Hi...

I recently bought a 2007 Highlander Hybrid Limited AWD-i. My gas mileage
isn't what I thought it would be. I didn't expect to get the numbers on the
window sticker, but I thought it might be close.

On a recent trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back, I got 22.0
MPG -- that's 750 miles round trip, all freeway driving, much at 80 MPH. My
city driving is about the same -- sometimes a little higher, sometimes
lower.

If anyone else has a Highlander Hybrid, I would sure appreciate hearing
about your gas mileage experience.

Thank you.

John

I stopped by the service department of my dealer and asked about the mileage
I'm getting. The service manager said my 22 MPG was fairly typical. He
also said that's a little better than what the non-hybrid gets, but he did
not say specifically how much better.

I searched Google for mileage information and found a few sites with user
comments. Again, my 22 MPG seems fairly typical, although others do much
better.



"mark_digital©" <XXX-976@commacast.com> wrote in message
news:Rf-dneylzcDJi7LbnZ2dnUVZ_sapnZ2d@comcast.com...
>
> "John B in CA" <no@spam.com> wrote in message
> news:NIWdncTc6PoC7rDbnZ2dnUVZ_gydnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>> Hi...
>>
>> I recently bought a 2007 Highlander Hybrid Limited AWD-i. My gas mileage
>> isn't what I thought it would be. I didn't expect to get the numbers on
>> the window sticker, but I thought it might be close.
>>
>> On a recent trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back, I got 22.0
>> MPG -- that's 750 miles round trip, all freeway driving, much at 80 MPH.
>> My city driving is about the same -- sometimes a little higher, sometimes
>> lower.
>>
>> If anyone else has a Highlander Hybrid, I would sure appreciate hearing
>> about your gas mileage experience.
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>
> Do you have an idea what a regular conventional Highlander gets for fuel
> economy under the same circumstances? I don't.
>

Ha ha ha ha!

That is so he can get that rush when his wife lets up on the gas and
the display shows 99 MPG! (voice of experience)

I'd like to see the "real statistics" on how many accidents are
caused by the driver "studying" the neat graphics on the Prius display.

mark_digital wrote:
> Last night on our local news there was an elderly couple interviewed about
> their _brand_ new_ Prius. "When I saw the EPA rating of 60 miles per
> gallon I said to my wife, we got to get this car." He goes on to say he
> only gets 41 miles to a gallon. Then the couple is seen driving off with
> him in the front passenger seat. I nearly fell off the couch laughing. I
> guess his wife is determined to *make it work*.
> ----------

"mark_digital©" <XXX-976@commacast.com> wrote in message
news:5qCdnQ-KvdhVIazbnZ2dnUVZ_segnZ2d@comcast.com...
> Last night on our local news there was an elderly couple interviewed about
> their _brand_ new_ Prius. "When I saw the EPA rating of 60 miles per
> gallon I said to my wife, we got to get this car." He goes on to say he
> only gets 41 miles to a gallon. Then the couple is seen driving off with
> him in the front passenger seat. I nearly fell off the couch laughing. I
> guess his wife is determined to *make it work*.
> ----------
>
All the while not knowing it *is* working. Few people actually keep track of
the fuel consumption they are experiencing, and to see it presented is a
shock. My daughter was shocked to find her '93 Accord 4-cyl automatic
getting barely 20 mpg in town. Prius owners too seldom realize the in-town
economy they are seeing is twice what they had before and that few people
get EPA estimates in any car, especially on congested streets and with short
trips. (Hybrids are not affected much by stop and go but are hit just as
badly by warm-up.) That will probably get worse as efficiency gets better,
because efficiency rarely affects fixed losses. In the Prius, there is too
little waste heat from the engine in town to operate the heater at full
output, so the engine runs just to heat the occupants.

BTW - I agree about the multi-function display. I keep mine dimmed.

Mike (averaging 46 mpg commuting three miles in his 2002 Prius).

Everyone want to save a few dollars and save the world but they forget the
law of unexpected consequences. If everybody drove cars that get 60 MPG or
more, the oil companies would not know what to do with all of the excess
gasoline.

As they did before gasoline started to be used as a motor fuel, they would
once again need to burn it off at the refineries. Getting rid of it is the
only way they can refine down to the carbon based products of crude, where
the big profits lay.

