Towing with a Highlander Hybrid

[Ruthe]

Hi All,


We've been towing our Escape 19 with a 2009 Toyota Highlander since 2014 with no problems. It's time to get a new tow vehicle and we are looking at Highlanders. Ours has been reliable and my husband Terry thinks it's the most comfortable car he's ever driven. What do you all think about getting a hybrid? Terry is totally opposed, but gas prices are going up and I thought we should consider it. Have any of you towed with a hybrid?

[cpaharley2008]

I think it all depends on which hybrid can tow your Escape.....does it meet the 5000# capacity normally used?

[ericw]

FYI - I found this quote below on a random website and confirmed on Toyota's website that the 2022 Highlander Hybrid is 3500 lbs for towing.



"All Trim Levels, including the L, LE, XLE, XSE, Limited and Platinum, feature a 2021 Highlander towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds. When opting for one of the Highlander Hybrid models, such as the LE, XLE, Limited or Platinum, this SUV/truck can tow up to 3,500 pounds."

[ericw]

In general, hybrids struggle with towing the same weight as the "normal" vehicle. With hybrid's they generally make the engine more efficient with the tradeoff of less power. The battery in a hybrid makes up for the loss of power, but can only do so for a short time. The battery has enough power to sufficient to assist with accelerating from a stop, but would struggle to produce enough power to go up a long incline (mountain passes).


Others with more expertise than I can weigh in with the details of the Atkinson engine cycle and their tradeoffs in modern hybrids.



As others have also indicated, I would follow the manufacturer's tow ratings for their specific vehicles. If you were happy with a towing with an older, non-hybrid highlander, that does NOT automatically mean you will be happy with a new hybrid highlander. They are different and some of the differences impact towing in some situations.


However, I am a fan of the Toyota hybrid vehicles and their engineering .

[cpaharley2008]

There you have the answer, thanks Ericw for researching so quickly.....

[joanwaldron]

We don't have our Escape 21C yet, BUT we bought a Ford F150 hybrid in preparation. The hybrid doesn't give the better mileage when towing but we don't plan on towing all the time when we arrive at places. We also have the plug in in case our solar doesn't work/we don't have electricity. City driving we get better than our Nissan pathfinder. We can't speak to towing yet but it has more than enough capacity. So far we love it.

[Selkirk]

Originally Posted by ericw

FYI - I found this quote below on a random website and confirmed on Toyota's website that the 2022 Highlander Hybrid is 3500 lbs for towing.



"All Trim Levels, including the L, LE, XLE, XSE, Limited and Platinum, feature a 2021 Highlander towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds. When opting for one of the Highlander Hybrid models, such as the LE, XLE, Limited or Platinum, this SUV/truck can tow up to 3,500 pounds."

Not only is the overall tow rating of the Hybrid Highlander reduced to a level inadequate to tow any current ETI trailer, but the added weight of the electric drivetrain and batteries also drops the payload limit down from a maximum of a rather impressive 1700lbs (for the FWD version) down to only about 1300lbs for the hybrid. Frustratingly, this still exceeds my payload capacity of my Tacoma.....

[kstock11]

As mentioned earlier, the trade off of a hybrid is lower power made up for with battery power. Use up all the battery reserves and you are left with low power. On the other hand, Toyota is making their Highlanders with more efficient engines. My 2018 will get close to 25mg when not towing. (that’s compared to the23mpg I use to get with my 2012 Subaru Impreza) I make up for my “towing guilt feelings” with my 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid with 43 mpg when I’m home.
.

[Ron in BC]

A timely post.

I just ran into a neighbor that we often travel with to different lakes etc. and he's ready to trade in his old van that's carried them far and wide.

He was thinking of a Toyota Highlander hybrid towing an E17.

Looks like that wouldn't be a great option.

Ron

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by kstock11

As mentioned earlier, the trade off of a hybrid is lower power made up for with battery power. Use up all the battery reserves and you are left with low power. On the other hand, Toyota is making their Highlanders with more efficient engines. My 2018 will get close to 25mg when not towing. (that’s compared to the23mpg I use to get with my 2012 Subaru Impreza) I make up for my “towing guilt feelings” with my 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid with 43 mpg when I’m home.
.

We’re on our second Highlander. We like them. Milage day in and day out, not towing my milage is 23.6 mph. Figured with a pencil but the digital readout is close. Towing average 14.3. Sometimes better sometimes not as good. Pulling the Escape 21 in 6 the gear, it has no problem with 4360 lbs.

