Trucks Need Mileage Too

You know that watching the gas pump spin up toward that big-bucks total isn't good for your blood pressure. And with your pickup or SUV (sport utility vehicle), you have to make gas station stops way too often. If you're about due for a new vehicle, you'll be happy to know that manufacturers are beginning to roll out hybrid and other models that can extend the time and distance between fueling pit stops.

Gas prices that have hovered around $2 a gallon have made just a small dent in Americans' lust for big trucks--such as slowing sales of the Hummer H2. But many people still need large vehicles--whether it's to ferry kids around with their friends, to haul cargo like paint or plywood, or to tow a boat or trailer. So engines that get better mileage make sense, as most economists don't expect a return to the cheap gas of decades past. Research firm J.D. Power and Associates predicts that the number of hybrid models will grow from five recently to 30 by 2008--including pickups and SUVs.

Manufacturers have adopted different strategies to boost mileage in their bigger vehicles. Ford is first to market with a gas-electric hybrid SUV--a version of its Escape small sport utility. In 2005 Toyota, a hybrid pioneer with its hot-selling Prius sedan, will bring out a hybrid Highlander SUV and, from its luxury Lexus division, a hybrid sport utility in its RX line. DaimlerChrysler is emphasizing mileage-boosting diesel engines--with a diesel version available late this year for its own small SUV, the Jeep Liberty. General Motors is test-marketing a small number of gas-electric hybrid power plants in its Chevrolet and GMC pickups. And mid-size SUVs from Chevy and GMC will offer other mileage-boosting technology on some V8 engines.

Here's a rundown of SUVs and pickups that will be available soon to help lessen your gas-station blues:

Ford Escape Hybrid

Escape sales already have had a boost from buyers trading down their larger, thirstier SUVs, and Ford hopes the hybrid version will increase that attraction. Starting at $26,380 for a two-wheel drive version and $28,005 with four-wheel drive, the hybrid Escape is priced $3,300-$3,425 more than its gasoline-only equivalent models. The hybrid Escape is rated by the Environmental Protection Agency to get 33 mpg (miles per gallon) on the highway and 36 mpg in city driving in its two-wheel drive model. (That becomes 29 highway and 33 city for all-wheel drive.) That's about a 30% increase in mileage over gas-only models on the highway and an 80% gain in city driving, where hybrids are especially thrifty. (Like all hybrids, Escape's real-world mileage likely will be less than the numbers in the EPA tests.)

And for those who care about environmental issues, the Escape hybrid meets ultra-low emission standards. The Escape combines a 2.3-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor and battery pack. In mild acceleration, you'll be powered by the electric motor alone up to about 25 miles per hour. Like most hybrids, the Escape's power shuts down entirely at stoplights but switches on again when you hit the accelerator. When you coast or use the brakes, the vehicle generates energy and charges the battery pack.

Toyota and Lexus Hybrids

While Ford is installing a hybrid power plant in its smallest SUV, Toyota's luxury Lexus division is hybridizing its mid-size sport utilities. Already the hybrid leader (its Prius hybrid sedan has buyer waiting lists), Toyota says its Highlander will be the first hybrid SUV that can haul up to seven people. Combining a V6 engine with an electric motor twice as powerful as that in the Prius, the 270 peak horsepower actually will produce better acceleration than the all-gasoline counterpart, according to Toyota officials. Due in showrooms about mid-2005, Highlander's price has not yet been set. But based on the Prius' price differential with its gasoline siblings, look for the hybrid Highlander to sell for a bit more than $30,000.

The luxury Lexus RX 400h will of course be more expensive--probably in the $40,000 to $42,000 price range. But that hasn't deterred Lexus loyalists from putting in 9,000 advance orders. The RX 400h will use a similar power plant to the Highlander's, and is expected to debut sooner, early in 2005. No EPA mileage estimates are yet available, but company officials suggest that combined city/highway mileage might be close to 30 mpg.

Jeep Liberty Diesel

With its long history of Mercedes-Benz diesels, the Daimler portion of DaimlerChrysler tends to favor this alternative. Diesels, already common in European cars, can get 20% to 30% better gas mileage than equivalent gasoline engines. Diesels traditionally have faced problems here because they emit more smog-forming gases than gasoline engines. But DaimlerChrysler hopes tougher U.S. rules for diesel fuel will help solve this problem. The diesel Liberty features a technologically advanced 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that Chrysler Group officials say gives you the acceleration of a V6, and the low-end torque and towing capacity of a V8. EPA estimates for fuel economy are 22 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, compared with 17 mpg city and 22 mpg highway in a standard gasoline-powered Liberty. No price has been announced yet for the diesel Liberty, but look for it to sell at some $1,500 more than comparable gasoline models.

DaimlerChrysler is so committed to diesel that it's combining a diesel engine with an electric motor in a Dodge Ram hybrid pickup. But so far this is just an experimental model, with just 100 to be built and sold only to commercial fleets.

General Motors Pickups and SUVs

In the long run, GM and others argue, gee-whiz technologies like hydrogen fuel-cell power plants can sharply reduce the U.S. dependence on petroleum. But such technology is a decade or more away. So for now, a hybrid or diesel truck is your best bet to cut down on those painful visits to the gas pump.

Jerry Edgerton is an automotive writer whose work has appeared in Money and other national magazines. He also is the author of the book "Car Shopping Made Easy".

Published November 8, 2004