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A Week with the Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Stephanie Elie • 1 Comment

You had me with the push-button start…
Last week we had the chance to test drive the 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

As most of you probably know I’m participating in the Toyota TWIN program, as a result I was given the opportunity to test drive the Toyota Highlander Hybrid for an entire week! I have to tell you this car made my hour commute to and from work so lovely I could have driven 2 hours each way!
The Hubs and I are currently car shopping and have going back and forth on what type of vehicle we were going to invest in this time around. I’ve always had the idea of getting a mid-size SUV while he was thinking we should get another sedan.

But I think after a week with the Highlander I have him hooked. There are so many things I love about this SUV.

  1. The Push-Button Start- I love that I can just plant my keys in my purse and the car automatically unlocks when I approach the car. Not only does this make things easier but also safer, you don’t have to dig in your purse after a late night working or shopping making yourself vulnerable to possible predators.
  2. The Third Row Seat – When we first looked at the Highlander Hybrid I was disappointed that you had to give up your 3rd row seat in order to get the Hybrid, but now you can have both. Not that I really need the third row but I can see it being useful on long car rides when the kids are tired of sitting so close to each other.
  3. The Hybrid – While I’m sure it will take a little more investigating on our part I’m still very interested in purchasing a Hybrid, especially no since I’m commuting further than I used to. Not to mention it seems to save on gas. My current car is near empty by the end of the week, but the Highlander did so much better.
  4. The Amount of Space – I love how much more room the Highland has compared to my smaller SUV. The front seats are nice and comfortable and the back seats had plenty of room for the kids. You could even convert the first row of backseats so it can seat 3 people instead of the standard 2.
  5. The Power – This is no slow poke, I always assumed that Hybrids were a bit slower and didn’t have as much power as a standard gas vehicle. But I was so wrong; when the Highlander needed to move it did and it did it fast.
  6. The Back-up Camera – While I never really independently depended on the back up camera it is really helpful to have to avoid any obstacles that may jump in the way while you’re backing up.
      7. Also if you saw my post a few weeks ago – the Toyota Highlander won first place in the Hybrid SUV category in U.S. News Best Cars: 2012 Best Card for Families Awards.

      Next week the kids will be with their grandparents for a few days so the Hubs and I are going to do some more car browser and see if what we can find. However, I have a feeling it’s going to be a little hard to be subjective when we already know what we want.

      To learn more about the Toyota Highlander visit Toyota @ http://www.toyota.com/highlander/trims-prices.html.

      Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program withClever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the
      views of the Toyota.

Filed Under: Life

One Response to A Week with the Toyota Highlander Hybrid

  1. alad says:
    June 10, 2012 at 1:28 am

    Like any other small Utility Vehicle, the Highlander SUV from Toyota Motors packs in a lot of status, and therefore it is a more comfortable vehicle for people with gargantuan families or more than 3 children.