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    Hybrids Rule: 2008 's Top Five (Part 2)

    This is the second of a two-part series, "Cool Hybrids To Consider For 2008. In the first part, I reviewed the Ford Escape and Chevy Malibu.

    The second part of the series includes reviews of the Honda Civic, Mercury Mariner and Toyota Prius, the country's best-selling hybrid.


    Hybrids Rule: 2008's Top Five (Part 1)

    It's unlikely Ferdinand Verbiest was known as an environmentalist nor did he likely have a quest to be "green." But as a Jesuit priest of Belgian ancestry living and working in China, Verbiest was a visionary.

    Four centuries ago, give or take a few years, Verbiest was a renowned  astronomer. But he also spent more than a decade developing a four-wheeled vehicle that could be powered by steam or horse. It was the first hybrid and it was short-lived.

    Mazda Tribute Hybrid, 2008: Weidel on Wheels

    Confused about the differences between the Ford Escape and the Mazda Tribute? Don’t be. They are essentially the same vehicle. And if two options aren’t enough, how about three?

    The Mercury Mariner is a close relative to the Tribute and Escape. The Tribute made up some ground in 2008 year, joining the Escape and Mariner by adding a hybrid option. Other than the Mazda badge, its two-tone coloring scheme and a couple of small styling differences, the Tribute and the Escape are identical.

    Honda Civic (Hybrid), 2008: The Weekly Driver

    The 2008 edition continues the second generation of the Honda Civic hybrid, which was introduced in 2006 and has maintained a strong share in the ever-expanding hybrid market.

    In fact, with the exception of the Toyota Prius, which dominated hybrid sales in the United States in 2007, the Civic hybrid in the country's most popular hybrid.

    Chevrolet Malibu (Hybrid), 2008: The Weekly Driver

    It's hard not to see Malibu advertisements. With its keen redesign for 2008, Chevrolet has seemingly put everything it has into the marketing of the car named after the southern California beach city.

    The promotion began in earnest during the 2007 World Series and it hasn't waned. Chevrolet wants the Malibu to compete with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and that's a hefty task. With its hybrid version, new for 2008, the Malibu features GMC's "mild hybrid system" rather than its dual mode full hybrid system.

    Ford Escape (Hybrid), 2007: The Weekly Driver

    Introduced in 2004, the Escape hybrid complemented Ford's already popular compact sport utility vehicle line. The Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner are remarkably similar SUVs, with the Mariner also available in a hybrid model.

    With its hybrid model, the Escape and its close hybrid sibling easily overcome the SUV stigma — poor gas mileage. The Escape features a "full" hybrid electric system. It works in three different ways — as pure electric power, pure gasoline power or a combination of the two systems.

    Mercury Mariner (Hybrid), 2006: The Weekly Driver

    The Mercury Mariner is among several nearly interchangeable compact sport utility vehicles. In fact, the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribune are remarkable similar vehicles, but the Mariner gains an advantage with its luxury-trimmed, hybrid edition for 2006.

    And it was the upgraded hybrid model I drove for my weekly test during a recent favorite journey, an estimated 500-mile round-trip excursion from Sacramento to California's central coast.

    Traveling to the oceanfront cities of Santa Cruz, Aptos and Rio Del Mar not only provides a great getaway, but the route offers numerous driving scenarios — high-speed, open-road sections along Interstate 5 to winding, two-lane steep mountain inclines and descents on single-lane roads.

    And like most SUVs, the Mariner provides good visibility and versatility. It offers a surprisingly adept turning radius and a smooth, steady ride considering its vehicle class. Likewise, like its hybrid brethren, the Mariner is particularly quiet during stops when the electric motor dominates.


    Honda Civic (Hybrid), 2006: The Weekly Driver

    Now in its fifth year, the Honda Civic Hybrid is no longer a curiosity. With its redesign for 2006, the hybrid has joined its gas version sibling to further improve the already hard-to-beat and now 33-year-old Civic line.

    The gas Civic was named Car of the Year by national publications. But it would be hard to argue against the inclusion of the hybrid edition or even a reverse designation. Why not give the Civic hybrid Car of the Year honors and also give the gas version accolades — just for good measure?


    Honda Accord Hybrid, 2005: The Weekly Driver

    If there are still any reservations among consumers about the overall worthiness of hybrid vehicles, the 2005 Honda Accord has done its part to end the apprehension.

    The Accord hybrid — which joined the Civic and Insight hybrid models this year — is a high-performance, fuel-efficient, well-designed and spacious addition to the more than two-dozen available configurations of the exceedingly popular Accord.

    The hybrid shares all of the upside attributes of the gas engine Accord. But it also features a surprisingly quick 255-horsepower three-liter, V6 engine. And, of course, it offers the benefits of substantially increased gas mileage via its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) and Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) electronic systems.

    Ford Escape (Hybrid), 2005: The Weekly Driver

    The 2005 Ford Escape is the fourth addition to manufacturer's SUV line, the first hybrid in the class and it makes an impressive debut.
        
    The Escape is economically and environmentally smart, and for those still unimpressed by SUVs, the vehicle could easily change their thinking. The 4-door, all-wheel drive 5-passenger rig has a 2.3-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine assisted by an electric motor.

    Combined, it offers 155 horsepower and it's rated at 33 mpg gallon in city driving and 29 mpg in highway conditions. That's the best SUV mileage available.

    For those still new to hybrids, the Escape is another prime example of the advancement of the combined gas-electric presentation . The electric motor helps save gas by powering the vehicle at lower speeds and complementing the gas engine during acceleration. 

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