jimruh Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 Bought a Highlander hybrid 9/12/05, am getting 20 mpg city, 23-24 mpg hiway, far below what I was led to expect. Would not recommend this vehicle to anyone based on misleading advertising re fuel economy. Not getting any response to complaint to dealership yet. Anyone else with experiences in this regard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 Bought a Highlander hybrid 9/12/05, am getting 20 mpg city, 23-24 mpg hiway, far below what I was led to expect. Would not recommend this vehicle to anyone based on misleading advertising re fuel economy. Not getting any response to complaint to dealership yet. Anyone else with experiences in this regard? ← It's way too soon to complain about gas mileage. The car won't even be properly broken in until close to 5,000 miles, and mileage could vary significantly until then. Other things affect fuel economy too, like driving habits. If you have a tendency to do a lot of sudden acceleration, your gas engine will be on constantly, producing lower gas mileage figures. If you drive the car a little differently, with more attention paid to preventing the gas engine from turning on, you'll get much better economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidgits Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 yeah, as Leigh says, with a hybrid, you need to have a feather touch on the throttle, and give it some time... although - freeway miles will always suffer, as the petrol engine will be in constant use.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best Posted December 8, 2005 Share Posted December 8, 2005 Bought a Highlander hybrid 9/12/05, am getting 20 mpg city, 23-24 mpg hiway, far below what I was led to expect. Would not recommend this vehicle to anyone based on misleading advertising re fuel economy. Not getting any response to complaint to dealership yet. Anyone else with experiences in this regard? I'm getting worse mileage than you (17 city- don't drive much on highway) Dealer said car was still new (3000 miles) and should do better with time, also said milage is negatively effected by cold. Sounds like false advertising claims to me. I have been driving to improve fuel economy with limited results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted December 8, 2005 Share Posted December 8, 2005 I'm getting worse mileage than you (17 city- don't drive much on highway) Dealer said car was still new (3000 miles) and should do better with time, also said milage is negatively effected by cold. Sounds like false advertising claims to me. I have been driving to improve fuel economy with limited results. Ouch...17 city. However, unfortunately, it's definitely still new, but you should be getting progressively better mileage soon. What have you been doing to improve fuel economy? Mileage is adversely affected by cold because people have a tendency to have more accessories running when it's cold...heater will always be on, seat heaters will be on, you may let the car warm up longer before driving, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelaw Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 I have assembled a lot of engines in my day. One trick we used to do when cranking up an engine for the first time was to use--I kid you not--CORN OIL for assembly lube. This let the rings break in quicker (we would change the oil fairly quickly afterwards). Your rings have not yet settled in. It's going to be about 1500 miles before they do. Your mileage will increase after they do. How much? Yo no se. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrouse Posted December 14, 2005 Share Posted December 14, 2005 (edited) I'm almost at 2000 miles and I'm averaging about 24-26 MPG (combo of city and highway). While it is less than what was claimed, I'm happy since I'm driving a big, honking, 4-wheel drive, 6 cyl SUV and i'm getting the same gas milage I got in my little crappy Honda Accord. Also, I have to say that the worst gas milage I've averaged so far was the time I had to get premium gas in the car (the station was out of regular) that time I only got 20 mpg. when I went back to regular, it went back up to 24. weird huh? Edited December 14, 2005 by rrouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexus Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 there is a break in period you should get better mileage then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyfan Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Just because its a hybrid doesn't mean you will get fantastic mileage. let it break in, don't use 10% ethanol and avoid taking advantage of the enormous low end power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Did you check out this post from the past: http://us.toyotaownersclub.com//index.php?showtopic=422 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipsqueak Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 I have assembled a lot of engines in my day. One trick we used to do when cranking up an engine for the first time was to use--I kid you not--CORN OIL for assembly lube. This let the rings break in quicker (we would change the oil fairly quickly afterwards). Your rings have not yet settled in. It's going to be about 1500 miles before they do. Your mileage will increase after they do. How much? Yo no se. Just a quick note on break ins. You may have noticed another post of mine regarding Amsoil full synthetic oil. If this engine needs break in time DO NOT use Amsoil. It will never break in. I mentioned that one of my previous cars had 380,000 miles on it with no oil changes (running the Amsoil aircraft bypass filter) and the engine comression tested at about 30-35k miles of wear. The corn oil idea is very interesting. Do you let the corn oil reside in the sump for the full 1500 miles? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipsqueak Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 I'm almost at 2000 miles and I'm averaging about 24-26 MPG (combo of city and highway). While it is less than what was claimed, I'm happy since I'm driving a big, honking, 4-wheel drive, 6 cyl SUV and i'm getting the same gas milage I got in my little crappy Honda Accord. Also, I have to say that the worst gas milage I've averaged so far was the time I had to get premium gas in the car (the station was out of regular) that time I only got 20 mpg. when I went back to regular, it went back up to 24. weird huh? :o If this is true then I am really not that impressed due to the much higher price tag of the hybrid Highlander. A comparable V6 AWD Highlander of a friend of mine is getting 28 MPG combined using a full synthetic oil in the engine, full synthetic in the trans, and rear end. Yes it is Amsoil and no I don't sell it. We have a V6 2WD and just with the full syn engine oil are getting 23 combined. We will change out the tranny oil for full syn soon. To justify the price tag of the hybrid it would have to be guaranteed or your money back 40+ combined MPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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