COLUMNS DRIVEN JUNE 2005

The latest hybrid-powered cars and trucks are not only energy efficient, but can actually out-perform their conventionally fuelled counterparts.

WORDS BY JIM G0RZELANY

Honda Accord Hybrid

The most talked about rides on the road run on gasoline engines that work in a computer-choreographed concord with battery-powered electric motors. A growing fleet of so-called hybrid cars and trucks affords exceptional gas mileage and ultra-low emissions, without the ownership and infrastructure requirements normally associated with electric or alternative-fuel vehicles.

They’re the darlings of the environmentally correct Hollywood set these days, with luminaries like Jack Nicholson, Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio proudly piloting their hybrids to A-list events. Buyers continue to wait several months and/or pay over and above the vehicles’ sticker prices in order to obtain the hottest-selling models.

Ford Escape
HybridA hybrid vehicle is powered by a gasoline-powered internal-combustion engine that works in tandem with an electric motor, a generator and a bank of rechargeable batteries. Depending on the model, the electric motor can be used just to augment the gasoline engine at higher speeds or to power the vehicle when accelerating from a standing stop and operating at slower speeds. Under deceleration or braking, an onboard generator sends electrical power back to the batteries to keep them charged, and the vehicle automatically shuts down its gasoline engine while at a standing stop to further save fuel.

Lexus RX400hThe first generation of hybrid cars, debuting in 1999 with the two-seat Honda Insight, and subsequently followed by the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Sedan, were small cars developed specifically for their gas-miserly ways, boasting city/highway fuel-economy ratings of 61/66, 60/51 and 47/48 mpg, respectively.

Unfortunately, hybrid technology doesn’t come cheap, and even at today’s gasoline prices most buyers would be hard pressed to recover the added cost (upwards of $2,000) in fuel savings over a typical ownership period. While automakers begrudgingly assume that a relatively limited number of motorists will spend the extra cash to drive a more environmentally friendly vehicle, they feel a larger number of buyers will gladly pay a premium to own one that delivers added acceleration. Thus, the latest generation of hybrids exploits the hardware as a fuel-efficient form of high-tech turbo-charging.

The 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV was the first in this category when it was introduced last fall. Powered by a hybridized version of its standard four-cylinder engine, the Escape Hybrid is certainly as quick as its V-6-powered counterpart, although it obtains better fuel economy (at 33/29) than does its base, gasoline-only model (24/29). A hybrid version of the Escape’s equivalent at Mercury, the Mariner, is to be introduced this fall.

Similarly, the new-for-2005 Honda Accord Hybrid Sedan and the just-released 2006 Lexus RX400h and Toyota Highlander Hybrid midsize SUVs, all of which are powered by gas-electric V-6 powertrains, are the quickest models in their respective lines. They’re also the costliest versions offered, a fact that’s somewhat redeemed by their respectable economy; the Accord boasts 30/37 mpg, while the RX400h attains a luxury-class-leading 30/26. They will be joined in the marketplace next year by hybrid adaptations of the Lexus GS Sports Sedan and the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion family cars.

For more information: Ford (800-392-3673, www.fordvehicles.com); Honda (800-999-1009, www.honda.com); Lexus (800-255-3987, www.lexus.com); Toyota (800-331-4331, www.toyota.com)