Hybrid SUV: Best Hybrid SUVs

The hybrid SUV has been around only for a few years despite a simple fact that many individuals are unaware of. The first electric vehicle was invented in the year 1900 by Ferdinance Porsche and the first hybrid electric vehicle appeared in the year 1901 as a means of extending the range and speed of a vehicle.

This first hybrid broke the world land speed record by achieving 50 km/h. However it would be nearly a century before the first widely accepted hybrid vehicle would appear.

Hybrid SUVs are a recent innovation that allow at a minim nearly double the fuel economy of their purely gas powered contemporaries. One of the first Hybrid SUVs from Ford the Escape was cited as being capable of performing at a thirty-eight mile per gallon capacity in the worst of New York City traffic.

The first Hybrid SUVs rolled off the car lots in 2008 and since then they have continued to actively improve in popularity. Unlike the lukewarm reception many hybrid vehicles acquire upon their release the idea of a sport utility vehicle with a V6 engine that has the fuel economy of a well designed V4 (better in some cases) gathers a lot of attention.

The Ford Escape mentioned previously mentioned has a fifteen gallon gas tank and was able to travel five hundred and seventy-six miles before it finally rolled to a stop due to lack of fuel.

The comparison with the former twenty-one mile per gallon rating was staggering as this vehicle was proven in the worst traffic imaginable to be capable of performing seventy-five percent better in regards to fuel economy compared to its standard gas predecessor.

This leads to an interesting choice at present due to the price point of the standard and hybrid SUV. A standard SUV can range from five to twenty percent cheaper overall than the hybrid version. However, the amount of fuel required to run the vehicle for a similar distance is nearly double.

At that rate if an individual were to spend one hundred dollars a week on gas for their standard SUV they would spend nearly five thousand dollars a year for fuel. The more expensive hybrid would require between thirty-percent to nearly half as much fuel as this.

If that same vehicle were to be used for a few years the amount of money spent on the vehicle would be eaten up via fuel cost expenditures. In the case of a vehicle where there is only a few thousand dollars difference then that first year will nullify any savings on the vehicle.

It is entirely possible that in a five to six year period of using the standard vehicle the amount of money spent on fuel in comparison to a hybrid SUV could be pooled together and used to purchase a new car outright without financing.

So the decision is before the consuming public. Do they wish to save money upfront and purchase a potentially more expensive vehicle to operate or will they purchase a more expensive vehicle and save on operating expenses?

One Response to “Hybrid SUV: Best Hybrid SUVs”

1. Environmentally Friendly SUV: Best SUVs for the Environment | SUV Today says:

   March 10, 2010 at 5:21 pm

   […] around $33,000 you can pick up a Lexus RX 400h a luxury Hybrid SUV with the improved fuel economy and performance that only a hybrid can give. It gets 0-60 in 8 […]