The New York Times-20080127-A One-Two Punch To the Midmarket
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A One-Two Punch To the Midmarket
Full Text (1695 words)WE knew the police would not approve. But the quest for knowledgeexcuses all sorts of moronic misbehavior.
The Toyota Highlander V-6 and Highlander Hybrid were about to engage in a drag race. The road, deep in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, was straight, empty and dry. If there were witnesses, they were critters.
I was driving the 270-horsepower V-6. Cheryl, my wife (who is also a contributor to these pages), was driving the Hybrid, which has a 209-horsepower 3.3-liter V-6 bolstered by electric motors, bringing its maximum output to 270 horsepower.
Using our two-way radios, I counted down. At zero, off we went -- to 30, 40, 50, 60 miles an hour.
The Hybrid didn't gain on me, but neither could I escape it.
We tried again, with the same result.
Imagine that: power along with moral superiority, so often an elusive combination.
The Hybrid's acceleration was one of several surprises I received while driving the redesigned 2008 Highlanders around northern New Hampshire. Some of those surprises were good and some not so much.
These are second-generation Highlanders. The original arrived in 2001, with the Hybrid variant appearing in 2005. Unlike Toyota's truck-based 4Runner S.U.V., the Highlander relies on car components, many of them purloined from the Camry and Avalon sedans.
Prices of two-wheel-drive models begin at $27,985; the Sport is $30,635; and the Limited is $33,385. Add $1,450 for all-wheel drive.
The Hybrid comes in two versions, both of them with all-wheel drive. The least expensive is $34,385 and the fancier Limited is $40,635.
That makes the base Hybrid about $2,300 more than the most comparable regular model, the all-wheel-drive Sport. But, that is an imperfect comparison. A third row is standard on the regular Highlanders.
The base Hybrid does not come with a standard third row. It is available only as part of a $2,800 package. So suddenly the Hybrid is about $5,100 more -- if one needs the third row. A third row is standard on the Hybrid Limited.
Once a big part of the Hybrid's higher cost could have been eased with a $2,600 tax credit available under the 2005 Energy Act. But Congress phased out the credit for automakers that have sold 60,000 hybrids, penalizing Toyota and Honda, which have offered more hybrids than the domestic automakers. Now there are no tax credits for any Toyota hybrid, and those for Honda are reduced. This follows the governmental theme that no good deed goes unpunished if it involves a foreign automaker.
I tried the entry-level Hybrid, which had options including the $2,800 popular package that included goodies ranging from a third-row seat and eight-way power driver's seat to 19-inch alloy wheels. When it was all tallied, the price was $38,413.
At the same time, I had a Highlander Sport with all-wheel drive. It had a base price of $32,085, but options like a navigation system and fancier stereo ($2,530); dual-zone climate controls ($375) and a sunroof ($850) brought the total to $37,708.
The Highlander is almost 4 inches longer and 3 inches wider than the previous model, resulting in a little more legroom for the first and second rows. The third row is about the same as before. The second row slides fore and aft 4.7 inches. That means four 6-foot adults could be carried without serious complaint, assuming the passengers in the third row are small children or imaginary.
Cargo capacity behind the second row has increased 2.6 cubic feet, to 42.3 cubic feet. The space behind the third row (10.3 cubic feet) is basically unchanged. That's enough for four or five bags of groceries or a few small soft-sided bags.
That third row on the test vehicles could be easily stowed or raised by the inelegant but effective method of tugging on a strap. But the third seat is not split into two sections, which removes the option of carrying one passenger and a bit more luggage. People or stuff: make your choice.
Toyota says the seats are bigger, designed for larger folks. They are comfortable and have enough thigh support for even a six-footer.
But visually they are distressing. Both Highlanders were covered with the same kind of cheap-looking cloth the domestic automakers were once mocked for using. Up front, the major controls have a functional simplicity. Plus, there is a reasonable amount of storage. But despite the $38,000 price tag of the Highlander Hybrid, it lacks dual temperature controls up front and the front passenger seat lacks power controls. The money on this one didn't go into amenities; it went into technology.
Smart people want all the safety gear they can get, and all Highlanders come with the important stuff. That includes antilock brakes; electronic stability control (for skids); air curtains to cover the side windows and provide head protection in a side-impact crash; seat-mounted air bags in front for chest protection in a side-impact crash; brake assist (designed to assure maximum braking in an emergency); and active head restraints for the front seats (to reduce the chance of neck injuries in a rear-impact crash).
