Toyota's hybrid SUV short on quality

[pkd87]

MARK PHELAN: Toyota's hybrid SUV short on quality

BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

August 11, 2005

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"Oh yeah. They're all like that."

That's how a Toyota spokesman responded when I pointed out loose, poorly fitted pieces in the company's high-profile, high-tech and high-priced Highlander gas-electric hybrid SUV.

phelan_inset.jpg
Toyota
The 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid is the top model in the Highlander line. The vehicle has a base price of $33,030.
That's not an acceptable answer, as anyone who went through this song and dance with an '80s Chevrolet or Chrysler can tell you. Expecting poor quality does not excuse it.

The poorly fitted pieces and some subpar materials are unrelated to how the Highlander's hybrid gas-electric system works, of course. It works fine, although, like most hybrids, it doesn't approach the mileage on its window sticker. The costly and complicated hybrid system makes this the top model in the Highlander line -- base price $34,430; $36,399 with the options on the model I tested. Its buyers should not expect or accept pieces of trim so poorly fitted together that you can see daylight between them. All prices exclude destination charges.

BEHIND THE WHEEL
2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid

Gasoline-electric all-wheel-drive seven-seat SUV

Rating: ** (out of four stars)

Reasons to buy: Power, fuel economy

Shortcomings: Interior materials and quality, price

SPECS
2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid 4WD-I V6

Vehicle type: All-wheel-drive gasoline-electric hybrid seven-seat SUV

Base price: $34,430 (excluding destination charges)

As tested: $36,399

Standard equipment: Five-spoke alloy wheels, full-size spare tire, ABS with brake assist and electronic brake distribution, stability control, traction control, front seat-mounted air bags, curtain air bags for front and second-row seats, front seatbelt pretensioners with force limiters, heated power mirrors, chrome grille and license plate garnish, LED tail lights, rear privacy glass, air conditioner with filtration, cloth power driver's seat, 60/40 split flat-folding second row seat, fold-flat reclining third row seat, power windows and locks, cruise control, remote keyless access, tonneau cover, tilt steering wheel, auto-off headlights.

Options: Fog lamps, color-keyed rear spoiler, urethane steering wheel with audio controls, eight-speaker JBL AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo, power sunroof, floor and cargo mats.

Specifications as tested

Engine: 3.3-liter DOHC variable-timing 24-valve V6 and three 650V AC permanent magnet electric motors

Power: 268 horsepower total system output, 247 pound-feet of torque at 0-1,500 r.p.m.

Transmission: Electronically controlled continuously variable

Fuel economy: 31 m.p.g. city/27 m.p.g. highway

Wheelbase: 106.9 inches

Length: 185.4 inches

Width: 71.9 inches

Height: 68.7 inches

Curb weight: 4,245 pounds

Where assembled: Kyushu, Japan

Comparative base prices
(not including destination charges)
(Four-wheel-drive models)

Chevrolet TrailBlazer LS $28,950

Ford Escape hybrid $28,525

Honda Pilot LX $27,550

But that's what I found: plastic trim pieces with yawning gaps where they met the headliner near the Highlander's windshield. And trim so loose that the whole piece threatened to come off in your hand.

A Toyota spokesman said the pieces have to be loose because they cover the curtain air bags stowed in the Highlander's roof and along its A-pillars, the uprights that frame the windshield.

However, as a materials expert I consulted pointed out, the solution is use a slightly more expensive, clingy material that hugs the A-pillars but still allows the air bags to deploy.

That's what Toyota does in the pricier Lexus RX 400h hybrid SUV, which shares its basic structure and most of its systems with the Highlander. It's even what Chevrolet does in its Cobalt compact car, which can be ordered with curtain air bags for less than $14,000. Furthermore, not all Highlanders are like that. I checked several at Detroit-area Toyota dealerships and there were no visible gaps between plastic and headliner, although the pieces were still loose to the touch.

That defect, combined with a barely useable third-row seat and mediocre cloth upholstery are all less than a buyer should expect in a pricey vehicle.

The third-row seat shows how quickly and dramatically interior design has progressed. The Highlander's rear seats don't offer much legroom, but they were competitive when the SUV debuted. The more recent arrival of roomier vehicles like the Ford Freestyle prove that the third row can be more useful.

Like the plastic trim, the cloth upholstery strikes me as an area where Toyota scrimped on materials to offset the cost of the hybrid system. There's nothing obviously wrong with the nubby material. It would make an excellent bath mat, but gasoline Highlanders priced hundreds of dollars lower than the hybrid feature leather.

The hybrid system functioned smoothly, although my fuel economy of 20.6 m.p.g. over the about 400 miles of mixed city and highway driving fell far short of the 31 m.p.g. city and 27 m.p.g. highway mileage the Highlander achieved in EPA tests. But then most hybrids' real-world fuel economy falls well short of EPA projections.

