my wife is trying to convince me to sell our Denali and go a bit greener as we don't need 2 V8's in the house! Said she in no way wants to get rid of the E but the Denali is averaging 13mpg.

anyone made the change to a hybrid for the daily driver - mostly to be driven everywhere without worrying about door dings and the like when getting into the E. i like the gas mileage on them but why are they all so ugly. told her the only way we can get one is I can get a personalized plate that says "HIPPIE" or "TREEHGR".

looking for opinions.

I haven't gone hybrid, but I think the Toyota Avalon and Camry hybrids are decent looking. A Prius is definitely not a tasteful looking vehicle.

I bought a E320 Bluetec loaded. I am averaging 37mpg. What boody Hybrid is going to give you that and POWER? Did I mention the torque it has. It's got more torque than an M5 V10.

Depends on cash and of course how much the wife is griping. Sometimes you gotta do what cha gotta do.

Right now, I just can't stomach a hybrid. Now if gas does roll up to 10$per, then we revisit the issue. If your cash/wife will allow, hang on just one more year, all kinds of cool hybrids will be coming out. Due to the gas issue, hybrids are all on the burners with just about every maker.

If ya gotta go green asap, at least meet her in the middle and go Lex.

http://www.lexus.com/models/RXh/
Here's the Denali Hybrid Concept unveiled this year.

Hybrids are a short-term attempt at a solution to a long term problem. Diesel is currently the way to go, unless you have a solar-powered house with extra power going back to the power company, in which case I would opt for a Tesla electric.

dude my brother's go-kart has more torque than my M5.

Not sure if any are South Park fans here but the "hybrid" episode in San Fran is sooo very funny and sadly true

To keep this on topic I bought an 08' ford focus a few months ago as a daily driver and its been great. I got a black 2 door thats actually got a few good options. Its so very lame in comparison but I've averaged 32mpg around town and a solid 35ish on the highway. I use it for winter and work driving. At $169.00 a month I can't really complain. Feeding 2 V8's over the past few years this car has already saved me a good chunk of change. Man....I have a focus in my garage, the reality hasn't hit yet.

Here in South Florida the Gas VRS. Diesel, Has diesel on the ropes.
Diesel $4.14.9=37 miles@37MPG=$0.11 per mile
Gas $3.81.9=32 miles@32MPG=$0.11 per mile
Plus the up charge for the diesel in the first place, makes it a bad choice.

Good article comparing the financial aspects of swapping your current vehicle for a more fuel efficient model

____________________

Terry Jackson

Like a lot of people, you may be watching the price at the pump soar and wondering whether it's time to dump your current, less-than-efficient SUV, truck or car.
It's tempting to simply haul your 15 miles-per-gallon vehicle down to the dealership and drive out in something that gets 30 mpg or more. But that may not be smart, at least from a financial point of view.




People thinking of going this route need to take several factors into account.

For starters, your gas guzzler is worth considerably less as a trade-in than it was even six months ago. By some estimates, the value of used sport utility vehicles has dropped more than 20 percent since January.

Even if your current car is paid for, you're likely to incur new monthly payments on that fuel-efficient replacement.

Finally, it could take years to realize actual savings at the pump when other factors are taken into consideration.

Here's an example:

Suppose you have a two-wheel-drive 2001 Ford Expedition XLT. According to Edmunds.com, it is worth about $5,700 as a trade-in and gets about 16 mpg in city driving, although most owners of that model know real-world mileage is less than that.

At $3.70 a gallon for regular fuel, it costs about $97 to fill the Expedition's 26-gallon tank.

To cut that bill, the Expedition owner is looking at a two-wheel-drive 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, which can likely be bought (assuming reasonable options on board) for about $28,000, plus taxes, title fees, etc.

The Escape Hybrid promises to deliver about 32 mpg in normal driving, double what the 2001 Expedition delivers. A fill-up of the Escape's 15-gallon tank at $3.70 a gallon would cost about $55.

But what are the real savings?

Assuming you own the Expedition free and clear and use the trade-in value as your down payment -- and cover the sales taxes and other fees in cash -- the Escape will come with a loan for about $22,300. At current rates, financing for 60 months means a monthly payment of about $439.

So let's add up the costs for a year:

It costs about $3,500 to keep it filled with gasoline, assuming prices stay at about $3.70. If they go to $4 a gallon, the bill will be about $3,750.

In the new Escape, your annual fuel bill, assuming the same mileage and $3.70 a gallon, would be about $1,730, a savings of about $1,770 a year.

But the new Escape will cost you $5,268 in payments, not counting out-of-pocket fees and the value of the Expedition used at trade-in.

Even after factoring in the one-time federal tax credit that comes with an Escape Hybrid, swapping a serviceable gas-guzzler for a more fuel-efficient new vehicle is unlikely to provide a financial benefit for five years, when the new vehicle is paid off.

Of course, there are reasons to get a more fuel-efficient vehicle the go beyond bottom-line economics. They include concern for the environment and helping to reduce our oil imports.

