Can
GM's hybrid SUV turn SUV drivers green?
Monday, December 10, 2007
The
face of the devil according to environmentalists?
Following the Detroit Auto Show last January, my hosts,
GM, gave me a ride to the airport in a Cadillac Escalade.
As an SUV-hater, this simple trip to the airport was a
profound moment. I realized that I had probably never been
more comfortable in a vehicle as I was in that Escalade.
I had a similar moment, again provided by GM, when I was
asked to test drive the Chevy
Tahoe hybrid back in August, after which I penned my
thoughts in the post, The
Devil Drives a Tahoe hybrid.
Now I didn't come up with such a title because I think
such full-sized SUVs are evil, which I kind of do, rather
I compared the Tahoe hybrid to the devil because the Tahoe
hybrid had caused me temptation. Like the Escalade, the
Tahoe hybrid was a joy to drive, unlike the Escalade,
however, the Tahoe was a hybrid SUV.
If I didn't believe so greatly in fighting foreign oil
dependency and global warming, I'd want one. I wanted one.
Still, I don't need such an SUV, but others might, and I
was reminded of this possibility as I read an article
about GM's Yukon
hybrid this morning on AutoWeek.
"All that said, this [the Yukon hybrid] remains a
sweet piece of engineering that provides most of what we
love about the latest generation of GM's big utilities.
There's still seating for eight passengers, huge
cargo-hauling capability and a 6000-pound towing capacity
(diminished by about 2000 pounds versus a traditional
Yukon). There's still the same on-road comfort and
off-road prowess, with all the top-shelf electronics that
help us find our way and entertain our passengers."
Now, I still feel it's a bit irresponsible for people whom
don't need such functionality to drive such vehicles, even
if they are hybrid
vehicles. Nonetheless, if you do need such
functionality, GM's SUV hybrids provide an amazing green
solution.
Don't believe me? How can such a land yacht provide
anything green?
Even after my Tahoe hybrid test drive, I had a hard time
getting behind GM's hybrid
SUVs. In particular, I just couldn't get over the lack
of a GM hybrid car to challenge the Toyota
Prius, or at least the Camry
hybrid. Even though an important segment for GM, why
just huge hybrids? I'm still disappointed, but that story
is dead - at least until 2010 or so.
Back at the LA Auto Show I expressed this concern to GM's
Bob Lutz, whom told me quite simply that the dual mode
hybrid powertrain was not designed for small vehicles. At
this point in time, the Chevy
Volt and its E Flex Drive are GM's eventual challenge
to the Prius and to the Camry hybrid, Period. This
reality, a reality I had begun to suspect for some time,
had now been confirmed by GM's car czar, Bob Lutz.
A couple of days later, as protesters across the street
from the LA Auto Show demanded 100 mpg plug-in
hybrid vehicles while the Chevy Tahoe hybrid won the
Green Car of the Year Award, an automotive revolution
seemed miles away from reality.
And, it wasn't just GM and its land-yacht hybrid SUVs, but
even hybrid king Toyota, which used the LA Auto Show not
to debut a new hybrid, but rather to showcase its largest
SUV, the Sequoia.
All of these disappointing thoughts filled my mind as I
made my last walk around the supposedly green LA show,
hoping to find a bit of inspiration before media days
concluded. Suddenly, I found myself by BMW's hydrogen car.
Since I was in the area, I thought I would stroll by BMW's
Mini Coopers.
As I checked out these beautiful little cars, I noticed
something shocking, something almost unbelievable. In city
driving, many of these tiny, little Mini's were no more
fuel efficient than either the Tahoe or Yukon hybrids. Now
that is something that on which I can hang my hybrid hat.
I'm still not an SUV convert, however, for people whom
truly need full-sized SUV functionality, both the Chevy
Tahoe hybrid and the GMC Yukon hybrid provide a real green
solution. Yes, there is a huge premium to be paid for this
hybrid technology, but when you consider the increase in
fuel efficiency this vehicle offers, the technology will
eventually pay for itself.
Now that's a guilt-free SUV option. If you have to have a
full sized SUV, make a green, hybrid SUV. Starting in
January you won't have any excuses.
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