GMC Yukon Hybrid: Oxymoron or Necessary Alternative?
Last week I was invited to attend a special event for bloggers at GM’s Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan. The program included taking us through the GM Safe Driving program and having lunch with several GM designers and executives before an afternoon of test driving a variety of vehicles from GM’s 2008 line. Only a couple of hybrids were in the lineup. I was looking forward in particular to seeing the Saturn Vue GreenLine, but it wasn’t available. However, there were two other hybrids among the two dozen or so vehicles that were there: the Saturn Aura GreenLine sedan and the GMC Yukon Hybrid SUV.
A hybrid full-size truck may seem a bit oxymoronic at first. And if you are driving it by yourself without any passengers or cargo most of the time, then it is, if not oxymoronic…then at least moronic. But for people who need the capacity and features of a vehicle like the Yukon, having one that is a hybrid makes a great deal more sense than having one that is not.
According to GM’s estimates*, the 2008 hybrid Yukon gets 20 MPG in city driving and 21 MPG on the highway, which isn’t quite in the same league as a Prius, but then a Prius isn’t going to haul a 3-ton trailer, either.
Unlike the Saturn Aura sedan, which I also took for a turn around the track, there are times I knew that I was driving a hybrid. The Yukon’s gas engine is completely off when it drives at low speeds. I found that while wending my way through a series of cones (laid out to simulate city driving), if I kept my speed down to 10 mph or so, I was driving solely on the electric motor. When I punched the accelerator to make a turn after coming to a stop, however, it responded immediately with the gas engine to provide the power to accelerate.
The Yukon is far removed from my normal driving experience, so I can’t say a lot about how it rates as an SUV. It was big and roomy, as you would expect from an SUV. If you’re sure you need the functionality of an full-size SUV, then improving your fuel efficiency with that vehicle can be a step in the right direction.
* "Yukon Hybrid with estimated MPG 20 city/21 highway. Based on GM testing. Official EPA estimates not yet available. Note: Yukon 2WD (Gas) city/highway MPG: 14/20." (GMC website)