New Toyota Highlander Owners Choose the Hybrid Over the V6

A recent discussion on the Toyotanation.com forum shows that people who ordered the new 2022 Toyota Highlander most likely got the Highlander Hybrid instead.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander is a pretty anticipated family SUV. With third-row seating and a lot of cargo space, it is a very family-friendly SUV. For all you gas savers out there, yes it comes in a hybrid drivetrain too. People seem to like it. We recently wrote an article on Toyota RAV4 owners trading in their RAV4s and getting the 2022 Toyota Highlander.

However recently, a discussion on a Toyota forum has surfaced of some Toyota Highlander owners liking the Highlander Hybrid more than the regular models. A user by the name of Ramirs91 said that he had ordered his Highlander Platinum v6 costing him about $51,000 and then he felt like he wasn't going to like it so he canceled his order. He said that he, “did not want to get stuck with a V6 choice that I will dislike after I get the vehicle.”

He also said that the dealer was giving him a hard time and not giving his deposit back. While I don’t want to get into that part too much, it is good to remember that dealers can sell canceled cars. If they tell you that they can’t give you your deposit back, don’t take that as a definitive answer. Remember it’s your money, not the dealer's.

Anyway, some of the comments on the post were a little similar. User “JB in AZ,” said, “We have a 22 Platinum Hybrid. It gets great mileage.” It seems that a lot of the 2022 Highlander buyers are opting for the hybrid drivetrain which gets them 36mpg city / 35mpg highway. This is great considering it's an SUV weighing 4500 lbs.

Frankly, If I was to buy a highlander, I would go with the Highlander Platinum Hybrid because of the gas mileage, looks, third-row seating, and its tech and luxury. It’s a good-looking car. Stylish, sleek, classic. It's what a good medium luxury SUV should look like. With the interior looking like the Tundra’s, I think it would be a great buy. While the price is a little unattractive, remember that with Toyota, you get what you paid for and more. For almost $50,000, it’s a great deal.

To be fair, with that price point you could get a lot of other good SUVs. But remember this is a hybrid, it's good on gas, and it's hard to find a good hybrid SUV for that price point. Especially with Toyota’s reliability.

What do you think? Which model would you get? Let us know in the comments section below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun for daily Toyota news.