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Hybrid Car Review By: The Car Guru
With gas prices over $3.00 a gallon does a hybrid interest you? Frankly a bicycle interests me
A "hybrid" is a vehicle that has both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors that operate (in unison and/or independently) to propel the vehicle. Most hybrid cars feature a small fuel-efficient gas engine combined with an electric motor that assists the engine when accelerating. The electric motor is powered by batteries that recharge automatically. Traditionally, hybrid cars gain efficiency from smaller and more efficient engines. Also, hybrids have "regenerative braking"; the electric motor that drives the hybrid can also slow the car when stopping. In this mode, the electric motor acts as a generator and charges the batteries while the car is slowing down. When a hybrid car is stopped in traffic, the engine is temporarily shut off and restarts automatically when put back into gear. In 2008 these vehicles range in size from compact economy sedans to nine-passenger full-size SUVs. Prices also range from small to large. The Prius for 2008 starts around $20,900 or you can shell out $115,000 plus for the very high end Lexus LS600h. However, the largest population of hybrids resides in the midsize sedan segment.
Below are five 2008 Hybrid options, included are base pricing and miles per gallon, all of which vary according to model and region:
The most popular hybrid continues to be the Toyota Prius. Toyota has sold more Priuses than all other hybrids combined. Since the debut of the second generation Prius in 2003 (as a 2004 model), the midsize hatchback sedan has received award after award. Years later, it continues to be a great seller. According to HybridCars.com "The Prius inspires a cult-like devotion from its drivers. Satisfaction rates, consistently at 98 percent, are unparalleled. Prius owners are already looking 20 years ahead, when they can claim with great pride, "Yes. I drove one of the first Priuses." The Prius drives like a charm, humming along silently in all-electric mode at low speeds and revving up its 110 combined gas-electric horsepower for a 0-to-60 rate of 10.2 seconds. Its stability control system makes it very safe. And the Prius has keyless entry, a high-tech fuel use dash display, and a rear-view camera system to help you squeeze into a tight parking spot. When Toyota released the second generation Prius in 2003, the vehicle was bigger, faster, more efficient, and more stylized than its predecessor. The third-generation Prius, due out as a 2009 model, promises a similar bump in the key metrics. That model will not use next-generation battery technology (lithium ion) or offer a plug-in option. Toyota has opted to squeeze out additional efficiencies in its tried-and-true hybrid system for more incremental improvements, which could send the Prius's mpg into the 50s. That should allow the Prius to maintain its position as the most fuel efficient vehicle on the road."
2008 Toyota Prius Base Price $20,950 - Combined City/Highway MPG 46
The Ford Escape hybrid debuted in mid-2004 as the first American-made hybrid and the first SUV hybrid. An SUV that could boast more than 30 mpg was certainly deserving of recognition. Never mind that actual mileage has been running in the mid 20s for many owners, that Ford is only producing 20,000 units, or that the company abandoned its commitment to significantly bump up the fuel economy of its fleet. They were indeed the first to produce a SUV hybrid, and they deserve a pat on the back. And it did win the "Truck of the Year Award" at the 2005 International Auto Show in Detroit.
"More than two years later, the SUV hybrid category is starting to get crowded," as reported on Hybridcars.com. "The Lexus Rx400h and Toyota Highlander Hybrid-essentially the same hybrid system in two different skins-have stolen the Escape's thunder. The Escape lacks the luxury features of the Rx400h, and lacks the power and seating capacity of the Highlander Hybrid. If you can look beyond the razzle dazzle of Toyota's marketing and the Lexus luxury features, and if maximizing MPG is your goal-wasn't that supposed to be the point of hybrids in the first place?-then the Escape Hybrid is certainly worth a test drive. Another often overlooked factor is the ability for the Escape to stay in all-electric mode longer than any other hybrid on the road, including the Toyota Prius. Getting into all-electric "stealth" mode, and staying there for long stretches as you weave silently past all those gas-burning engines, is a very satisfying experience."
2008 Ford Escape Base Price $26,300 - Combined City/Highway MPG 32
For 2008, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid has been completely redesigned. It offers more refinement and a larger body, while still maintaining the same level of fuel economy as its predecessor. Power for the Highlander Hybrid comes from a 3.3-liter gasoline V6 engine, which is rated at 208 horsepower. In addition, two electric motors join this power train, one in the front and one in the rear, boosting the overall horsepower to 270. There is a third electric motor that operates solely as an engine starter. The whole system mates to a continuously variable transmission, which is engineered to manage the various sources of power in a way that maximizes the Highlander Hybrid's efficiency. You will have little to complain about in the way of performance, expect brisk acceleration and capable handling.
For even greater emphasis on efficiency, Toyota has outfitted the Highlander Hybrid with both "EV" and "Econ" driving modes. In EV, this hybrid functions solely on electric power, but only at low speeds and distances up to one mile. The more practical "Econ" mode works to limit throttle response in order to promote greater fuel economy. In other words, it restrains the engine's ability to operate at its full potential. The ideal time to use this function is during stop-and-go traffic. The EPA rating for the Highlander Hybrid is 27 city/ 25 highway. Its city rating is actually better than its highway rating because this SUV makes more frequent use of its electric propulsion when traveling at lower speeds.
