Toyota's hybrid SUV short on quality
Gas-electric system works well; some parts are subpar
Detroit Free Press 08/11/05
author: Mark Phelan
(c) Copyright 2005, Detroit Free Press. All Rights Reserved.


Oh yeah. They're all like that.

That's how a Toyota spokesman responded when I pointed out loose, poorly fitted pieces in the company's high-profile, high-tech and high-priced Highlander gas-electric hybrid SUV.

That's not an acceptable answer, as anyone who went through this song and dance with an '80s Chevrolet or Chrysler can tell you. Expecting poor quality does not excuse it.

The poorly fitted pieces and some subpar materials are unrelated to how the Highlander's hybrid gas-electric system works, of course. It works fine, although, like most hybrids, it doesn't approach the mileage on its window sticker. The costly and complicated hybrid system makes this the top model in the Highlander line -- base price $34,430; $36,399 with the options on the model I tested. Its buyers should not expect or accept pieces of trim so poorly fitted together that you can see daylight between them. All prices exclude destination charges.

But that's what I found: plastic trim pieces with yawning gaps where they met the headliner near the Highlander's windshield. And trim so loose that the whole piece threatened to come off in your hand.

A Toyota spokesman said the pieces have to be loose because they cover the curtain air bags stowed in the Highlander's roof and along its A-pillars, the uprights that frame the windshield.

However, as a materials expert I consulted pointed out, the solution is use a slightly more expensive, clingy material that hugs the A-pillars but still allows the air bags to deploy.

That's what Toyota does in the pricier Lexus RX 400h hybrid SUV, which shares its basic structure and most of its systems with the Highlander. It's even what Chevrolet does in its Cobalt compact car, which can be ordered with curtain air bags for less than $14,000. Furthermore, not all Highlanders are like that. I checked several at Detroit-area Toyota dealerships and there were no visible gaps between plastic and headliner, although the pieces were still loose to the touch.

That defect, combined with a barely useable third-row seat and mediocre cloth upholstery are all less than a buyer should expect in a pricey vehicle.

The third-row seat shows how quickly and dramatically interior design has progressed. The Highlander's rear seats don't offer much legroom, but they were competitive when the SUV debuted. The more recent arrival of roomier vehicles like the Ford Freestyle prove that the third row can be more useful.

Like the plastic trim, the cloth upholstery strikes me as an area where Toyota scrimped on materials to offset the cost of the hybrid system. There's nothing obviously wrong with the nubby material. It would make an excellent bath mat, but gasoline Highlanders priced hundreds of dollars lower than the hybrid feature leather.

The hybrid system functioned smoothly, although my fuel economy of 20.6 m.p.g. over the about 400 miles of mixed city and highway driving fell far short of the 31 m.p.g. city and 27 m.p.g. highway mileage the Highlander achieved in EPA tests. But then most hybrids' real-world fuel economy falls well short of EPA projections.

My fuel economy was probably four or five miles a gallon better than I would have gotten in a conventional Highlander powered solely by Toyota's 3.3-liter V6 engine.

That is a significant improvement, even if it's nowhere close to the mileage the window sticker promises. However, Toyota expects the Highlander hybrid's improved acceleration to be a major selling point alongside fuel economy and reduced emissions.

The hybrid did accelerate far better than a conventional V6 Highlander. That's because the electric motor adds power to the V6's output when you hit the gas pedal. The Highlander hybrid's engine and electric motor combine to produce 268 horsepower. That's exactly the same as the Mercedes-Benz ML350's V6, but 23 horsepower less than the Chevrolet TrailBlazer's. Those SUVs achieved EPA fuel economy ratings of 16 city/20 highway and 16/21, respectively.

The Highlander relies on a number of other systems in addition to the electric motor to reduce fuel consumption. These include a continuously variable transmission and electric power steering.

The CVT performed very well, operating smoothly and unobtrusively, but the electric power steering could use some fine-tuning to duplicate the feel of a conventional system.

The Highlander's brakes are excellent, with good pedal feel and plenty of stopping power.

All in all, while the Highlander hybrid does offer good performance and some fuel savings, those benefits are not great enough to outpace competitive SUVs like the TrailBlazer, Nissan Pathfinder and the Ford Escape hybrid or overcome the fit and finish defects in the one I tested.

Highlanders are not all like that, but one is too many.

 

Everyone thinks this suv offers great performance.......Most full size trucks have better numbers. I dont get it......

