Hybrid SUV IQ

As gas prices continue to climb, motorists are trying anything they can to cut back on the amount of fuel they use. As prices creep up, more and more people are moving away from large, gas guzzling SUVs and into smaller cars. Motorists have had to sacrifice the comfort and flexibility of their SUV for the fuel efficiency of a Hybrid SUV.

For twenty years the SUV was king of the highway but today is dying a slow and painful death. The only way for the SUV to survive is to do the unthinkable and make it more fuel efficient. Automakers have been marketing the hybrid SUV for a few years now and have seen recent sales increase. To keep sales up, automakers will need to keep producing vehicles that people want.

They will need to continue to increase fuel efficiency, find ways to keep prices low and build good looking vehicles that people would want to own. The following hybrid SUVs are the best on the market and represent the future of the SUV to the fullest.

To start things off, the 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV is one of the best on the market. The Ford Escape SUV hybrid has been on the market for about 5 years now and has maintained a strong following since being introduced. It is not the roomiest of the hybrids, but there is a lot more than meets the eye. In fact, Ford claims that the 2011 hybrid has the best fuel efficiency in the United States.

The crossover mixes a 2.5 liter four-cylinder gas engine with a battery powered electric motor. The engine combination creates 177 horsepower and provides the driver 34 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. New to the 2011 model is Ford’s Active Park Assist Park System.

Sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle will help guide you into the tightest parking spaces in the lot. You can comfortably seat 5 in the SUV and it has a MSRP starting at $29,865. For the price, there really is not anything better on the market than the 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV.

Another good buy is the 2011 Toyota Highlander. With a slight redesign of the exterior, the Highlander tried to replicate the success of the 2010 version. Building on the success of 2010, Toyota improved the fuel efficiency and horsepower for 2011. With room for 7 passengers, the Highlander is bigger than the Focus. On average the Highlander Hybrid gets around 28 mpg, while its gas only counterpart comes in at 14 mpg.

The Highlander Hybrid gets about 6 mpg less than the Focus Hybrid as fuel efficiency is replaced with added room and power. The Highlander has a performance rating of 280 horsepower and can go from 0 to 60 in 7.3 seconds. Starting at $37,490 MSRP, the Highlander is much more expensive than the Focus, but is still a good buy for its class.

Slightly bigger than the Highlander is the 2011 Chevy Tahoe. While the Tahoe is one of the largest hybrids on the market, there are many things to like about it. Coming in with the fuel economy of most sedans, the Tahoe hybrid gets 20 mpg on the city and 23 mpg on the highway. With room for 8 passengers, you almost have enough space for a baseball team.

The SUV is able to run on the electric motor by itself as long as you do not go over 27 mph. Any speed above that and the Tahoe starts to use both gas and electric. Although it is not the most expensive hybrid on the market, it pricey. At price about $13,000 higher than its gas counterpart, the Tahoe hybrid starts out at $50,735. While that is a lot of money, you are getting better fuel efficiency then the gas only Tahoe

If luxury is what you are looking for in a SUV, you would probably be interested in the 2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. This hybrid SUV combines the power and size of a gasoline powered SUV with the fuel efficiency you would come to expect from a electric powered engine.

Seating 8 passengers, this is one of the largest hybrids on the market. The interior comes with many standard features that would be upgrades for most models. The exterior includes standard 21 inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights and a sunroof.

Once again fuel efficiency is being sacrificed for size. The Escalade hybrid only gets 23 mpg on the highway and 20 mpg in the city. For a vehicle weighing just over three tons, that is not too bad. If the fuel efficiency does not scare you away, the MSRP might.

To purchase this 320 horsepower behemoth you will have to have pretty deep pockets, the price starts at $73,840. For the price of a small house you can own one of the finest hybrids available to the public.

As mentioned earlier, if the SUV is to survive, automakers are going to be forced to change their way of thinking. No longer are SUVs allowed to be enormous gas hogs. SUVs are getting smaller and in some instances they are losing the identity that people first fell in love with years ago.

Today size does matter and gas prices are to high. The future of the SUV is in the hybrid motor. A hybrid SUV provides for better fuel efficiency, are better for the environment and for now, provide the owner a tax write off.

In most cases the prices are a little high and model variations are limited to a couple hybrid designs per automaker. The writing is on the wall and the consumer has made it clear what they want in a car today.

Until gas prices come down, people want good fuel efficiency. They also want vehicles that are spacious, comfortable and command the attention of other drivers on the highway. If you are one of the many people thinking about buying a SUV hybrid, the ones mentioned above would be good places to start looking.