The Highlander Hybrid is an excellent example of Toyota quality, inside and out. For most eco-minded consumers looking for a practical people-mover, who can ask for anything more than the most fuel-efficient seven-passenger vehicle on the market?
2008 Toyota Highlander Base Price $33,700 - Combined City/Highway MPG 26
The Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, along with its GMC counterpart, the Yukon Hybrid, are the first vehicles to utilize the advanced two-mode hybrid power train developed jointly by BMW, DaimlerChrysler, and General Motors. This full-size SUV launches a new breed of larger vehicles that are significantly greener than their gas-powered versions.
The crux of the Tahoe Hybrid's power train is GM's 6-liter Vortec V8 with cylinder deactivation technology. In other words, this engine can shut down four of its eight cylinders when the additional power is not needed. That saves fuel. Beyond the engine, there's a 300-volt battery that hides below the second-row seats. The vehicle's two electric motors are housed within the transmission.
In order to keep the vehicle running at peak efficiency, this hybrid system is able to run in one of two separate modes-hence the name "two-mode hybrid." For low-speed, low-impact driving, the power train works just like other hybrids; it stops the V8 engine whenever possible so that it may draw power from one or both of the electric motors. The second mode is mostly for highway driving, at which time one or both electric motors can run concurrently along with the V8 engine in order to provide a power boost. The two-mode transmission is the key to the whole system, which attempts to keep the engine running at the optimum rpm for low fuel consumption. Essentially, it manages a balancing act between the V8 engine and the electric motors. It is also responsible for making the transitions between the two modes practically seamless.
All of this technology results in a 25 percent improvement in overall fuel economy over the Tahoe hybrid's gas-powered counterpart. More impressive is a 40 percent improvement in city driving. The Tahoe Hybrid two-wheel drive model has an EPA rating of 21 city/22 highway, as compared to the conventional Tahoe's 14 city/19 highway. Unbelievably, this huge SUV's city fuel economy is equivalent to that of a four-cylinder Toyota Camry.
Despite its focus on fuel-efficiency, the Tahoe Hybrid still delivers all the power and capability needed from a full-size SUV. It boasts 332 horsepower, and can tow up to 6000 pounds. And it is available in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive models.
2008 Chevy Tahoe Base Price $50,500 - Combined City/Highway MPG 21
The first hybrid model introduced to the North American market that didn't have maximum fuel economy as a primary goal, the rear-wheel-drive Lexus GS 450h sport sedan delivers the power of a V8 with the fuel consumption of a V6. The GS 450h is also loaded with technology, including an adaptive suspension system and advanced electronic safety equipment. Edmunds says, "When you buy the Lexus GS 450h, you're pretty much getting the top-of-the-line GS. The cabin is decked out with high-quality wood and leather trim. The seats are heated and cooled. Dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry and start, a power-adjustable steering wheel, a moon roof and a 10-speaker audio system with an in-dash CD changer are just some of the vehicle's extensive standard features. Buyers will also want to consider some of the optional high-tech luxury features, including adaptive cruise control, a pre-collision safety system, a voice-activated DVD navigation system and a 330-watt Mark Levinson audio system with 14 speakers. Stability control, traction control, ABS, emergency brake assist and every airbag possible, including dual front knee bags and side curtain bags, come standard. In road tests, our editors found the Lexus GS 450h to be remarkably fast and powerful. Zero to 60 mph takes just 5.5 seconds. It runs in all-electric mode up to around 15 mph before the gas engine kicks in. And the transition is seamless -- you don't experience the sudden shudder found in earlier hybrid vehicles."
While Toyota hybrids are all about gas mileage, Lexus hybrids are all about performance. The GS 450h in the words of Bradley Berman of Hybridcars.com, "Toyota mated a high-output, electric motor-generator rated at 197 horsepower with a 297-horsepower, 24-valve, 3.5-liter gasoline engine to yield the Hermes of hybrids, a 339-horsepower brute that motivates this 4,100-pound luxury sedan. There are too many superlatives to mention. This is the fastest mass-produced hybrid car on the planet. It's the first purely rear-wheel-drive hybrid sedan. And yet it has superlatives that transcend hybrids. This car's engine and continuously variable transmission (with modes for sport, snow, and normal), covered with Lexus's typically decadent cockpit of leather and (Mark) Levinson, offers enough performance and prestige to make any upwardly mobile executive consider joining the hybrid club. The raw numbers-0-to-60 in 5.2 seconds, 60-to-zero braking in 123 feet, top speed of 131 mph, seating for five, 37.5 decibels at idle-add up to "luxury vehicle to be reckoned with," as do expected luxury features such as satellite radio, voice-activated navigation system, Bluetooth technology, backup camera, leather...the list goes on EPA highway rating for the GS450h is 24 mpg; however, several auto publications reported trip mileage more in line with 22 mpg. Few, if any, high-horsepower luxury sedans in the world can boast the combination of speed and quasi-economy as the GS 450h. Fewer still boast, as this Lexus does, of being rated a Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) in California."
2008 Lexus GS 450h Base Price $54,900 - Combined City/Highway MPG 23
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at these prices! If you are dying for miles per gallon over 30 (or mid-20s for an SUV or luxury sports sedan) then you might want to check out the varied array of hybrid vehicles offered for 2008. 
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