All Electric Vehicles

Hybrid SUV

A Hybrid cars big brother.


The Hybrid SUV is quite a strange creature. On the one hand SUV’s are supposed to be hated by the environmental movement. On the other hand though, it is a hybrid so it must be doing some good, right? I decided to take a closer look and find out a bit more.


There are plenty of people out there in a love affair with SUV’s. They just can’t get enough for whatever reason - the Power, Prestige, or just feeling like you’re King of the Road.


But unfortunately SUV’s are a guilty pleasure. They may make you feel good but they also rob from your pocket with their extortionately low MPG and pollute the earth with their dangerously high emissions.

The majority of drivers would jump at the chance of an improvement in both these things while getting to keep the feel of an SUV.


So here comes the Hybrid SUV to the rescue. They may not get anywhere close to what a smaller hybrid car could achieve in mileage but they are an improvement compared to a regular SUV. And until an all-electric SUV is commercially available then a lot of people will jump at the chance of owning a hybrid SUV.



hybrid suv Many people may find a hybrid SUV a contradiction. SUV’s are the cars that were hated by the green movement. People seen driving an SUV through a city were given the evil eyes and sometimes a lot more! So a hybrid SUV can be their chance to show that they do care, even if it may be only seen as a token contribution by some people.



I have to admit though that there are some people out there who need the space and capabilities of an SUV, and a hybrid would help them out quite a bit. If you run a business with one or two or more SUV’s then the savings in fuel could be a big boost.



hybrid suv The problem though is the up-front cost of a hybrid. It has to be said that the difference in cost of hybrid SUV’s compared to their regular counterparts is pretty significant. If you’re thinking of getting a hybrid just for the savings in fuel then you may be put off by the upfront cost as it could take quite a while with most hybrid SUV’s to get your money’s worth.


The majority of them also lose their off-road capabilities if they had any to begin with. Because of changes to aerodynamics, ride height, tyres and wheels, you get a higher efficiency but it really means you would be bound to get yourself stuck if you tried to do some off-roading.


I remember one of the first hybrid cars I ever saw was the Lexus 400h. It was pulling out from a parking spot in pure silence and I thought that that is what a real luxury car should sound like! The Lexus 450h and 400h are available here in Europe but if you really want a choice for your hybrid SUV, you need to go to the USA.


hybrid suv

Most of the big American SUV’s now have a hybrid model available for the people who feel they need the space and power of such a large car, but also feel a bit guilty about it too! The GMC Yukon or the Ford Escape is just an example of the big American names that have decided that their gas guzzlers need a bit of “greening”.

Even the Cadillac Escalade, the symbol of American excess now has a hybrid version.



It seems like these SUV’s are here to stay too. Although they come nowhere near to the sales of the Prius, they still make up a large portion of the hybrid car market.


hybrid suv It seems too though that this hybrid technology may just be the large Auto manufacturers trying to clutch back the dying SUV sales by trying to make them more environmentally friendly.


They have been making SUV’s for years and have been making plenty of money off them too. Now that the writings on the wall for the oversized SUV they are trying anything they can to help ride out the environmental phase instead of fully changing.



What they should be doing is realising that these cars are obese and unhealthy and working on that issue first, not just trying to patch up the problem by sticking a hybrid system in there.


To be honest I definitely won’t be getting one anytime soon.

  • First off the price is so large that you really need to have deep pockets to buy one.
  • Second, compared to electric cars or plug-in hybrids they just seem so uneconomical.



hybrid suv They may do a great job of getting a better mpg from an SUV but unless you have a real practical need for an SUV, you’re only kidding yourself into thinking you’re making a difference!


So a hybrid SUV could be a brilliant thing in the right context and it’s definitely a step in the right direction but when it’s just driven for style or status then it’s really nothing more than a poser.


If you want to check out an electric vehicle that definitely knows its purpose then have a look at this 4x4 electric truck.


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