Limited Hybrid Owners

I’m in the market for a Limited Hybrid and was wondering if any owners could chime in on the drive modes, specifically the comfort mode.

I have a 21 OR with the manual and I’m thinking about trading up to the limited. I was wondering about how comfortable the comfort mode actually is. The OR I have isn’t bad but I just had a 24 SR5 as a loaner and it was a little rough.

 

My Limited isn't a hybrid, but comfort mode is a similar ride to my 2015 RAV4, and is as smooth and quiet as I could want or expect in a truck. I love it.

 

Big thing is they are the only model with full-time AWD right now. So if you live in a cold region its a huge pro.

I find they ride nicer than the other trims and prefer the handling to the 3rd gen.

I still wouldnt call it perfect but its one of the better trims.

 

I do live in a snow climate and the main reason I want the hybrid is for the AWD.

There aren’t very many in my area and I don’t want to deal with any salespeople until I can find the one I want. If the ride wasn’t that much better then I’d just keep what I have.

 

I basically have the truck living in the comfort mode setting. I was using custom where I had the steering on sport, climate on normal, and suspension on comfort... But... There's a software bug and custom mode doesn't hold between restarts, whereas the others do.

I find the ride very comfortable for a truck and borderline unibody SUV level. Not as good as my HLDR v6 AWD, but close enough that I made the switch.

My only ride comfort "beef" is a strong cabin shake/shudder that happens in the 37-47mph range that no one has been able to get to the bottom of yet.

The F4WD has work flawlessly in the winter weather and road conditions so far


The comfort mode provides a very noticable dampening of the bumps and jolts on the road as compared to normal mode. I personally sense no difference in steering handling nor in climate control.

The sport modes never let the engine turn off, so it's always idling vs using battery only when increasing power isn't needed (I've caught it in battery only mode if I'm rolling downhill through a neighborhood at 10-20mph or when cruising along in the 60mph range if there's enough flat/negative slope).

Sport+ has a marked "jumped" throttle response to it a well.

I only played a little in each one so far but honestly I couldn't detect a significant change to steering response. But the suspension rides much more rigid in sport or sport+ and you are feeling every little bump of the road.

I tried eco twice and just start the heck out of it. Saw no measurable change in mpg for that part of the tank and things just overall felt more sluggish (fine/better than other vehicles, but not against the other drive modes).

Tow/Haul mode also disables the auto start/stop and keeps the engine idling full time.

Shorter summary when it comes to suspension feel would have been:
- sport modes have you feeling the road and jolts like most other trucks out there
- eco and normal dampen things to be closer to 60% unibody smooth / 40% truck rough
- comfort mode dampens things to be closer to 80% unibody /20% truck

(All my personal reflections of course)


... Now somebody root cause that roughness between 37-47mph (multiple reports of you scan the two major forums) and we'd be even better.

 

I have no desire for any of the sport modes, I would park it in comfort mode and leave it.

Now if I could find the color (Windchill) I want then I would go drive it. I can’t seem to find any within a 200 mile radius from me.

 

I located my spec nearby 1k Mike's away from me. Dealership was awesome to work with. No BS. And they arranged transport to get it to me. Others have flown out done weekend road trips. Don't limit your options for dealer unless you have good reason to.

Looks like there are more than a dozen wind-chill ltd hv in the Mid-Atlantic (38 within 500mi at the time of posting)

 

The problem I have with traveling is I get the Toyota employee discount and a lot of dealers either don’t know how to process it or some don’t participate.

I wanted to buy my wife’s 350h in South Carolina but they didn’t know how to do it so I had to take a different trim package from a local dealer.

 

I leave mine in “normal” all the time. It does what it needs to do. I have tried “sport +” a couple of times. That mode for sure remaps the engine and uses the motor to pull harder.

 

I have a Limited Hybrid—love it. Since my off-road days are behind me, I wanted a pavement princess since that’s where it’ll be spending most of its time. The AWD system is fantastic. I was out playing in the snow yesterday during the storm that hit New England, and it was unstoppable, even with the Michelin all-seasons.

As for drive modes, I haven’t really noticed any obvious distinctions between them, but it’s been all winter driving so far, so I’ll have to wait until the weather warms up before I can really start testing everything. The power is amazing—effortless.

Early on, I was getting impatient and almost went for a non-hybrid, but I’m glad I waited. But it is a truck—if you’re looking for a Lexus ride, you won’t get that. Additionally, it’s a bit noisy, with clicking, buzzing, and whirring, but that’s just the hybrid system doing its thing.

Bottom line: Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Definitely.

 

So no 4wd high or low range?

 

Not sure what you mean, the limited hybrid has 4 high and low range. Unless I am misunderstanding what you’re saying.

 

Some vehicles have all wheel drive like the Rav4 with no 4hi or 4low. I as asking if the Limited is just AWD.

 

Ok, wasn’t for sure but it does have 4hi and 4 low plus AWD.

 

Ya its hi 4 and you can lock the center diff for harder demands. A picture of the shifter would help.