The Gas-Saving Gas Guzzler

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=129837
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"Last month the New York Times pointed out that if it weren't for a loophole in the federal regulation of motor vehicles, the 2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid would be eligible for a hybrid-vehicle tax credit and also subject to a gas-guzzler tax.

Now, the folks over at the Times have not always been what you might call tolerant of sport-utility vehicles. In fact, around the turn of this century, when the SUV-as-commuter-car phenomenon was nearing its zenith, you could find plenty of folks around Detroit who were convinced the mighty Times was waging a Holy Journalistic Crusade against vehicles such as the Dodge Durango.

The truth is that the 2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid will be eligible for a hybrid-vehicle tax credit (estimated to be $1,800) and will not be subject to a gas-guzzler tax. When the gas-guzzler tax was instituted as part of the Energy Tax Act in 1978, SUVs and pickup trucks did not represent a significant portion of the mainstream and they were exempted from meeting the minimum threshold of 22.5 mpg (combined).

This inconsistency certainly says more about the federal government's inability to deal with reality than it does about the Durango Hybrid. (Or the Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon Hybrids, which fall into the same bizarre regulatory boat.) But, well, the government's simultaneous pat on the back and theoretical slap on the wrist does nicely highlight the paradox that this full-size, V8-equipped SUV represents.

Seriously, what the hell is this thing?"