Some people will question the existence of hybrid vehicles, and in some cases, with good reason. The complexity of the electrical system and the added weight of the battery pack can make a hybrid a tough sell against its conventional, non-electric counterpart.
Remember the short-lived Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid? Yes, it did offer better fuel economy than the normal, 4-cylinder Malibu, but only marginally. And when GM added its 6-speed automatic transmission to the four-pot model, it actually used less fuel on the highway than the hybrid version. No wonder it didn’t last long.
Have you heard of BMW’s ActiveHybrid 7? It burns 20% less fuel than a 750Li, but if you can afford a car that costs $120K, do you really care about saving fuel? We thought so.
The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, however, might be a worthwhile alternative over the conventional model. Okay, it’s twelve grand more costly, but fuel consumption improves by 15% on the highway and a whopping 32% around town.
Saving the planet aboard Caddy’s 8-passenger luxobarge starts with a 6.0-litre V8 that features cylinder deactivation (Active Fuel Management in GM-speak), a start/stop system, two electric motors and a battery pack, all managed by an electrically-controlled transmission with four fixed gears. Total output is rated at 332 horsepower and 367 pound-feet of torque; that’s less than a regular version’s 403 pony count, but still muscular enough for quick getaways.
In addition, the hybrid powertrain operates pretty smoothly, and delivers an average of 12 L/100 km, which is good. The highway rating of just 8.5 L/100 km seems a little unrealistic, but this very short test won’t give us time for road tripping.
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| The Escalade Hybrid reduces fuel consumption by 32% in city driving. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Remember the short-lived Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid? Yes, it did offer better fuel economy than the normal, 4-cylinder Malibu, but only marginally. And when GM added its 6-speed automatic transmission to the four-pot model, it actually used less fuel on the highway than the hybrid version. No wonder it didn’t last long.
Have you heard of BMW’s ActiveHybrid 7? It burns 20% less fuel than a 750Li, but if you can afford a car that costs $120K, do you really care about saving fuel? We thought so.
The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, however, might be a worthwhile alternative over the conventional model. Okay, it’s twelve grand more costly, but fuel consumption improves by 15% on the highway and a whopping 32% around town.
Saving the planet aboard Caddy’s 8-passenger luxobarge starts with a 6.0-litre V8 that features cylinder deactivation (Active Fuel Management in GM-speak), a start/stop system, two electric motors and a battery pack, all managed by an electrically-controlled transmission with four fixed gears. Total output is rated at 332 horsepower and 367 pound-feet of torque; that’s less than a regular version’s 403 pony count, but still muscular enough for quick getaways.
In addition, the hybrid powertrain operates pretty smoothly, and delivers an average of 12 L/100 km, which is good. The highway rating of just 8.5 L/100 km seems a little unrealistic, but this very short test won’t give us time for road tripping.
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| Total output is 332 horsepower and 367 pound-feet, less than the regular Escalade’s 403 horses. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |