The hybrid SUVs

Up until recently I thought the idea of a hybrid SUV was sort of silly, even stupid. Sure you get better gas mileage, but compared to the close to 40 mpg that the hybrid sedans are getting, you only get about 25-27 mpg in the SUV. I have a truck right now that gets about the same gas mileage as that, although it's a 4 cylinder, but I've loaded it up pretty good and can still get up to speed on the freeway. It was my thinking that we need to get off the big SUVs altogether and focus on smaller, more efficient cars.

I've been contemplating getting a new car for a while, and was pretty set on a truck, but while I have been trying to save up to get one, my house got robbed and I ended up having to spend the money I saved replacing what I had lost in the robbery. This gave me some more time to think about what I was looking for and not just finding a replacement for my old truck, which I love, but I'm finding I don't use it as a truck enough to justify getting another one. I have been wanting to get something with 4-wheel drive because I take trips up to the snow during the winter and don't want to have to rely on other people getting me there anymore. This severely limites my options to trucks, SUVs, and a very small selection of AWD wagons (like Subaru has). Most of these cars also come with at least V6 engines standard, and that pretty much automatically means it will be getting worse gas mileage.

I was recently talking about this with some friends and it was at that point when someone suggested I take a look at hybrid SUVs. I hadn't even thought of it until that point, and I was still a little skeptical, but I figured I'd give it a shot and look into it. After looking at some of the options that are out there, and there aren't many, I'm starting to think this would be a great fit for me. I don't drive a lot, but with the gas prices the way they are, and not likely to go back down, I think I could pay a little more now and save a lot more in the long run. The problem is there are a very limited number of hybrid SUVs available, and I would really like to have more options to choose from.

As it stands, I am really looking at the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I have a Toyota right now and have had very little trouble with it as compared to the stories I have heard about other people and their car troubles. I really trust that buying another Toyota would provide me with a long lasting car that I can rely on for a long time. I had hoped to find Honda coming out with a hybrid SUV as well, but while there are rumors, there is nothing concrete saying that they will have them available anytime soon. What I would have really liked to see one of the smaller SUV models in hybrid form. While the Highlander isn't huge, it's still bigger than what I think I actually need, but there's also no guarantee that waiting will be of any help as they may not bother making hybrid versions of the smaller SUVs. I still have some saving to do before I will be ready to make the commitment, but unless something else comes up in the near future, it's looking like the Highlander will be the way to go.