It’s not the size that counts, it’s how you use it.
Sorry, couldnt’ resist. U.S. News and World Report has used the new CAFE standards to take into
account the size and capability of an SUV or light truck (as the new CAFE standards will) and put a list of 75 vehicles
together to create its SUV Sensibility Index. A point the weekly made is a very good one — the
Chevy Suburban, for example, is 18 feet long, can haul 9 people and a boat, and in terms of capability, blows the RAV4
and CR-V away any day of the week. Maybe it should get worse gas mileage than the two compact SUVs,
which can barely cram in 5 people and a couple of hockey bags.
Which vehicles top the chart for being close to (or surpassing) their 2008 targets, and which ones have some
work to do, you ask? Among the gas sippers are the Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Lexus
RX400h, and Nissan Murano, while the guzzlers are the Mercedes Benz G500, Land Rover Range Rover, Jeep
Wrangler, Mitsubishi Montero, and Lexus LX 470.