The modern gas-camel: Top 10 2008 Hybrids

by Rob Peters | April 21, 2008 at 06:42 pm
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My New 2008 Toyota Prius

My New 2008 Toyota Prius

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Hybrids have been quietly inching their way into the mainstream auto market for several years now. As gas prices go up and up--prices today hit a record $3.50/gallon--we're bound to see interest in hybrids rise. Who knows, by next year's Earth Day we might see parades of Toyota Priuses.

For a hybrid refresher, find some helpful basics here.

Rankings methodology:

Hybrid rankings have often been simplistic: Most are little more than lists of the highest-mileage models on the market. Here, we ranked hybrids based on how much fuel savings they get when compared to their non-hybrid version, as well as how much all that saved gas is going to cost you. Examinations that compare hybrids to "comparably equipped" versions miss an important point. Hybrids are almost always among the most expensive trim levels, if not the most costly, but our premise is that you're looking for efficiency first, followed closely by price. This isn't about acceleration, so the hybrids are compared to the lowest-priced, most-efficient gas-only trim level in their model line. Our rankings take into account the hybrid's mileage and price premium, in percent, as well as its suggested retail price. This gives less-expensive models a boost while penalizing more-expensive ones.

The 2008 rankings, according to cars.com:

1. Toyota Prius
2. Saturn Vue Green Line
3. Honda Civic Hybrid
4. Toyota Camry Hybrid
5. Lexus RX 400h
6. Toyota Highlander Hybrid
7. Ford Escape Hybrid
8. Chevrolet Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid
9. Saturn Aura Green Line
10. Lexus GS 450h

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