Auto Trends

As gas prices excel and “gas guzzler” sales dwindle, manufacturers have turned to the use of the magic word “hybrid” to once again grab hold of some resemblance of a market audience. What such a phenomenon has brought to us however is a series of hybrid vehicles that are truly embarrassments of their own kind. They are no better on gas than an ancient 2-valve, 350 cubic inch small block with a Holley double pump carburetor!

Well, maybe a little… but not much. Let’s take a look at a few of these wolves hidden in sheep’s clothing:

1. 2007/2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid-Last year the GMC Sierra became a feature on the Internet as one of the worst fuel economical hybrids you could buy. At 15 mpg, you might as well have been running a supercharger rather than that electric motor, then at least you could have had some real fun for your $80 per tank fill-up. In the attempts to redeem themselves, the Sierra has a new rendition set to come out this October that promises 20 mpg. While this is a marked improvement, there are going to be several SUV hybrid models in the mid 30 mpg’s. So unless you really need that much truck, there are better options. The Sierra Hybrid is still going to cost you an arm and a leg to operate at over $4.00 per gallon.

2. 2007/2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid- With basically the same platform as the Sierra, the Silverado Hybrid was a similar story with only 15 mpg to show for itself in 2007. We can expect the similar upgraded dual electric motors for 2009 and around 20 mpg. Yeah, they are improving… but so is everybody else!

3. 2007/2008 Lexus LS 600h- We could understand a full-size truck in the 20 mpg range, but a luxury sedan hybrid? The Lexus 600h (the “h” stands for “hold onto your wallet”) also topped several lists on the Web last year as having one of the worst hybrid fuel economy for 2007. The 2008 Lexus hybrid is no better at 20 mpg. When it comes to hybrid technology, this sedan is all talk. Lexus already had a smack on the wrist in Europe for claiming its hybrids were better for the environment than they really are.

4. 2007/2008 Lexus GS 450h- Not to pick on Lexus, but their GS 450h fell short on the hybrid list both last year and this year as well, coming in at just 23 mpg. It’s a high ranked car with a quality build, but nobody could ever accuse the 450h as being a gas tea toddler.

5. 2007/2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid- The Saturn Vue hybrid was on this list last year, matching the Highlander on mpg (26), but this year it bumped itself up to 32, so the finger of SUV shame falls solely on the Highlander this year.

The word hybrid has become a status symbol today that is being used to discern between those who care about the environment and those who don’t. But don’t let that fool you… these 5 vehicles are a perfect example of how the “h”-word has become more of a fad than an actual cause!