Blending of power between the gas and electric systems is mainly seamless and completely hands off. All required power is generated on board too-- so you don't have to plug it in at night. Compromises with the two-mode Hybrid system are virtually nil.
Numbers? City and highway driving averaged between 12 and 13L / 100km- or roughly the same as a considerably smaller, less capable and less powerful machine. Several V6 powered five-seater SUVs in recent memory use more fuel. This Two-Mode Hybrid technology is an award-winner, and it works.
$97,000+
The tester stickered at $97,415 with a few grand worth of optional equipment tacked onto its starting price of over $93,000. Even at near real-estate pricing levels, it lacked goodies like an intelligent key, adaptive lighting and a sunroof- all of which are largely standard on machinery for half the money.
Not one for blinged-out twenty-twos, acres of glitter and more L.E.D. lights than a shopping-mall Christmas tree? Other fuel-saving large SUV options exist. The Tahoe Hybrid, for instance, starts around $70,000. Hefty still, but more digestible nonetheless.
Perhaps you're not in the new hybrid SUV market at all. If you still want to do your part for Mother Nature and save fuel, remember that a simple tune-up on whatever you're driving could reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent.
After all, it's always nice to have options.
photo:Justin Pritchard
Numbers? City and highway driving averaged between 12 and 13L / 100km- or roughly the same as a considerably smaller, less capable and less powerful machine. Several V6 powered five-seater SUVs in recent memory use more fuel. This Two-Mode Hybrid technology is an award-winner, and it works.
$97,000+
The tester stickered at $97,415 with a few grand worth of optional equipment tacked onto its starting price of over $93,000. Even at near real-estate pricing levels, it lacked goodies like an intelligent key, adaptive lighting and a sunroof- all of which are largely standard on machinery for half the money.
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| The tester stickered at $97,415 with a few grand worth of optional equipment tacked onto its starting price of over $93,000. |
Not one for blinged-out twenty-twos, acres of glitter and more L.E.D. lights than a shopping-mall Christmas tree? Other fuel-saving large SUV options exist. The Tahoe Hybrid, for instance, starts around $70,000. Hefty still, but more digestible nonetheless.
Perhaps you're not in the new hybrid SUV market at all. If you still want to do your part for Mother Nature and save fuel, remember that a simple tune-up on whatever you're driving could reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent.
After all, it's always nice to have options.
photo:Justin Pritchard
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