2009 Hybrid Cars, Trucks and SUVs: Chevrolet

2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
Base MSRP: $26,225
EPA fuel economy (city/highway): 26 mpg/34 mpg

The Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid is what's known as a mild hybrid, so unlike a Prius it cannot provide that magic moment of silent, all-electric propulsion. Instead, the Malibu's alternator has been replaced with an electric motor-generator that stops and starts the gas engine at stoplights, improving gas mileage. The result is 26 mpg in the city, a 4 mpg improvement compared to the standard four-cylinder Malibu. That's not a huge number in a world where the Ford Fusion Hybrid is posting a 41 mpg rating in the city, but the cost premium for the hybrid version of the Malibu isn't huge either. Very mild, indeed.

2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
Base MSRP: $38,995 (RWD); $42,145 (4WD)
EPA fuel economy (city/highway): 21 mpg/22 mpg (RWD); 20 mpg/20 mpg (4WD)

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid is actually the successor to a Silverado mild hybrid that didn't catch on. Now the Silverado Hybrid uses a version of GM's exotic two-mode hybrid system, seen first in the company's full-size SUVs. It consists of a complex two-mode hybrid transmission, a 300-volt pack of nickel-metal hydride batteries and a pushrod 6.0-liter V8. The transmission packs four fixed gear ratios and two 60-kilowatt electric motors with planetary gearsets into the space of a conventional gearbox. The result is 21 mpg city/22 mpg highway for the rear-drive version and 20 mpg city/20 mpg highway for the 4x4, along with a maximum towing capability of 6,100 pounds. The hybrid is available only as a crew cab (the space under the rear seats is needed to package the batteries). "Hybrid" stickers included, of course.

2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Base MSRP: $51,405 (RWD); $54,210 (4WD)
EPA fuel economy (city/highway): 21 mpg/22 mpg (RWD); 20 mpg/20 mpg (4WD)

When we tested the rear-wheel-drive Tahoe Hybrid last year, we noted, "[The] marginal bump in fuel economy will improve your sense of social responsibility more than it will your carbon footprint." This assessment had been on our real-world fuel economy of 19.3 mpg. Still, the Tahoe Hybrid is in many ways an impressive piece, with a hybrid powertrain that operates almost seamlessly. And small gains in the mpg of big SUVs results in relatively large fuel savings. But if you don't need the 6,200-pound towing capacity of the rear-wheel-drive Tahoe Hybrid, a host of three-row, V6-powered crossovers will produce similar fuel economy.