Anyway, don't let short trips persuade you into thinking you're getting poor gas mileage because the chance are you wouldn't be getting more than 15 mpg with a non-hybrid mid-size SUV.Īpart from the gas mileage, I find the ride to be quite comfortable and quiet. However, for longer trips the warmup period represents a smaller fraction of time. The lesson I learned from this was that it's hard to get good gas mileage for short trips because the gas engine will run during initial startup until the engine and hybrid battery warm up. So even though initially I was only getting 26 - 29 mpg, my final mpg is around 35 mpg, which agrees pretty well with the rated gas mileage. Then I had to go into the office, which is a 12-mile trip each way, and I got 43 mpg going to office and 34 mpg coming back. Up to that point I was only driving a few miles each way. During the first week I had the Highlander Hybrid I will admit I was a bit disappointed I was only getting 26 - 29 mpg given that I was trying to maximize the fuel economy. I ended up trading in my 2011 Toyota RAV4 (non-hybrid) for a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid because I needed more cargo space but didn't want to take a bit hit on gas mileage considering most of my driving is local/city. The 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD is the best car I've ever owned. I've owned Swedish, German, Korean, and American vehicles but I keep coming back to Toyota. I cannot stress enough what a great vehicle this is. You could pay just as much or more on the competition Japanese rival vehicles, and will be putting much more gas into them even in winter, and making more maintenance trips without the hybrid engine due to stress on components like brake parts, etc. I like that the rear ac/heat vents are placed above the seats, this is an ideal position for passengers who are still in rear-facing carseats. My only complaint is there is a bit of a whistling noise at high speeds, maybe from the driver's side mirror, or the roof rails. Besides, no conventional engine 7 or 8 seater touches this vehicle's winter mpg, even. I got my Highlander Hybrid in December, and have been getting around 28mpg on the coldest days, but once the outside temperatures reach 45 and up, I'm getting well over the estimated 35mpg, often 38mpg with combined suburban and highway driving. Hybrids are known to struggle with mpgs below freezing. You should not make your first impression of the mpgs of this vehicle in the dead of winter. Update 11/22: 30K miles and not a single issue. ![]() Toyota Hybrids are some of the most dependable cars on the road, and I believe we have a winner. Interior fit and finish is excellent (Kudo’s to our friends building these in Indiana, USA!). So much more space, infotainment and technology is a step up with some knobs and buttons, as I don’t like 100% touch screens. It looks to be maybe 35 mpg in mixed driving (Venza was about 39) so I’m happy with that. The first drive from the dealer, about 120 miles of highway at 70-78 mph resulted in 32 MPG. ![]() Quiet for a Hybrid (Not quite as refined as my wife’s Lexus ES300 Hybrid) and has plenty of power. It’s a solid vehicle, feels much more substantial and drives much smoother than the Venza. We are semi-retired and I did not think I needed the space, but I did. I did not look at it seriously due to the family hauler aura, style was not my favorite, and 3 rows of seating. I traded the new Venza (took my hit), for the Highlander Platinum, and I wish I’d have gone with the Highlander first. Nothing wrong with the Prius, it has a purpose. I’ve owned numerous Toyota Hybrids, and the Venza felt more like a Prius with lipstick and high heals to dress it up. ![]() May be the tires, but the insulation from road noise is just not there. The Venza was too small, rides a bit stiff and road noise was irritating from a Luxury-like vehicle. But, after just 3000 miles on the Venza, I knew I made a mistake. I chose the Venza based on a sleeker look in photos, on line review, etc. They, as the Highlander are in high demand, and dealers did not have either Hybrids to test drive. I made a rash decision and purchased a 2021 Venza Limited, fully loaded.
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