Why Everyone Can Love New Hybrid SUVs

GM is showing off its first "full hybrid," a gas-electric version the GMC Yukon that will debut in November. The San Jose Mercury News likes what it sees in the vehicle, including the ability to run on only battery power at slow speeds (hence the "full" hybrid), and the Active Fuel Management system that cuts out half of the V-8's cylinders when they're not needed.

Even if you are not a fan of the giants of the roadway, hybrid SUVs should be encouraged because they can save more gasoline and reduce emissions more than "hybridizing" smaller cars. The math may seem a bit reversed, but improving the fuel efficiency of vehicles that get less than 20 mpg can cut total fuel consumption by a greater amount than tweaking fuel-efficient cars by the same percentage.

For example, driving the hybrid version of the GMC Yukon (21 mpg) for 15,000 miles per year will cut 184 gallons of gasoline over the standard model, while driving a Honda Civic Hybrid (42 mpg) the same distance instead of the gas-only model will save 160 gallons of gas.

Regardless of any environmental arm-waving, people will continue to buy SUVs (and boat owners/haulers with good reason), so we might as well encourage that they buy the most fuel efficient option available. Along with the federal tax incentive for buying a hybrid of a few thousand dollars, hybrid SUV buyers will also save about $500 a year at the pump.

Hopefully the world HYBRID will be really big on the side of these new SUVs (a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is also planned) so that the anti-SUV crowd will take pause. More diesel SUVs and trucks would also be welcome for their fuel efficiency.