Comments on: Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids: Sensible or Stupid?

By: Why I Don’t Own A Hybrid Car

Why I Don’t Own A Hybrid Car — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:53:22 +0000

[...] of its full-sized Tahoe, with limited availability this fall. Environmentalists are finding it hard to love, even with up to 40 percent better fuel economy on the highway, because it’s just so big. [...]

By: Gibson 99

Gibson 99 — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:46:34 +0000

Inane. Cars should be banned in Manhattan. I don’t care if they’re hybrids or not.

By: Olivia Zaleski

Olivia Zaleski — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:27:37 +0000

Hugg and Digg Starre’s Posts Here:

http://www.hugg.com/storylink/7803
http://digg.com/users/danitygo/news/dugg

By: Starre

Starre — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:49:07 +0000

Anonymous, as they say, “Out of the mouths of babes…”

Interesting point that other moms hassle you about the smallness of your car! I wonder if you ever say anything along the lines of “well, you might talk about your children’s future, but I’m actually doing something about making a better world for them”. I guess that would be ‘mean’ but oh-so-true!

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:43:01 +0000

I agree with Katy’s sentiment that this review continues to expose the absurdity of these vehicles — that’s what always gets to me, actually, when I drive around my little town. I live in one of the oldest neighborhoods (about 100 yrs old) with small and narrow streets. I oftentimes find myself squeezing me eyes shut as I pass an SUV in my little Toyota Camry.

And other moms who drive the SUV’s, etc., aren’t one bit shy in asking why I drive such a small car and aren’t my kids squished and uncomfortable in such a small space. I think the safety think is part of the appeal to mothers, yet I also think more space (i.e. McMansions) is an issue as well.

To add to the absurdity of big vehicles in America, I came out of the store last week and found a monster truck parked next to me. The bumper was exactly level with my head when I got into my car and pulled away. I did not comment or prompt any conversation about this to my 8 year-old son who asked as we drove away, “Mom, if that truck crashed into us on the road would it hurt your head?”

Thanks again for the great piece.

By: Days 161-165: MLwC and Hybrid SUVs « What it’s like

Days 161-165: MLwC and Hybrid SUVs « What it’s like — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 01:42:02 +0000

[...] Just so happens that EcoChic has a very recent article on her blog about a recent test drive of the GM Yukon and Tahoe SUVs. Alas, the story isn’t altogether a pleasant read for those considering hybrid SUVs–she found the whole experience of driving such a large hunk of metal embarrassing and uncomfortable. [...]

By: Starre

Starre — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:58:12 +0000

Hey Yahoowhoo,

Sorry you don’t like my writing style! To each his or her own. If you want more info about the specs of the car, definitely check out
Lyle’s review of them (he was at the same event I was). He is a real car guy and knows what he’s talking about.

No, I don’t think hybrids are the most efficient way to go, I like battery-only vehicles, preferably charged up from a renewable source of energy.

By: yahoowhoo

yahoowhoo — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:12:28 +0000

I don’t think that you did much except talk about yourself. I think that it is a pretty lame “review”!!!! You failed to mention many things about the truck and its features and spent a lot of time trying to make yourself credible. That is really sad. Also I would like to see some information on the batteries and how they are going to be disposed of and how toxic they are. Are hybrid engines the most efficient way to go?

By: Katy

Katy — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 01:21:40 +0000

Starre, I do not have data on that per se - but I did recently come across a piece that showed that older cars are much more fuel efficient than new ones, including the Honda Civic. I think that the 1990 model was about 700 lbs lighter than the 2007 model. The only model that has improved/maintained its gas mileage in the last 18 years is the Accord. This isn’t the original article I read (sorry, can’t find it) but it give similar information:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-07-15-little-big-cars_N.htm

So in a lot of ways, buying an older car is more eco-friendly than buying a newer model. (reduce, recycle, reuse).

By: Courtney

Courtney — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:04:51 +0000

One of my favorite things about living in Germany is the rarity of these monstrosities. When will people toss out the excuses for driving SUVs and start driving real cars? Who cares if it’s a hybrid and gets gas mileage that’s equivalent to the average mid-sized sedan? Bigger is not better and there’s no excuse for needing to drive something so large. Sorry, Starre. You did a nice job covering this, but I still can’t get behind GM’s greenwashing here.

By: Starre

Starre — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:23:22 +0000

You know, I have a friend that always talks about the energy it takes to build a car and wonders what it is compared to how much energy it takes to fuel an inefficient car. Is it worth it to get rid of a less-efficient car and buy a new one? It would be interesting to see the data on that.

By: Katy

Katy — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:01:53 +0000

Bravo - an excellent in-depth look at the absurdity of these vehicles. One thing I didn’t see mentioned was that besides being gas-guzzlers, the amount of energy that goes into building these behemoths - hybrid or not - (steel, plastic, etc) is phenomenal.

When I was a kid in the late 70s, I remember seeing all of the huge old pre-gas crises cars driving around and thinking, wow, people used to be really stupid.

I can’t even believe how much worse it got. I wonder what our children will think of us.