About Green SUVs
A "green" SUV is one that is either manufactured in a way to lessen damage to the environment, gets excellent fuel economy, has a hybrid powertrain or a diesel powertrain. These vehicles offer the space and utility of a large SUV while lessening their emissions and thirst for fuel.
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First Mainstream Hybrid SUV
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Big, inefficient SUVs like the Ford Excursion are not green. The first mainstream "green" hybrid SUV to market was the Ford Escape, which launched in 2004. The Escape was a "full hybrid," meaning that it could run for a certain amount of time up to 25 miles per hour on electric power alone.
2010 Full Hybrid SUVs
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Most full hybrids have dashboards that look exactly like their non-hybrid brethren. There are a number of hybrid SUVs on the market that can run on electric power alone for a period of time. They include the 2010 Toyota Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX450h, Mazda Tribute hybrid and the Mercury Mariner hybrid (a Ford Escape hybrid clone).
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Partial Hybrids
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Hybrid models also run on low profile tires to improve fuel economy but these tires also lower the top speed of the hybrid vehicle. There is a second kind of hybrid that only assists in giving power to the gasoline engine and never runs solely on electric power. As of 2010, these models include the Chevy Tahoe hybrid, Cadillac Escalade hybrid and Dodge Durango hybrid.
Diesel SUVs
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BMW recently introduced a diesel X5 in the United States. For many years, diesel SUVs could not be sold in the United States because of our strict emissions laws and because newer designs need to run on low-sulfur diesel. Low-sulfur diesel is now the only type of diesel fuel sold at gas stations, and there are a number of fuel-efficient, low-emissions diesels available today, including the BMW X5 diesel, Mercedes M-Class diesel and the Audi Q7 diesel.
Fuel-Efficient Crossovers
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A crossover SUV can be fun to drive, fuel efficient and have very low emissions. Car companies are also creating more fuel-efficient SUVs but designing them on a car platform instead of heavier truck platforms. For example, the Honda CR-V is based on a car platform, has a fuel efficiency rating of 21 city/28 highway and qualifies for California's very strict U-LEV2 (Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle) designation.
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References
Resources
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