Do hybrid suvs really work? Do they get as good gas mileage as they say? Are thay as clean as they should be? Do many people buy them?

This is a question to see if there are good points to owning an suv hybrid or not. Here is a list of Hybrid suvs currently on the market.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybrid_sbs_SUVs.shtml

Future hybrid suvs

-Audi Q7
-Cadillac Escalade
-Chevrolet Tahoe
-Dodge Durango
-GMC Yukon
-Porsche Cayenne
-All new Toyota Highlander

Also, GM's hybrid trucks. Are those really any good? Will the GMT900 hybrids with V8s be a hit? To make things short, Are hybrid suvs worth the money or not?

Yes, they work, but not as good as they should. The bigger (Full-Size) Hybrid SUVs will not get the mileage of the smaller Hybrid SUVs. The same is true for the traditional gas SUVs as well.



No.



Not right now, no.



Not right now, no. However they are a step in the right direction. Given time, attention, and improved technology, they will get better as time goes on.

I don't agree with the idea of hybrid SUVs, I think it would be better if people were discouraged from buying SUVs unless they really needed them for offroad use. SUVs are bigger, heavier and therefore thirstier so wouldn't a hybrid SUV be less environmentally friendly than a smaller hybrid like the Prius? I think hybrid SUVs are a bit like low-calorie desserts and sweets, if you really want to lose weight, don't bother with any kind of dessert, likewise if you really cared about the environment, you just shouldn't drive an SUV UNLESS you literally needed one (say you live on a farm or something). To any SUV owners on this site, please don't take this as a personal attack on you, this is just my philosophy on SUVs, for most people they are unnecessary, and if we really care about the environment we should stop using them so much. I know some SUVs are good for families because they have lots of cargo space and extra seats, but then so do minivans/MPVs. There used to be a time when the only SUVs that existed (at least in Europe) were things like the Land Rover. And the fact is all these large, comfort-orientated SUVs like the Chevy Suburban, Ford Expedition and the status symbol SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Range Rover, BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne et al, don't do the offroad thing better (or in a lot of cases anywhere near as well) than the proper utilitarian 4x4s. So if people only bought SUVs for offroad use, all these models wouldn't be necessary. Some people say that one day SUVs will die out the same all the American land yachts died out after the energy crisis. Personally I think this would be a good thing. However if it also means that high performance cars would have to die as well, then that would be much more of shame in my opinion.

Actually, surprisingly, the Ford Expedition still retains some of it’s Off-Road prowess (though it is not as good of a Off-Roader as the First Generation) My Generation Expedition the Second Generation offers a Traction Control Override, were you can deactivate the TCS via a console mounted button for serious Off-Road use *and it does work* (Some notable SUVs do not offer this option) Even my short lived Toyota Land Cruiser did not offer this feature. I have used the 4WD and "Advance Trac w/ RSC" Override a few times already. The Expedition will go just about anywhere it’s size will allow.

The Porsche Cayenne and the Range Rover are quite good for off-road.

But the problem with those two SUVs is that they are so expensive and pristine, how many of them are actually used for rough, hard offroading? If you had spent so much money of one of those would you want to get it all dirty and scuffed up? If you needed a workhorse car for proper offroading, wouldn't it make more sense to get a Land Rover Defender, they are much tougher and more workmanlike, and it's not the kind of vehicle you'd worry about getting dented and scratched. The Porsche Cayenne is far more of a luxurious, sporty status symbol than a true offroader, despite it's offroading prowess. When was the last time you saw a dirty Cayenne? To be honest you wouldn't want to take a new Cayenne offroad anymore than you'd want to take a Maserati Quattroporte offroad. Yes, the Ford Expedition, Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover can actually do some decent offroading (unlike some SUVs), but are they actually better than a Land Rover Defender (apart from the issue of comfort)? By the way how many 4x4s match up to the Defender, in true ultilitarian terms? The only one I can think of is the AM General HMMWV.

I take mine Off-Roading like it’s a 1973 Chevy C/K-Series Custom Deluxe. I stay away from low hanging tree branches so as not to scratch it. (But other than that, I have driven it home with mud up to the headlamps)

Actually the Range Rover does better than "decent offroading"; if I remember well it is better than many non-luxury offroaders.
Similar to the Defender there are probably base models of Mercedes G-Klasse, the Lada Niva and Jeep Wrangler.

Good to know that at least that one is well used

Yeah, good for you!