To make up for all the lost revenue the commodities buyers will bid the per
barrel price up to well over $100 and gasoline will be over $5 at the pump.
LOL

mike


"Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote in message
news:ffGdncwVa9b6aazbnZ2dnUVZ_hmtnZ2d@sedona.net.. .
> "mark_digital©" <XXX-976@commacast.com> wrote in message
> news:5qCdnQ-KvdhVIazbnZ2dnUVZ_segnZ2d@comcast.com...
>> Last night on our local news there was an elderly couple interviewed
>> about their _brand_ new_ Prius. "When I saw the EPA rating of 60 miles
>> per gallon I said to my wife, we got to get this car." He goes on to say
>> he only gets 41 miles to a gallon. Then the couple is seen driving off
>> with him in the front passenger seat. I nearly fell off the couch
>> laughing. I guess his wife is determined to *make it work*.
>> ----------
>>
> All the while not knowing it *is* working. Few people actually keep track
> of the fuel consumption they are experiencing, and to see it presented is
> a shock. My daughter was shocked to find her '93 Accord 4-cyl automatic
> getting barely 20 mpg in town. Prius owners too seldom realize the in-town
> economy they are seeing is twice what they had before and that few people
> get EPA estimates in any car, especially on congested streets and with
> short trips. (Hybrids are not affected much by stop and go but are hit
> just as badly by warm-up.) That will probably get worse as efficiency gets
> better, because efficiency rarely affects fixed losses. In the Prius,
> there is too little waste heat from the engine in town to operate the
> heater at full output, so the engine runs just to heat the occupants.
>
> BTW - I agree about the multi-function display. I keep mine dimmed.
>
> Mike (averaging 46 mpg commuting three miles in his 2002 Prius).
>
>

Walt,

Thank you for the reply. The information is very useful.

As one would expect, there's a huge hit in mileage on the highway between
55-70 and 80+. I live in the Berkeley hills (across the Bay from San
Francisco). Every trip I take starts and ends with a very long, steep
hill -- a cab driver once told me that our street is the steepest street in
the Bay Area, including all the San Francisco hills. Clearly, coming up
this hill once or more per day is taking its toll on my gas mileage. On the
other hand, compared to the car I replaced with the Highlander -- a 2000
Ford Explorer -- I am getting great mileage.

I was interested in your comment about the battery. I have not noticed the
battery bars ever going down more than two. Also, it seems that no matter
how gently I step on the "gas pedal," once the car reaches 15-20 MPH, the
engine starts. I'd never driven a hybrid before buying this car, but I was
under the impression that it used the electric motor more than mine seems
to. I will discuss all of this with the dealer when I take it for the first
service in 2,500 more miles.

John



"Walt & Lynda Johnson" <waterbirds@usadatanet.net> wrote in message
news:ZtSdnVyb3uHhm6nbnZ2dnUVZ_oWdnZ2d@usadatanet.n et...
> John and all...
>
> We also have a 2997 Hylander Hybrid with 4WD-I. The cold weather
> here in upstate NY is indeed hitting out mileage but for our
> day-in-day-out driving with trips less than 15 miles we're showing
> a consistent 23.0. On a 250 mile trip with a mix of interstate and
> two lane highway (55 MPH limit) we showed 25.5 for the interstate
> portion at about 73 MPH true, and 27.5 for the two lane portion
> running about 58 true. This was largely level driving, following
> the Mohawk River valley. Suburban driving, at 40-45 MPH, has
> consistently shown 27-28 MPG. Our net consumption over the last
> 2000 or so miles has been 24.8 for all types of driving based upon
> miles covered and fuel pumped, the most accurate of all.
>
> Individual fill-ups has indicated that the car's computer is
> just about right, as is the speedometer and odometer.
> I'm impressed by this.
>
> 57 miles pulling a 1250# boat trailer generated 19.3 MPG at
> 73 MPH true. This was the average indicated by the car's computer.
>
> Using the car's computer, I've found a few other data points.
> At 59 MPH indicated, relatively level road, and with cruise control,
> you can seriously discharge the traction battery in about 12 miles and
> achieve, for that short distance, in excess of 33 MPG.
>
> I live at the top of 1.25 miles of 9% grade, so I always start every
> trip with at least 7 bars of traction battery. My short trips are
> 3-6 miles and seem to have little impact on battery charge. My longer
> trips are usually initiated by the sequence in the previous paragraph.
>
> I hope this answers some of your questions.
>
> Walt
> "John B in CA" <no@spam.com> wrote in message
> news:NIWdncTc6PoC7rDbnZ2dnUVZ_gydnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>> Hi...
>>
>> I recently bought a 2007 Highlander Hybrid Limited AWD-i. My gas mileage
>> isn't what I thought it would be. I didn't expect to get the numbers on
>> the window sticker, but I thought it might be close.
>>
>> On a recent trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back, I got 22.0
>> MPG -- that's 750 miles round trip, all freeway driving, much at 80 MPH.
>> My city driving is about the same -- sometimes a little higher, sometimes
>> lower.
>>
>> If anyone else has a Highlander Hybrid, I would sure appreciate hearing
>> about your gas mileage experience.
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>
>

