Indeed. These are the rear seat controls for the Highlander. No reason why the RX shouldn't have something similar.

 

Avalon, Highlander both have then while the ES does not and neither does the RX

 

Looks great! It's amazing how deals and demand vary from region to region. The current Highlander is heavily discounted here in L.A.
Enjoy your new vehicle!

 

For some reason, 2017 Highlander has now been delayed and won't start production until November. Congrats on your new HL Hybrid - beautiful!

 

Thanks, we really like it!

As for deals, here in the PNW they are rare, at least in what I found. One dealership was offering $500 off MSRP. After lots and lots of negotiations with another dealer, I was able to score a bit more off the MSRP of $51,935. There were no rebates offered by Toyota, unfortunately.

Thank you! Now I don't feel so bad not waiting for the 17s, knowing it'll be an even longer wait.

 

These shots make the interior look cavernous! Looks almost as big as my 1st gen Sequoia lol.

 

They did a great job packaging the interior. It's only something like 4 inches longer than my RX was, but the interior is definitely a lot bigger. There is a tremendous amount of leg room in the second row with those seats pushed back, which is how we will normally have it configured as the third row will normally be stowed and only used when transporting additional people.

One of my hang ups with 3 row SUVs is that you can't access the third row when you have car seats in the second row. The car seats won't allow the seat to fold/slide out of the way to provide access. By having the captain's chairs with a pass through between them, it's not too difficult to just step in, go between the seats, and get situated in the third row.

 

How do you like driving it so far?

Overall, I think the Highlander is one of Toyota's best efforts with the combination of ride, handling, power and steering, though I haven't driven the hybrid.

 

If gas stays low, it'll be interesting to see what happens with sales of the hybrid in 2017 since the new start/stop DI gas engine and 8-speed transmission is supposed to increase fuel economy, further closing the gap between the two. The AWD RX 350 is rated at 19 city, 26 highway. I have no idea how much start/stop adds to city MPG. Apparently, the EPA assumes that 50% of people will not use the start/stop feature when they do their estimates. So, literally, YMMV.

 

So far we really like it.

It drives a lot like my RX did (no surprise there) but I think the ride benefits from a slightly longer wheelbase, as it feels just a bit more stable and less floaty. I assume the extra weight from the batteries and such is low enough to lower the center of gravity, which may also have something to do with this.

My biggest surprise has been the hybrid system. As I said further up the thread, I have never driven a hybrid I really enjoyed, but this one is different. Maybe just because it's tied in with a V6 rather than a 4, but overall I find it incredibly smooth. You have to pay very close attention to be able to tell when the engine has turned on or off. I rely heavily on the dash light and the displays to know what's going on. It's a very seamless drivetrain and we're getting great mileage with ease. There are no weird noises or rubber band feeling from the CVT either.

So far, at just under 500 miles in, we're very pleased! This weekend will take us on a 200 mile trip down to Portland, Oregon, so we'll get a lot more seat time in it.

 

Frankly, they sell so few hybrid Highlanders that I am not sure it'll impact it much. It's only something in the ballpark of 1-2% of Highlander sales that are hybrids.

We saw the gas mileage as somewhat secondary in our decision, which is fairly appropriate as the Highlander Hybrid comes at a very steep premium over the gas only version. However, when you compare lease deals, the premium shrinks to something we were more than comfortable with. In leasing, the premium was about $1500. We expect, at current gas prices, to reduce our fuel bill by about $500 per year versus our RX. Over a 3 year lease it becomes a wash. We just enjoyed the driving experience of the hybrid, the ability to go into an electric only mode, and the much longer range per tank, resulting in fewer fuel stops. So even if my calculations are wrong and we don't break even, we're completely okay with that.

One thing I am unsure of is the engine changes to the hybrid model on the 17s. I've read that it will get the 2GR-FXS engine from the new RX450h (Atkinson Cycle with D-4S), but I've also read that it won't. The RX hybrid is listed at 31/30 mpg, so slightly higher than the Highlander.

 

It looks like Toyota is trying to increase that percentage by adding the LE and XLE to the hybrid trims. I'll be interested to see what kind of buyer is willing to pay a premium for a hybrid but sticks with the LE trim level.

 

I do think that will help. It is pretty silly that you haven't been able to get the hybrid in a lower trim level. For us it didn't matter, since my wife would have purchased the gas only version before she would have let us leave without the panoramic sunroof, which only comes on the Limited Platinum.

 

This is off topic, I know, but I wanted to comment on driving hybrids.

I am very happy with my ES Hybrid, which uses the Camry Hybrid's 2.5-litre 4-cylinder hybrid system. I find it extremely smooth and refined, and can only tell if the engine turns on or off if the car is stopped; I am not sure if any passengers can tell.

I had a ES 350 (with the normal V6) loaner a few months ago and was surprised how rough it felt compared to my Hybrid with the 4-cyl engine.

 

Good comments, thanks for sharing. I haven't driven an ES hybrid or Camry hybrid, but given how smooth the Camry 2.5 is, what you say doesn't surprise me. Glad you're enjoying your ride.