Are there any good hybrid SUV on the market right now?

Question

Are there any good hybrid SUV on the market right now?

Answer 1

I think Ford has a good one but i do not know the name of it

Answer 2

That depends what you think is good.

The most environmentally friendly SUVs are the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids.  The 2 wheel drive versions get 32 mpg, which is decent.  The 4 wheel drive versions get 28 mpg.

http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/model/ove...

http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/model/ove...

http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-top1...

For hybrids that's very unimpressive mileage, but for an SUV it's quite good, so it just depends on what your standards are.  The Toyota Highlander hybrid is decent too.

Answer 3

The automobile manufacturers are on a race against each other trying to come out with environmentally friendly vehicles before anyone can beat them to the punch.

Although the idea of providing a cleaner environment is great, it isn't necessarily the right approach the way it's being done. Nobody can dispute that the world's environment is fragile and we definitely need to be aware and concerned about what impact our industries are doing to the air we breath.

At the same time, we should also take a serious look at what impact other factors are doing that hamper our efforts.

The space shuttle for example, burns such an enormous hole in the ozone layer every time that it is launched the effect of what exceeds what every combustion vehicle on earth does in a ten year span.

Given the fact that not only NASA is launching space vehicles, as is Russia, and other countries, the ozone depletion is being targeted by space ventures and blamed on those on earth.

Governments see this as an added tax situation and dive head first into penalizing the innocent while the guilty get praised for their efforts.

Along come so called scientists and would be politicians who jump on the band wagon of being the saviours to all the worlds woes by promoting their ideas with the threat of doom and gloom a thousand years from now if we today, don't heed their advice.

These ideas, are taken further by those hoping to abide by the political agendas placed out by governments forcing the citizens to buy their products produced.

In the end, we create vehicles that we refer to as hybrids, vehicles that offer a cleaner output of emissions with the added benefit of higher fuel economy. The benefits of which do not come cheap.

Hybrids are complicated little critters, that employ great expense in their making. These vehicles come with not just one, but rather two types of engines in order to accomplish the goals set out by the afore mentioned Governments, so called scientists and would be politicians.

One engine powers the vehicle to a cruising speed then inturn shuts down and lets the electric engine take over.  As the electric engine maintains a certain speed, the vehicle saves fuel by doing so. When the gas engine is running, it not only provides the vehicle the power it needs to accelerate, it also charges up the electric battery system that powers the electric motor.

Unknown to the consumer, or purposely hidden from them, is the added costs in maintaining these vehicles. A battery for example to replace the one for the electric engine, isn't merely a $69.00 variety you can buy anywhere, but rather an $8,000 Ion Lithium type which is totally non serviceable. Added to the fact the life of these little critters is in the neighbourhood of 5 years or 75,000 miles, the savings in fuel ecnomy really diminishes.

Also, if the vehicle breaks down in a remote area, the majority of nearby mechanics would not only lack the skills to get them operating again, as well as lack the equiptment needed for such a job.

There is also the effect of disposing of these Ion Lithium batteries once they are deemed unusable. There is also the added effect discarding them will do to the enviroment.

Honda, recently announced that it was ceasing manufacturing its Accord Hybrid, bowing to the rival Toyota, who had aggressively producted the Prius and other Hybrid models as well as getting an earlier start on their manufacturing.

The Ford Escape is an awesome little SUV with mileage in the upper 20 MPG (Highway) range using it's well known V6 gasoline engine. The Hybrid on the other hand, powered by a 4 cylinder gasoline / Electric motor combination , achieves mileage in the upper 20's and lower 30 MPG.

Given the fact that a used vehicle, regardless of which type you choose new, would require an $8,000 battery somewhere down the road, makes the economic factor disappear rather quickly for Hybrids.

Regardless  of which vehicle you choose to buy, you need to seriously take a look at the added costs involved in what you may believe  to be a savings. The end result of your decission will inevidably be based on principal...and that may be to stick with a sure thing.

Further to the fact, I offer this simple question. If the world is truly in such a short supply of oil products as we are being told, why is it, that every day, of every year, around the world literally hundreds of thousands of gasoline powered vehicles, motorcycles, sports equiptment, as well as industrial vehicles are being manufactered for consumer purchases? Do you truly believe, that if we were really running out of petroleum products, these manufacturers would be doing something more productive, then simply manufacturing a few models of Hybrids?

