I had the opportunity to test drive a 2009 GMC Yukon hybrid SUV last week, and I learned first hand how incredible the Two Mode hybrid transmission really operates. While I won’t go into all of the technical details of this hybrid system here, those of you who are interested can learn more at Wikipedia. Bottom line – had I not known I was driving a hybrid vehicle, with the exception of the engine shutting off at or near stops and the 50% improvement in gas mileage, I really couldn’t tell much difference between this version and the gas-only model. Previous hybrids I’ve driven made it much more obvious with their spongy braking, clunky transition between electric and gas power, and annoying hybrid noises.  Read more...

At the 2009 auto show in New York this spring, Hyundai rolled out the latest incarnation of the hybrid SUV crossover, the Nuvis. Sleek and futuristic, the Nuvis combines the spaciousness of a large sedan with the wide-bodied handling of a sporty SUV. Motortrend’s review of the Nuvis also claims that the hybrid SUV gets four miles more per gallon than the Ford Escape hybrid SUV, which is about 34-35 miles per gallon (the Escape gets about 30 MPG).  Read more...

Since adding Google Analytics to our most popular hybrid blogs and websites about 18 months ago, it has been interesting to gain some insight into our visitor traffic. Now, with several million page views of data, we are taking a closer look at how people find us, what countries, cities, and states they come from, which hybrid vehicles and articles are searched for and viewed the most, and so much more.  Read more...

Here comes another super-sized hybrid SUV. Making its debut at the 2009 New York Auto Show (beginning 4/10/09) will be the next green offering from GMC, the 2009 Yukon Denali hybrid. Those of you who have been following the hybrid industry know that GMC rolled out a non-Denali version, 2008 Yukon hybrid about a year ago. Looks like it is time to take green luxury up another notch.  Read more...