When Toyota challenged me to trade in my gas-guzzling SUV for a week with their Highlander Hybrid, I was skeptical. But, little did I know how cool this car would be.
On going hybrid
My family and I took the Toyota Highlander Hybrid on a week long adventure to Seattle. We were excited to leave our SUV parked for the week — as Seattle is known for its killer, gas-consuming hills — and try out a car that was actually quite similar to what we own in both size and features, but its hybrid counterpart.
To be honest, I was skeptical. I couldn’t imagine a hybrid, of all things, being able to withstand my lead foot and my city-driving tactics. And, there was no way that it would save me that much in gas over the week, especially with all of the driving we were planning on doing during our visit.
And, of course, I was wrong. From the moment my foot hit the peddle, I could tell that everything I thought I knew about hybrids (which was next to nothing) was wrong. There was no lag. I didn’t feel like I was driving a slug. In fact, it was quite zippy, even surviving what Seattleites lovingly call the Mercer Mess, a particularly hairy bought of traffic downtown that leads to the freeways. We tackled it at rush hour, with stop-and-go traffic for nearly an hour and it was a breeze in the Highlander.
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I admit that I was pretty obsessed with watching the power gauge on the dashboard, pictured above. I didn’t realize that a hybrid actually only charges (shown in blue) when you are moving, then put on the brakes. There were also times when the car would switch from hybrid to gas power when we were sitting in traffic for a long time, giving me a fun display of what was happening as it did. It took me a couple of days to adjust to that switch — the car is so quiet when it’s in hybrid-mode that I jumped every time the engine kicked on!
Over the course of the week, which would have guzzled at least a full tank of gas in my own SUV (brand withheld to protect the environmentally unfriendly), the Toyota Highlander barely used a quarter of a tank. I kept waiting for the gas gauge to drop, but it never did, and I was so impressed… as was my wallet.
6 Things I loved about this car
Other than it’s hybrid features, here are some other things my family and I loved about the Toyota Highlander Hybrid:
1. The roomy backseat: I have to admit that the Highlander Hybrid took out my car, hands down, on space, when it came to the backseat. Both of my kids — one in a car seat and one in a booster — both had ample room, which means that I didn’t have little feet kicking my seat while I drove.
2. The easy-access third row: We put the third row into use on the Highlander Hybrid and we loved how the center console easily folded away to allow my oldest daughter to sneak into the back.
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3. The sneaky dash compartment: It sounds silly, but I really loved the long, slim, open compartment that went along the length of the dashboard in the front seat. It would be perfect for stashing papers that need to go into school with the kids or for an extra book for long school pick-ups.
4. The awesome sun roof: The entire roof seems to slide back on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which the kids loved.
5. The roomy trunk: Even with the third row up, there was a ton of space in the trunk for all of our gear and we put it to the test, multiple times, during that week!
6. The size, inside and out: While I’ve shared how much I loved the spaces inside the car and how roomy they seemed, it’s equally important to share that this car isn’t huge. They’ve maximized every spare inch on the interior, but the car itself is small-ish and sporty and very easy and smooth to drive.
Do you have a hybrid? Do you love it?
If not, would you switch your gas-guzzling SUV for one?
This car was provided for review. All sassy opinions are my own.
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