31/07/2008 22:37. A bead of sweat rolled down my left temple, but I was getting 24.3 miles per gallon in a Toyota Highlander hybrid.

That's not bad for a seven-passenger crossover that weighs 4,508 pounds.

I was sweating the mileage because running the air conditioner can reduce fuel economy by 5 percent to 25 percent. That fuel tip and others are online at the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site - fueleconomy.gov.

I was getting close to the 26 mpg for combined city and highway driving that the EPA estimates. City mileage for this hybrid is 27 and the highway rating is 25.

I was trying to maximize the Highlander's dual-mode hybrid system while running errands in town. Supposedly, operating on battery power stretches the range, but I wasn't finding that. The weight of the Highlander in... // Welland Tribune