Via Diesel Station.

Naturally the Yukon / Tahoe fall far short at highway speeds - 22 MPG vs the 30/31 for the popular 4 cylinder midsized sedans. But these numbers are truly impressive and that shouldn’t be marred in any way. Just take a look at conventional vs Hybrid EPA ratings:

Naturally these numbers pale in comparison to the most popular hybrids today - notably the Prius and Civic Hybrid. But for vehicles of this size, the numbers are quite impressive. Remember, some folks either need, or simply prefer vehicles this large - and the choice is theirs to make.

By now we know lots about the upcoming hybrid twins from GM - except for price. There have been rumors of a price premium as large as $10,000 - let’s hope that’s not the case. Time will tell, and I hope we’re pleasantly surprised.

The Honda CR-V is currently the bestselling SUV in America. A big part of the reason is that it gets excellent gas mileage, as far as SUV’s. go. 20 mpg city / 27 mpg highway is great for an SUV - but terrible compared to what it could be. If Honda would take the time to offer a CR-V Hybrid, mileage would far exceed that of the conventional version, and likely exceed that of the popular Ford Escape Hybrid. Shooting from the hip, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to see mileage ratings of 31 city / 34 highway for a CR-V Hybrid. That’s on the new EPA scale, so with caution those numbers could easily be exceeded.

A Hybrid CR-V would likely cost you an extra $3,000 or so, compared to a comparable gas-only CR-V. Even with the upcoming diminished federal tax credit, I would consider that a bargain. Currently Honda would only have to compete with the Ford Escape Hybrid and it’s clones. I think anyone would agree that the CR-V is a much, much nicer vehicle than the Escape - nothing against Ford - thems just the facts.

So come on Honda - step up and give us what we want - a hybrid CR-V. Beat Toyota at the hybrid game, and do it in style. After all, I don’t see any hybrid RAV4’s around, do you?

Hi: I have attempted to contact Toyota regarding making our vehicle more
efficient. The car is much too powerful. My suggestion is being able to use
the battery power much more often. You are unable to not use the gas motor even
by gently touching the accelerator. When going over about 25 mph the gas motor
starts anyway. I suspect this is all programmable within the computer but have
been unable to speak to anyone. Suggestions? Thanks.

You make a good point - some hybrids are much more powerful than they need to be. A switch in software and tuning could yield less power, but greatly improved fuel economy. Why then, does Toyota fail to go this route? Unfortunately, the market as a whole dictates how vehicles will be configured. Most folks prefer power over fuel economy - even in a hybrid ( which is really silly when you get right down to it ). They want to get good gas mileage while still having endless power at their foot. In other words, having their cake and eating it too.

Why, then, doesn’t Toyota offer a software update for folks like yourself? Liability and cost, with little benefit. See, Toyota would gain nothing out of offering such an update. They would have to do the R&D and testing to make sure everything works properly, which would come out of their profits. They couldn’t sell you the update, and thus they wouldn’t make any money. As an added downside, there’s always additional potential for errors and flaws in the updated software, which could mean mechanical or electrical failures in your vehicle. Surely Toyota wouldn’t want that potential mess on their hands.

So while you personally would benefit from such an upgrade, Toyota wouldn’t. That’s why there’s about zero chance we’ll see anything of the sort, at least until some daring aftermarket company comes along.

Even though the tax credits are diminished, they are worth taking into account.  Currently the Prius offers a $787 tax credit.  That means that if you are in the market for a Prius, and take delivery after September 30th, it basically costs you $787 more than it would if you bought it now - certainly reason enough to buy sooner.  So if you’re considering a Toyota hybrid, be sure to pick it up before the end of the month.  You’ll be happy, and so will your local Toyota dealer.

I think this car is capable of 65 MPG on this trip, and it’s just a matter of time until I learn how to hit it. It’s a big balancing act between EV mode, coasting, and regen mode. Traffic and weather can cause issues of course, and thus the drive home is always lower on the MPG scale.

What does Detroit have to offer?  No compact car hybrids at all - not one.  The only hybrid cars they offer are mild hybrids ( GM’s Saturn Aura Hybrid and Chevy Malibu Hybrid ).  These cars barely offer better fuel economy than their gas-only counterparts, and are certainly no match for Japan’s midsize hybrid offerings.  Ford does offer the Escape Hybrid ( and it’s Mercury Mariner twin ) - small SUV hybrids that I applaud.  They are the most fuel-efficient SUV’s in America, and excellent vehicles.  But nothing, at all, on the car front.  There’s no need to even look over at Chrysler, because they currently have no hybrid offerings.

Most of the Big 2.5’s focus has been on “flex-fuel”, or Ethanol E85 capable vehicles.  I’ve touched on my thoughts about that in my Ethanol vs Hybrids post, so I won’t go too in-depth there.  There is little to no demand for these vehicles, because they offer no tangible benefit to the consumer - none.  In fact, when used with E85, gas mileage suffers, so there is in fact a penalty for using these vehicles as designed.  Not so with a hybrid.

Japanese automakers are better than American automakers because they listen.  They listen to what the consumer is saying, and build what the consumer is asking for.  I have owned  several American cars in my time, but I don’t know when I’ll own another.  For the first time in a long time, there are two Japanese cars in my driveway ( two Hondas, one of which is a hybrid ).  Until Detroit starts listening, and builds a car that I want to buy, I’m not buying American.  I hope they wake up before too much longer, before they’re no longer relevant.