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Cars.com Offers Picks for Top 10 Hybrids

CHICAGO--With the release of its 2008 Hybrid Buying Guide, Cars.com has announced its picks for the top 10 hybrid vehicles on the market. With more hybrid models today than there were just a few years ago, the Buying Guide was designed to help consumers sort through a wide range of options in numerous body styles, from sedans to SUVs. Additionally, Cars.com’spicks for the top hybrid vehicles help consumers get a clear understandingof these vehicles’ fuel-efficiency and price differences compared to their non-hybrid counterparts.

“Hybrid rankings have often beensimplistic,” Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder said. “Most are little more than lists of the highest-mileage models on themarket. 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 thatsaved gas is going to cost you, since hybrid models always command apremium price.”

Cars.com developed its rankings on the premise that most hybridshoppers are looking for efficiency first, followed closely by price. Allhybrids were compared to the lowest-priced, most-efficient gas-only trimlevel in their model line. The rankings then took into account the hybrid"s mileage and price premium, in percent, as well as its suggestedretail price.

“Examinations that compare hybrids to ‘comparably equipped’ versions miss an importantpoint. Hybrids are almost always among the most expensive trim levels, ifnot the most costly,” Wiesenfelder said. “We know that not all buyers are willing to pay the premium for the sakeof driving a hybrid. There needs to be a payoff, so our rankinghighlights those hybrids that give buyers the greatest return for theirinvestment.”

Top 10 2008 Hybrids:

1. Toyota Prius

MSRP: $21,100

EPA-estimated mileage (city/highway, mpg): 48/45

After seven years on the market, the Prius is still the best hybridfor people who just plain want to burn less gas. It"s arguably also thebest for people who hope to save money in the long run. Built from scratchas a hybrid, it maximizes interior space and offers a roomy cargo hatch, whereas hybrid sedans tend to diminish trunk space and/or eliminate folding backseats. There is no gas-only version, but there doesn"thave to be. It"s both the most efficient and most affordable hybrid outthere.

2. Saturn Vue Green Line

MSRP: $24,170

EPA-estimated mileage: 25/32

Dramatic mileage boosts get all the attention, but Saturn is onto something with this mild hybrid approach. The current Vue GreenLine"s premium over the lowest-priced gas-only version is modest — only 14 percent. All the same, its city and highway mileage increases are 32 and 23 percent, respectively. What"s more, it"s priced belowthe V-6 version, whose mileage it roughly doubles. The only drawback: The Vue is the only hybrid SUV not to offer all-wheel drive. (Note: Asecond Green Line with 2 Mode technology is coming late in 2008 as a 2009 model.)

3. Honda Civic Hybrid

MSRP: $22,600

EPA-estimated mileage: 40/45

Even though its cost premium over the base Civic is 51 percent, itscity and highway mileage are 54 percent and 32 percent higher,respectively, than that already-efficient model, making the payoff quite high. It happens to be an excellent car, too.

4. Toyota Camry Hybrid

MSRP $25,200

EPA-estimated mileage: 33/34

Not everyone wants a small, less-refined automobile like the Prius, whichmakes the Camry Hybrid the one for the masses. Priced 36 percent higherthan the base four-cylinder model, it gets 57 and 10 percent better gas mileage (city and highway), and even more dramatic improvements overthe V-6 versions whose prices it rivals.

5. Lexus RX 400h

MSRP: $41,280

EPA-estimated mileage: 27/24

Though it"s a luxury model, the RX 400h"s price premium is a mere 10 percent over the gas-only RX 350. Combined with a 50 percent city mileage improvement and 4 percent highway bump, it"s a compelling package overall. The RX is similar to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which has a lower overall price and 1 mpg higher highway mileage, but that model"s higher price premium gives it a lower rank. Withoptional AWD, the RX 400h (26/24 mpg) is an even better deal, with mileage improvements of 53 percent and 9 percent compared to theall-wheel-drive RX 350.

6. Toyota Highlander Hybrid

MSRP: $33,700

EPA-estimated mileage: 27/25

The Highlander Hybrid comes only with AWD. The most efficient gas Highlander has FWD. In comparison, the hybrid costs 23 percent moreand delivers 50 percent better city mileage but only a 4 percent highway improvement. If you want AWD, however, the hybrid costs only 17percent more than the gas-only model and boasts 59 and 9 percent highermileage in city and highway driving, respectively.

7. Ford Escape Hybrid

MSRP: $26,505

EPA-estimated mileage: 34/30

The Escape Hybrid"s rank is a little surprising, given its impressive mileage, but it"s hard to overcome the fact that it costs 40 percent more than the base, four-cylinder Escape. Because of this, its 55 percent city and 7 percent highway mileage improvement can"tcompensate. If you compare it to the thirstier V-6, however, this hybrid would be higher on the list.

8. Chevrolet Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid

MSRP: $49,590

EPA-estimated mileage: 21/22

To people who say a full-size truck defeats the purpose of a hybrid,we say "nonsense." People who want or need a large SUV may have evenbetter reason for cutting back on gas than the owner of an already-efficient automobile does. The Tahoe Hybrid gives up practically none of theoriginal"s capability, including towing, and gets a stunning 50 percent increasein city mileage and 16 percent bump on the highway. It comes in eighthnot because of its size, but because of its added cost: 43 percent morethan the lowest-priced gas-only Tahoe. In a rare twist, the cheapest Tahoe isn"t the most efficient. The LT trim level gets higher mileage (it"san engine thing) but also a higher price. Here the price premium isless, at 35 percent, but the hybrid"s highway mileage is only 10 percent better than this version, rather than 16 percent.

9. Saturn Aura Green Line

MSRP: $22,140

EPA-estimated mileage: 24/32

Known as a mild hybrid, the Aura Green Line delivers modest mileage improvements over the four-cylinder Aura —9 percent in the city and 7 percent on the highway — but its price premium is a mere 12 percent. (Note: Chevrolet willsoon also market a mild hybrid version of its Malibu. Later on, 2 Modehybrid versions of each are expected to join or replace them, addingefficiency and cost.)

10. Lexus GS 450h

MSRP: $54,900

EPA-estimated mileage: 22/25

Lexus" GS 450h sedan comes in last because its cost increaseoutweighs the gains it gets in mileage. The base GS is the GS 350, a relatively efficient and low-priced V-6 model. There"s a 24 percent premiumbetween it and the GS 450h, and what you get for it is a 16 percent citymileage improvement and a 7 percent decrease in highway driving. One couldargue that the 450h is being shafted because Lexus offers such ahigh-mileage gas-only version. (When compared to the V-8-powered GS 460, thehybrid isn"t very expensive and gets better mileage.) But our assumption is that you want a GS and don"t want to pay a lot for efficiency. Inthis ranking, the GS hybrid looks like a lot of money for little gain.

About Cars.com

Cars.com is the leading destination for online automobile shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulateopinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools,photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selectionof new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of automobile buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need tomake confident buying decisions.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo , Gannett Co., Inc. , The McClatchy Company, Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company .