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Toyota Highlander Hybrid

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#64 of 3943 Hybrid performance in the cold? by gkirkwood Feb 05, 2004 (12:21 pm)
Does anyone have any knowledge of how the battery performance in the hybrids may be affected by extreme cold? If we get a week of 30 below zero temperatures, will this significantly affect starting or performance of the hybrid? Is there anyway to warm up the V6 engine manually, or will it only start up when the engine computer decides it's needed? Will the car have an auxiliary electric heater (for the interior) since the V6 may not be running that much during in-town traffic?   Thanks for any insight into this. Gill
#65 of 3943 Re: Hybrid performance in the cold? by john1701a Feb 05, 2004 (12:48 pm)
> battery performance   Charge capacity is reduced.   Peak power is actually INCREASED due to the cold, since keeping the pack from overheating is a non-issue.   My Prius just laughed at the -18F temperature last week. Startup was instant and heat came surprisingly fast (the thermal retention system is partly responsible for that, something that would make any traditional vehicle jealous).     > Is there anyway to warm up the V6 engine manually, > or will it only start up when the engine computer > decides it's needed?   Since heat is also needed for the emissions system, you will never have to concern yourself about availability. The computer will always see to it that it is available.     > Will the car have an auxiliary electric heater   The Prius does. But since the system does such a good job with heat management, not much secondary heat is needed. The coolant from the engine feeds the heater-core for quite awhile, allowing the engine to remain off. But then when it does cool off, the engine just automatically restarts again.   My -13F photos last week (on my website) were proof that there's lots more heat than you need. Sitting there snapping away with the camera, I eventually need turn the heater onto the lowest setting to keep from roasting.   JOHN
#66 of 3943 2005 HL Hybrid Tax Credits or Deductions by Donluce Feb 07, 2004 (8:26 pm)
Does anyone know what tax credits or deductons can be used when buying a 2005 Highlander Hybrid?   Thanks   Don Luce
#67 of 3943 Questions Answered by jchan2 Feb 08, 2004 (6:10 am)
The Highlander Hybrid mini brochure I got from Detroit says that there will be a Highlander Hybrid model and a Highlander Hybrid Limited model. The Highlander Hybrid should be eligible for whatever the tax credit is in 2005 (it keeps going down with each model year)
#68 of 3943 Federal tax credit.... by tvwxman Feb 10, 2004 (6:35 am)
It was $2000 until this year. For the 2004 year, it was dropped to $1500, so expect it to be $1000 or so by 2005.   You'll probably get a state tax credit as well. In Georgia, it was $1000 up until this year, but has been dropped to $500 for 2004.   So with the tax credit, the $3000 premium is basically a wash, and Toyota knows it.   A lot of people I know down here think that a hybrid is strictly for tree huggers. I'm hardly one of those, but from a strictly economic sense, a hybrid SUV is perfect. With a growing family, I couldn't justify the Prius or Civic, and my long commute necessitates a comfortable ride. I'm wavering between the HL and the Lexus, and am interested to see what the pricing will be.
#69 of 3943 Re: Federal tax credit by john1701a Feb 10, 2004 (8:40 am)
It is NOT a credit.   It is actually only a DEDUCTION, which for most people translates to just a few hundred dollars.     > my long commute necessitates a comfortable ride   That's the first time I've seen anyone associate the word "comfort" with SUV. Why did you choose that particular adjective?   JOHN
#70 of 3943 Link by samnoe Feb 10, 2004 (9:00 am)
Maybe someone post it already before, but I didn't see. When you go to Toyota.com you can see pictures, info, about the HL Hybrid.
#71 of 3943 Towing capacity? by sharona1973 Feb 10, 2004 (4:04 pm)
Does anyone know what the towing capacity is for the HL hybrid? I've been trying to read up on the Ford Escape hyrbid and it only has a 1000lb towing capacity and the regular Escape has a 3500lb capacity. Does a hybrid have less towing power?   Edited to say: I didn't realize this discussion was in the beginnig of the forum! And the website does say it tows 3500lbs.   How about another question....do you think the Escape can tow more than 1000lbs as a hybrid? The escape is a lot cheaper than the HL......it's really about $30k to start? I didn't realize that HL cost that much.
#72 of 3943 Service and Repair by jludo Feb 12, 2004 (9:52 am)
I'm very interested in owning a hybrid vehicle, especially with the introduction of a hybrid SUV. That said, though, does anybody know the cost of monthly maintenance for a hybrid vehicle (i.e Prius, Civic hybrid, Insight).   Furthermore, I'm assuming any major repair, such as to the electric system, battery pack, etc would be brought back to the dealer at exorbitant costs to the consumer. Again, I'm making the assumption that run-of-the-mill auto shops would have no clue about fixing what would be "computer-based" problems.   Bottom line: is it worth the hassle and cost (more importantly) if something major happens to a hybrid vehicle?
#73 of 3943 Re: Service and Repair by john1701a Feb 12, 2004 (3:25 pm)
HSD was designed from scratch, with the intention of increasing reliability. So from an automaker's point-of-view, that means reduced warranty payments and increased sales due to higher consumer-satisfaction ratings.   The system eliminated a transmission, which is a complex (and expensive) component that commonly requires major repair or replacement late in the vehicle's life. There are no gears and there is no torque-converter. Instead, there is just a permanently engaged power-split device. A simple component like a differential, which almost always lasts the entire lifetime of the vehicle.   Fluid has been eliminated from the steering system. So there's nothing to ever check or change.   The engine is has 2 fewer pistons, which obviously eliminates parts (and cost). And it doesn't get used as often, never runs as hot, has a much lower redline, and has much less stressful starts than a traditional engine. So it should last longer.   The AC motors are brushless, so they never need any maintenance. The battery-pack is designed to last the life of the vehicle, so that shouldn't ever need any maintenance either.   There is an extra fluid to change, the coolant for the inverter, but the process to do that is similar to anti-freeze. So that's not a big deal.   Brakes don't get used as often, since the regenerator-motor handles most of the decleration needs. So the shoes & pads should last longer than normal too.   Computers have been in traditional vehicles for years. So reliability to the one in HSD should be similar, they almost never need servicing.   Realistically, that's it. The HSD system should actually cost less to maintain. So if anything, consider costs a wash, no more than a traditional vehicle.   JOHN

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