Toyota Highlander News
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"We have not yet fully accepted the fact that we need a new car. Some call it denial. But we do need one." That's how our friend Gordon Platt began a note asking our advice on what cars he should consider as he sets out to replace the family's aging 2003 Toyota Sienna minivan. "What are your suggestions for a car with a lot of space (need not be a mini van), good mileage (ideally, "greenish") and relatively affordable?" The first step was to ask Gordon a few standard questions about how the family really uses their car, plus any likes or dislikes. Our questions are in bold, his responses are...
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How Much Gasoline Can You Save With A Hybrid Or Plug-In Car?As of the middle of April, gasoline is approaching $4.00 per gallon across the United States and oil is surging past $110 per barrel. More and more energy observers are talking about "$5 per gallon fuel" here in the U.S. So how do you minimize your gasoline costs and maximize your mileage? What...
George Parrott -
2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Engine Stalling Investigated
While Toyota clearly hopes the worst of its recall problems are behind it, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a new investigation into an older Toyota vehicle. On February 15, the NHTSA opened an investigation into 32 complaints of engine stalling in 2006 Toyota...
John Voelcker -
2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: New Styling, Higher Mileage
The 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has been restyled and made more powerful as part of a comprehensive freshening of the Toyota Highlander line, last fully redesigned for the 2008 model year. Along with more prosaic gasoline-powered Highlanders, the front-end styling has been updated. The hood and...
John Voelcker -
Only One Hybrid Car Pays Back Its Owners; Know Which One?
One of the criticisms of hybrid cars has historically been that there's no payback, especially given the cheap gasoline prices in the U.S. The extra money you spend on a hybrid isn't returned in gas savings, say critics. Well, that may be true, especially when regular gasoline is averaging $2.77 a...
John Voelcker -
Roundup: Hybrid SUVs and Crossovers from Ford, Toyota, Chevy
Our reader Celeste wrote to ask us about available hybrid SUVs and crossovers, and we thought our answer might be useful for the site. At the moment, there are three main hybrid SUVs sold in the U.S. Each of them also has variations sold under other brands. All are likely to be durable, as their...
John Voelcker -
While the auto industry in general offers an average incentive of more than $1,000 off the sticker price of any new vehicle, many buyers somehow assume this doesn't apply to hybrids. Oh, but it does. You can get money off pretty much any hybrid out there at the moment, since gasoline prices are far from the heights they reached in 2008. Back then, you'd pay list price and more--if you were lucky enough to find a dealer who wasn't outright gouging. Top 10 hybrid discounts Using actual pricing data provided by our partner TrueCar on thousands of January and February sales, our colleague Bengt...
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Toyota Promises Affordable Fuel Cell Vehicle By 2015
Several automakers believe that fuel cell powered vehicles will become a viable solution for mass production in the distant future. In particular, Honda and General Motors have both displayed progress in development and real world testing of fuel cell powered vehicles. Toyota has also...
Eric Loveday -
Green Car Sales: Winners and Losers of 2009
It's beginning to look as if the worst is over for U.S. auto sales. The year that just closed was, in the immortal words of Queen Elizabeth II, an annus horribilis, with only 10.4 million vehicles sold, down 21 percent on 2008 and the lowest total since 1982. But some light seems to be appearing on...
John Voelcker -
Prius Patent Problems? Trade Panel to Investigate Infringement Claim
A U.S. trade panel has agreed to investigate claims that Toyota infringed privately held patents in designing its hybrid electric vehicles. Toyota is widely acknowledged to be the industry leader in hybrids, having sold more than 2 million globally since 1997. If the allegations are upheld by the...
John Voelcker -
2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: The Only Hybrid That Seats Seven
If you need seven seats and want a hybrid, there's only a single choice: the 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
John Voelcker
