It’ll be a great car. 

Honestly I don't know if I would go hybrid in that situation. Hybrids are great for city driving, and a ton of miles.

Their benefits are greatly diminished when doing a lot of highway, or not driving many miles.

I live in the mountains, but I am not far from the flat lands and smaller cities. I have a GX470, and a Matrix. The GX climbs the hills like a champ, and the matrix struggles. You will be using the engine like crazy on the hills.

I would consider a 4Runner in your case, stronger engine, Better nasty weather condition capable, if equipped right, and it will last longer without issues. Your gas savings will be nullified likely before it hits 100k miles due to age alone, because it will likely need a new battery, at the very least.

The 4Runner also has the extremely proven 4.0 engine, with the ancient A750 transmission, that is one of the most reliable ever built.

If you decided to sell the 4Runner 10 years from now, it is going to fetch a good price. However, from what I have seen, Hybrid sales are not that good, people know they are more likely to have issues down the road that get very pricey.

I have owned, and loved my 2013 prius, but I would not own one if I knew I wasn't driving a ton, and lived in the mountains.

Just my thoughts on it, as was mentioned, the highlander is a good vehicle, and Toyota by far make the best hybrids.