Some of you may recognize my screen name from Priuschat where I've been an active participant and moderator for almost 5 years now.

I'm an ER physician (yea, another doc) in Springfield, MO and my family has 2 hybrids...I have an '04 Prius with ~73,000 miles and a lifetime 55mpg average. My wife drives an '06 Highlander Hybrid and gets around 27mpg.

I really really want a practical EV...big enough to carry my family of 5 around with a range of at least 200 miles and rapid charge capability...but I ain't gonna get that for a while. So I'm climbing the ladder and my next car WILL be a PHEV. Toyota's been pretty mum on what their PHEV will look like in strong contrast to GM...but then GM's got a lot further to go to win over the skeptics.

When the time comes I'll compare the options and choose the one I think is best. I admit a prejudice to Toyota due to my very positive experience with the Prius, but if their EV range is as low as I'm afraid it will be I'll opt for the Volt if they can really get me 40 miles...I need a minimum of 32...on a bad day (full A/C, full load). I'm also concerned about the seating. If I can't seat 5 (3 kids) it's a deal breaker and the car will be useless to me. I really wish we'd get more word on that. I know that battery design is problematic, but I'm holding out hope.

Anyway, I'm an occasional lurker here mostly and have been keeping an eye on the site since the early days of the old site. But as the forum grows and the day comes closer I may start becoming more vocal.

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, the Volt will only have 4 seats. There was the huge hump from the battery pack to deal with.

Anyway, I was interested in hearing about your Highlander experiences. The mileage seems a bit low but then again it’s a big car. Are you satisfied with the performance? I was able to see the cut-away of the Highlander's V6 Synergy drive and it looked quite advanced.

I too am waiting for the details of the 3rd generation Synergy drive with plug-in capability. I'm hoping for good competition for the Volt. The better the competition the better for all of us. Come on Toyota, give us a peek!

I think there is supposed to view a plug-in Saturn View available before the Volt, albeit with a more limited AER.

I have heard that about the Saturn as well. That would be something good for the wife. Her daily commute is only about 12 miles total, but she likes being up higher than a normal car and having the extra space to haul stuff around........

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, the Volt will only have 4 seats. There was the huge hump from the battery pack to deal with.

Anyway, I was interested in hearing about your Highlander experiences. The mileage seems a bit low but then again it’s a big car. Are you satisfied with the performance? I was able to see the cut-away of the Highlander's V6 Synergy drive and it looked quite advanced.

I too am waiting for the details of the 3rd generation Synergy drive with plug-in capability. I'm hoping for good competition for the Volt. The better the competition the better for all of us. Come on Toyota, give us a peek!
The 4-Seat is decided? Last I heard it was still being debated. I think it's a huge mistake to do that and I'll be disappointed to not be able to keep the Volt in my purchase mix.

My wife is the primary driver of the Highlander. In town I can usually average around 35mpg. She actually gets closer to 30mpg in good weather, but has a short commute (3 miles) that hurts her economy. Also, we use it as our cross country vehicle and have some pretty low highway MPG trips that have brought our lifetime numbers pretty far down. We get 19-20MPG in winter with a full load and skis on the roof on the interstate.

Performance, speed, etc, is outstanding if you ever need to use it...we try to avoid that for FE reasons.

The 4-Seat is decided?

They have said it will be a 4 seater because there is no leg room for a center passanger because of the high battery tunnel. I'm sure there will be some changes from announced design details, but I doubt this one will change. There are too many things to change to make a 5th seat.

Hopefully they design the inside so a child car seat can fit in the middle, though.

Hi E.

I was active on the Prius Technical Group, and then suddenly dropped off due to family issues, and never made it back. Years have gone by and now something new and interesting is on the horizon, so here I am.

I suspect to find a large number of current Prius owners here.

As far as 4 seats go, listen to the audio recordings of the most recent press tour on AutoBlogGreen - the answer is in there, and it is required listening for anyone interested in the Volt anyway.

J in MN