Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Highlander Hybrid Toyota Highlander Hybrid
3943 messages, Last post on Nov 02, 2009 at 9:19 AM
You are in the Toyota Highlander Hybrid Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
|
Replying to: stevedebi (Mar 13, 2008 11:22 am) Of course the ICE does not drive the rear wheels, there is no transfer case or drive shaft to the rear. However, that does not mean that the ICE cannot power the front wheels in reverse. How would you drive this car if the traction battery pack failed (something I hope does not happen for 200K miles or so)? Do you think Toyota would produce a vehicle without the ability for the ICE to back the car? Or even more simply, if the traction battery is below the cutoff point for use (40% charge?), the ICE would power the front wheels. |
|
|
Replying to: monte8 (Mar 14, 2008 8:28 am) If the traction battery is way low (two red bars on the energy flow display, 25%), the ICE will charge the battery and power the car simultaneously. In some situation, the ICE is so busy powering the car, it takes forever to recharge the battery. This has happened often to us on uphill climb either at low speed or high speed. Last night, we ran the charge down to two red bars and had to reverse uphill to drop off some gear. As I did the reverse, the ICE stayed on but the energy flow diagram stopped showing any trace of power flows. Identical to what it does when I shift into NEUTRAL. That means one of two things: (1) ICE is driving the front wheels in reverse. If so, why not just show it as it always does when the ICE drives the front wheels in forward motion and charging at the same time? (2) ICE is powering front wheels and battery pack is powering the rear wheels in reverse. Again, this is no different than when we are moving forward and climbing a steep grade at low speed. The ICE boosts the front, the battery pumps power to the rear. It has shown this countless times. (3) ICE is charging the battery like mad, the battery is powering ALL FOUR WHEELS like mad to go in reverse. There is no way to show this on the display without erroneously showing that the ICE is powering the front wheels. So the best approach is to show nothing. I am 90% sure that (3) is the case. Only the battery pack powers the four wheels (AWD version) in reverse. Not sure why this is such a critical topic though. I am not here to argue the point, just trying to provide observation. As long as the car will reverse nicely, I won't care if the ICE does it or the pack. Cheers!
|
|
|
Replying to: cdptrap (Mar 14, 2008 8:54 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: volkov (Mar 14, 2008 10:28 am) Coincidentally, that was precisely what we did last night. Had to back a 4+ x 12 flatbed trailer uphill to unload. We had to pull it up a steep switchback that gains about 500+ ft in 0.2 mile first, it ran on battery where it could and that depleted the battery to 25%. About 2000 lb gross for this load. We have gone as high as 2500 lb but that is max because our old trailer cannot handle more. The reverse uphill at the end was not too bad, it gains only about 3 ft for the length of the car and the trailer. I have never tried reversing it up anything steeper though because this old trailer is just long enough to make me uncomfortable. You can check the torque specification and see what it says. For a 4x8 trailer, I imagine the loaded gross will be around 1500 lb? if so, that is well within the car's spec. I will strongly suggest using good trailer tires if there are slick grass. We use GY Wrangler but whatever brands that provide toughness and strong traction will do. For the HH, AWD is absolutely essential in this case because I want powered traction on all wheels especially where we work. It is often loose gravel, dirt or tall slick grass. Good SUV or truck tires is a must. Van-type tires will just spin on tall grass and slide downhill. If your HH stock tires are van tires, best to replace them ASAP. We had to do that to ours. Hope this experience helps a bit. |
|
|
Replying to: monte8 (Mar 14, 2008 8:28 am) I think this may have been answered, but yes; the Prius cannot use the ICE to back the vehicle. It is electric only. Also, the HSD will not operate if the traction battery fails. You must have the hybrid battery or the car won't operate. This is the reason there is so much concern about how long the traction batteries will last... |
|
A reporter hopes to speak with consumers who want to buy hybrid SUVs that are having a hard time finding them at dealerships and/or are frustrated by dealers marking up the prices on the hybrids. If you are a consumer looking to purchase a hybrid SUV, please respond to ctalati edmunds.com with your daytime contact information no later than Tuesday, March 25, 2008.
|
|
|
Replying to: kyrpto (Mar 08, 2007 6:11 am) Thanks in advance. Vince |
|
|
Replying to: KarenS (Mar 21, 2008 8:26 am) I am wondering if there is a lag (say of at least a month or two) between the month that sales occur and when Edmunds calculates its TMV because the TMV has trended down since March in my area while the selection of vehicles has significantly decreased and demand has escalated. There also seems to be a conflict between Edmunds TMV data and the Kelly Blue Book "new car blue book value" which purports to reflect what people are actually paying for the vehicle. KBB says people are paying MORE than MSRP for Hi Hy Ltds, whereas Edmunds says TMV is approximately 3,500 less. I understand that Edmunds data is supposed to be more targeted (my zip code vs. nation wide), but I still find the discrepancy interesting. In my area Edmunds seems to be closer to the truth. The vehicles are hardER to come by, but dealers are not demanding or getting more than MSRP. I was able to negotiate a deal (waiting for actual vehicle) on a Ltd with Nav, Sunroof, and dual front/auto rear A/C, for $800 over invoice, which in my area worked out to about three grand under MSRP. I tried to get in under TMV, but the dealers were not having it. Anyone else care to share recent purhasing experiences?
|
|
|
Replying to: lglwizard (May 05, 2008 4:41 am) Unless you have an IRON CLAD contract you may be in for a long wait... What's to keep the dealer, what are the "penalties" for selling the vehicle to the higher bidder once it arrives...?? The dealer gets to place a hybrid order above his factory quota in a "hot" market. |
|
|
Replying to: lglwizard (May 05, 2008 4:41 am)  I paid $400 over invoice for a base with PP + a few options. Out here in the Northeast, dealers have very few HH's. I had to drive two hours to get one at this price. They were sold out in my immediate area. Within 50 miles I was able to find a few but they were holding onto MSRP. Within 100 miles there were more, but still few. My dealer had 8 total and they're the largest volume Toyota dealer in the country. 6 were Limited, two were base, and the two base sold on the same day. Base models are tough to get.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Highlander Hybrid Toyota Highlander Hybrid
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
