4th Gen Toyota Highlander Hybrid Thread

Down 63 horse power from last year? Yikes!

 

They dropped the thirsty V6 for a 4 cylinder. With the motor assist, it should be plenty for how most people use the car.

 

V6 can make some routine maintenance a lot harder. Forget exactly what it was, maybe throttle body cleaning??

 

Does anyone know why both the 2WD and 4WD have the exact same total system power rating? Does the front electric motor on the 4WD have less power?

 

Does it maybe use a physical drive shaft to the rear wheels?

 

Nope, It has the same AWD-e set up as previous highlanders.

 

OK thanks, that makes a lot more sense to me now the way you explained it.

Many of the reviews are saying the new 4 cyl ICE makes noticeable noise in certain situations, and I was wondering if there is any difference in ICE noise between the 2WD and 4WD versions. If the 2WD has all of the available battery power for the front electric motor, does that result in less strain on the ICE and make it run quieter, or is the ICE working equally hard in both versions?

 

Yikes 4400 RPM Max Torque? That seems really high, even for a four cylinder. As far as I can tell, the Camry Hybrid uses the same ICE, but it is not noisy. I wonder what the deal is.

 

There is also differences in sound insulation and acoustics to consider. The open cabin of SUVs, hatchs, etc. can amplify noises.

 

Nothing aft of the firewall is going to make any difference in ICE noise though, right? I think maybe Toyota sorted the Camry's underhood NVH much better. The RAV4 is super noisy too.

 

Of course things aft of the fire wall will make a difference. Engine noise doesn't stop at the hood and side fenders. Sound can move around objects.

 

I've been watching some YouTube videos which demonstrate how the 2020 Highlander Hybrid sounds (with no talking), and one video in particular that I watched shows it with it parked and presumably the HVAC running, and there is a noise which varies in pitch up and down pretty much constantly. I don't know if it's the engine itself or some sort of radiator or A/C condenser fan cycling up and down.
(At one point in the video 18:12 when he attempts to engage EV mode there is a message displayed on the dash that the hybrid battery is low and I wonder if that has anything to do with it.)

In the Prius "car camping" situations, I thought the engine only runs a few minutes every hour. I'm really interested in the "car camping" viability of the Highlander Hybrid, but maybe only the Prius is really good for that. Perhaps the non-Prius Hybrids that use the 2.5 liter engine don't work the same as the Prius with regards to running the HVAC parked.

Here's a link to the video. At about 0:56 it sounds like the engine kicks on and that's a different sound, so maybe the other noise is not the engine?

 

Right. Perhaps I should have said that the amount of noise that makes it past the hood and fenders is a function of whatever acoustic isolation has been engineered in front of the firewall. Once noise is past the firewall, I agree that other factors can contribute.

 

Only thing I can think off is the compressor if the HVAC is on. It will sound different from the inside.

The only sound dampening in front of the fire wall is whatever has been done for NVH. Designers are more concerned with noise getting into the cabin than what exits the engine bay. This is why sound insulation is mounted in the floor, doors, and roof. However, it adds weight and cost, and a SUV cabin has more area to cover. So that could be why the RAV4 and Highlander seem noisier. It could also be a function of the higher ground clearance allowing a greater echo of the engine noise.

There is enough variables to explain differences between models with the exact same engine mounted and running the same.