Poser hybrids

Every few weeks, I get my hair cut at a small local barber shop. To keep myself occupied while the customer ahead of me finishes, I read magazines from a big stack on the table. Motor Trend is one of my favorites and so is Hot Rod Magazine, but I'll read anything about cars. For every ten articles I see about conventional racing machines, hard-working trucks and dependable sedans, there always seems to be one or two articles on what I think of as “poser hybrids.”

A “poser hybrid” is an SUV with added electric motors, the often poorly-executed union of performance engineering and hybrid technology. These cars are not meant to be fuel efficient, they never were and I doubt they will ever truly be. No matter how much care goes into the design, big engines will always consume an unnecessary amount of fuel.

The 2010 GMC Yukon hybrid perfectly illustrates everything that's wrong with the “poser hybrid” industry. Based on an already ridiculous vehicle, this SUV weighs over 5,000 pounds, has a 6.0 liter V8 engine, gets 21 miles per gallon and seats eight. It costs $58,515. The non-hybrid version weighs about the same, gets 10-15 mpg and costs a whopping $16,510 less.

Clearly, this isn't a real hybrid. The gain in fuel efficiency is too small, the price tag is too big, and slapping some extra hardware and a “hybrid” sticker on a tank doesn't change the fact that you're still driving a tank. No, the Yukon hybrid is more of a status symbol, helping rich people pretend to care about going green without compromising on luxury and comfort.

I'm not against hybrid cars. My dad drives a first generation Toyota Prius and my mom drives a second generation model. In fact, I believe the Prius is still the best hybrid out there. It's relatively simple and balanced, the electric motor was specially designed to work with the reasonably-sized 1.8 liter I4 engine. Both first and second generation models still get 45-50 mpg.

In the end, it all comes down to what you want. Do you like having lots of protective metal around you? Maybe an SUV is right for you. Want to save money on gas, maybe even pollute less? Buy a real hybrid. You can have one or the other, but you can't have both.