Answer 4

Hi,

this will require a bit of info... so get something caffeinated and get comfy...

The one important thing you don't mention is what you need your vehicle to do. Do you need to tow? Do you own an SUV now? How many passengers do you need to move on a continuous basis?

I have read one or two of the posts for your question and I would recommend looking at my other posts to get detailed information on how hybrids work and how you would determine the real world, per-mile costs of any vehicle, including new tires, oil changes, gas, etc.

I would recommend the Highlander Hybrid also because it is a true full hybrid, meaning it can run on electricity only.

The Highlander Hybrid also comes out number one with independent testing organizations like Consumer Reports for a variety of reasons. You can look the ratings up on a number of websites.

The Highlander Hybrid gets 27 in the city and 25 on the highway with a true four-wheel drive system that can tow 3500 pounds. The city mileage is higher because the Highlander can run using only electricity in stop and go type driving. Higher city than highway mileage is one of the marks of a true, full hybrid, not just a vehicle with a gas engine that gets a boost from an electric motor.

The Highlander has three rows of seats and holds seven, just don't put basketball players in the third row.

The Lexus 400h is the Lexus version of the Highlander Hybrid platform. But the 400h has a different body than the Highlander.

Other SUV style hybrid vehicles that will hold six or more are the GM/Chevy Yukon/Tahoe variations and the Dodge Durango with the Hemi engine.

The Yukon/Tahoe will hold up to nine, according to GM's websites, and get up to 18 city and 24 highway in the hybrid, going with 25% over the 14/19 for the standard engine configurations.

The Durango Hybrid will hold up to eight and get up to 16 in the city and 24 on the highway, according to Dodge websites, also adding 25% over the 13/19 for the standard engine configurations.

As far as the other SUV type hybrids on the road, the Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner and the Saturn Vue Green Line hold five passengers each and do not come with the safety features of the Highlander Hybrid, such as Stability Control and four-channel ABS that controls each wheel independently of the others.

The Escape/Mariner hybrids mileage is 33 in the city and 29 on the highway and the Vue Green Line is rated at 27 city and 32 highway with a two-wheel drive system. The Escape/Mariner and the Vue use four cylinder gas engines instead of a six cylinder, so you do not have the power that you may want. The Escape/Mariner twins only tow 1000 pounds and the Vue only tows 1500 lbs (the same as most cars, for example). The Vue only comes in two-wheel drive, a four-wheel system is not available. The Vue uses a mild hybrid system, not a true, full hybrid system so the gains are minimal, but still important.

The simplest difference is a mild or partial hybrid system has to have the gas engine running to move the vehicle. A full hybrid can drive without the gas engine running, the distance/speed/acceleration depends on the way the manufacturer has tweaked the hybrid.

The Highlander, Escape/Mariner, and the Vue Green Line are available nationwide, the Yukon/Tahoe hybrids will only be available in limited markets, mostly the East and West coasts and Washington, D.C. I haven't seen anything on the Durango availability just yet.

Also, don't count on ethanol to make a big difference for environmental concerns or mileage for the Yukon/Tahoe, Durango, Escape/Mariner or the Vue Green Line. Because it is less energy dense than gasoline, all ethanol blends (E10, E15, E85) actually give lower mileage than pure gasoline. And ethanol actually uses more energy to convert the grain to the grain alcohol that is the basis of ethanol blends than it gives in energy to burn. The info for this can be found fairly easily on the internet.

My advice is to take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left, write what you need your vehicle to do and on the right, write what you want your vehicle to have. Put this sheet away for a few days and then come back to it after you've had a chance to run through the info in the back of your mind and see what has changed for you. Only then would I go to dealerships on Sunday (assuming that dealerships are closed where you are on Sundays) or after hours and see what is there and what matches your wants/needs. Then begin a dialogue with a person at the dealership. But at least you've done your homework first and you don't grab the first thing you think might be it. You'll know and you'll be in a better negotiating position.

Good luck.

Answer 5

If gas mileage is important to you, you should think hard about whether you really need an SUV at all. By just buying a smaller car, you can save money, get better mileage, and save more money. Just pack lighter on road trips, isn't that worth it?

Answer 6

I heard of the Ford Escape. I think the Highlander by Toyota is good too. But none of the full size SUV's are available. IE, like Navigator, Suburban