2010 Hybrid SUVs

By: Kara Gilmour
Staff Writer
Published: Sep 30, 2009

Information - Automakers Plan To Expand 2010 Lineup For Hybrid SUVs

Hybrid sport-utility vehicles are in hot demand but the recent MPG (miles per gallon) estimates have turned away consumers who shop for a new hybrid alternative solution. Auto companies including Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler offer similar vehicles, but they are considered mild hybrids. However, the Ford Escape SUV is the best when it comes to mileage.

Ford sells a trio of sport-utility vehicles including the Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute, which all ride on the same platform and are very similar to each other. The automaker has been building fuel efficient cars for years. The Hybrid Escape earns an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated 34 MPG city, 31 MPG highway and 32 MPG combined in the two-wheel-drive vehicle.

If you opt for all-wheel-drive (AWD), the fuel-economy numbers drop slightly to 29 MPG city, 27 MPG highway and 28 MPG combined. Even so, the SUV still offers great mileage. Hybrid sport-utility vehicles have struggled in sales partly because the vehicle does not have a green image to start with.

These hybrid vehicles don't offer the same gas mileage as hybrid cars, but they do get better gas mileage than their non-hybrid counterparts. In addition, the sport-utility vehicles and trucks are priced about $3,500 to 6,000 dollars higher than their conventional counterparts. However, automakers have big plans starting next year to increase mileage.

Chrysler opted to offer Two-Mode hybrid trucks only with all-wheel-drive while GM's similarly powered Tahoe and Yukon can be had in rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive. In comparison, both brands get an equal 20 MPG in heavy traffic conditions. Chrysler desperately needs to find a new niche as it emerges from bankruptcy.

It is also interesting to note that Chrysler's hybrid system was developed in a partnership with GM, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. It carries the same system available for GM sport-utility vehicles. The system is called a Two-Mode hybrid and can operate in electric power modes at slower speeds. It uses a combination of a gas engine and electric assistance for more power at higher speeds.

Chrysler is using its 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with a Multi-Displacement System (MDS) that also shuts down four of the eight cylinders in this engine under light load conditions. Chrysler is projecting a 25 percent improvement in fuel-efficiency over the non-hybrid 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. However, sales were poor and consumers found that GM and Ford vehicles were better.

GM actually built the first line of full-size hybrid sport-utility, which averaged about 20 miles per gallon, and a 25 percent improvement over the conventional baseline model. It is almost difficult to say that this even a hybrid with a 20 MPG rating, but they had to start somewhere. The automaker also relies on the Two-Mode system, which is a more advanced technology.

Toyota and Honda are also working on new hybrid sport-utility vehicles. If you are currently looking for a vehicle, you should check out the Ford hybrids, especially the Escape. It offers the best mileage in its class.