Video: 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Review: Long on Efficiency, Short on Space

It does a lot of things well like fuel efficiency and multimedia controls, but it struggles in other areas that might be as important to you, like cargo space and third row room. I'll show you what I mean. First, the good. The Highlander Hybrid has the overall comfortable road manners of the regular hybrid. From a stop, the Hybrid is decently responsive and adequately powered. It's handling is predictably unexciting but stable and it rides comfortably. Where it departs is in fuel efficiency and noise. The Hybrid system pairs a 2.5 liter four cylinder engine with two electric motors for 243 horsepower. It uses a continuously variable automatic transmission and comes in front or all-wheel drive. In combined city highway driving, the front wheel drive model is EPA rated at 36 miles per gallon. All-wheel drive knocks that to 35. That's about 10 miles per gallon more than the gas version. It's similar to its main rival, the Kia Sorento Hybrid which has a combined EPA rating of 37 miles per gallon with front wheel drive and 34 with all-wheel drive. Another pro is the Hybrids regenerative braking system. It captures braking energy that would normally be lost and is among the smoothest I've tested. Where some hybrid brakes feel brick like and have a non-linear responsiveness, the Highlander hybrids feel almost normal with little of the awkward grabbiness of some other hybrid's breaks, but it's not all good. The engine is loud and obtrusively so. Despite power feeling adequate, it doesn't sound like it and it groans loudly from a stop if the engine is engaged and complains during any type of acceleration. There's also a fair amount of strange mechanical whirring noises from the Hybrid system. EV mode was also a disappointment. The Hybrid has normal, eco, and sport driving modes plus an EV mode with low speed electric driving for short distances. I found it difficult to stay in EV mode for long. Once enabled, it was finicky and worked only at parking lot speeds and only for a couple of minutes. But transitions from electric mode to engine power were smooth. Inside, there's a lot to like about the Highlander's control setup. My test platinum model uses the new multimedia system that pairs two 12.3 inch screens. One for the gauge cluster and one for the touchscreen. The central touchscreen has a lot going for it including crisp graphics, a straightforward menu structure, and seamless wireless apple CarPlay and Android auto smartphone connection. The climate controls under the screen are also large, clearly marked, and very easy to use. Two things annoyed during my test, however. First, the volume knob is a stretch. I can't comfortably reach it while I'm driving. I can use the steering wheel controls but it's not the same. Second, while overall I think the new infotainment system is easy to navigate, it's missing a key feature, a home button. Without it, it's kind of annoying to navigate from the Android auto screen back to the cars native radio controls. For example, if you wanna know like, who sings this song? You have to go into the apps menu, hit the Toyota button, to then go back to the satellite radio controls. It's not a deal breaker but it's an annoying, odd extra step. A couple of things stand out in terms of space, both good and bad. On the positive side, the Highlander has a bunch of small items storage that makes the cabin more useful. One of my favorites is this small dash shelf that my husband may have used to hold french fries. And another one is this giant console storage box that slides open. It's really big. The Highlander Hybrid has seats for seven or eight depending on how it's configured. This model has second row captains chairs that are roomy and comfortable. There's also exposed lower latch anchors for easy car seat connection. I installed a variety of rear and forward facing car seats in the second row, and they all went in easily and fit well, thanks to the exposed anchors, removable head restraints, and ample second row legroom. Things are very different in the third row. First, it's tough getting back here. Even my small 12 year old daughter had a hard time getting back here. Second, leg room is tight and the second row needs to move up in order for the third row to have any leg room. There's technically three seats back here but if you install a car seat, only one will fit. There are no lower anchors back here and the only top tether anchor, which is essential when installing a forward facing car seat, is in the middle position. That's the only seat that has a removable head restraint too, which needs to come out to fit a car seat or booster flush against the seat back. The problem is that the middle spot is narrow, so putting a car seat there means taking up part of the other two seats. The center seatbelt also comes down from the ceiling, which blocks the driver's view when in use. Things are just as dismal behind the third row, where the Highlander Hybrid has just 8.6 cubic feet of space according to cars.com's measurements. The regular Highlander also has the same amount of space or lack thereof. But to be fair, the Sorento hybrid also struggles with room behind the third row and even has a little less. I attempted to do a full grocery run for my family of five and could only fit a few bags back here. You'll either have to put the third row seat down or put some bags throughout the cabin. The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid starts at around $41,000. Compared with a similarly equipped regular Highlander, The hybrid powertrain adds about $1,400. Meanwhile, the Kia Sorento Hybrid starts at around $38,000. The Highlander Hybrid comes loaded with a lot of standard safety features and driver assist tech, such as automatic emergency braking that can detect pedestrians and cyclists, as well as adaptive cruise control, a blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert, hands-on lane centering, and automatic high beams. I like the Highlander Hybrid's mostly comfortable driving manners and efficient powertrain but if you need to routinely haul three rows of people and stuff, it might not work for you.