In addition, all Highlanders except the base model come standard with a rearview camera that turns on when the transmission is put in reverse.
The Highlander looks like an S.U.V., but when under way the carlike underpinnings make themselves felt. The Highlanders handle like tall, thoughtfully engineered station wagons. Ask them to change direction, and they do it without the trucky reluctance one often encounters in real S.U.V.'s.
The Sport's springs and shock absorbers are calibrated differently for better handling, and it feels lighter and more responsive. There is also the sense of the Hybrid's being more hefty. Well, duh. The Hybrid's 4,508-pound curb weight is indeed about 200 pounds more than the Sport.
The emphasis is on a comfortable ride, even with the Sport model, and the suspension does a fine job of reducing the impacts from a rough surface.
Unfortunately, that theme of isolation is carried over to the electric power steering. It comes up short on feel, which is the sense of having a good connection with the vehicle.
Yet the one thing I really disliked about the Hybrid was the brakes. When applying them gently, it felt as though not much was happening. Then, pushing a tiny bit more, the Hybrid would suddenly slow far more than expected.
Wade Hoyt, a Toyota spokesman, acknowledged that there was a kind of two-phase effect with the Hybrid. He said that under light braking only the regenerative braking took place. That means an electric motor is turned into a generator and is used to recharge the batteries, also helping to slow the vehicle. With a little more pressure the regular hydraulic brakes are activated. If one hits the brakes hard initially, the system instantly uses the hydraulic brakes for maximum stopping.
Mr. Hoyt said that most drivers would not notice the two-phase braking and that one benefit was less brake wear.
There was also one other odd experience with the Hybrid. Going down a steep, extremely slick, snow-covered driveway at about 2 to 3 m.p.h., the front tires began to slide. The antilock brakes did not activate; nor did the electronic stability control. Cheryl pumped the brakes and kept the Hybrid from sliding out of control.
Such oddities aside, there was a lot to like about the Hybrid's performance.
From our little drag race it was clear the Hybrid was quick. It kept up with the regular Highlander, which Consumer Reports magazine found could go from zero to 60 m.p.h. in just eight seconds, a bit faster than the Ford Taurus X and Buick Enclave.
The Hybrid moves along with the help of two powerful electric motors. One works with the front wheels, and the other moves the rear wheels. As with other hybrids, the batteries recharge when the car coasts or brakes.
If one combines patience with a gentle accelerator touch, it is possible to get the Hybrid to move on electric power alone. On a flat road I traveled almost two miles at 25 m.p.h. Then, as the car started to climb a hill, the V-6 sensed the strain and started automatically.
Toyota recommends regular fuel (87 octane) for either Highlander. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the Highlander will get 17 m.p.g. in town and 23 on the highway (slightly less than the front-wheel-drive car) under the agency's revised standards, which are supposed to be more realistic.
In comparison, the Hybrid is rated 27 m.p.g. in town and 25 m.p.g. on the highway. With the new Highlander, Toyota has discontinued its 4-cylinder engine. The company says its engineers feared the smaller engine would have a hard time coping with the vehicle's increased size and weight. (A 4-cylinder engine is available on the smaller RAV4.)
One would think that the more expensive and complex Hybrid powertrain would be smoother, but that was not the case. There were far more vibrations from the Hybrid, many of which could be felt in the steering wheel. Under hard acceleration the Hybrid powertrain was also noisier than the 3.5 liter V-6, which was wonderfully well behaved.
That engine comes with a five-speed automatic, while the Hybrid uses a continuously variable transmission without discrete gears. Both worked well. The five-speed can be shifted manually.
Yukihiro Okane, the Highlander's chief engineer, has described the Highlander as being the quiet and confident one, which goes about its business with little fanfare.
That is correct. The Highlanders are not exciting to drive; they are not even all that interesting to drive. But they are not supposed to be sports cars. They are well-rounded, comfortable and competent, and they are bastions of safety.
And, while Toyota has been dinged recently for a few quality problems, the fact is that the Highlanders, which are currently made only in Japan, are likely to be extremely reliable. For a lot of people, they should be just about perfect.
INSIDE TRACK: Virtue without excitement.
[Illustration]PHOTOS: COMFORT: Emphasis is on a soft, quiet ride. CHOICES: The new Highlander comes with a gasoline V-6 or as a hybrid. (pg. AU1)CHART: 5 UTILITY WAGONS WITH 3 ROWS AND ROOM FOR 7 (pg. AU14)