2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid User Reviews

Pros

Safe, comfortable, great ride

Purchased As New

I think this is a great car. If you drive it easy you can get great mileage. I have 5000 miles and so far so good

Pros

Great MPG. When I am good I can get 28MPG. When I drive just average it is 24MPG

Cons

Ride is just fine. Good response. Like the smoothness vs the truck-like stiff ride

Very happy with this truck. Glad I spend the extra for better gas milage. I know it is not 1-for-1 with saving money but at least I have done my part for the environment. Most trucks don't get even into the high teens for MPG

Pros

Overall I like the car, but...

Cons

the MPG is not what they say.

I like my Highlander Hybrid, but they lied when they told me the MPG. I get between 19 and on rare occassions 23 MPG. I feel this is a way over priced vehicle. If I had know the gas mileage, I would have purchased a different car.

Pros

very comfortable & good looking ride, love it all except mpg

Cons

they lied about the mpg

i own a 2008 highlander hybrid, we bought the hybrid because of the mpg. we have had this car since 3/08 and the city mpg keeps going down, it is now at 18. if i had known it was not going to get better than that i would have bought a regular highlander for much cheaper price

Pros

Big car ride. very easy to drive

Cons

don't believe the city gas mileage (27?) more like 19 mpg

am happy overall,but dissappointed with city mpg. lots of cargo room. very powerful engine/motor

Pros

Good fuel economy for vehicle of its size

Cons

Price, unable to program two phones at the same time

We have had it for about 4 weeks and love it. The ride is smooth, it has plenty of space, and we are averaging about 27.6 miles per gallon. We have not been able to program two phones at the same time for the handsfree feature. The price is a little steep but you do feel like you are riding in a luxury vehicle. It's bigger then the Lexus 400H and $7,000 less....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy in city, great brakes, very quiet ride

Very nice and comforatble car for moms on the go. Smart key is very convenient for everyone's busy lifestyle. Better gas mileage if you drive mainly in city. Brakes are excellent. Good car to keep for awhile as it brings many accessories that you can purchase.

Pros

Roomy, fixed some ergonomic problems in the old Highlander

Cons

Disappointed in gas mileage, which started out OK but then dropped

I had a 2005 Highlander that I liked but which I was thinking of selling so that I could get a vehicle with better gas mileage. When it was totaled in an accident, I took the opportunity to get the hybrid version of the same car since I was happy with how well the car protected us in the crash. At first, the gas mileage was pretty good for an SUV, averaging 25-26 MPG. Now, with close to 4000 miles, the fuel economy has inexplicably dropped to 20-21 MPG even when I drive in full-time econ mode, which feels underpowered and takes any pleasure out of driving the car. This is with no change in my driving habits that I can figure out, not running the air conditioner or driving with windows open. The fuel economy is somewhat better on the highway, which seems very unhybrid-like. The car has also developed a very irritating rattle in the dashboard. Overall, I have been somewhat disappointed with this car - the fuel economy is now barely better than my old non-hybrid Highlander, and it does not seem as well constructed. Some of the features, such as the Bluetooth, are nice, but I assume that those are becoming standard for new cars. The third row is also more useable than in the old car, but when the third row seat is up you can't fit anything behind it (we tried to put a Tupperware container back there the other day and couldn't close the liftgate); Toyota should really have provided a split third row. I am hoping that the MPG bounces back but am not holding my breath....read morehide

Pros

Very comfortable & roomy interior including second and third row seats

Cons

Heavy rear hatch door to close; no factory anti-theft alarm included

A good all around practical SUV for a family. It has a spacious interior with good leg and elbow room in all rows. Very smooth ride especially with the CVT transmission where you feel no gear shifting. Pick up and go is adequate unless you have the Econ mode on which keeps you within economical driving fuel limits. Once cruising on the freeway, the V6 kicks in and it drives like a regular gas model. EV (Electric Vehicle) mode has limited use since it can only be activated when Hybrid battery is fully charged and you are going less than 25 mph without sudden acceleration. I can only use it in a parking lot or bumper-to-bumper traffic with limited timeframe until the battery needs to be charged again with the gas engine.

The gas mileage I've been getting is below what the manufacture posted which I expected. I've been averaging between 23-24 mpg (mixed driving) which is still much better than any other SUV in this class. Also, keep in mind that this is a hybrid with a V6 engine and not a 4-cyl.. I've test driven the Ford Escape Hybrid with the 4-cyl. engine and I can feel the engine working hard and loud when pushed. This will not be the case with the Highlander Hybrid.

Only two complaints. First would be the heavy rear hatch door. You will not be able to close with one hand. It would have been nice to include the option of being able to open just the rear hatch window even on the base models so you don't have to open and close the rear hatch door every time you need to get something even it's small. This option is currently only available on the Sport or Limited trim. Second, a factory anti-theft alarm should have been included in the Base model for the price of the vehicle. It has the engine immobilizer, but it's not anti-theft....read morehide

Cons

Gas Mileage!?!?

I own the 2008 Limited. I purchased it new in January. It averaged 20 mpg. It is now June and shows 12 mpg. What in the world?! It has 4300 miles on it. Am I unreasonable to be this concerned?