Our quest to see what hybrid Toyota Highlander was truly made of

Published on 24 July, 2021

Overview

This, I said to myself as I took in the huge frame of the Toyota Highlander 7-seater SUV, will sort out a few things about hybrids and long journeys.

The Highlander is a large three-row-of-seats family motor (much the same as the Volvo XC90 and Kia Sorento etc) that needs a large 2.5-litre petrol engine to power it as part of its hybrid system.

This, I repeated, is surely where hybrids make less sense. This is where a near four-hour journey to Newport, Co Mayo, will truly stretch the hybrid set-up and I’ll end up with ridiculously high petrol consumption.

It stood to reason, I told myself. Out on the road, away from the hybrid-friendly city streets and suburban avenues, the engine would be in constant demand to haul this giant body, two people and a fair bit of luggage across the face of the country.

Any 2.5-litre petrol, and I don’t care by whom it is built, is bound to be thirsty.

So I made a small wager with myself in predicting what the final fuel consumption figure would be. I optimistically plucked 8.5 litres per 100km.

Was I setting myself, and the car, up for a fall? Or was I being realistic? I’ll tell you in a minute.

Cars such as the Highlander boast about having seven seats but the third row is usually, with a few exceptions, for children.

Space back there in the Highlander was not bad at all as far as size of the seats was concerned – I’ve seen smaller. Getting into them wasn’t a major undertaking, though I wouldn’t like to have to do it every day.

As you would expect from a motor of its size, there was a commanding driving position and despite the car’s bulk I didn’t find the side and rear pillars too visually intrusive. However, I did flatten the third row of seats after testing them out.

There’s great up-front room and loads of stowage spaces. There are also still plenty of buttons for the major functions.

It’s not an overwhelming, thoroughly modern, slick cabin either; it’s sturdily comfortable and conservatively, but cleanly, laid out.

In other words, things have a reason for being where they are and there is a minimum of fuss.

For such a large motor this was nicely agile, though such considerations are secondary in cars such as these.

The Highlander looks well from the outside with echoes of Land Cruiser and RAV4 giving it a pleasant profile.

You would expect a car of this size and stature to be comfortable and that is exactly what we got – then again, wouldn’t you need to for the money involved (starts mid €60,000s; test car €76,000 or so)?

It’s getting on for ‘premium’ money, though the likes of the Volvo is a competitor on that money front. However, the Kia Sorento costs a good deal less – anywhere from €14,000 lower – and is an impressive machine.

So you make your choice and pay your money, but there is no gainsaying the fact that the Highlander ticks a lot of boxes.

However, is it asking too much of it to give decent consumption like a good old-fashioned diesel?

Which leads me back to where I set out. It is important to note that I drove normally and didn’t try to influence the amount of fuel being used in any way, positive or negative.

I ended up with what I found to a surprising figure: it had used 6.1 litres of petrol every 100km. That’s 46.3mpg. A modern diesel would probably have done better but maybe by a narrower margin than many, certainly I, would have anticipated. There goes another losing bet.

Now, I accept that some people would see 46.3mpg as a reason to still flog hybrids for being poor on longer journeys, but I think any reasonable observer would have to concede it is not bad at all. For some it still doesn’t clinch the argument but for me it does. I’m leaving it at that.

Would I buy a Highlander? Yes and no. Yes, because I liked the car a lot. It was extremely comfortable and the shifts/combinations between the motor and engine were so smooth that I rarely noticed.

Luggage space, even with the third row ‘in use’, is still decent, while it is exceptional with just two rows occupied.

No, I wouldn’t buy it because I think it is expensive. Extremely well built, of course, and coming with Toyota’s imprimatur, but just a shade too costly for me.

Overall, for someone looking for a family 7-seater, they have to have a look at this, but there are less expensive rivals.

All in all, it was hard not to be impressed with it. As far as I am concerned, the ‘hybrid versus long journey’ debate is well and truly over.

FACTFILE

Toyota Highlander hybrid 7-seater SUV. From €65,225, test car €76,450 (Platinum); 2.5-litre, 248hp, AWD, from 6.3l/100km, emissions from 149g/km, boot 241 litres with seven seats in use, 20ins alloys, panoramic roof, parking sensors, Toyota Safety Sense package: pedestrian day/night/cyclist detection, intersection collision mitigation (oncoming car), adaptive cruise control, lane trace assist; heated, ventilated front seats (heated rear); panoramic view monitor, head-up display, leather seats.