A Step In The Right Direction: The 2018 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum AWD

The 2018 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

Let's give credit where credit's due.  Toyota has done a great job with its mid-cycle refresh of the Highlander.  What had been a heavy, unflattering nose has been smoothed out, the interior is a nicer place to do the business of driving, and...in the case of the Hybrid, fuel economy has improved and the base price has been lowered.

2018 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

That last part is especially good news, because it makes the Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum AWD a more attractive proposition when compared to its gasoline-powered equivalent.

A petrol-powered 2018 Toyota Highlander Limited Platinum AWD has a base price of $46,660 and an EPA fuel economy estimate of 20 city/26 highway.  Choose the hybrid at $48,280  (a $1,620 difference) and the fuel economy leaps to 29 city/27 highway.

This, my friends, is a major step forward, since, in 2014, the difference between the then-top-of-the-line Highlander Limited and Highlander Limited Hybrid was $6,200...which made justifying the improvement in fuel economy considerably harder.

2018 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited Platinum interior.

The refresh brought a more modern, comfortable interior, and in Limited Platinum trim, it's all top-drawer materials along with Toyota's legendary fit and finish. 

There are no options, so with $995 delivery processing and handling fee, the bottom line rang in at $49,275.

So...on the sweet side of $50K (a bargain for this size class of SUV these days), fully loaded and with a hybrid cost/benefit equation that makes some serious sense?  Sold.