Would you forego hybrid if it was an option?

[TrailWhale]

If it were an option I’d actually go the opposite direction — I wish the electric motor and battery were larger. Maybe even a plug in hybrid like our other car, although that’s a lot of battery to find space for. It’s nice to drive around town and never use gas. And like yesterday, it’s nice to be creeping along in the Land Cruiser on electric only so the chukars don’t all run away before you can get a photo.

A plug in hybrid is one of the few things that would make me consider trading in and upgrading my LC. That or a larger gas tank :/

 

[lcat63]

I don’t find any fault with the performance of the hybrid system. My biggest concern is having a 10 year old bricked vehicle, that needs an ungodly expensive hybrid battery replacement. After a little research, I’m feeling better about this.

2024 Land Cruiser Hybrid battery 1.9 kWh

2024 Prius Hybrid battery 13.6 kWh

“The average cost for a 2024 Toyota Prius Hybrid High Voltage Battery replacement is between $5,704 and $5,798.” Installed.

Estimated replacement cost $5,798 = $426.32 per kWh.

$426.32 x 1.9 ‎ = $810.01

It will likely cost more, but it shouldn’t be anywhere near Prius prices. Another plus is the Land Cruiser battery’s older chemistry, which may also contribute to keeping the cost down.

The upcharge for the Tacoma's hybrid option is $3700, with the entry point being the $47,795 TRD Sport model.

If the entire hybrid system adds $3700 to the price of a new vehicle, this further backs up the availability of a replacement hybrid battery at a reasonable cost.

I’m going to guess it’s going to be at or under $2,000. So an additional $200/year added to the vehicles operating cost.

Seems pretty reasonable.

 

[Stan]

I’m in NJ and bought mine in February. For the first 1000 miles in cold weather I was running at about 16-17 mpg

Now I am 20-22 mpg most tanks. In fairness I don’t know if it’s the weather or break in as they coincided, I assume mostly break in.

In the very beginning I didn’t see much time in battery only, now if I have to go pick up a kid somewhere in town, i can go long stretches - half a mile or so, in battery only. I think this type of battery use is helping bring the overall average up into the 20s

Thanks! We are at about 1,500 so hopefully we will see some improvements soon. The KO’s we put on prob will not help much…

 

[PDPete]

Thanks! We are at about 1,500 so hopefully we will see some improvements soon. The KO’s we put on prob will not help much…

I've definitely noticed the reported MPG has been higher recently with warmer temps that it has been since I got mine back in Dec...but unless I'm really crawling, I rarely notice mine in electric mode, seems even minor acceleration is enough to kick the ICE engine back on (though I have learned how to better crawl in traffic using the electric motor).

I'm still running the stock 1958 tires, and while I do plan to upgrade them, at this point will probably wait until closer to winter...but we'll see. I'm sure my MPG will take a slight hit when I do.

Ultimately though, I didn't buy this vehicle for fuel efficiency. I knew going in that the LC would likely get better MPG than the previous Land Cruisers or other Toyota trucks/SUVs, but also that it wasn't "that kind of hybrid" in regards to ultra fuel savings...I wasn't expecting it match a Prius or even a RAV4 (hybrid OR gas), for example.

So far with the stock tires though, I'm pretty much getting the advertised MPG, so no complaints from me.

 

[Trailman]

Wife is considering a RAV4 Prime and I ran this analysis with Grok. Interesting results. Some of the assumptions are included as well:

 

[BlueCruiser]

In truth, even the hybrid value proposition struggles. If you want lowest cost go for with the smallest ICE option. They are lighter, cheaper, and simpler and get almost as good gas mileage.

Of course, they are not as fun, lack the cool factor, and any perceived brownie points for virtue signaling.

 

[bluescruiser]

Love the hybrid/turbo set up! My kilometerage/mileage keeps getting better and better; yesterday and today I hit 8.9L/100 km or 26mpg (mostly using 93 octane). Zero complaints at 7 months in

 

[ferrari1898]

I’m still kind of on the fence regarding how I feel about the hybrid powertrain. Would you go for the same powertrain sans the hybrid pieces, if that was an option?

Looking at Tacoma prices, I’m amazed at how little the hybrid option costs over the ICE version of the same trim level. Looks like less than a replacement hybrid battery alone would cost.

Like with the Tacoma and 4 Runner I think it could have been something to separate the 1958 with the Land Cruiser trim. The electric provides a boost, but it is subtle. We drove a Tacoma w/ and w/o the hybrid before buying the Land Cruiser and while the hybrid is there, it is not profound.

1 - I would have preferred a larger battery / more power from the electric. While a plug in hybrid would be a stretch, being able to use the electric under normal conditions from a stop light to say 35mph would be nice. Obviously this increases costs and the battery has to fit someplace.

2 - The one thing I REALLY like with the hybrid is that when I start the Land Cruiser in the morning, the electric is prioritized for the first minute or so over the turbo while the oil is warmed up.

3 - The 2.4 Turbo would be fine in the Land Cruiser. Instead of the electric motor, the turbo would have to work a little harder.

 

[Markarian421]

Wife is considering a RAV4 Prime and I ran this analysis with Grok. Interesting results. Some of the assumptions are included as well:
View attachment 31654View attachment 31658View attachment 31661

In our case, we’ve got solar panels. Plus free charging at work. That makes a plug in hybrid a much more cost effective vehicle.