 

[sarcasm] this author is obviously biased against toyota because the media is out to get toyota. [/sarcasm]

 

You do realize that this is Mark Phelan's, IIRC, 4th review in just the past couple of years where he's magically had a Toyota fall apart in his hands or with giant build quality issues abounding everywhere, yet I've not yet read him mention anything of the sort about any other brand of vehicle; certainly nothing domestic anyway.

The most recent one I remember besides this Highlander review is his recent Avalon review.

It annoyed me that in his Avalon article he said
The 34,629 price was his as-tested price of a nearly completely fully loaded Avalon that included stability control, memory seats, and traction control. I wonder if he even tests these cars or what? I mean if he sees the price listed and he drives the car, you think he'd notice the car he was driving had all the appropriate buttons in place for those features?

 

OK I just did some searching and found him writing articles about 100,000 dollar Mercedes, BMWs, Infinitis, Acuras, etc with huge quality issues, defects, etc. Magically I could find NOTHING of the sort in any of his reviews of any domestic vehicle.



Real credible unbiased guy, eh?

 

If I remember right Phelan is usually up Toyota's @$$ just as much as Christine Tierney is in his reviews. I do also remember the last TOYota he reviewed did the exact samething.

I've been saying that once Toyota reaches a certain "level" they will be forced with cutbacks, not production nor capacity, but with fit & finish, trim materials, etc. It seems as if Toyota is beginning to reach that "good enough" level.

 

Kinda like the domestics did thirty years ago eh? Bring on the Koreans!

 

My parents have a 2000 Avalon. It started developing squeaks and an annoying dash rattle at 40,000 miles. The interior plastics are of a good quality, but the gaps between some of the pieces are pretty crappy. Not to mention how the car has paint coming off the mirrors and the clearcoat is coming off the wheels. On a car that has NEVER seen an automatic car wash and is garage kept. Its been fairly sound mechanically. One altenator and a mass airflow sensor in 100,000 miles.

 

Is this a twilight zone episode. Dodododododo! All the sudden the tables are turning! Now there's a bias? WoW! As long as ppl are up GM's *** evreything is peachy right. Nader said they made bad cars, so it must be true right! I suppose Aron's making that all up. Sqeaks & rattles at 40k. I thought GM only made cars like that! It's about time there was someone like this out there. Now we need about 100 more like him, just to make things fair, and offset all the anti-GM reporters out there!

 

My former boss had a 2000 Avalon; it had numerous problems. To the car's credit, most of them occured between the 80k and 100k mile range. Even then, the car had some repairs that I would say are a-typical of a car of that mileage. Example: He had a coil spring break. Ever heard of that on any car--ever? Now go and talk to a mechanic (my high school friend is an auto mechanic) and you'll find out that the Avalon's are quite famous for their weak springs. The lower control arm is usually replaced at the same time because they rot (I live in Minn, which salts its roads in the winter). I've owned NUMEROUS cars well past the 100k mark and I've never replaced a lower control arm or a coil spring on any of my vehicles. Yet, here is vaunted Toyota's flagship sedan exhibiting poor engineering. The other item that I thought was particularly unusual was the power steering pump leaking. And to think he traded the Avalon in for a Prius. Wow; some people really have the hook set deep, don't they?

 

Yes they do, they bought, the hook, the line, and the sinker. I drove a 30 yr old Camaro for almost 15 yrs, thru the winters in Jersey, and I never once replaced a control arm from rot.

 

Yes. Some people (on this board) have the hook set deep, too.

It's a Toyota! It is UN-POSSIBLE for it to be defective!

Yeah. Uh-huh. All mechanical things break. And it's very typical for a high-flying company to slack off a bit in the design and engineering department, especially if they think it's for a less-than-intelligent audience (read: US).

 

~Looks over at Threxx who's screaming "NONONO!" in the corner with his hands over his ears and his eyes shut~

 

Toyotas are far from perfect. I know that. Lexus is on average the most 'perfect' car made from a quality standpoint and they STILL are far from perfect. Thus is the facts of life.

All I'm saying is this guy obviously has an agenda. I found review after review of his saying that some import car had some gross defect or literally fell apart in his hands (even 100,000+ dollar Mercedes!), and every domestic review I read mentioned nothing of the sort. So either this guy has a penchant for trying to find flaws in and trying to break non-domestic vehicles and turning a blind eye to the domestics, or he's had really odd luck, or he's just pulling these stories entirely out of his ***.

 

I could be mistaken, but hasn't mercedes come under some scrutiny lately, for their crappy product. I thought they just had a big recall too. It's like its only exceptable, to say such things about American Manufacturers. And yes it's true, ALL machines will break down, especially when not properly mantained.