My fuel economy was probably four or five miles a gallon better than I would have gotten in a conventional Highlander powered solely by Toyota's 3.3-liter V6 engine.

That is a significant improvement, even if it's nowhere close to the mileage the window sticker promises. However, Toyota expects the Highlander hybrid's improved acceleration to be a major selling point alongside fuel economy and reduced emissions.

The hybrid did accelerate far better than a conventional V6 Highlander. That's because the electric motor adds power to the V6's output when you hit the gas pedal. The Highlander hybrid's engine and electric motor combine to produce 268 horsepower. That's exactly the same as the Mercedes-Benz ML350's V6, but 23 horsepower less than the Chevrolet TrailBlazer's. Those SUVs achieved EPA fuel economy ratings of 16 city/20 highway and 16/21, respectively.

The Highlander relies on a number of other systems in addition to the electric motor to reduce fuel consumption. These include a continuously variable transmission and electric power steering.

The CVT performed very well, operating smoothly and unobtrusively, but the electric power steering could use some fine-tuning to duplicate the feel of a conventional system.

The Highlander's brakes are excellent, with good pedal feel and plenty of stopping power.

All in all, while the Highlander hybrid does offer good performance and some fuel savings, those benefits are not great enough to outpace competitive SUVs like the TrailBlazer, Nissan Pathfinder and the Ford Escape hybrid or overcome the fit and finish defects in the one I tested.

Highlanders are not "all like that," but one is too many.

Link: http://www.freep.com/money/autorevie...e_20050811.htm

[Innotech]

and slowly, the Toyota empire begins to unravel and fall apart....

[saturnsteve]

I love it, now maybe everyone will see that they are not everything that they are cracked up to be!

[blueengnr]

I know its been said before but somehow I dont know how effective some Hybrids are. Plus when no one seems to get the mileage advertised, are they really worth the extra cost?

[Pro GM and Ford]

Highlander final assembly is in Japan. Unthinkable!

[Pro GM and Ford]

Originally Posted by saturnsteve

I love it, now maybe everyone will see that they are not everything that they are cracked up to be!

No, actually, the dash seems to be MORE "cracked up" than we thought!

[GM-10]

I think I'd like to print this and mail it to the Chairmain of Toyota. I would like to tell him to fix his company's own problems before offering anymore two-faced pricing help to GM.

[GreenGreySS]

Not really on topic here, but I read somewhere that with the air conditioning on, there is a significant decrease in fuel economy on hybrid vehicles. I believe it was a free press article written about the Toyota Prius or either the Honda Accord. Anyone else here or know of this?

[slant6]

When the EPA fuel economy tests are run, all accessories, such as A/C are turned off. If the author drove around with the A/C on, that most likely affected his mileage--especially in these hot summer days in Detroit.

[johnny smallblock]

Originally Posted by pkd87

The Highlander relies on a number of other systems in addition to the electric motor to reduce fuel consumption. These include a continuously variable transmission and electric power steering.

So if Toyota has to use all these other tricks and they're still only getting a 5mpg improvement, what the heck is the "hybrid" part doing?

[HEVguy]

Originally Posted by GreenGreySS

Not really on topic here, but I read somewhere that with the air conditioning on, there is a significant decrease in fuel economy on hybrid vehicles. I believe it was a free press article written about the Toyota Prius or either the Honda Accord. Anyone else here or know of this?

Yes, the AC operation does significantly reduce fuel economy numbers, in the double digits! And no, the EPA fuel economy numbers (for city/highway) do not include the affect of AC operation.

It is nice (as a GM fan) to see a [very] negative article about a Toy, but it seems so negative, I find myself questioning the bias. I would be hypocritical to just laugh and say, HA, Toyota sucks!! When I defend the GM products from the bias media reviews. Having said that, I am not going to go into any details to try to defend Toy on this account. The article just seems a little too biased against the Toy, but also makes some good points and comparisons with the non-hybrid competition.

[goblue1999]

This guy obviously didn't get the memo. Toyota is immune from criticism. Toyota is America's saviour. This is blasphemous.

[TiburonJT]

Originally Posted by GreenGreySS

Not really on topic here, but I read somewhere that with the air conditioning on, there is a significant decrease in fuel economy on hybrid vehicles. I believe it was a free press article written about the Toyota Prius or either the Honda Accord. Anyone else here or know of this?

There was an article, I believe in the Detroit Free Press in which 3 hybrids, the Accord, Escape, and Prius were driven w/ the A/C and defroster on. The mpg of all three dropped significantly. IIRC the Escape and Accord mileage dropped to the low 20s.

[usa1]

I remember the articles that harped on the domestics over the last 20 years for nit picky things like this. It's good to see that Toyota is getting the same treatment from some reviewers.

It will take years of reviews like this to slow Toyota.

Mark

[asim]

Originally Posted by saturnsteve

I love it, now maybe everyone will see that they are not everything that they are cracked up to be!

just if all of america knew about it...