Highlander hybrid sipper
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
WHAT’S the secret to achieving awesome economy from the latest Toyota Highlander?
Basically, don’t work too hard at it . . . from a firstdrive experience, thrift pretty much comes naturally.
OK, there’s one caveat to this: You need to be driving the ‘‘newest’’ of the new Highlanders, the model we’re seeing in New Zealandnew format for the first time.
The version that is wellsorted to provision an AClass fuel burn effort is the hybrid.
While this fourth generation Highlander still continues with a pure V6, there’s also now a petrolelectric alternative — basically, the same powertrain serving in the RAV4 Hybrid, but with a 21kW higher combined output.
Comparing the six and the electricassisted fourcylinder made for an interesting experience during the media event.
The six still has markedly more stomp, it sounds sweeter when pushed, attracts for allround smoothness and is married to a more amenable transmission.
Yet it continues to be a heavy drinker and, even though mechanical improvements are said to have taken the edge off that thirst, proved once again on our run through Northland the potential to accumulate plenty of service station loyalty awards.
Reasonably parsimonious for a first sector of urban dawdling,
Prices: $60,990 V6 GXL, $63,990 V6 Limited, $63,990 2.5 GXL Hybrid, $66,990 2.5 Limited Hybrid AWD, $$74,990 2.5 Limited ZR Hybrid.
Engines: 3.5litre sixcylinder petrol, maximum power 218kW, maximum torque 350Nm; 2.5litre fourcylinder petrol hybrid, maximum power engine 142kW/ combined 184kW, maximum torque 242Nm.
Transmissions: V6 eightspeed automatic; hybrid constantly variable transmission, allwheeldrive.
Brakes and stability systems:
Safety rating: Wheels and tyres: it quickly opened its throat all the wider when being driven at highway speed, particularly when we took a winding hill country route. A consumption rate then was comfortably above the cited bestachievable of 8.8litres/100km, to the point of being more than double the petrol electric’s bestseen consumption rate.
Yes, you read that right. Anyone out to set an economy record would surely steer clear of the route from the stopping point to view Tane Mahuta, our largest known living kauri tree, through to Whangarei.
Only the last third of the run from Waipoua Forest offers the flat and easygoing conditions that are conducive to driving for optimal thrift. only).
Fuel and economy: V6/Hybrid 8.8/5.6 litres per 100km, tank capacity 68/65 litres.
Emissions: V6/Hybrid 205g/128g CO2/ km on combined cycle.
Dimensions: Length 4950mm, width 1930mm, height 1730mm.
The remainder is twisty, so asks for plenty of throttle work and speed readjustment.
And, yet, it was here where the hybrid, having already demonstrated impressive economy through the entirety of a twoday trip starting out in Auckland and overnighting in Paihia, really leaned out.
For sure, the sight of the trip computer citing a fuel burn of 5.7 litres per 100km was not prolonged. Before too long that average had snuck back up a couple of notches and, by journey’s end, was settled at 6.0 litres per 100km.
Yet experiencing firsthand this model getting to within just 0.1 litres/100km of the car’s cited optimal consumption was hugely impressive and it surely bodes well for family users, who will gravitate towards this car on strength of it offering room for seven occupants.
Little wonder Toyota NZ has now chosen to keep the V6 in just two trim levels, one fewer than the hybrid. Common to both are base GLX and nextstep, more affluent Limited; in the petrolelectric line, there’s also a really ritzy Limited ZR.
The V6 might maintain relevance through it being the more budget choice on the pricing schedule; in this new line, this engine is up to $10,000 cheaper than its equivalent in the old. You now spend as much for a V6 Limited as is asked for a base hybrid which, in turn, carries a $3000 premium over the liketrimmed GLX V6; the cheapest Highlander here for quite a while.
Aside from differences in performance and economy, there’s also some in the driving feel. Though Toyota attests the chassis setup and spring ratings for both types is common and says the hybrid is just 30kg heavier than the petrol, on our initial run, common sentiment was that the pure petrol felt firmer and sportier, the hybrid more compliant and perhaps betterbalanced.
All Highlanders are fourwheeldrive, but whereas the petrol continues with a mechanical setup, the hybrid uses its petrol powerplant to drive the front wheels and relies on an electric motor, feeding off a battery under the back seat, to run the rears.
Either approach tunes to an ‘‘as and when required’’ format, with power prioritising to the front wheel set when it’s not required for both. The mechanical system’s reactivity to allpaw actuation is slightly faster.
The ride in any version is very good, supple and quiet in its reactions to bumps, but this isn’t a ‘‘pushon’’ car; overall it continues to be a cushy driving champion, tailored thus on assumption most shoppers seeking a mediumlarge threerow family SUV probably aren’t looking for handling performance.
So what’s the best spec? The entry provision is impressive, but the Limited trim seemed a better choice. Not because it divests cloth trim for synthetic leather — a drawback, as the base seats are just nicer to sit on — but because it furnishes the things you imagine a GXL buyer will secretly hanker for.
Where does that leave the Limited ZR Hybrid, then? Aside from sitting prettiest of all by divesting the lesser variant’s 18inch rims for 20inchers that better conform to the rig’s overall shape and substance and also being the sole model with a headup display and properly handsfree (so wag your foot) tailgate operation, it’s really delivering furnishings that are less ‘‘must’’ than ‘‘like to’’ have.
The V6 is beguiling, and beats the hybrid on stepoff and overall oomph, but unless you’re running five minutes behind in the school run GP, would you ever notice? In general driving, the margin is really not all that obvious. This, along with much lower running costs and a big reduction in emissions really take some beating.