Saturday Drive: 2,500 Miles In Toyota Highlander Hybrid Across The Southeast

Okay, this is a bit more than the typical Saturday Drive. It started with an ambitious plan, especially in these times, and we freely admit that. Driving from Dallas, Texas, to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and back to Dallas in five days is not a trip for those who don’t like spending time behind the wheel. Doing it in the Age of Covid-19 made it all the more daunting.

In a straight shot, it is almost 900 miles of driving each way, and we didn’t want to do it like that because there is a lot of interesting country to be seen once you venture away from the Interstate. For instance, visiting Memphis and Nashville, which are pretty much right along the way, seemed like an eminently logical thing to do. Then coming back we didn’t want to retrace our steps, because what fun would that be? So my wife, who is undoubtedly the best trip planner I have ever met, and I’ve met dozens, put together a challenging but doable itinerary. To be quite honest, it was particularly challenging for her, because of the way she planned it, she had to spend hour-upon-hour in the car with me.

First, of course, we needed to decide upon the proper vehicle to test on the journey. Several candidates popped to mind, but one rose to the top of the list pretty quickly. During a recent test of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid for my podcast, America on the Road, I was impressed by the total package it provides — seating for seven, significant cargo room behind the third row, excellent driving position, and good connectivity, all in an attractive midsize crossover SUV package. Since we were likely to log more than 2,000 miles on the trip, the hybrid powertrain was an attractive way to maximize fuel economy and lower total cost. Happily, Toyota was willing to provide the vehicle for this ultra-long test drive.

You might think that getting a vehicle with seating for seven was overkill for a trip involving just two people, but the extra seating was part of a plan. The very accommodating second-row captain’s chairs immediately came in handy after we picked the Highlander up at Dallas’ Love Field. Two of our daughters — one a recent college graduate now working her first “real job” and the other attending college — both live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, so we ferried them to an outdoor dinner and the following day to a “socially distanced” college football game at Texas Christian University, utilizing at least some of the added passenger capacity.

(Just so you are aware, through the entire journey both Sandi and I made every effort to adhere to local regulations regarding mask-wearing, social-distancing, and restaurant dining. Thus the smell of hand sanitizer instantly brings back memories of the trip.)

After another outdoor dining experience at Haystack Burgers and outdoor dessert at Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, both in Dallas, we retired to the Canopy Hotel in Uptown to rest up for the first major drive day.

Dallas to Memphis

Early the following morning under cloudy skies with the wind whipping at 15 mph or so, we slid our carry-ons into the massive cargo hold and pointed the Highlander east toward Memphis. Immediately we began to appreciate the entertainment and connectivity of the Highlander’s multimedia system that included a new 12.3-inch touchscreen display in our Platinum trim vehicle. To our endless delight over the next few days, it integrated extremely well with Apple CarPlay, our app of choice to help navigate and play Sandi’s country music selections. With the latter, we carefully avoided testing the limits of the JBL Premium Sound System’s 1,200 watts of power because we were fearful of blowing the sunroof off.

Exiting the Interstate we passed through Camden, Ark., and turned northward on Scenic Byway 7, which happens to be the state’s first state-designated scenic byway. The two-lane road ran through gently rolling terrain dotted with pine forests. As we closed in on Arkadelphia, the road meandered into the Ouachita “Mountains,” which are unique for a couple of things. One, they run east-and-west versus north-and-south like more noted mountain ranges that include the Rockies and the Sierra Nevadas. And, two, with their highest point — Magazine Mountain — at a somewhat less than imposing 2,753 ft., many Californians would not characterize them as mountains at all. No matter, they are beautiful.

Arkadelphia is the site of two institutions of higher learning — Henderson State University, whose famous alumni include recording mogul Bobby Bones, and Ouachita Baptist University, whose famous alumni include former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. We ran the gauntlet between those two pillars of academia on our way to Hot Springs and, eventually, Memphis.

