Small Hybrid SUVs

Hybrid SUVs aren't as great a value as hybrid sedans

As is the case with hybrid cars (covered in a separate report), hybrid SUVs offer better fuel economy and reduced emissions compared to their conventionally powered counterparts. These gains come at a cost, however: Compact hybrid SUVs are substantially more expensive than traditional small SUVs, and recouping the price premium with fuel savings could take a long time. With that established, buyers who still want a hybrid SUV right now are basically limited to the Ford Escape Hybrid (*Est. $29,645 to $33,725) and Mercury Mariner Hybrid (*Est. $30,090 to $31,840), sister vehicles with similar features, identical powertrains and slightly different aesthetics.

For 2009, a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine for the Escape and Mariner hybrids is paired with electric motors to deliver V-6-level performance with an EPA-estimated 34 mpg city and 31 mpg highway for two-wheel-drive versions. An all-wheel-drive variant is good for 29 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. The Ford Escape Hybrid is easily the most fuel-efficient SUV; it's listed in the EPA's top 10 most fuel-efficient vehicles for 2009, outscoring small gas-powered economy cars such as the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. A third variant of the gas-electric Escape/Mariner is available as the 2009 Mazda Tribute Hybrid, but it has extremely limited production and is only sold in California.

A stiffer structure and retuned suspension make the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid a better everyday driver. Sam Abuelsamid of AutoblogGreen.com notes the difference, saying "The overall impression is of a quieter, more refined driving environment" when combined with additional updates to the hybrid system, which can now propel the Escape Hybrid on silent electric power to speeds over 20 miles per hour. The small SUV's changeover between electric mode and combustion-engine power is also more muted, he reports. Cars.com's Mike Hanley weighs in on the accommodations, saying, "The leather front seats offer good long drive comfort -- I wasn't sore in the least after a nearly six-hour drive," but goes on to say that the interior fit and finish are not in the same class as the likes of the Honda CR-V, and he points out that folding the second-row seat is a multi-step operation that requires the removal of the rear headrests.

General Motors answers Ford by offering one compact hybrid SUV for 2009: the Saturn Vue Hybrid (*Est. $28,160). Unlike the full-hybrid Ford Escape, the cheaper Saturn Vue Hybrid uses a simpler mild-hybrid setup, in which the electric motor can provide assistance during acceleration, but is unable to power the vehicle on its own. At stoplights, the engine will shut down automatically and power back up as soon as the driver lifts his foot off the brake pedal. All this works out to an EPA-rated 28 mpg in mixed use (25 mpg city and 32 mpg highway). In a Truck Trend comparison test, the Saturn Vue Hybrid gets dinged by editors for being excessively heavy, but they also say it has great ride quality: "The silver lining is that the Vue glides over road seams and potholes with a sort of gravitational imperturbability." Shoppers should note, however, that General Motors has stated that the Saturn brand will be shuttered or sold off by the end of 2009 (along with Hummer, Pontiac and Saab) as part of its restructuring process. If you have any concerns about buying a product attached to a (likely) dying brand, you probably want to look elsewhere.