakes: 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS Tires and wheels: 225/65 R 17-inch on alloy wheels; full-size spare PRICING Base price: 2WD, $33,030; 4WD, $34,430; 2WD Ltd, $37,890; 4WD Ltd, $39,290; price as tested, $42,711 The hybrid competition: Lexus RX 400h, Ford Escape Waranty: 8-year/100,000-mile hybrid componentry; 3-year/36,000-mile comprehensive with roadside assistance Where assembled: Japan PLUSES: More powerful than a regular Highlander, can be more economical in city driving. MINUSES: More expensive, doesn't necessarily get better highway mileage, strange transmission noises when reversing, more weight means sluggish handling. Jerry Garrett is a freelance motor journalist and contributing editor to Car and Driver magazine. © Copley News Service

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