Video: 2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Now inside the Highlander Hybrid pretty much shares its cabin with the regular Highlander, which is comfortable, spacious and pretty high quality, actually, especially up front here. Soft touch surfaces where it counts. Nice little touches like fabric down the eight pillars, one touch windows for both the first and second row. Those are pretty premium touches that you often don't get until you step up into luxury cars. A lot of stitched paneling here on top of the dash, and even down the center part of the steering wheel as well, some of it's obviously molded in like this center steering wheel thing, but kind of nice eye candy, also. Not as wild about some of the ergonomics here with knobs along the stereo and dual zone climate control here, they're kind of stubby. They don't really fall easily to hand, but apart from that, pretty hard to fault this cabin in terms of practicality. There's a nice broad shelf here along most of the dashboard. You can throw things like your smartphone in there, they stay in there pretty easily. And if you want a mammoth center console, the Highlander has one. You're able to fit in a pair of gloves, rags, more rags, a small football and my shoes. If you need more space than this, you have a problem. Now the Highlander has decent room in the second row. It could sit a little bit higher off the ground here in terms of seating height, but overall leg room and head room pretty good. And the seats are fully adjustable with nice big hip point levers here to recline and dual walk-in features to get back to that third row. Now, speaking of the third row, kind of tight here, Toyota says it seats three, that's kind of a joke. It's not super wide and leg room, you pretty much have to have that second row seat all the way forward for anybody taller than a kid, really to fit back here. Headroom in any regard is kind of small and the space behind the third row in terms of cargo area larger than the prior generation Highlander, but still kind of on the tight side here, if you really want to stoke passengers and cargo, something like a Chevy traverse or GMC Acadia might be more your speed. They've got more room behind. Now the V6 Highlander has plenty of power, but the Highlander Hybrid is just downright quick. It combines a V6 engine with an electric motor, tons of power pulling away from slower traffic. The transmission, a CVT style transmission drones a little bit of higher revs, but that's a minor complaint. Really, really tons of power in this car. Good brakes as far as hybrids go. And the whole package puts together about 28 miles per gallon at EPA combined ratings. That's 30 or 40% better than typical three row SUV's with six cylinder engines. A couple small complaints, ride quality is fine in terms of isolation, especially at higher speeds, but it can get a little bit choppy over any seriously broken pavement. Especially compared to certain competitors like the Dodge Durango, that Chevy Traverse for example. They tend to kind of have just more settled ride quality overall. And the all wheel drive system in the Highlander Hybrid, certainly a lighter duty system. You get into some real deep mud or snow. It doesn't really have the easiest time transferring power from the wheels that don't have grip to the ones that do. In the crowded class of three row SUVs, there's a lot worse you could do than the Highlander. Aside from that third row, a pretty solidly packaged SUV for small and medium sized families. With really good reliability for the current generation, solid crash tests and pretty good interior quality to boot. Now the hybrid gives you a little bit of a hedge against higher gas prices tomorrow, but you're paying a lot more for it today. Which means a choice for today is a little bit of a head scratcher. (car trunk slamming)