Despite the dramatic drop in gas prices in recent weeks, hybrid vehicles remain a bright spot in an otherwise dismal American car market. There
’s just one problem: When it comes to reaching the promised land of optimal fuel efficiency, some hybrid owners are starting to ask a question: “Are we there yet?”
Green-minded drivers shopping for fuel sippers are finding that unless it’s a gold-standard Toyota Prius or Honda Civic (each promising 45 highway mpg), the current crop of hybrids offer surprisingly measly mileage. Half of the 2009 hybrids rated by the Environmental Protection Agency, from the Cadillac Escalade to the Lexus LS 600h L, barely crack 25 mpg.
Automakers say part of the problem may actually be American driving habits, which are still far from green-friendly. They also point out that many customers are happy with at least some improvement over their SUV days—understandable, considering that a nonhybrid two-wheel-drive Escalade, for one, gets only 15 mpg. Indeed, with most hybrids besting their conventional models’ mileage by at least 10 percent, environmentalists see the gains as something to build on. “It’s a start,” says Jim Kliesch, a senior engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group.
But analysts say the hybrid story is a little more complicated— (READ ON | CLICK BELOW)