Chrysler is banking on new hybrid technology

With $4-a-gallon gasoline, consumers are shunning the once-popular full-size, truck-based sport utility vehicles because of their poor fuel economy.

But Chrysler LLC is banking on its new hybrid technology to keep some consumers in the SUV fold.

Coming to market this fall are gasoline-electric hybrid versions of the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs, both bearing a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine combined with an electric drive motor powered by an onboard battery pack, designed to raise the vehicles’ overall fuel economy about 25 percent above what their gasoline-only counterparts can achieve.

Using a new two-mode hybrid system, also found in the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrid SUVs, the Durango and Aspen hybrids actually have about 40 percent better fuel economy than the gasoline models in city driving, Chrysler says.

This system was developed jointly by General Motors, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and will be used in a variety of vehicles by all four of those manufacturers. It’s called a two-mode system because it operates differently at low speeds, such as in city traffic, and at highway speeds. In city driving, the vehicle can run on electric power only; at highway speeds, the electric motor boosts gasoline power.

The electric motor is powered by a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack installed under the third seat. It is recharged by the gasoline engine, and by braking/deceleration, during which time the spinning wheels drive one of the electric motors, making it an alternator.

Durango/Aspen EPA ratings are 19 miles per gallon city/20 highway, compared with the 21 city/22 highway mileage of the Tahoe and Yukon hybrids.

Ratings for the 2008 Durango and Aspen gasoline-only two-wheel-drive models are 14 city/19 highway for the base 3.7-liter V-6 or midlevel 4.7-liter V-8 engine, and 13 city/19 highway for the optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. Four-wheel-drive models are rated at 13/17 with the 4.7-liter V-8, and 13/18 with the 5.7-liter.

Highway ratings for the hybrid are aided by a cylinder-deactivation system that cuts out four of the Hemi’s eight cylinders during level highway cruising.

These new hybrids aren’t cheap, though. The Durango lists for $45,340, and the Aspen $45,570, including freight. Chrysler says the differential between the hybrids and comparably equipped gasoline-only models is about $3,600, half of which can be recouped by a federal income tax credit.

Fuel savings over a comparable gasoline-only model would be about $800 a year, the automaker said, which could help a consumer recoup the extra cost of the hybrid system over about two years in conjunction with the tax credit.

But the $45,000-plus price is beyond what many consumers can afford, and well above the $27,675 base price of the ’08 Durango. The hybrid model comes with just about every option that can be added to these vehicles, a recurring theme consumers are encountering when they shop for hybrid vehicles.

To help the automakers recoup their own development and production costs, they generally tack all of the expensive, moneymaking options onto their hybrid vehicles. The intent is clear: The automakers really don’t want to sell you a hybrid, but they will if you take all of the options – whether you want them or not.

That’s the strategy Honda used on its Accord hybrid sedan, which came with a V-6 engine and a long list of luxury options to justify a price well above $30,000. After just two years on the market, the Accord hybrid was dropped for lack of consumer interest.

An exception to this practice, of course, is the Toyota Prius, whose base price is $22,160, which is why it’s the best-selling hybrid on the market. (Some dealers reportedly are jacking the price up by $5,000 or more because the Prius continues to be in short supply, however.)

Economy-minded consumers looking for a hybrid SUV would be better off with a Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner or Saturn Vue Green Line, all of which sell for under $30,000 (if you can find one, and if the dealer will sell it at the manufacturer’s list price). Seating is limited to five people, however; the Durango and Aspen have room for eight.

The Durango and Aspen hybrids do have a price advantage over the Tahoe and Yukon models, though. List prices for the GM hybrids begin about $5,000 higher.

The Durango and Aspen hybrids combine the V-8 engine, with 345 horsepower and 345 foot-pounds of torque, with a 300-volt electric drive motor rated at 87 horsepower and 235 foot-pounds of torque. The vehicles actually have two electric motors, but the other one is used to power accessories.

Like the Tahoe and Yukon, the Durango and Aspen have ample interior space that can accommodate even eight adults, although the third seat is a bit difficult to get into and out of.

They’re the same length as the GM models – 202 inches – and have almost identical interior dimensions.

Power is more than adequate, even with the vehicle filled with people. Towing capacity is 6,000 pounds, so the Durango/Aspen can handle big boats, as well as most travel or horse trailers.

These vehicles are quite comfortable. Leather upholstery is standard, as is air conditioning, of course.

Other amenities include navigation and rear-seat DVD entertainment systems, power windows/mirrors/door locks, a rearview camera system, and rear seats that fold to create a cavernous cargo area.

Safety features include electronic stability control and side-curtain air bags for all three rows.

The vehicles will begin arriving at dealerships in September.

The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at 210-250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.