Richard Neale

Sorry if you have already checked, but has the inside lock been accidentally left on? I concur with comments about low state of 12v battery charge. It is important that the vehicle is driven regularly to maintain a decent level of charge. Failing that, use a trickle charger. I have successfully charged the battery using the emergency "jump start" terminal under the bonnet, as well as connecting charger leads directly to the battery while it remains in situ. I had my 10H model for 5 years And 26k miles, but have recently upgraded to a 30H model, which is equipped with a larger capacity 12v battery. I hope this may be of help and good luck with solving the problem.

I concur with Michael Brown, drive sensibly and you should get high 30's mpg. Also depends on type of journeys you do, lots of short ones and the economy will suffer. On long journeys I have achieved 40+ mpg on numerous occasions.

Hi, I have a 2003 model with 86,000 miles (approx 137K km), in summer I get high 30's mpg and (around 14km/l) and on long runs and fairly loaded, can do even better. Winter is low 30's mpg (say 11 km/l), but we do not have anything like your cold winters in SE England! I do drive fairly sedately (not that there is any choice!), but am happy to exceed 60mph on motorways when I can still maintain good fuel economy. It does hold 3 bars most of the time and on rare occasions reaches 4 bars. There are companies in the UK that can replace individual failed cells in the hybrid battery, which is a far cheaper option than full replacement. Interestingly the company I found advertised on Ebay and were of the opinion my battery was fine (thankfully!). You may find companies offering similar services in Canada, if the suggestions already made do not work for you. Good Luck.

I have 2003 hybrid with 80k miles showing on the clock. Driving sensibly it easily exceeds 30 mpg and on a long run 40 mpg, short runs and hilly terrain will impact on this just as it does on non hybrid vehicles.

Hi I have a 2003 2.4 Hybrid with 86K miles and if driven sensibly it easily exceeds 30mpg and on long runs 40+mpg. If you drive it hard and or on lots of short runs then the fuel economy will certainly take a hit. It is a very comfortable vehicle to drive and travel in, we were fortunate enough to have a choice of 3 vehicles to use, the Alphard, a Toyota Auris Hybrid and Mazda MX5 RF. For longer runs our choice is always the Alphard as it is so much more comfortable on motorways, especially with the elevated driving position. It has two ISO fixings in the first row of back seats and none in the rear most, so we can accommodate our 2 young grandchildren. (I suspect the 2008 model is the same.) It may be possible to fit an adapter from behind the centre seat to provide the ISO fixing points, but you would need to satisfy yourself that this would provide the level of anchorage needed for the safety of your child. I hope this helps.

Hi, My wife and I would certainly be interested in meeting with other Alphard owners, having bought our 2003 Hybrid with a view to a camper van conversion. Not done much work on it yet, but would be very interested to see what others have done and exchange ideas. Richard & Jane