By Greg Gaillard

Hybrids Come of Age

Just 10 years ago Honda released the Insight as the first US mass market hybrid combustion/electric car.  Its two seat aerodynamic teardrop shape, light weight and focused engineering delivered spectacular fuel economy that generated quite a bit of media attention.  In the real world however, the Insight represented significant compromises in terms of utility, performance and perceived safety.  Launched at the height of the SUV boom alongside inexpensive gasoline, sales weren’t significant and to many people the Insight was another Honda engineering experiment; a car that Honda’s Asimo robot might drive, but not something American families would put in their garage.

What a difference a decade makes.  Last week the EPA released its annual Fuel Economy Guide for 2010 and hybrids swept the podium with 9 out of the top 10 MPG scores.  At least in terms of EPA ratings, hybrids are the drivetrain technology of the moment.  Perhaps more important than MPG is how the technology has evolved into a variety of solutions that can be used across a range of body styles without many of the original Insight’s compromises.

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President Barack Obama will tell you that he hasn’t had the best luck with cars in the past. In fact, he claims, he’s had some real clunkers along the way to the White House.

“The car I learned to drive on was my grandfather’s Ford Granada,” the president told an Indianapolis radio station during the campaign. “It may be the worst car that Detroit ever built. … This thing was a tin can. They wanted to keep the cars big, so they made them out of tin foil. … You basically couldn’t go over 80 (miles per hour) without the thing getting out of control.”

Now, we find out, courtesy of Bloomberg News that Obama drove a Fiat during college. During a meeting on Chrysler’s planned tie-up with Fiat SpA, the president “recalled the mechanical problems that plagued his old car.”

Better luck may await the President, however. Obama bought a Ford Escape hybrid during the campaign and regularly touts the vehicle including most recently at a White House event where he was surrounded by other auto CEOs and Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally.

By Kurt Gensheimer

Blings:

• Most fuel efficient SUV on the planet
• Cavernous interior
• More masculine exterior appearance
• Easy-to-use Nav system

Dings:

• Brake pedal like stepping on a wet Nerf ball
• No traction control and downgraded NHTSA safety score
• Limited A/C function in electric drive mode
• No audio controls on steering wheel

Ruling: Unless you’re a devoted city dweller, being ‘green’ isn’t worth the added heft and expense. Read the rest of this entry »

By Alex Kramer

Pros:

• Excellent gas mileage (32 mpg average)
• Spacious interior
• Confident handling (for an SUV)
• Surprisingly powerful (for a fuel sipper)
• Seamless hybrid technology

Cons:

• Expensive for its size
• Questionable reliability (2 warranty repairs so far)
• No frills interior design

Introduction

I drove into the dealership in a sporty Ford Focus with tricked out rims and suspension. I drove out of the dealership in a hybrid SUV. Was I going nuts? Well, perhaps a little bit… but after a lengthy test drive (and the realization that I was turning 30 in a month, gas prices were going up, and I could use a bit more space) the Escape Hybrid just made sense. An impulse buy, yes, but one year and 13,000 miles later, I don’t regret the decision one bit!

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