Hybrid SUV Reviews

On my way to work this morning a pulled up to a stoplight directly behind what I thought was a hybrid Chevrolet Tahoe. Upon closer inspection, I discovered it was instead their flex fuel model. I’d seen the Flex Fuel logo/badge thousands of times on a handful of SUVs but I’d never researched how they compared to other cars in terms of cost and fuel economy. I wasn’t exactly sure what “flex fuel” even meant or how these models differed from conventional  engines and hybrids. Knowing that you can purchase all three options in the 2010 Chevy Tahoe, I decided to take a closer look to compare and contrast the benefits of each.

Hybrid sport utility vehicles have been around for about 5-6 years now (the first was the 2005 hybrid Ford Escape that went on sale in 2004) and while there once were several more to choose from (including the hybrid Dodge Durango, hybrid Saturn Vue, hybrid Chrysler Aspen and the hybrid Mazda Tribute), you still have a decent selection to consider today.

Late last year we blogged about how close the race was for the top selling hybrid SUV of 2009. If you read it, you might recall that the Ford Escape hybrid was in the lead but barely managed to hold on to the top spot. The Lexus RX 400h was nearly 20% behind Ford with only three months to go but made a strong push to finish only about 300 vehicles short of first place (a 2% difference). And the Toyota Highlander hybrid also closed strong, rounding out the top 3. You can read the thriller yourself at 2009 Top Selling Hybrid SUVs.

2009 won’t end up being a record year for hybrid vehicle sales, but considering the circumstances it would be fair to say that hybrids have held their own. Even though they demand a premium over their non-hybrid counterparts, when compared to similar vehicles equipped with standard gasoline engines, hybrids continue to be a bright area within a mostly hazy car market.

In the battle for best selling hybrid SUV of 2009 (U.S.), the leaders going into the fourth quarter are as follows:

Few would question that the Internet is an amazing tool and resource for learning more about nearly every imaginable topic. Sometimes it is hard to remember what we did before the world wide web, but I especially recall all the work that was involved in doing research. That said, there are still times when I prefer to get my information from a book, magazine or newspaper. Call me old school, but even the high tech Kindle doesn’t come close to a real page turner.

BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Porsche are hedging their pure diesel bets by adding hybrid-electric vehicles and pondering diesel-electric hybrids. 

The debate over the superiority of diesel vehicles versus hybrid vehicles has been going on for some time. Some think that diesel’s 30% mileage advantage over standard fuel makes it far better and more convenient than standard gas-electric hybrid SUVs and cars. Hybrid-lovers rally back with facts and figures supporting the mega-mileage some hybrids can get under certain conditions. The question remains, for the car-buying public and for automakers – which is better for a consumer’s pocketbook, the environment and the car industry?

With the recent spike in gas prices, the number of people visiting our hybrid vehicle websites is also on the rise - up nearly 25% over last month. One trend we’ve seen on our hybrid cars blog as well as this site is the number of people trying to compare two or more vehicles, either via a search engine query or by searching within the website itself.