Is a SUV Your Best Choice in Troubled Times?

Many folks think of SUVs as the antitheses of green, yet there's an array of new models that hope to sway the crowd of Priusisti into buying something a good bit larger and seemingly less fuel efficient.

Crazy as it may sound, when you run the numbers on some of the hybrid (and other) models when driving with a full load of kids and pets and gear, things can actually work out in favor of the SUV ... as long as you learn how to drive the beast in the most fuel efficient manner.  (The trick is to load it all into one SUV and aim for 30 MPG on the highway, rather then taking two more fuel-efficient but smaller cars.)

Gas prices have dropped and SUVs are clogging the lots. Auto dealers have never been so eagar to close a sale. The trick is to cut through the marketing hype to determine if and which SUV is the best choice for your specific needs, while leaving your predispositions (and perhaps misconceptions) at the door.