<p>When we were looking for a new car a few years ago I did extensive research and driving of many of the small to mid size SUV’s. I finally narrowed it down to the Highlander and Hyundai Santa Fe. I found the CRV and RAV 4 a little too small. The Santa Fe actually had more standard options than either of those two for several thousand dollars cheaper.</p>
<p>We finally bought the Santa Fe because it was about six thousand dollars cheaper than the Highlander for the same features. It is top of the line for safety - it has all the airbags as standard features. The warranty cannot be beat. We have not had any problems with it and it is really fun to drive.</p>
<p>Since we bought our Santa Fe, my sister, brother in law and good friends have purchased one. All are happy with their cars. </p>
<p>The gas mileage is not the best. We get about 19-20 for stop and go traffic and around 24-25 on the highway.</p>
<p>I have not seen the new redesigned 2007 Santa Fe.</p>
<p>I too have a Sienna (98, 114K miles, will keep until daughters graduate in 08) and am asking similar questions. I thought I wanted a Highlander hybrid, a Lexus hybrid, or a Prius. I am leaning toward the Prius, and renting a 4WD car when I drive to the mountains in winter if H’s 4WD car isn’t available, since I really don’t do that that much. My H is going to get the Lexus hybrid when his SUV dies (any day now) and I am already feeling jealous. I agree with the poster who said hybrid hybrid hybrid. I can’t imagine anyone buying anything else these days.</p>
<p>My son has a CR-V. It is the perfect car for him but I find the seats hard and not comfortable on long drives. I agree with those who say the Rav4 and Highlander are pretty different. But I share your affection for Toyotas (and their Lexus cousin). Have you looked at the Subaru Forester? I think that was the highest rated in the small SUV category.</p>
<p>Guilty of having the money (worked HARD to get to this point) for the Lexus end of Toyota- love my RX330, which is very similar to the Highlander, I believe. For different takes on the pros and cons, read Car and Driver (my husband’s a regular reader) and Consumer Reports, both should be available from the library. Then- test drive and go with the one you can live with forever. I like the car ride, height and back storage features of this SUV line; I would have had another station wagon (replaced Volvo 850 wagon) since I “haul and carry” a lot of stuff often but couldn’t find one that I liked well enough. We consider reliability important. Test drove a hybrid car at one point, but our driving habits don’t lend themselves to them- such as letting the car slow down a block away from a red light…a very well informed, honest salesman who gave us a good test ride. Sister’s family loves their small Honda hybrid. I never had need to transport enough people to have a minivan but I did check them out before this purchase 3 years ago, I presume you already decided an SUV was the way to go now. </p>
<p>Re the Lexus SUV hybrid- the gas mileage isn’t worth it, not enough savings - not like sedans. This info from reading and talking to dealer. One reason I went with the above SUV back then was the gas mileage not being as bad as with others (and I admit the car fit perfectly and had all the whistles and bells I could want…).</p>
<p>Be sure to get such things as vehicle stability control and the other latest greatest safety items- I turned a local street corner fast once and noticed the SUV compensating for my maneuver, like traction control and braking mechanisms, it’s worth it, even if you’re a sedate driver.</p>
<p>BTW, son hates my car, not considered cool by teenage males (although do I see a fair number of them around here, even though it’s a more middle class area than upscale)- I don’t have to share it!</p>
I believe Lexus purposely compromised fuel efficiency for performance on this hybrid. That’s fine in my book - I’m only pointing it out. Most hybrids fail to deliver anywhere close to the mileage they purport to. Much of its efficiency is very tied to driving conditions. I believe the government is forcing them to re-evaluate the mileage numbers for hybrids in a year or two. </p>
<p>For those wondering why not everyone would buy a hybrid - well, as the vast variations in makes and models of vehicles on the road can attest, people have different criteria in selecting the vehicles they’re interested in. Some want terrific mileage and are willing to sacrifice performance and comfort for it - for many of these the answer isn’t a hybrid SUV but rather, a small 3 cylinder economy car or better yet an efficient motorcycle for commuting or best yet, a bicycle or their feet. Others have evaluated hybrids from a cost perspective and realize that the fuel payback will be less than the added cost of a hybrid. Yet others want a performance car, a car capable of hauling many passengers, a car that’s not ugly (suc as a Prius IMO - why must they make so many hybrids so ugly - Lexus/Escape SUVs excepted), a truck, a 4-wheeler, etc.</p>
<p>I may consider a hybrid in the future, but for now I am leary of the longevity of the battery and the overall relaibility of the charging system. Perhaps if they put a 100,000 mile warranty on the complete drivetrain I would consider it.</p>