The sun was low on the horizon behind us as we made our way across the Mississippi River and into downtown Memphis and to the doorway of the famed Peabody Hotel. Dodging (if you’ll pardon the expression) a whole club of recent-vintage Mustangs who seemed to be blowing off steam in the deserted streets, we pulled into the Peabody a tiny bit late. Because of that, we missed our chance to see the ritual parade of ducks from the lobby fountain where they spend part of the leisurely days back to their lair elsewhere in the hotel.

The Peabody had long been the city’s premier hotel but then crumbled from its grand state into ruins late in the last century only to be gracefully returned to old-style elegance. Despite Covid restrictions, the hotel still managed to convey its sense of unobtrusive service and attention to detail. A short walk from the hotel, we had dinner at Itta Bean, which is up the fire escape above BB King’s Blues Club, and its Southern-tinged cuisine made it worthy of its name.

Memphis to Nashville

The following morning dawned drizzly and cool, and that and the global pandemic served to keep down the crowds at Graceland, the home Elvis Presley bought for his parents as he was hitting it big in 1956. We made the stop there for a couple of reasons — first, how can you resist the impulse to see what kind of home Elvis had? Second, a mentor and good friend of mine for decades, Jackie Kahane, was a comic who, among other things, frequently opened for Elvis and enthralled me with numerous stories about the King, so I wanted to see the place where Jackie spent some time.

In this instance, the pandemic, fearful as it is, worked in our favor. To maintain social distance, tour groups were extremely limited in size, so inside the mansion, Sandi and I were our own “group.” Thus we got the chance to experience the various rooms of the place on our own, just as if we were houseguests. Suffice it to say that as a domicile Graceland is just as exuberant and unintentionally funny as the singer’s movies.

After doing the remainder of the tour that included a very eclectic collection of cars and other vehicles Elvis owned, we climbed back into the Highlander Hybrid, the rain still falling, and struck out for Oxford, Miss. Southerners will tell you that is exactly the wrong way if you are trying to arrive in Nashville, Tenn., by nightfall. But we couldn’t resist the charms of that college town and wished we were there in happier times. A walking tour of the town square and neighboring blocks behind us, we again jumped into the Highlander with Nashville in our sights.

The long run of flat highway and Interstate proved the Highlander Hybrid’s ability to put many miles in the rear-view mirror one after the other. One major boon was the SUV’s range. There is something very appealing about filling the vehicle’s 14.5-gallon fuel tank and seeing an expected range of more than 600 miles pop up on the extremely legible instrument panel.

By late afternoon we were in downtown Nashville, and we checked into our lodgings for the following two nights, the Hotel Indigo. As with each of the hotel stays during our travels, the time at the Indigo had some other-worldly qualities to it. One unsettling factor was being in a large in-city hotel that appeared to have only a handful of guests and a staff that you could count on your thumbs. Those staffers were helpful and attentive, but there was a tiny bit of horror movie in the emptiness of it all.

That same feeling extended to our walks around the downtown area. We had an excellent dine-in meal in the Stillery, and the place was jammed to its diminished capacity, but as we walked down Broadway the sidewalk crowds of revelers that we were used to in previous visits to the city were absent. Inside the various saloons and nightspots on Broadway, forlorn musicians performed their sets for audiences of twos and threes, making us nostalgic for the Nashville we had encountered on previous visits before the novel coronavirus knocked everything off-kilter.

Nashville to the Smoky Mountains

After a day driving rings around the city and its suburbs and exurbs, we struck out for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the nation. (Take that, Yellowstone.) We wanted to make time so we could catch some natural wonders before sunset, so most of the 200-mile journey was a slog on Interstate 40. Making our way through surprisingly heavy traffic, we remained impressed with the Highlander Hybrid’s powertrain.

Its driveline combines a 2.5-liter dual-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine with two electric motors in a system that’s more compact and efficient than the hybrid system used on the previous generation. Of course, the capture of electric power through regenerative braking and the use of the electric motors contributes mightily to the system’s efficiency, but the gasoline engine is pretty efficient and remarkably high-tech on its own. For instance, it has variable valve timing activated by electric motor on the intake camshaft, while the exhaust camshaft uses more conventional variable valve timing. The engine also features an electric water pump, an electric thermostat, and a variable oil pump to increase its efficiency.