[Doug2000]

The Highlander is a great vehicle but the Hybrid version is only rated for 3500lbs. I had a interested Escaper come look at my trailer and he planned on trading his Highlander Hybrid for a truck for when he gets an Escape 19.

I wouldn't go less than a rating of 5000lbs, 6500lbs or more is preferred for longer towing sessions. I went 10,000lbs after 20 years of being close to capacity.

[Ruthe]

Thank you everyone. Looks like we'll be shopping for a regular Highlander. It's been awhile since we've gone car shopping -- we purchased the Highlander at the end of 2013. Terry says we need the one with larger wheels. I want the side camera as well as the backup camera. I think that's pretty standard now. We will have to get the tow package after market. Anything else to look for? Adaptive cruise control?

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by Ruthe

Terry says we need the one with larger wheels.

The L, XL, and XLE all seem to come with P235/65R18 wheels and tires. Only the high trim hybrid seems to have the P235/55R20 set.



And Frankly, you want the smaller diameter wheels with the taller rubber for towing or off road use.

Anything else to look for? Adaptive cruise control?

Adaptive cruise control is a personal preference. I like it when it comes on a system where it can be turned off (leaving the car with regular cruise control). This is how my Civic Si works.


I don't like it when it is either adaptive cruise control or nothing at all, like how my Mercedes C-class works. Some traffic isn't conducive to ACC. And worse, when the Mercedes sensors get covered, like from slush, then the ACC won't work and the car has no cruise control at all.

[gbaglo]

The only time I've used cruise control is when I need to relieve a leg cramp.

[John in Santa Cruz]

re tire/wheel sizes, whats actually important is the sidewall ratio, which is the / number, like /65 or /55. IMHO, anything below /60 is too low profile for urban/suburban/rural roads. too many cars now are coming with /40 and even skinnier tires, and if you visit the forums for those makes you'll find people with those very low profile tires are getting pinch flats, sidewall blowouts, and bent/cracked rims, and this gets expensive fast.. They also ride a lot harsher because the lower the profile, the higher the air pressure needed. Oh, and very low profile replacement tires are more expensive, and don't typically last as long.

IMHO, the only place /50 or lower profile tires belong is on a race track where the pavement is perfect.

near as I can tell, people buy these wheel sizes for looks more than anything. anmd since you can't see your wheels while you are driving, I guess its about 'looking cool' to others.

[Ruthe]

Thank You All. We found a Highlander Limited but I'm reeling from sticker shock. We're thinking about it overnight. It's not a great time to be looking for a car.

[NCopp]

For tow vehicles I think bigger (more towing capacity) is better. We pulled our 19 with a Ford F150 small V8 for quite awhile. Towing capacity max 6,500 lbs, our 19 is probably 4,000 loaded. We had trouble keeping up with the big rigs on long grades or hilly country. We got pretty frustrated and upgraded to a used Chevy 2500 HD Duramax diesel with 10K towing capacity. Cruise control at 65 and trailer braking and exhaust brake we can cruise up any hill and not use brakes down any hill (even 12K passes in Colorado). Just depends where you drive and how long you want to take to get there...

[NCopp]

Not to beat a dead horse, but you will have to make sure you use as much light weight plastic in your trailer kitchen, fill up your fresh water at the campground, and you won't be able to carry much in the vehicle, might need to skip the bike on the back and so on. Weight adds up quickly.

[jeffhaltiner]

In terms of the preferred 3-row SUV to pull your E19: We looked/test drove 4 options last year: The Toyota Highlander (regular, not hybrid), The Kia Telluride, the VW Atlas, and the Honda Pilot. I really wanted to buy the Highlander (based on a long history of reliability), but we needed to be able to fit 3 folks in the rear seat comfortably, and they've squished that down so it's really cramped. The Kia Telluride is now in 3rd year of production, and is Consumer Reports highest rated vehicle, and we ended up with that. We love it and it pulls our E19 well. Hard to come by these days, and we had to work hard to find someone to sell it at MSRP Good luck

[friofreddy]

Originally Posted by Ruthe

Hi All,


We've been towing our Escape 19 with a 2009 Toyota Highlander since 2014 with no problems. It's time to get a new tow vehicle and we are looking at Highlanders. Ours has been reliable and my husband Terry thinks it's the most comfortable car he's ever driven. What do you all think about getting a hybrid? Terry is totally opposed, but gas prices are going up and I thought we should consider it. Have any of you towed with a hybrid?

You should listen to your husband. He is taking good care of you. An all-wheel drive (ours) is a good choice, since wear from pulling, traction, etc. is evenly divided on all 4 wheels/tires, instead of just being on the front 2.