"John B in CA" <no@spam.com> wrote in message
news:ubKdnSLIeYFYVqnbnZ2dnUVZ_gqdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Walt,
>
> Thank you for the reply. The information is very useful.
>
> As one would expect, there's a huge hit in mileage on the highway between
> 55-70 and 80+. I live in the Berkeley hills (across the Bay from San
> Francisco). Every trip I take starts and ends with a very long, steep
> hill -- a cab driver once told me that our street is the steepest street
> in the Bay Area, including all the San Francisco hills. Clearly, coming
> up this hill once or more per day is taking its toll on my gas mileage.
> On the other hand, compared to the car I replaced with the Highlander -- a
> 2000 Ford Explorer -- I am getting great mileage.
>
> I was interested in your comment about the battery. I have not noticed
> the battery bars ever going down more than two. Also, it seems that no
> matter how gently I step on the "gas pedal," once the car reaches 15-20
> MPH, the engine starts. I'd never driven a hybrid before buying this car,
> but I was under the impression that it used the electric motor more than
> mine seems to. I will discuss all of this with the dealer when I take it
> for the first service in 2,500 more miles.
>
> John
>

I used to live in the Bay Area, and those Berkeley hills are steep! I used
to love driving through those hills and the hill that goes over the
Caldecott Tunnel into Orinda.

The hybrid system provides low speed propulsion and some assistance at
higher speeds, and accelerating (as opposed to cruising at a steady speed)
uses a lot of power, so the internal combustion engine, or ICE, will start
and take over propulsion above 15 or 20 MPH, as you are experiencing.
Running under pure electric power rapidly depletes the battery pack, so if
you were to cruise at 10 ~ 15 MPH, the ICE would probably start after a mile
or two.

The hybrid system reduces the work that the ICE does, but due to limitations
in battery storage capacity, the reduction in the need for the ICE to work
is probably more in the neighborhood of 5 or 10%, not 25 or 50%.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Hi Ray,

I'm learning what the hybrid system does and does not do. Bottom line for
me is that it's a great car and I'm really happy I made the switch from the
Explorer.

Yes, the Berkeley hills and Tilden Park are beautiful, as well as the whole
East Bay Regional Park system. What's particularly amazing is that they are
only ten minutes from downtown Berkeley and Oakland.

John



"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:ee0c8$4634db65$47c2b532$7617@msgid.meganewsse rvers.com...
>
> I used to live in the Bay Area, and those Berkeley hills are steep! I
> used to love driving through those hills and the hill that goes over the
> Caldecott Tunnel into Orinda.
>
> The hybrid system provides low speed propulsion and some assistance at
> higher speeds, and accelerating (as opposed to cruising at a steady speed)
> uses a lot of power, so the internal combustion engine, or ICE, will start
> and take over propulsion above 15 or 20 MPH, as you are experiencing.
> Running under pure electric power rapidly depletes the battery pack, so if
> you were to cruise at 10 ~ 15 MPH, the ICE would probably start after a
> mile or two.
>
> The hybrid system reduces the work that the ICE does, but due to
> limitations in battery storage capacity, the reduction in the need for the
> ICE to work is probably more in the neighborhood of 5 or 10%, not 25 or
> 50%.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>

"John B in CA" <no@spam.com> wrote in message
news:uoOdnT8k-t5yaKnbnZ2dnUVZ_sapnZ2d@comcast.com...
> Hi Ray,
>
> I'm learning what the hybrid system does and does not do. Bottom line for
> me is that it's a great car and I'm really happy I made the switch from
> the Explorer.
>
> Yes, the Berkeley hills and Tilden Park are beautiful, as well as the
> whole East Bay Regional Park system. What's particularly amazing is that
> they are only ten minutes from downtown Berkeley and Oakland.
>
> John
>

I worked in Benicia, South SF, and San Ramon and miss the beautiful Bay Area
and the Yosemite area. For someone who enjoys fishing, camping, and hiking,
it was like living in a giant playground! Hmmm, maybe it's time to plan a
trip out west!

Enjoy your new Highlander!
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Giant playground, indeed! I've become a golfer lately and having the Tilden
Park Golf Course ten minutes from home is almost too good to be true.

This is getting quite off-topic, but then again it seems that the majority
of posts here are off-topic.

John



"Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:55e77$4634f7e2$47c2b532$8214@msgid.meganewsse rvers.com...
>
>
> I worked in Benicia, South SF, and San Ramon and miss the beautiful Bay
> Area and the Yosemite area. For someone who enjoys fishing, camping, and
> hiking, it was like living in a giant playground! Hmmm, maybe it's time
> to plan a trip out west!
>
> Enjoy your new Highlander!
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>