<p>I was thinking about environmental issues when I said hybrid. But perhaps your points about fuel efficiency mean that the hybrid isn’t as significant for that reason as well? And agreed, bicycle or feet or public transportation (very limited where we are) are much better, but impractical for professionals who have to travel in their daily work…</p>
<p>We traded the Sienna (a Camry van) in for a Highlander two years ago. So far it has been a very good vehicle. We liked the space of the van, but the Highlander is fine (just one kid home now). It is basically a “Camry” SUV. We have had excellent luck with Toyotas as far as dependability. I currently have a 2003 Camry with over 130,000 miles. (S got the old one- a 1997 with close to 200,000 miles)</p>
<p>When we traded in the Sienna it had close to 200,000 miles as well!</p>
<p>(Needless to say, we live and work where the bicycle and foot option is impossible. :))</p>
<p>FWIW, WashMom has been driving a Subaru Forester for the last three years. She loves it, and it has been a great snow car (as in, it’s the only one of our three-car fleet that doesn’t seem to “care” what the road conditions are). WashMom is pretty casual about things like measuring gas mileage, but the only time I drove it for long enough to go through an entire tank it got about 24 MPG on no-freeway driving. I should note that we live in a hilly area outside of Seattle and our fuel economy is always much worse than average (our brakes don’t last as long as they should, either). Our Odyssey averages 16MPG around home on no-freeway driving, but has routinely gotten 20-25 when on vacation in flatter areas, with mixed town- and freeway-driving. YMMV.</p>
I think the manufacturers recognize this justifiable concern of the new hybrid technology. Lexus, Toyota, and Ford warrant the hybrid components for 8yr/100K miles. </p>
<p>One concern could be a reduced resale value for those selling the vehicle after the warranty period or close to it since it’s unclear how much of a problem and cost these components will be at that point. I’d certainly be very leery of buying a hybrid with no warranty on these expensive to repair components.</p>
<p>Some of the other unknowns about hybrids are the real cost of replacing the battery packs (I don’t have recent info, but a couple of years ago Toyota was still being vague about this), how often the batteries would really have to be replaced, and the environmental impact of producing and disposing of all those batteries. </p>
<p>I’m thinking that hybrid technology might be ready for prime time in another five or ten years.</p>
<p>so maybe this means I can buy a non-hybrid next time and not feel guilty about it? ;)…or maybe a short-term lease of say a Boxster while I am waiting for a better hybrid :D?</p>
<p>worrywort- Please revive this thread when becomes a page x+++ one; I, and I’m sure, others want to know what you finally get, and how you like it. New cars/SUVs are fun.</p>
<p>Thanks for your interest, wis75. It most likely won’t become a reality until my eldest comes home for the summer. At that point, we’ll be one car short when each of us needs to get to work.</p>
<p>Forget the hybrid. Look hard for a 4 cylinder model. They are very uncommon but worth it. You lose a little bit of power and it’s a bit noisier than the V6 (plus you can’t get the limited package) but you get good gas mileage–low 20’s in the city. The price is also right–about $25,500 or so, which is almost $10K less than the hybrid!</p>
<p>As I said the trouble with these is finding them. There was one on the lot when we bought ours and sometimes my mom has been to the Toyota shop and reported not seeing any on the lot. I check the Highlanders I see on the roads or in the lots (the V6 ones say “V6” on the back) and have only seen a handful of fours. Shop around your city.</p>
<p>My mom is very happy with the Highlander. I’ve driven it now and then too and I like it as well. It’s on the Camry platform so it’s really car-like. It’s a 2004 model but I don’t think much has changed since.</p>
<p>I haven’t had any experience with a recent Rav4, but a close friend of mine has a 1997 model and it seems nice. He has two kids and gets both carseats in the back with room to spare. The Highlander almost rivals a minivan for cargo space, this one’s a little less but it’s also better on gas. I know it’s 4WD; this guy goes 55mph on icy interstates while others are creeping at 20. Rav4’s have historically been Corolla-based. The ride isn’t as nice as the Highlander (could be too because of age) but it’s easier to park.</p>
<p>The larger Toyota SUV’s seem pretty nice too. I actually prefer the Sequoia to the Escalade–my buddy’s dad drives a Sequoia and that thing is NICE. I also know a guy who has had two 4Runners now, he likes them that much.</p>
<p>More than two years after I started this thread, we’re just now getting serious about buying a RAV4-- yes, in spite of the recall-- fingers crossed. Somehow we got through the summer of '07 by carpooling to work. So would you buy another RAV4 knowing what you do now about the recall/coverup? If so, why? What do you like about? Anything you don’t? Do you have a 2010 model? Thanks all.</p>