And if it's simply just time for a new vehicle -- the old one is worn out, or you've budgeted to trade vehicles at this time anyway -- then by all means it would be foolish to not consider something that gets considerably better fuel mileage.

But if your prime motivator is the sticker shock at the gas pump, act with caution. While a new vehicle may help you save at the pump, it can significantly increase your overall costs.

mostly she is wanting to get something more fuel efficient since she works for a GREEN Company and feels like she is doing the opposite of what her company is trying to accomplish and i think she is annoyed at the weekly $70- $85 fill up. I don't care either way but if i go hybrid i want the ugliest one out there to make sure people know i am going fuel efficient. I did read that vw/audi's new diesel is going to be crazy efficient and not too pricey. read the new jetta will be getting 55+mpg and entry price of under 20K.

If you want to wait for a bit, IIRC the my2009 BMW diesels will be stateside starting in Nov

I drive a Hybrid Highlander.. The Hybrid part IMO is WAYYYY overrated other than the "coolness" factor.. It is completely silent when you start it or when you are at a redlight.. Scares the hell out of people when it starts up by itself like 2 minutes after you pull over.. And for an SUV it gets up and goes for what it is.. But I avg 25 to 27mpg in it so its not the end all be all for saving gas.. But the Denali and the 600 both average 12mpg so it definitely was a step up.. If I were to do it all again id buy a Yaris or a Scion xB before they redesigned it.. $14k and 40mpg.. My Highlander cost me triple that and gets half the gas mileage.. LoL

I know Benz is coming out with a new C Class diesel that should be getting you around 49 miles per gallon! I will definitely look into one of those bad boys once it hits the streets!

NEVER! lol

I've looked at this issue from many different ways.

First I wanted to get a pre-owned Prius with the HOV sticker for my wife to commute to/from work. Around here being able to get in the car pool lane during rush hour traffic is very desirable. We test drove the Prius and found it to be very adequate in inside and storage room. We actually liked the quirkiness of its looks. We bought a blue 2006 with 8K miles for her. We paid as much for that car as the original owner paid for it, with the HOV sticker adding to the used car premium.

I then entertained the thought of consolidating my BMW and Pilot and buy something more green and MPG worthy. I checked out the Nissan Altima hybrid, nice car, roomy and the best "driver car experience" of all hybrids out there. But it gets around 33+ mpg which is barely better than my BMW 3 series DD, which gets around 27MPG if I do 65/35 highway/city. So I decided to wait a few years and see the new batch of diesel automobiles.

For me, going that direction is more than the pure gas mileage. It's doing whatever I can to help the environment, whether reducing the carbon footprint, rely less on foreign oil, or whatever... in addition to contributing more than the 20+ hours per week my family is volunteering and working charities.

Good luck.

I just got a smart car. I'm getting 40+ mpg right now.

Of course, I can only fit myself and one other person. But as long as it fits my golf clubs, then that's enough for me.

how does the SMART feel on the freeway? I think they are the neatest little cars out there and it is a format that has been tested and works.

Saw SMART few days ago on freeway, looked scary next to big trucks!!!

I bet it is pretty scary, especially when driving next to Dodge truck


My 13 Volvo is getting 27 mpg and it is turboed too. Hybrid is a total bs, Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear gave a good explanation about that. unless if you drive on highway, city mpg are not that great with hybrids

If you want something with good mileage go for it, but for god's sake dont get a hybrid. Get a Civic Corolla or any other econobox for 14k. Hybrids are the worst economic descions anyone can make. Why spend 10k to just get 10 mpg better. Hopefully diesel will make a comeback. Check out the VW Lupo (Europe only) it gets 78 mpg. Try & beat that hippy prius lovers!! TDI Jettas regularly get 55+ mpg and can be tuned up to be quite quick. Hell, my Lifted Dodge Ram 2500 with the Cummins Turbo diesel gets 18 mpg hauling its 7800 pound body and turning 35" mud terrains down the highway at 75.

I saw a CNBC piece on MBZ about how one of their chief diesel engineers pushed for all other companies to develop diesel since it can be derived from regular peanut oil of all things. Diesel isn't the future but its a step in the right direction.

Now only if fuel cells could make massive amounts of power.

It's not scary at all. When you are inside of a smart car it feels much bigger than it looks. I always cruise by those big trucks at speeds regularly around 70+.

The trucks aren't as scary as the people who slow down to rubberneck and look at the car.

f##K a hybrid.. they're dog**** ugly.

if u want a good gas mileage car that's hella fun to drive, get a mini cooper 6sp. gets 40MPG on the highway.

not a big fan of diesel, especially when diesel is $4.40/gal, but both bmw & VW will sell diesels this fall.. the VW motor is lookin pretty good

Driving a hybrid is really a matter of principle for me, my principle of not getting RAPED by the OIL industry. I get to go further, without using more fuel. 10 gallon fillup 470 miles range.