This results in plenty of power, including rapid application of electric-motor torque for passing. Total system horsepower is a robust 243, and yet the estimated combined fuel economy is 36 mpg. Due to my heavy right foot, our observed fuel economy was 31.4 mpg over the 2,500 miles of our trip.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park unfolded before us as one of the giant highlights of the journey. In the late afternoon, we made our way to Clingmans Dome and trudged uphill to the observation platform amidst a gaggle of other sightseers. The breathless hike was worth the effort because the views on that fading fall afternoon were spectacular. At an elevation of 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the tallest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the 2,192-mile Appalachian Trail. Still regaining our breath from the climb, we walked about 10 yards on the Appalachian Trail just so we could tell our descendants that we did it.

That evening our overnight accommodations were in a log cabin at the Dancing Bear Lodge in a wooded glade outside Townsend, Tenn. With a porch swing and a rocking chair offering views into the woods, the cabin was well-suited to the return-to-nature vibe. But instead of cooking our dinner over a campfire, we decided to splurge on the resort’s Appalachian Bistro, and that turned out to be a very good choice. The outdoor dining under the pine needles with a gas heater keeping away the chill was just what we needed.

Smoky Mountains to Birmingham

The following morning we hiked the grounds of the Dancing Bear, and then struck out for another of the Great Smoky Mountains’ most popular destinations, Cades Cove. And we saw how popular it was as we drove in bumper-to-bumper traffic to what was once an isolated valley on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains. At one time the home to a variety of pioneering settlers who cleared the land and raised crops, it now offers its two million visitors a year a look at how life used to be before automobiles put places like this within easy reach. Viewing the rustic homesteads, rude log cabins, and simple churches made it quite obvious the amazing changes that have come in fewer than 200 years.

After completing the circle tour through Cades Cove, we immediately set off for the final destination of the day — Birmingham, Al. Desiring to make time on this leg we stuck closely to the Interstate, first a short stint on I-40 and then a much longer journey on I-59. As the route took us through Chattanooga, Tenn., we continued to be impressed by the Highlander’s quiet, comfortable, and well-designed interior and its overall ability to make lengthy freeway passages an enjoyable experience.

By the time we crossed the state line into Alabama, I’m certain the Highlander Hybrid’s Predictive Efficient Drive had accumulated enough information about my driving style to make the system work even better. The PED analyzes drivers’ daily driving habits and upcoming road and traffic conditions to charge and discharge the hybrid battery more efficiently. Happily, this assistance is transparent when you’re at the wheel.

Well before darkness descended we were in downtown Birmingham, where we checked into the historic Redmont Hotel. Again, the experience had a somewhat forbidding undertone with the lobby empty except for a personable room clerk ensconced behind plexiglass. After dropping off our bags in our quarters, we elevated up to the rooftop bar to find a substantial number of guests enjoying beverages and the sunset. Dinner was at The Southern in a very quiet shopping district a short drive from the hotel.

Birmingham to Ft. Worth

The final day of our driving excursion was the longest in distance. The journey from Birmingham to Ft. Worth is close to 700 miles if you take the more southern of the two Interstate-centric routes. Our path sent us through Tuscaloosa, Al., and Jackson, Miss, and we crossed the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Miss., the site of one of the most decisive battles of the Civil War. Then we crossed the flatlands of northern Louisiana and on to our final destination in Ft. Worth.

Another weekend with our daughters awaited, aided and abetted by the red Toyota Highlander that never missed a beat, doing everything we asked of it and even more. With its trip odometer registering 2,449.0 miles, the Highlander had proven itself to be a faithful companion on a very memorable journey, a journey that demonstrated both the cooperative spirit and resilience of the American people even when faced with something they never expected to face.